When looking to fix pipes near joints or in limited sections of the pipe, point repair is a fast option with immediate results.
Installing the Tech
Quick-Lock is a rigid, compressible cylinder made of heavy-gauge stainless steel inside a gasketed rubber sleeve. The whole assembly is inserted into pipes and sewers with an inspection crawler. An inflatable rubber bladder is then used to expand the ratcheted steel cylinder, locking the rubber sleeve tightly in place around the entire area of the leak.
“It’s a bit like a reverse zip tie,” Martinsen said. “Once it expands, it locks in place and doesn’t budge.” This instantly and permanently seals off damaged areas, and since the Quick-Lock assembly is low profile, sewer flow capacities are minimally affected. No epoxies or resins are used.
“I’ve previously used another solution that required epoxy,” Martinsen said. “It worked, but it was tricky to use—we had to get everything ready, put on the epoxy, then insert it and get it in place within 20 minutes. And if you didn’t get it in place within 20 minutes, you were in a pickle. Quick-Lock is much more convenient. The rubber sleeve just locks in and seals the pipe—it’s pretty slick.”
In Worland, Kleen Pipe spent about two weeks on site, but most of that time was spent jetting and cleaning the pipe, and using video to precisely locate the six damaged areas.
“We also learned that the clay pipe really was in good shape,” Martinsen said. “There was very little movement in the pipe, and no big offsets at the joints. That made it ideal for inserting a point repair solution, because we could insert larger-diameter packages into manholes and all the way to the leaks.”