In this #IronStrong Blog, I’ll highlight some of the top organizations dedicated to the water works industry that you should consider joining.

In this #IronStrong Blog, we will explain thrust forces, how they are created in a water line, why they are important, the information needed to calculate them, and how to easily calculate them using the McWane Pocket Engineer™. Once you have those calculations, we will show you what pipe joints to use and in what quantities to make your pipeline restraint secure for generations.

See the “Ditch Doctor” advice column and a link to our blog, “Exorcising Restraint." We dissect a few daunting issues and present real-world solutions and insights to help brave contractors turn their nightmares into success stories. Grab your flashlight (and tools) as we guide you through the shadows, ensuring your next project is well-prepared to face any “frightening” twist that may lie ahead.

Unknown to us, our proximity to the Howard Water Treatment Facility, one of Milwaukee's primary water treatment plants, was the source of our suffering. The news broke too late, revealing that the water flowing from this facility was contaminated with Cryptosporidium, resulting in an “Estimated 403,000 people falling ill” (The New England Journal of Medicine, 1994). Due to this experience, I know firsthand the importance of ensuring clean water is supplied throughout our nation’s distribution networks.

To learn more about this outbreak in Milwaukee, click here to be redirected to an interactive presentation.

Today’s modern push-on gaskets are comprised of different types of rubber compounds, and the development of the push-on gasket has proven to be instrumental to the success of the leak-free water and sewer joint. Let's take a closer look at each specialty gasket available on the market today.

In this #IronStrong blog, we explore why standardization is essential for manufacturing Ductile Iron (DI) products and what it means for the people and communities that rely on them. With insights from Hal Eddings, Technical Director at McWane Ductile, and Jeremy Stewart, Quality Assurance Manager at McWane Ductile–Utah, the discussion highlights how rigorous standards help ensure quality, reliability, and long-term performance for consumers.

Preservation of life and property is the goal of engineers designing fire flow systems. The requirement of products bearing the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and FM (Factory Mutual) insignia in fire protection systems has been an industry standard for nearly a century. This Iron Strong Blog will cover what UL and FM certifications are and why they’re important when manufacturing Ductile iron pipe.

This physical force is called buoyancy. Buoyancy calculations are extremely important for those building ships and boats. We don’t really think about it when dealing with buried pipe, but those same principles and forces apply. Good for boats, but bad for buried pipe. 

The inspector on this pipeline project came out here and just told us we are laying pipe in the wrong direction. He said the bells have to face the other direction like the plans show. He wants us to dig up the 1,000 feet of pipe we've already installed and reverse each pipe. Is he for real? Does it really matter?

We recently installed a 15,000-ft 12-inch diameter Ductile iron pipeline with several 6-inch branches off two hydrants. The average depth of cover is 4 feet. The city engineer has expressed a concern that residual groundwater might have entered the pipeline during our installation activities.

Read the instructions!

Wrong: Despite a persistent legend, neither Columbus nor his Spanish patrons thought Earth was a finite plane instead of a round planet. That was thanks to scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians who, as early as around 600 B.C., made observations that Earth was round. Using calculations based on the sun's rise and fall, shadows, and other physical properties of the planet, Greek scholars like Pythagoras and Aristotle determined that the planet is actually a sphere.1

So, what’s the point of today’s history lesson? It often reminds me that there are numerous myths associated with Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe), and in this Iron Strong Blog, we’ll list some of those ideas, provide factual data, and discuss why they are simply misconceptions.

The county engineer is requesting that we dig up and replace sections of a newly installed Ductile iron pipeline as a result of comments or notations made by an internal video inspection camera operator. I've looked over the “issues” he's noted and can't for the life of me make out what he's talking about. 

Envision not only asks, ‘Are we doing the project right?’ but also, ‘Are we doing the right project?’

With the information that follows, we will take a closer look at what really separates Ductile Iron from PVC and why it matters.

Products intended for contact with potable water shall be certified to the requirements of NSF/ANSI 61.  The certification shall be accomplished by a certification organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) AWWA Standard, ANSI/AWWA C115/A21.15-11 Section 4.1.2. This standard includes water service pipe, water distribution lines, water treatment plants (WTP), and commercial and industrial services lines.

Okay, since that fact has been stated, why read further? Well, besides being the only primary full-size-range piping product made from recycled material, you should know why this is important to you, me, and everyone else. We will look at the impact of recycling on cities and towns as well as countries and the planet.

Should the pipeline material placed in a drinking water system in any way limit decisions of today or in the future regarding the water treatment methodology chosen to best provide safe, clean water to customers? I THINK NOT!

This legislation is a subject worth exploring deeper as it is being promoted by supporters of plastic and their lobbyists as a fiscally responsible requirement. Still, it provides no consideration for the many variables required in material selection or pipeline design; all are completely ignored in the proposed legislation which would ultimately be an "initial price only" comparison.

In extremely cold weather, the water in our pipelines can freeze, cutting off supply to our homes and businesses. This inconvenient problem can be remedied in Ductile iron pipelines through the process of electrical thawing

Steve From Steubenville Asks… Can I Install a TR Flex® Plain End in a Tyton Joint Bell?

In today’s modern world, there are more tools available to install water pipelines, such as open trench/cut, above-grade pier systems, and Horizontal Directional Drilling or HDD. In this blog, we’ll discuss the benefits of using Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) for HDD and provide some considerations and tips for your pipeline installation

While attending a recent conference, we were challenged on the information these banners contained. In fact, one unknown individual walked by the booth and shouted, “Lies... that information is lies!” without the courtesy of stopping to discuss why he felt that way or what exactly was his objection.

If you are a design engineer or an official responsible for providing clean, safe water to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of residents, then you are most likely the type of person who dedicates a major portion of your time thinking about water quality.

Thankfully, there are entities and standards in place to ensure that products used in water transportation systems are of the utmost quality. In this blog, we’ll discuss the who, what, why, and how products designed to transport safe drinking water are monitored and tested during the manufacturing process at McWane Ductile to meet quality standards.

Rubber gaskets are the reliable workhorse of any Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) joint. They provide long-lasting flexibility and a watertight seal against internal pressures upwards of 1,000 psi.

What they don’t do, however, is bind the joint longitudinally against such forces. In fact, without assistance from other variables, a push-on or mechanical joint of any diameter would calmly separate lengthwise against pressures as low as 50 psi.

This team consists of Registered Professional Engineers, National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Certified Technicians and ENVISION Sustainability Professionals with experience in managing utility operations, working in the consulting engineering industry, actual manufacturing experience in the pipe industry and decades of field exposure while providing resources and assistance with successful project completion.

A displaced or rolled gasket creating water loss in a ductile iron pipeline is one of the most common errors that occurs during joint assembly. Using the resources and experience of McWane Ductile’s long history of manufacturing iron pipe, this blog will provide some helpful tips regarding how to avoid this costly mistake when installing push-on joint pipe.  

So, connecting “other” piping material to DI pipe is very straightforward on the Ductile pipe side of the fitting. The most important item to consider is on the other material side of the connection. 

Once this metal is in its molten state a crane carries it to centrifugal casting machines where it is spun into a pipe. Next it heads to the annealing oven, an important step in transforming the iron into ductile.

In this article, we will cover some guidelines on how to store and care for your gaskets. We will cover the “what to do” as well as the equally important,”what not to do.”

There are so many questions that our consumers have about ductile iron pipe and one of the biggest categories is the HOW: “How is it made? How is it done? How can I fix this?” And there’s even the “How much does it cost?”

So, what happens when you have that technical question while drawing up a set of plans or while at a jobsite? Who are you going to call?

Well, here at McWane Ductile, we want you to know that we’re here to assist you with your water works projects and provide solutions in OUR area of expertise, Ductile Iron Pipe (DI pipe).

In many areas, utilities need to consider how to protect these valuable pipelines from corrosive soils. The question is “How can we economically protect these pipelines to meet or exceed the 105-110 year average design life of DIP?”

Common uses for Protecto 401 are for a sewer force main that may not be fully running, where trapped air may exist, where chemical resistance is required, or for abrasion resistance. There may be occasions in the field when patching of the Protecto 401 lining may be necessary.

Much time, effort, and care have gone into installing a water line. Crews have worked through inclement weather. Unexpected rock was found, slowing progress but not stopping the pipe's installation. Crews have worked long hours to meet deadlines and are anticipating the end of the project.

But wait, you have not pressurized the line. All eyes are on that gauge, hoping to validate that the work was successfully completed.

The following article was recently featured in McWane Ductile’s Modern McWane magazine and tells of one water professional’s experience when faced with what could have been a catastrophic event, and the decisions he made to resolve a very large pipeline problem.

The question is ostensibly meant to include “instead of other types of piping material.” Well, the reasons are vast and vary depending on project requirements. Since we aren’t talking about a specific project, we’ll look at the general overriding reasons Ductile iron pipe is the best choice for your piping projects.

Presently, in our industry, two essential components of a successful business include providing water professionals with high-quality, sustainable products in a timely manner, as well as offering outstanding customer service.

However, continued success in our industry depends on the ability of a company to make continuous improvements. In other words, if we do not move forward, we are not only standing still but moving in reverse. 

As a contractor or engineer, what is important to you? Time, flexibility, or cost?  Let me guess, you want all three. Below we will look at some of the items to consider that may assist you in this decision.

Ductile Iron Pipe is a tested and proven solution to sewer infrastructure needs in America. It’s not a cut and dry solution, though, and you as owners and consulting engineers have several options to choose from.

Our pipe is priced and sold based on full truckload quantities. The price of the freight is included in the price of the pipe if enough pipe is ordered to fill a truck. If a customer  has ordered less than a full truckload worth of pipe, then there are three options to get the pipe delivered:

Often referred to by the abbreviation QA, if you don’t have firm control of this, you don’t have a product worth using. Quality products where lifetime warranties and reliability begin.

McWane Ductile is dedicated to continuous improvements in both product quality and personnel safety throughout all aspects of the process, in our foundry as well as the end-users’ systems.

On occasion, however, the cement lining may have incurred some damage in the field. The lining, although very durable, does not have the same resistance to bending stress or impact as the pipe itself. Certainly, the pipe or fitting should be checked for further structural damage, but once determined the affected area is only the cement lining, repairs can be made under the applicable provisions within the ANSI/AWWA C104/A21.4 standard CEMENT-MORTAR LINING FOR DUCTILE IRON PIPE AND FITTINGS.

Because the colors used by each manufacturer may vary, we will explain how McWane Ductile applies these markings and describe their need and locations.

The participants consist of both US and International teams that are selected through a qualifying process where they would have competed in various regional or sectional events held throughout the preceding year.  

A new advancement in polyethylene encasement called V-Bio® adds additional protection by inhibiting the formation of corrosion cells under the wrap. McWane Ductile added V-Bio® polywrap to its line of products in 2015. Adding a few steps to your pipe installation with V-Bio® is an Iron Strong decision that will benefit your pipeline for generations.