Underground Gas Pipework

Our Gas pipes team were recently asked to assist a hospital with some underground gas pipe that required live squeeze off and capping off a gas main. The main was a 125mm plastic pipe and was feeding a plant room that was due to be demolished. There was some urgency with this project, as the decommissioning of the boilers and subsequent plant room demolition clearly could not go ahead with a live gas supply.

Technology Saved Time

We were able to react quickly to this enquiry, the turnaround from enquiry to completing the job was less than a week. Often we will require a site visit to understand the full extent of the project and to get a feel for the site itself to better understand the work required. However, thanks to technology, using a combination of Google Earth, video calls, and emails allowed us to quote for the Hospital underground gas pipe project without a traditional site visit, due to the short timeframe to complete the job.

Specialist Gas Pipe Team

Once the quote was accepted by the customer we were able to schedule the work and select the most appropriate team for the job. Understandably, underground gas pipework projects require specialist contractors. Dealing with live gas mains is a potentially hazardous job that can be devastating if not carried out correctly.  Along with our expert team, we are proud that we specialise in this area. We are happy to undertake projects that perhaps other contractors wouldn’t be keen to undertake.

What is Squeeze Off?

We take a large piece of equipment called a squeeze off tool, which has clamps that go around plastic pipes.  These clamps come in various sizes and allow the pipe to be ‘squeezed’ to safely stop the flow of gas on most plastic pipes.  Once the pipe has been sealed and further safety checks are conducted to ensure no gas is flowing we are then able to carry out essential repairs, pipe fusing, or branch connections on the gas pipes.

To find out more information or to discuss any underground pipework requirements you may have then please contact us and one of our team would be happy to help!

 

 

Helping a Charitable organisation resolve its heating woes after damaged gas pipe was identified on site.

Recently, J&U Services via our Gaspipes.co.uk brand took an inquiry from a charitable services hub in Somerset. The gas pipe feeding their building had failed due to a damaged gas pipe. The not-for-profit centre offers fantastic services that aim to decrease isolation and loneliness amongst its users.  They do this by providing creative, educational, and exercise-based activities in a safe environment.

Gas Purge Specialists

Gaspipes.co.uk is becoming the ‘go-to’ brand for Commercial and Industrial Gas Purges. Our team has performed a number of recent gas purge projects across a wide variety of sizes and industries across the UK. A sister company of mechanical engineering firm J&U Services. means we are well placed within the industry to draw on expertise from multiple sources within our group.

Live Under Pressure Drilling

Along with Gas Purges and Live Squeeze Offs, Live Under Pressure Drilling has become somewhat of a specialty of the Gaspipes.co.uk team. In a similar manner to Live Squeeze Offs we provide this service to customers who cannot afford to have their Gas Supply interrupted.  This process is often called Hot Tapping.

A recent customer in the South of England who was responsible for a School needed a new branch coming off their 14″ MDPE Gas Main. The customer took care of the ‘civils’ for us, ensuring a suitable trench was created. This is something we are happy to arrange if needs be. We typically require a day to be set aside for these works, but in reality, we can have this work done in as little as two hours even on pipework this thick.

We will typically take a team of two or three engineers to the site, with a drilling rig, portable/wheeled generator, a fusion generator, the saddle, and the appropriate tools and attachments. Usually, one vehicle is sufficient so our footprint is minimal and time on site is kept to a minimum.

Prep for the Under Pressure Drilling

On this particular occasion, the weather was kind to us, but this is not always the case. We always ensure we have specific types of wipes with us the clean the pipe before we can begin the first step.  Once we are happy that the customer gas main is clean where we need to attach the saddle it can be strapped onto the gas main (see the main picture). The saddle is then fusion welded to the gas main. Different projects require different weld times, this particular one took 20 minutes.

Once the saddle has been successfully fusion welded to the main, we can then attach the valve. We lowered the valve into the trench, fastened it up, and then we can bring the drilling rig into the trench and begin drilling. Once we have extracted the ‘coupon’ we can be happy that the drill has been successful.

If like this customer, you need a branch coming off your gas main but cannot afford any disruption to service, email geoff@juservice.co.uk.

 

 

 

As this blog contributor gets used to the weird and wonderful terms used in the piping industry it seemed a good time to look at welding in some of its forms. Unashamedly, for full disclosure, Google was utilised here. Our Beginners Guide to Welding;

Different types of welding.

TIG; TIG is the hardest form of welding for various reasons such as being a tedious process. It is harder to master than other forms of welding. The process of TIG is slow. If speed is a factor you are considering, then TIG is reasonably slow. TIG welding produces cleaner and more precise welds than MIG welding or other Arc welding methods, making it the strongest.

Different welding jobs require different methods. Whilst TIG is generally stronger and higher in quality. One should use MIG or another method if the job calls for it. A TIG welder uses non-consumable tungsten welding rods. The welder can then choose to use filler metal. Using TIG welding apparatus produces a shielding gas. This prevents the molten metal from reacting with oxygen and water vapor.

MIG; MIG welding is an arc welding process in which a continuous solid wire electrode is fed through a welding gun and into the weld pool. This joins the two base materials together. Shielding gas is also sent through the welding gun and protects the weld pool from contamination. This process does use a consumable metal (the wire). MIG stands for metal inert gas. MIG can be used where precision is less of an issue and there are time constraints as it is quicker than TIG.

STICK; Stick welding is the one we may all be familiar with. It is where the welder has a long stick and a bright light at the end of the stick when welding. It is also known as Shielded Metal Arc welding or rod welding. The ‘Arc’ refers to an electric arc between a metal stick called an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the point of contact. This produces a bright light. The welder will need a chipping hammer to chip away the ‘slag’ coating that is produced from stick welding.

A tricky weld

The 6G pipe weld is one of the most difficult weld certification tests to pass because the pipe is at a 45-degree angle and immovable. Welders performing the 6G certification test must weld in all positions including horizontal, vertical, and overhead, and may have to weld both right-handed and left-handed. It’s at this point we can start to see why a good welder is highly sort after.

Big ‘No No’s’

Now for something else we may not have necessarily known if we didn’t work in this space, certain metals cannot be welded together – Titanium and steel, Aluminum and copper, Aluminum and stainless steel, Aluminum and carbon steel.

Another big ‘no-no’ is of course to look at a live welding process with the naked eye. Welders therefore will wear various forms of eye shielding. (See the featured image.)

Get in touch

We hope this Beginners Guide to Welding was of some use. If you have any pipework projects that require any of the above types of welds, get in touch via our enquiry form or call us on 01782 749421.

 

Pipework – Plastic Reclamation and Medical Waste Centre

The ethical and efficient reclamation of plastic and disposal of dangerous waste is as hot a topic as it has ever been. The Gas Pipes team have recently been called out to help Plastic Reclamation and a Medical Waste centre improve the efficiency of Gas and Steam pipework. Projects have included both gas pipework repair and replacement. We have been asked to look at both underground pipework and above ground pipework,

Plastic Reclamation Pipework

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and converting it into re-usable products. Our clients face challenges with this process as plastic recycling as its comparatively low value versus metals. We will aim to provide the most cost-effective solution with both capital outlay and efficiency of the pipework. It is extremely important that sites like this flourish to help reduce plastic in the waste stream. Approximately 8 million metric tons of waste plastic enters the Earth’s ocean each year. We will endeavour to support our clients in the Plastic Reclamation space as best we can to reduce these quite alarming numbers.

Medical waste

Medical waste is perhaps an unfashionable but crucial service. We would struggle without this industry so with that in mind we need to make sure our customers experience no break in operation with their steam production.  The type of waste our clients deal with is of medical origin, for example, hospitals. This waste can include needles, bandages, nappies etc. We can play our part in ensuring that the steam pipework that these sites use has any necessary remedial work done in good time.

We are very proud to be able to support not only these organisations. The Gas Pipes team also work with Bio-Mass facilities, Food Waste sites and a number of other Eco-Friendly organisations.

If your organisation needs help with any of its pipework do not hesitate to get in touch. Ask for Geoff on 01782 749421 or fill out the enquiry form. We look forward to hearing from you.