Waco Installs Miles of HDPE Piping
An ongoing effort by many of our clients to upgrade their infrastructure and increase the capacity of aging water piping systems has led Waco to purchase two (2) McElroy Tracstar Fusion Welders – one for applications of pipe diameters from 4” to 12” and another for larger pipe applications up to 36” in diameter. In addition, Waco has also purchased two (2) Electric Fusion Coupling machines for extremely tight situations where one would be unable to get the TracStar equipment in place. This equipment is rated for up to 20” diameter piping.
Both of Waco’s fusion units come with a data logger, which provides detailed information to ensure that the fusion joining of the piping meets the industry standards for heating and cooling, and fusion pressure requirements. The data logger will also record the jobsite conditions such as ambient temperature, the installation temperatures and pressures, the equipment operator and the location of the fused joints. Manufacturers of the HDPE fittings will often have a GPS barcode on them which can be also be loaded into the data logger for future identification. This information allows Waco to provide a verifiable weld map report of all the connections along the underground pipe system so that these sections can later be easily located.
There are several reasons that have guided professional engineers at both UVA and elsewhere to specify HDPE piping for underground applications that include low and medium temperature water (up to 180 degrees F), chilled water, sewer and gas.
Benefits of using HDPE
- Piping comes in 50-foot lengths allowing for long seamless runs
- Lightweight in comparison to concrete or ductile steel and doesn’t require large expensive foundations or supports
- Flexible allowing it to be placed in earthquake prone areas or shifting soils
- Leakage points at couplings and fittings are eliminated with the butt fusion method
- Expected lifespan of up to 100 years
- Excellent pressure ratings and corrosion resistance including hydrogen sulfide, salts, sewage effluent
- Piping can be easily located using GPS and information from the data logger to allow for determining the precise areas to connect additional piping or expand the system
- Better flow rates than concrete and steel pipe which means reduced pipe sizes, smaller trenches, manholes and vaults.
- Does not support biological growth and is non-tuberculating: meaning it resists the formation of hard deposits on the inside of the pipe
Common Installation Methods
- Open Trench
- Horizontal Directional Drilling
- Slip Lining (For pipe bursts or repairs without new trenching)
Common Color-Coded Piping System
- Blue Stripe – Potable water
- Purple Stripe – Re-Claimed water
- Green Stripe – Sewer
Testing Methods:
- Hydro-Tested – Waco tests all installed systems at 200 PSI
Common Industry Specifications and Training HDPE
- ASTM F714 – Standard for Polyethylene (PE) Piping
- ASTM D3350 – Standard for PE Couplings and Fittings
- ASTM F2620 – Heat Fusion Standard for joining fittings to pipe
- ASTM F3190 – Qualification Training Standard for Operators
Completed Projects
- UVA: Charlottesville, VA. – Low & Medium Temperature Piping Conversion Phase 3B, 3C
- Polycon Manufacturing: Henrico, VA. – Chemical Piping and Water System
- Dominion Energy: Chesterfield Power Station – Ash Piping System
- UVA: Charlottesville, VA. – Astronomy Building Chilled Water Piping
- UVA: Charlottesville, VA. – Hospital Drive Domestic Water Lines
Upcoming Projects
- UVA: Charlottesville, VA. IVY Corridor Chilled Water and Low Temperature Piping
- Hanover County: Wastewater Treatment Plant By-Pass Water Piping
Let Waco be your next call when looking for an experienced contractor who has the McElroy equipment readily available along with our trained, quality control driven HDPE technicians and installers.