The most obvious sign that your pipes need to be cleaned, with discolored product being a close second in some cases, is reduced product flow. Many products such as paint, oil and wastewater will leave sludge and gunk on the inside of the pipes. This residue builds up and, sooner or later, you're down to 12 inches of usable diameter when you're supposed to have 3 feet!
If you're system is gravity only, you are certain to experience backups. If your supply side reservoir can't handle the extra load, you've got a mess on your hands. On a pumped system, you'll find higher energy bills and possibly higher maintenance costs. Neither of those is welcomed by those in charge of the money. Be kind to your equipment, and be kind to your boss's wallet. Keep your industrial pipe system at maximum flow capacity. Professional Piping Service, Inc. can help you keep those pipes clean. My client, Mr. Cimbora, has been in the piping industry for nearly 60 years, gaining the experience to recognize piping problems and implement the most effective solution. Let PPSI send a pig through your pipes! (See other posts here to learn about pipe pigs.)
0 Comments
Piping system engineers and managers understand that no matter if the product is really product, or perhaps the “product” is actually waste, the pipes must be kept clean or they will eventually fail. This might come as a reduction of flow over time, or a sudden catastrophic full blockage. Reduced flow when your product is for sale translates to less dollars per second. The boss and the shareholders won't stand for that! If your pipes carry waste, then reduced flow can get messy very quickly, especially with limited storage on the upstream end. Reduced flow also costs you more money in electricity (or diesel), running your pumps harder, likely wearing them out sooner, leading to even more overhead cost.
The cliche' aboutan ounce of prevention and a pound of cure is true. In this case, a little of downtime for proper cleaning could avoid several days or weeks of downtime caused by a complete system failure, and the cleanup & recovery that goes with it. Clean pipes just flow better. Professional Piping Systems, Inc will help you determine what method of pipe cleaning will work best in your system. HYDRO JET PIPE CLEANING TAMPA For some systems, a high power jet will be chosen to scrub your pipes. Water jets are effective regardless of the diameter pipe as correct flow and pressure are maintained. High Power Water Jetting is used to remove sediment, build-up & debris including tree roots, kitchen or automotive grease, lime scale / hard water mineral scale, sewage waste and much more. Professional Piping Services Inc. can bring a water tank if the job requires it, or hook up to your own supply. TAMPA PIPE PIGGING When water jetting isn't the right choice, a pipe pig probably is. Also known as a "poly pig", a pipe pig is an inline device which scrubs the walls of the pipes. Pipe pigs come in various diameters from several inches, to man sized or possibly bigger. The surface of the pig that does the actual scrubbing will differ depending on the type of pipe (Steel, Concrete, PVC...) and the debris that needs to be removed. A smart pig may also come in handy to verify and correct the reported location of pipes and valves, where reality and blueprints don't actually match. QUALIFIED PIPING PROFESSIONAL Professional Piping Services Inc's General Manager. Mr Cimbora is a trusted expert when it comes to industrial pipe maintenance & flow restoration. He's been In the industry since the 1950's! His knowledge & experience are invaluable to academia and his peers. When a pipeline system or significant segment is completed, there are several steps to take to prepare it for its initial use. Pipeline pigs will prove useful for at least a few of these steps. An inspection pig can be used to ensure the line has been laid according to plan and that there are no significant defects in the system. The inspection pig can confirm the system is prepared to carry the intended product.
A system constructed from un-coated steel pipes can have its initial cleaning done using a brush pig to scrape the interior, removing any rust or manufacturing / construction debris. Coated pipes will require a less abrasive option like a Polyurethane Poly pig. Fortunately, the coating helps reduce the amount of debris one is dealing with. Pre-commission pigging may include water flow, if the application allows, to help move the debris out through the pig catcher. Systems built from other materials, and depending on the product they will carry, may require additional considerations for pre-commission cleaning and testing. Professional Piping Services, Inc. has the experience and expertise to determine the most efficient and effective tools and procedures to prepare your system for its initial product run. Over the years, the technology of pipeline pigging hardware hasn't had to change very much. The way they are used, however, has changed quickly.
Just sending a pipe pig through a system and expecting it be be clean is naive. When sending an inline inspection tool through the system, you require that your your pig has reduced or eliminated lift off, so you can get a more accurate result from magnetic flux leakage inspection. The pipeline's efficiency should also be greatly improved after thorough pigging. The best cleaning that ensures the system's peak condition will require the services of a qualified pipeline-cleaning service company such as Professional Piping Services, Inc. The original mechanical pigs were simple devices jury rigged together from bailed cloth and barbed wire. They have matured into today's polyurethane (PU) marvels. Each Poly Pig manufacturer will choose their own blends and ratios of pre-polymers & curing compounds that combine to create the castable fluid with various foam densities, abrasion resistance, elasticities and other variables that impact effectiveness and durability in any given application. What kinds of Pigs are available? The applications that Poly Pigs can be used for, and the forms they might take are as varied as the piping industry itself. For the most part, pigs are are made in sizes with a 1.5 length to diameter ratio. Keeping your bends, or ells, to a minimum of 1.5D is therefore important for them to be easily piggable. Tandem pigs can be used to navigate the tighter ells, if retrofitting an existing system is not an option. There is much more to this topic than the author can address at this time. When you need help with your piping system, don't trust me, trust my client, Professional Piping Services, Inc. The author of this article has referenced source(s) from the internet including an article from pgjonline.com. The client for whom this is written is much more knowledgeable about the topic than the author. Any inaccuracy or error should be attributed to the author, and not the Poly Pig Specialists themselves, or the referenced article(s). Health, Safety and Protecting the Environment
Industrial Pipe Pigging operations require management which protects the health and safety of its job site, workers, clients & general population while preventing damage to property.The procedure also must protect the Environment, carefully complying with applicable laws and regulations. For success, safety must be the highest priority, no matter the size of the project or how much of an emergency the situation seems to be. Those performing this work must be provided with the proper tools and training to complete these tasks safely, in accordance with regulatory requirements. Pipeline pigging workers must be granted the right & responsibility to prevent accidents, avoid product releases & stop property losses. Employees and contractors must also do their part to understand and comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Health, safe job sites and a clean environment are of the highest concern to any reputable Poly Pigging company. When I think of reputable Poly Pigging companies, I think of one such company, with years of experience, lead by a recognized authority on the topic, Roger M Cimbora, Sr, - Professional Piping Services, Inc. Professional Piping Services, Inc. ensures all workers have received appropriate training & have the appropriate experience for any assigned task & provides procedures to complete all assigned work safely. The appropriate tools and equipment are provided to ensure all work is done safely. When the time comes to have your pipes cleaned, or if you are considering a pipe pig to purge product between production runs, there are certain things to consider before you start.
Scheduling pipeline pigging as part of your maintenance regime helps keep your pipelines at full flow and may alert you to pending rupture or leaks. Pipeline Poly Pigs are applicable in a wide range of pipe materials including steel, concrete, plastic / PVC, aluminum, glass and more, carrying a wide range of product including wastewater & storm water to fuel & lubricating oils.
During routine pipeline maintenance with poly pigs, data can be collected,including pig speed and inertia, location and depth of any damage or variation in pipe wall thickness and indications of intrusion or debris. The collected data helps determine the optimal sequence of pigs to be used for cleaning and keeping a complete record of each run, a history is formed, allowing the pipeline owner or manager to gauge the rate of change and respond accordingly. An additional advantage to beginning a poly pigging regime is that the initial session provideds the opportunity to have the system mapped or re-mapped with a smart pig to verify or correct the information in any diagrams that exist for the piping system. Being confident in the location and diameter of each leg of the system, and their condition, as well as the status of any valves, can facilitate future preventative maintenance or repairs, putting them on the fast track and saving potentially large amounts of money. Professional Piping Services Inc. can help evaluate your pipe system, recommend a poly pigging regimen and perform the pigging with skill & professionalism. The staff at Professional Piping Services Inc. has been working in the industry for decades. The owner, Roger M Cimbora, Sr., is an expert in the field, serving on committees, acting as an instructor,leading seminars & publishing papers on the topics of piping system rehabilitation, cleaning and evaluation. Is it possible that I've gotten this far into discussing pipe system cleaning, and specifically Pipe Pigging, without actually defining "Pipe Pigging" for those that had never heard of it?
Well, it seemed like maybe I had, so this post is to rectify that oversight. When wastewater force mains or other industrial piping systems experience reduced flow, progressive Pipe Pigging may be the best option to correct the situation, restoring maximal flow. But, just what is Pipe Pigging anyway? (Also called Polly Pigging or Poly Pigging) A professionally engineered piping system will have been created with certain flow rates, velocities and pressure in mind. In the life of the system, periods of low flow velocity or high concentrations of fat, oil and grease or sediment will lead to material build up on the inside of the pipes. This results in reduced flow, high energy costs and extra maintenance for the pumps, and possibly system failure that including a hazardous spills. Pipe pigging (or "Polly Pigging" / "Poly Pigging") is the use of a slug, often made of polyurethane, known as a pig, to clean the inside of a pipe. It is pushed through the system by the same force that carries the system's product, or pulled through the system using a cable. If you can remember the bank drive through with the pneumatic shuttle that carried your papers back and forth to the teller, the concept is similar, except that the shuttle is specifically designed to clean as it passes. It can often be done with very little or even zero interruption of service. Progressive poly pigging (polly pigging) is the use of various sizes and densities of pig, in sequence, through the pipe system, inspecting the pig and the product until the pipes are clean. Pipe Pigging can be used alone or with other methods such as high pressure water jetting to ensure your pipe system achieves and maintains its optimal flow. Professional Piping Services was formed in 1985. The company has designed, managed & implemented successful cleaning of and maximum flow capacity restoration of thousands of miles of previously malfunctioning pipe.
These miles and miles of pipes have been made of piping material that include rubber, asbestos, cast iron, glass, cement, steel, plastic & even wood. The piping applications for which we can provide cleaning include potable water, reuse and raw water systems, The applications for cleaning that we can provide include fuel systems, intake and outfalls, oxygen/ozone plants, reuse and raw water systems, potable water systems, hot, chill and condenser water piping, sprinkler systems, wastewater force mains, process piping, chemical/mineral transfers & newly installed piping. The staff of Professional Piping Services are OSHA trained and certified with hands on knowledge attained through decades of fixing poorly performing piping. Roger M Cimbora, Sr., General Manager of Professional Piping Services, Inc., has these extensive credentials;
Stories in this section of my blog are about my client, Professional Piping Services. They operate as a Certified Underground Utility Contractor with License Number CU-C055717 These are written by a layperson and are therefore subject to imperfection. Brandon is one of Tampa's most popular bedroom communities and is growing into a city of its own. This growth, of course, requires additional infrastructure to support it. The burden of that falls onto the Hillsborough County Government and the contractors hired by the county.
A huge portion of this infrastructure improvement is new or larger pipes for drinking water, waste water (sewage) and reclaimed water for lawn irrigation. A pipe pig can be used on a brand new system to clean out construction debris and ensure a high quality product is delivered to the homes and businesses in Brandon, Florida. There may be a time that the existing pipes are designed to handle more capacity than they are currently capable of. In this case, a poly pig pipe cleaning system might save the time and cost of digging up and replacing pipes, restoring full flow to both potable and non-potable systems with a minimum of downtime or disruption. Any mention of pipe poly pigging would be incomplete without a mention of smart pigs. If your Brandon FL pipe project involves pipes whose actual layout is in question, You may choose a "Sherlock Pig" electronic device placed inside a special poly pig which transmits a signal to a receiver as it travels through the system. This will allow the system to be mapped in three dimensions including under ground or submerged in ponds, lakes or rivers. If you have the responsibility to ensure the maximum efficiency of a professional piping system in Brandon or East Hillsborough County Florida, Professional Piping Services, Inc. are The Piping Cleaning Specialists. |