PROJECT 33
Sol-Tech Training College
By
Rory Macnamara . Technical input : David Wills of Wills Franklin Pretorius , and Gustav Beukes of Sebenza Sanitary Engineers .
The Solidarity Movement , accepting the need for certain expertise shortages in South Africa , established the Sol-Tech Training College specifically for occupational training .
Currently , they are focusing on the mechanical and electrical trades such as welding , fitting and turning , toolmaking , electrician , millwright , diesel mechanic and tractor mechanic .
The College is registered with QCTO as well as UMALUSI and DHET .
The College is founded on Christian values and uses Afrikaans as its teaching medium . Full-time training is offered over a period of three years and upon passing the trade test at Ndlela or other accredited trade test centres , the learner receives the Red Seal qualification .
We chatted to the wet service engineer , David Wills of WFP Wet Service Consulting Engineers , who was the design engineer for the entire plumbing contract , providing all design and working drawings as well as site inspections and meeting with the contracting plumber , Gustav Beukes of Sebenza Sanitary Engineers .
“ The greatest challenge on this project was the ground conditions – Dolomite D3 . The design then had not only to comply with SANS
Covering of pipes and showing dolomite
10400-P , SANS 10252 -1 & 2 but also SANS 1936 -3 – Design , Construction of Buildings , Structures , and Infrastructure . The main water supply from the services yard holding the tanks and pumps was reticulated in a concrete service trench with removeable cover .
The piping installed in the trench was HDPE pressure pipe rated for 16 Bar . From here all the water piping for the various ablutions and kitchens is suspended from the walkway ’ s roofs .
All images : Sebenza Sanitary Engineers | Gustav Beukes
Booster pump set .
All the piping is exposed for easy monitoring of leaks and maintenance . The drainage below ground was pipes as ‘ dual containment HDPE ’ meaning a HDPE pipe in a HDPE sleeve . Dual containment piping decreases the chance of pollution by having one pipe inside another . The carrier pipe is the inside pipe . The containment pipe is the outside pipe . Having this system made of high-density polyethylene ( HDPE ) pipe improves reliability .
All junctions have been installed in inspection manholes . In the event of a leak , the waste / soil wastewater will be contained in the sleeve , and flow through the inspection manholes away from the building .
January 2022 Volume 27 I Number 11 www . plumbingafrica . co . za