TECHNICAL
39
Mechanical pipe systems offer cost and time savings
By
Marcel Ley , Victaulic Regional Manager for South Africa
New and current commercial developments , innovative technologies and solutions that decrease construction times , limit labour costs , and prove more versatile will be particularly important in order to contain costs and ensure timely delivery .
Grooved mechanical pipe joining systems are one such solution . They offer an alternative to the use of flanges or welding to connect piping systems and drastically reduce the time necessary to install and maintain these connections . In commercial buildings – such as offices , shopping centres or mixed-use developments – piping systems are installed for heating , cooling , plumbing and fire protection .
The couplings arrive on the site ready to be installed and do not require disassembly prior to installation and can just be pushed on a piece of grooved pipe , valve , or fitting . Additionally , the fact that the joint integrity can be visually verified to confirm its validity eliminated additional checks and rework . Originally estimated to require two full weeks to complete the system by welding , the couplings helped to compress the assembly to 19 hours – nearly 75 % savings in installation time – and 1.5 weeks ahead of schedule .
The grooved mechanical pipe joining system requires fewer and less skilled workers , therefore further reducing installation costs .
Grooved technology is especially suited to commercial building projects as it can easily accommodate changes in the scope of the project . Unlike a welded system , a grooved mechanical pipe joining system can easily be taken apart and the same parts can be reassembled . The initial installation of the system is about five times faster than welding , but when a welded system needs to be reworked , the Victaulic system can be ten times faster .
Victaulic Vibration isolation pump drops can also be optimised to reduce the number of joints done on sites . Pump rooms can benefit from this practice and field joints can be reduced from 30 on-site connections to only four connections . This not only reduces time and risk on site but also ensures that joint integrity is maintained .
The Standard Bank Head Office – built to reflect sustainability The installation-ready couplings and grooved fittings overcame challenges and ensured a fast , safe , and efficient installation of the riser pipelines . Tight installation spaces were easily overcome due to the single-piece design of QuickVic couplings . There were no loose bolts , nuts or gaskets that could be dropped within the vertical riser space , which resulted in improved efficiency and minimised time wasted . Showing the tight space the system was installed in
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Victaulic
November 2020 Volume 26 I Number 09 www . plumbingafrica . co . za