Posted on February 25, 2019
If you’re installing a piping system in an enclosed space, you may be wondering what pipe joining method is right for you. The terms ‘reliability’ and ‘maintenance’ are probably flashing through your head. How can you be sure the pipe joining method you’re employing will give you the performance confidence you seek? Let’s break it down.
Enclosed Space Installation Challenges
First, let’s review the definition of an “enclosed space.” An enclosed space is any place where the product is installed behind obstructions, or where it cannot be easily accessed or more importantly seen. For comparison, enclosed spaces are more restrictive than confined spaces during maintenance. Traditional pipe joining methods often struggle to adapt to these areas, making installation and maintenance a challenge.
- Welding/sweating: Between the specialized tools, the hot work permits and fire watch required, what can be a simple maintenance task turns into a headache of safety risks.
- Threading: Getting a wrench in an isolated area can be difficult and frustrating. Ensuring the installer is properly taping and doping the joint in areas where visibility may be low causes installation risks.
Now, let’s talk about the biggest concern with installations in enclosed spaces. How do you know the product being installed will perform as intended within an enclosed space for the life of the system? Many traditional methods are installed in enclosed spaces with no definitive way to confirm if they will leak or fail.
Providing Solutions for Enclosed Spaces
With Victaulic, enclosed spaces are no problem. Couplings featuring our patented Installation-Ready™ technology are pre-assembled and can be easily installed using common job site tools. With pad-to-pad visual or tactile verification, proper installation is guaranteed, and our fully-adjustable and repositionable design allows installers to correct a mistake with ease.
Our products are designed to last the life of the system, thanks to durable ductile iron housings and patented gasket technologies. Tested to the highest quality standards and proven in the most grueling applications on the planet, Victaulic couplings can be found in the highest skyscrapers to the deepest tunnels in the world.
In addition to our reliable, high-quality, easy-to-install system solutions, Victaulic can also assist with designing and constructing piping systems in enclosed spaces. In 2016, Martin Associates leveraged Victaulic’s products and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) services to create an HVAC piping system for a smaller-than-normal mechanical room in Manhattan’s 525 West 52nd Street apartment building. In only a week and a half, the team successfully installed, tested and completed the system while reducing waste, streamlining installation and cutting overall costs by three to four percent in this tightly enclosed space.
Do you have questions on the use of Victaulic products in enclosed spaces? Our Applications Engineering team is here to help! Our team of global engineers is just a phone call or email away.
