The Breakdown

For those of us who work in the STEM fields and perhaps more specifically in the mechanical trades where water pipes are concerned - there is a possibility that you might be called in to attend to a breakdown. There is a water leak! Please send someone as soon as you can!

In my case, the pipe in question is that of a chilled water reticulated system that runs from Chillers to Fan Coil Units in a mall.

The added stress to this is because of the potential loss of income due to a loss of comfort to customers. Our company works for the mall, the mall intends to keep the tenants and the shoppers happy, safe and undisturbed.

So we arrive on site, water is gushing out of the light fittings and dark water stains can be seen forming on the ceiling.

Step one - shut off all the water and isolate chillers and pumps.

Step two - hack open ceiling.

Step three - hack open insulation around piping.

Step four - swear a lot because it is a vitaulic connection!

Let's pause here for a moment... water pipes can be connected in a variety of ways. One of the more common ways is the use of flanges on either pipe with a gasket in the middle, tightened up with bolts and nuts.

But a vitaulic has a rubber insert that the two pipes must be connected closely together inside, you have a 3mm to 5mm gap between pipes. The pipes have been rolled to make grooves and the vitaulic lamp's sides MUST sit inside those grooves!

Look at the photo above. Does that look like 3mm to you?

Nope.

Can we move the pipe at all?

Nope.

We then tried a cascade clamp around this bridge but the gap is too large and it is on a bend, the cascade did not hold the pressure.

So the eventual solution was to take the whole bend out and weld in a new piece of pipe where those connections would be.

Because this is a working mall, we had to drain during the day and then grind and weld after 7PM when the shops are all closed.

So in the above you can see us working well after 12PM because of the difficulty in working with pipes so close to each other and welding right around a pipe.

Because of water leveling, the moment we cut the pipe stubs off, the water started running so it took a bit of gymnastics and water draining before we could continue welding again.

Eventually we ended on 10.5 hours overtime for a total of a 20 hour work day... and it just so happened to be that the next day I could not have a fatigue day off since I was booked to attend a course.

This course also took longer than a regular working hours to complete.

Here we are with the insulation restored as though nothing happened... until...

ANOTHER water leak! This time inside of a bloody shop! And guess where it leaked?

Yep... on a vitaulic connection... it is about time to say that I HATE vitaulic connections!

Just look at the mess it has left in this shop, above their tills no less.

We went through the same shut down procedure and I am now busy draining water again. I am working overtime AGAIN and I still have not recovered from the last long shifts I pulled...

This is why today's post is so late and my posts this week are out of their usual sequence.

Posting will resume after these issues have been resolved!

Leave me some commentary and good wishes peoples of Hive! Lend me your strength and your knowledge!

Cheers