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CREWS FIND BETTER WAY TO TAP Live Water Mains AS SEEN IN "PUBLIC WORKS" SEPT. 2002 ISSUE

Louisville Water Company (LWC) capital construction crews had been searching for a better way to tap newly constructed, live water mains. The old method, used once the water samples passed add water quality tests, was time consuming. First, the trench was excavated to access the new water main. Next, it was either "hand dig" around the new main, or widen the trench with a backhoe, to allow installation of the tapping machine chain around the new water main. Each option required an additional 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The time may seem insignificant but on a service intensive project, the man-hours can accumulate quickly, raising the overall project cost. LWC crews tried several alternative ways to make live taps. The most successful was a process we called "tubing" the water main. During pipe installation, a 1-1/2-in. inside diameter PVC tube is installed around the pipe, at appropriate service locations. When the time came to tap the water main, the trench was excavated, the tubing cut, and the chain was pulled through

Mike Magee Mr. Magee is Crew Foreman, Louisville Water Company, Louisville Kentucky the tubing. This method allowed us to make live taps on the water main, without additional excavation around the main. This process saved a great deal of time, that is, when it worked! Consistency was our next big challenge. Many times the tubing would collapse just enough to prevent the chain from being pulled through. Accidental damage to the tubing during trench excavation also caused problems. We still had not found a consistent solution. SOLUTION FOUND Finally in March 2002, we discovered a pre-tap collar from Jenguard Products, Inc. (Lansdale, Pennsylvania). The two-piece collar has an upper half and a lower half. It encircles the pipe and is held together with tie-straps.

The pre-tap collar is placed around the pipe before installation. When it is time to make a tap, the trench is excavated, the collar is located, and the tie straps are cut to remove the upper half of the two-piece collar. The space created by the collar makes it easy to install the tapping chain. Each section of the collar has been formed to create a large relief area, for a tapping chain. It is constructed of HDPE and has proven to be quite durable. The collar is placed around the pipe before installation, much like "tubing the water main" as described earlier. When it is time to make a tap, the trench is excavated, the collar is located, and the tie straps are cut to remove the upper half of the collar. The lower half of the collar stays in place, providing a large space around the pipe. The space created by the collar makes it easy to install the tapping chain. No longer is it necessary to widen the trench, or spend countless hours "hand digging" around the pipe, to make a live tap. We have, at last, found a consistent solution with the pre-tap collar.

JENGUARD PRODUCTS INC.
135 East Hancock St.
Lansdale, PA 19446