Case Study Overview

Site Hospital
Location United Kingdom
Repair Type No pressure pipe repair
Defect 80mm diameter hole in cast iron drain pipe

Repair Products

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage,
SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

The cast iron drain pipe ran horizontally in a roof space between two floors at the Victorian-era hospital. It was connected to a bathroom shared by multiple wards, handling wastewater from baths and sinks.

Corrosion caused a large 80mm hole to appear in the pipe. Whenever wastewater was expelled from the bathroom, significant amounts would pour out from the hole.

Not only was this causing the hospital water damage inside the roof space, but it also posed a health risk. If the pipe could not be sealed immediately, the bathroom would have to be shut until a repair or replacement took place.

This would likely have taken a long time because of the potential bureaucracy involved and with many NHS trusts in England and Wales struggling to afford repairs or upgrades to their crumbling estates.

Thankfully, the hospital maintenance team were equipped with a SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit. The Kit contains multiple products for sealing cracks and splits in cast iron and plastic drain, waste and soil pipes.

It comes in a robust red case which is easy to store on-site. As soon as the roof space leak was discovered, the maintenance team simply retrieved their Drain & Waste Kit and used the materials inside the seal the hole.

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty was kneaded by hand and formed into a 110mm diameter disc, ensuring total coverage of the hole around all sides.

Whilst soft, the mixed Superfast Steel disc was positioned over the hole and pressed onto the pipe for maximum contact. The edges were firmly pushed into place and smoothed off to form a strong bond with the surface of the pipe.

Before the putty had fully hardened, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was applied on top. The resin was activated using water and SylWrap HD wrapped and smoothed around a 300mm area with the hole at its centre.

SylWrap HD forced the gelled Superfast Steel further into the hole for a more effective seal. Within 10 minutes of mixing, the epoxy putty cured to form a material as hard as steel covering the hole.

The bandage began curing as soon as it was activated, needing less than five minutes to set. It provided an impact resistant protective sleeve around the entire pipe for a reinforced, permanent repair.

With the bathroom only needing to be shut for 15 minutes whilst the drain pipe hole repair took place, there was limited disruption to patients.

An inspection of the roof space several weeks later revealed no sign of leakage despite heavy use of the bathroom. The application had been a complete success with wastewater now fully contained.

Products Used

Superfast Steel
Fast working epoxy putty covers holes and cracks with steel-like material

SylWrap HD Bandage
Composite wrap sets rock hard to reinforce pipework with a thick, impact resistant shell

Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit
Kit kept on-site with enough products for multiple drain, waste and soi pipe repairs

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