Flow meter installed with minimum disruption

When a pump station in northern Sydney required the installation of a flow meter to an existing pipeline, the downtime had to be kept to a minimum to avoid disruption of the water supply.

After excavation and concreting of the flow meter pit was completed, a new pipe section with the flow meter pre-installed was delivered to the site. The pipeline was shut down and an equivalent section of the existing water main line was cut. The new section with the flow meter was put in place and connected to the remaining main line with two Straub Flex 2H 1296.0 mm pipe couplings. Because the Straub pipe couplings have a very short installation time, disruption to the water supply was kept to a minimum.

According to KCES, this solution saved time and money, as joining the flow meter section with Gibault-style pipe joints would have substantially increased the cost for the pipe joints, and the fitting time would also have been significantly longer. Welding the flow meter section of pipe into the existing main would have required an absolutely dry pipe line. This would have been very difficult to achieve in view of the length of time it would have taken to drain such a large pipe. In addition, after longer periods in operation there was a risk that the valves would no longer seal absolutely tightly and a small amount of water would still trickle through.

Due to the short installation time of the Straub pipe couplings, this modification of an existing water main could be carried out with minimal disruption for the clients and their customers.