Installing A New Isolation Valve Without Shutting Down Water to 100 Apartments in Mascot
Everyday Plumbing was recently called to a mixed commercial and residential building in Mascot to carry out some plumbing works. However, before the works could start, our team noticed a significant challenge - the water supply pipe connected to the commercial part of the building had no isolation valve installed. This pipe also supplied cold water to 11 storeys of the building as well as 100 apartments.
Without an isolation valve, if we were to start any plumbing job would need to shut off the entire building's water supply. For a large building like this, the disturbances would be substantial.
To avoid building-wide disruptions and water loss, our plumbing team used specialised pipe-freezing technology to complete the job quickly and effectively.
Why Are Isolation Valves So Important?
Isolation valves are an integral part of any commercial plumbing system. This valve allows sections of the pipe to be isolated for maintenance and repairs.
In this case, having no isolation valve installed meant that there was no safe way to work on the pipe without affecting hundreds of residents. The pipe in question also extended 20 metres up through the building, which created additional safety risks if the pipe needed to be cut.
Using Pipe Freezing Technology to Keep The Water Running
To maintain water throughout the building, our plumbers used a live pipe freezing method.
Pipe freezing creates a temporary ice plug inside the pipe, allowing plumbers to safely isolate a section of the pipework without draining the system or shutting off the water supply.
For this job, we froze the pipe on both sides so we could install an isolation valve.
Upstream Freeze
Freezing the upstream side prevented pressurised water from entering our work area so we could install the new isolation valve quickly and safely.
Downstream Freeze
The downstream side was also frozen. This was an important step as 20 metres of a 50mm pipe remained full of water. Without the downstream freeze, cutting the pipe would result in flooding.
Installing the New Isolation Valve
With both ends of the pipe successfully frozen, a new isolation valve was installed using crimp fittings. Crimp fittings are highly reliable, quick to install, and eliminate the need for hot works and cutting, providing a safer installation method within the confined plant room environment.
The Result
The new isolation valve was installed successfully without interrupting the building's water supply. This building now benefits from a dedicated isolation point, making it easier for future maintenance, repairs and upgrades to be done without disturbing the water supply.
