Shallow Bury Water Services

Urecon offers a complete range of pre-insulated service pipe and duct for freeze protection of municipal services and small diameter piping.

The use of GF Urecon pre-insulated pipe or duct can result in a substantial increase in the time to freeze of small diameter municipal water services. Hundreds of communities, from those located in the remote north, to major urban centres in the south, have solved their service freezing problems with GF Urecon pre-insulated pipe and duct. The use of GF Urecon pre-insulated service pipes and ducts can result in a reduction of excavation costs, as they can be buried in the active frost zone (with low wattage electric tracing if necessary) and resist freezing. Savings are greatest when rock is encountered, as it is less expensive to pre-insulate and shallow bury water and sewer service pipes than to blast and deep bury in rocky conditions.

There are several advantages in using U.I.P.® pre-insulated municipal service pipe and duct over conventional uninsulated materials:

• Economical installed cost.
• Solves the problem of frozen municipal services.
• Factory applied rigid polyurethane insulation, one of the lowest K factor of all commercially available insulation.
• Adhesive backed, water tight, impact resistant and UV inhibited polyethylene outer protective jacket. A selection of alternate jacket materials for above ground applications also available.
• A complete range of compatible fittings and polymer coated insulation kits, such as saddle/corporation stop and curb stop kits, is available.
• THERMOCABLE® low wattage electric tracing system especially designed for service applications. Our THERMOCABLE® heat tracing system is designed to compensate for heat losses through the insulation and prevent freezing of the service pipe.

There are two pre-insulated service systems available: pre-insulated municipal service pipe (either type K copper or HDPE) or pre-insulated PVC or HDPE duct, through which standard un-insulated municipal service pipe is pulled. Both systems are available with THERMOCABLE® low wattage electric tracing to prevent freezing. Each system offers distinct advantages depending on the application, number of services, transportation constraints, etc.

Advantages of the pre-insulated pipe system:

• Pre-Insulated pipe has less heat loss (tracer input) because the small diameter service pipe is insulated directly.
• Pre-Insulated pipe is easier to install, as there is no pulling in of service pipe within a duct Advantages of pre-insulated duct system:
• Pre-Insulated duct may be stocked and used for various diameters of service pipe.
• Pre-Insulated duct may be shipped in shorter lengths, joined on site and the service pipe, which is supplied in coils, pulled in without joints (provided the coil length of the service pipe is not exceeded).
• Both systems have a proven track record of success.

Corporation stops are either directly tapped or threaded into a saddle depending on the type of pipe used for mains. In both cases, a polymer coated form fitting insulation kit is supplied to insulate the saddle / corporation stop. An insulation kit is also supplied to insulate the curb stop and riser box. All kits are designed to fit snug onto the pre-insulated service pipe with an allowance for the brass fitting and a THERMOCABLE® heat tracing cable.

GF Urecon recommends the use of polyethylene service boxes which feature a standard cast iron upper section with a telescopic polyethylene foot, permitting minor field adjustment for depth of bury. Reduced conduction of cold from the surface down to the curb stop helps to eliminate the incidence of freezing at this vulnerable location.

GF Urecon can provide complete pre-packaged service kits, boxed and ready for installation at each individual building. Depending on the particular installation, kits may consist of: saddle for the main, corporation stop, gooseneck, curb stop, threaded adapters, stainless steel inserts (if HDPE pipe), curb box, insulation kits for saddle/corporation stop and curb stop, galvanized steel specials and foam kits, thermostats, heat shrink tubes and wrap around sleeves, and other specials as required.

Except for the pipe / duct and THERMOCABLE® which is shipped in bulk, all other items can be pre-packaged (boxed or crated) and tagged per building. This method of packaging reduces the incidence of lost items or time spent searching for misplaced goods on site.

In this system, the municipal service pipe is factory insulated in straight lengths with or without a THERMOCABLE® trace conduit. Heat losses are reduced and time to freeze is increased.

HEATING CABLE: THERMOCABLE® fluoropolymer insulated “constant watt” heating cable is pulled into the trace conduit which was installed on the service pipe prior to insulating. THERMOCABLE® capacity to be sized according to the diameter of the service pipe. Additional capacity should be included if tracing system is passive (to be energized only if service pipe freezes). All systems should be thermostatically controlled; if the service pipe is plastic, dual sensing electronic thermostat must be used.

INSULATION: 50 mm (2 in) thick U.I.P.® factory applied rigid polyurethane foam insulation with a 1.27 mm (50 mils) thick black polyethylene outer protective jacket. Insulation joints to be field insulated with compatible insulation halfshells and wrap around heat shrink sleeves.   PIPE: Usually either type K soft copper or HDPE (CTS or IPS) municipal service pipe is pre-insulated in the factory, with or without a tracing conduit.

Circulation may be accomplished with the use of a fractional HP circulation pump located in the building. In addition, a passive THERMOCABLE® electric tracing cable may be installed to act as a back up in case of pump failure.