A leaking pipe can be a disaster in manufacturing. A shutdown allows ice cream to freeze in a broken pipe, causing more damage and taking more time to repair. A hole in a potable water line at a soft drink factory increases the risk of contamination. Chemicals leaking from a corroded pipe at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant create a safety hazard.
As operations grind to a halt, the cost of unscheduled downtime can spiral, with lost production and workers standing around, unable to get on with the job. When every minute counts, managing unexpected pipe failures quickly is vital.
Rapp-it Pipe Repair Bandages from Marine & Industrial Marketing provide a simple, effective solution for pretty much any kind of pipe leak. Rapp-it kits contain everything needed for fast repairs - protective gloves, a 90mm stick of Rapp-it Steel Putty plus a woven fibreglass bandage treated with water-activated polyurethane resin.
Five sizes of bandages are available for pipes between 50mm and 800mm in diameter. The bandages are easy to apply by wrapping around the pipe, and set hard for an efficient repair in just 30 minutes. They are resistant to heat up to 150˚C and pressures up to 2500 kPa.
Rapp-it bandages can be used on a variety of pipes, including steel, stainless steel, copper, PVC, polypipe, iron, concrete and fibreglass. The bandages mould to a range of shapes, including tees, elbows, couplings, flanges and Y sections. Potable water certified under AS/NZ 4020:2018 for safe use in food and beverage manufacturing, Rapp-it can be used on lines for water, food, end product and delivery – wherever a rapid repair free of contaminants is needed.
When a Queensland sugar mill had a leak in a low-pressure 100mm steel pipe used as a drain for a vacuum pump for cooling water, the repair and maintenance team turned to Rapp-it. The pipe had snapped off at the flange, but was hard to wrap because it was next to a cable tray. A worker used a ladder and harness to carry out the hard-to-reach repair safely.
They shut down the line then cleaned and roughened the damaged area, stemming the leak with Rapp-it Steel Putty before applying several RAP164 bandages (100mm x 4.8m) over the top. The drain line leak was repaired quickly, saving further costly downtime.
A winery in South Australia was facing downtime after a leak in a 100mm PVC transfer line. The leak was near the main elbow, making it hard to wrap. The maintenance and repair team couldn’t completely stem the flow of the pipe, but reduced the 172 kPa pressure as much as possible before using Rapp-it.
While some of pipe contents did leak during the repair, the work was done fast, saving larger losses. Marine & Industrial Marketing Sales & Technical Specialist Shayne Evers says Rapp-it repairs can help keep operations moving until the next scheduled shutdown for pipe maintenance.
“Our main ambition is to keep manufacturing running until the next scheduled shutdown for pipe maintenance, whether that’s a week or months away. The faster and the more efficient the repair, the faster the plant goes back into full production, literally saving tens of thousands of dollars.”
As Australia’s leading supplier of industrial solutions, Blackwoods has everything you need to keep your operations running smoothly. Talk to your local Blackwoods Account Manager about Rapp-it and how it can help minimise downtime. Stay prepared, because productivity should never be left to chance.