January 2018 Vol. 73 No. 1
New Products
McElroy
McElroy’s Hot Tap Tool and Test Cap lines — available for years in Imperial sizes — were expanded to meet the international fused piping industry’s metric needs.
Hot Tap Tools, which make it possible to add new service connections to live water or gas mains, while keeping existing services up and running, are now available for 63mm to 160mm polyethylene branch lines up to DR11.
The tool is fused to a ball valve assembly, which is fused to a saddle fitting on the opposite side; safety chains are not required. A specially designed cutter pushes through the ball valve and drills through the branch saddle and into the main line. The cutter completely contains and retracts the coupon and pipe shavings from the main line to keep it free of contamination. The gland fitting of the tool is safely sealed, preventing leakage around the cutter shaft and test valve.
As the tool is removed, the ball valve is closed and a pressure relief valve is used to release gas or water pressure from the assembly. The service line is now ready to be fused to the ball valve and opened for service, once all other fusions on the branch line are complete. This is a simple process for a trained fusion operator and has the added benefit of avoiding service disruptions.
Test Caps are now available to pressure test polyethylene and polypropylene pipe in 32mm to 63mm sizes. They can be installed quickly and easily, and used and reused at any stage of the project. They provide a positive O-ring seal and are pressure rated to 165 psi (11.4 bar). Caps are made of corrosion-resistant material and are durable in construction; only one cap is required per pipe size. A lanyard is included to hold the test cap in place for added operator safety.
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