The Client
The Water and Wastewater Department for the Town of Cave Creek, Arizona, serves 5,004 customers in a community just north of Phoenix.

Water Superintendent Dennis Charles has worked for the Town of Cave Creek since 2007. He and his team provide 24-hour support for repairs.

The Situation
A collar connecting two different classes of AC pipes of different diameters cracked and started to leak. Charles and his team tried a variety of different clamps to repair the crack but the difference in ODs between the two pipes (5.14 and 5.57) made it difficult to connect them. Both ends of the pipe were also not smooth which made them difficult to couple. None of the other repair products Charles used offered a durable solution to a chronic problem.

The leaking pipe was also visible to members of the community who wanted the problem fixed quickly. The lack of a permanent solution became a customer relations issue that Dennis wanted to address as soon as possible.

A new coupling needed to be installed but the ground underneath the pipe contained a layer of caliche with soil particles cemented together by lime (calcium carbonate). This made the ground very hard and difficult to excavate to install a traditional stab-fit coupling.

The Challenge
To repair the pipe quickly without digging into the caliche while connecting two pipes of different ODs.

The Solution
Charles used a 4” HYMAX VERSA with an overall range 4.76 – 5.67 to connect the two AC pipes. This had enough range to connect the pipes whose ODs were 5.14 and 5.57 respectively.

The HYMAX VERSA can connect and repair a wide range of water and wastewater piping types with a variety of diameters from 1.5″ to 70”. It can be stab-fit between two separate pipes or repair the pipe by wrapping it around the damaged section. HYMAX VERSA offers high versatility to connect to a wide variety of piping materials and diameters, and gives installers the flexibility to make repairs within an extensive range of circumstances. This multi-functionality, together with wide tolerance, substantially reduces inventory costs and saves shelf space as products suit a wide range of pipe diameters, eliminating the need for dedicated wrap-around and coupling products.

HYMAX VERSA is also very durable. It features weld-free construction and 100% stainless steel parts, making it extremely tough and resistant to corrosion. The radial closing design and sealing systems help eliminate installation errors. HYMAX VERSA also uses the same coupling gasket that is used in Hymax’s HYMAX coupling, which features a patented hydraulic pressure assisted gasket that inflates as the water pressure increases. This allows for three degrees of dynamic deflection to reduce the risk of future damage to the pipe due to ground shifts and temperature changes.

The HYMAX VERSA coupling presented three fundamental advantages for this repair.

1. Ease of installation
The HYMAX VERSA coupling could wrap around the two pipes in one step without digging into the hard ground underneath. This allowed the installation time to be dramatically shortened compared to cutting the damaged pipe and installing a conventional stab-fit coupling.

Cutting the pipe would have also required adhering to stringent environmental precautions given its asbestos-concrete material. By using HYMAX VERSA, the complications associated with this course of action were entirely avoided.

Installation was facilitated by the top-facing bolts, which were easy to tighten around the smooth ends of the pipe, and the coupling’s low weight.

2. Wide OD range
The HYMAX VERSA coupling could connect the pipes of differing operating diameters since its tolerance of 1.3” was enough to accommodate the two pipe ODs. Other repair products that Charles used couldn’t accommodate this difference and eventually led to leaking.

3. Durability
The HYMAX VERSA coupling is made of 100% stainless steel and features weld-free construction, making it resistant to corrosion since welded areas are where corrosion often starts. The HYMAX VERSA also has a patented hydraulic pressure-assisted gasket that inflates with increasing water pressure. This dynamic deflection reduces the risk of future damage to the pipe due to ground shifts or temperature changes.

After shutting off the water supply, Dennis’s crew installed the HYMAX VERSA by wrapping the coupling around each end of the pipes. Once put in place, the HYMAX VERSA’s top facing bolts were tightened and the job was completed within five minutes.

Conclusions
The HYMAX VERSA was an effective solution for the Town of Cave Creek for this pipe repair because it offered the following advantages.

1. High versatility
With HYMAX VERSA, crews have in one product the option to couple pipes by either cutting and reconnecting pipe, or wrapping the damaged section in one easy step. The coupling can also accommodate a wide range of ODs and pipes of differing materials.

2. Exceptional durability
HYMAX VERSA’s durable construction and dynamic capacities offer installers a reliable solution that can endure the most severe conditions and stand the test of time.

3. Ease of installation
HYMAX VERSA’s top-facing bolts and lightweight construction enable easy installation and handling with minimum manpower.