New Manhole Sealant Helps Ohio Community Earn Equivalent Residential Unit Credits From EPA
A Versatile Material
A few years ago, Sauereisen first recommended anasphalt-modified urethane for manholes. Initially, Fib-R-Thane No. 88T was specified for sealing theleaking areas of manhole chimneys by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District(NEORSD).
Tom Rock and Bob Handlovics of NEORSD had called the Sauereisen offices in July of 2000. They asked for a recommendation for sealing the chimney area including both internal/external coating and sealing the joint during the setting/re-setting of the casting. Discussions with Sauereisen lead to the recommendation of using Fib-R-Thane. This eventually led to branding of the material for wastewater applications under the name ManholeChimneySeal No. F-88.
What's an ERU Credit All About?
In the early part of 2001, the City of Coldwater, OH responded to advertising. We followed up and scheduled an appointment that included Sauereisen's representative in OH, Tim Garlak of Wm. Neundorfer & Co., and Sauereisen Sales Engineer, Aaron Hritz. Discussions revolved around manhole rehabilitation, then ultimately to chimney sealing.
When No. 88 was promoted, along with pricing, there was a great deal of interest. Then the big question surfaced. Did the Northwest District ofthe EPA accept us? Their approval is required inorder to sell our product in that area of OH becausethe motivation for sealing the chimney area was toreceive ERU credits (equivalent residential units)from the EPA. They receive one ERU per chimneysealed. An ERU credit allows for furtherdevelopment in a community without modificationor expansion of the treatment plant.
Persistence That Pays Off
Sauereisen contacted the EPA Western OhioDistrict office to find out the procedure required tobe accepted. A meeting was arranged with Sauereisen representatives. Before leaving the facility, one individual from the EPA provided written documentation that explained everything.
With this information we were able to get the EPA to accept a test. It was agreed that we would locate a leaking manhole, demonstrate material application, and then prove that the leak had in factstopped. The EPA needed to witness all phases ofthe project – before, during and after.
One Open Door Leads to Another
In a separate trial prior to the EPA test, we pursueda project near Toledo, OH in Lucas County. Originally, they were against us demonstrating application of our ChimneySeal because they had recently installed "boot-type" seals. Upon further inspection, these seals were found to be not functioning because of improper installation. Here was our opportunity. They removed the seals and gave us the green light to demonstrate our ChimneySeal material. The demonstration was a huge success.
During the application, two individuals from Bowling Green, OH that were observing the demo began asking questions about the product. They asked if we had approval from the EPA. At that time it was still in the works. They offered to helpsince they were seeking an alternative system to FlexSeal. The difficulties they had experienced with competitive materials included multi-step processes, excessive cure time for primers and high material costs. Eventually, the engineers from Bowling Green were a great help in facilitating coordination with the EPA.
Seeing is Believing
Our converts from Bowling Green picked up the EPA engineer and took him to a site. They flooded the area to show that the manholes leaked.
The next day, the EPA Engineer returned to thesame site where Sauereisen's ChimneySeal material was being introduced. A crew was trained on how to apply the material and Sauereisen observed the application.
On the third day, the EPA Engineer observed while the area was being flooded once again. Of course the ChimneySeal was performing impeccably andS auereisen received acceptance from the EPA.
In addition to Bowling Green and Toledo, thefollowing municipalities were among the first toinstall Manhole ChimneySeal F-88...
- Lower Burrell, PA
- Upper Sandusky, OH
- City of Versailles, IN