Versatile Piping Options To Optimize Flow and Control

When a seismic event is experienced, the first things to rupture are often a utility’s water lines feeding hydrants. And these are critical for fighting fire that often breaks out during earthquakes. So it was heartening to learn about the success of a recent Cornell University test of AMERICAN Flow Control’s Earthquake (EQ) Joint System. The EQ base allows the inlet pipe to the hydrant to deflect at an angle and move in and out of the hydrant inlet.

As Derek Scott, Marketing and Technical Manager with American Flow Control, explains in this Water Talk interview, “This joint would have done extremely well in the San Francisco earthquakes of ’89 and the San Fernando Valley earthquakes of ’94. This particular test was on par with the 1906 earthquake that occurred in San Francisco. So from a validation standpoint, this joint is going to be reliable for folks that live in these seismic areas.”

Joining Scott on Water Talk was Maury Gaston, Manager of Marketing Services with American Ductile Iron Pipe and American Spiral Weld Pipe. Gaston discussed many other aspects of pipeline maintenance and improvement including zinc coating for life extension of ductile iron pipe, a lifecycle cost analysis produced by the University of Michigan of various pipe materials, and the history of iron pipe joints through the years.

To understand more about pipe joint considerations in today’s world, listen to the full interview here: