M. Tucker & Sons is a trusted name in delivering specialised drainage renewal services across sewer, drainage, and stormwater systems throughout Australia.
Known for its unwavering reliability and excellence, the company has consistently secured contracts with local municipalities and contract partners that depend on them for cost-effective, long-term solutions to maintain their vital water networks.
As part of its comprehensive UV relining services, M. Tucker & Sons offers TopHat installations — a cutting-edge technique used to seal connections between lateral drains or sewers and vertical pipes. To further enhance its capabilities, the company first invested in a specialised machine from Austria’s Cosmic Engineering in 2020.
This investment expanded its service offering for clients, and it has since purchased a second C120 Cosmic system to further strengthen its capabilities and support growing relining divisions.
The modular system, from Cosmic Engineering is versatile and can be used for inspection, robotic cutting, and renewal in both sewer and stormwater pipes.
Cosmic Engineering also specialises in sewer rehabilitation materials including its TopHat ‘Lateral Connection Seal’ which uses a patented GRP glass fibre that is celebrated for its non-shrinking and fast curing properties. With over hundreds of thousands of successful installations worldwide, this technology has set a benchmark in the industry.
Recently M. Tucker & Sons deployed one of three robotics teams within the company to a project in Melbourne’s Southeast to renew a circular DN300 stormwater pipe for a local asset owner.
Upon inspection, the team discovered significant blockages caused by mortar and poorly installed house connections. These issues required thorough cleaning before relining the pipe and installing a Cosmic Engineering TopHat connection seal.
“The majority of the work was in the pre-cleaning,” Callan Hill, business development manager at M. Tucker & Sons said.
“The crew set up an upstream pit and completed nine grinds to remove concrete waste and bad property connections, then plotted four connections with their CCTV inspection equipment.”
The first phase of the renewal was completed seamlessly, with the crew successfully relining 92 meters of pipe. During planning and initial CCTV inspection, the team identified one DN150 TopHat that required installation following pipe relining works, to ensure a quality outcome.
Returning to the site the next week, the team, assisted by the company’s in-house traffic control, prepared the Cosmic TopHat seal for installation.
“The system uses UV light to cure, so it’s crucial to conduct the impregnation out of direct sunlight,” Hill said.
The process was impressively efficient, with the crew wetting out the TopHat at 12:02pm and completing the cure and post-CCTV inspection by 12:30pm. This quick turnaround time underscores the system’s efficiency and the fast-curing properties of the material.
“Andrew Parry, our main operator, recognises the system’s benefits, using it five days a week for quick, efficient, and safe rehabilitation,” Hill said.
Operator Andrew Parry echoed this sentiment, noting, “We love it when we have a run of three or four TopHats in a row. We can organise and set up the robot to the correct pipe size the day before, making our onsite work highly efficient.”
Reflecting on the technology, Hill highlighted the significant benefits the Cosmic System brings to local councils, water authorities, and asset owners.
“It offers a reliable, efficient, and long-term solution to prepare the line for works, reopen lateral connections and seal lateral connections to the liner, reducing leaks, and safeguarding critical infrastructure,” he said.
For more information, visit cosmic.at/englisch/ or for stock enquiries visit pipecore.com.au.
Also read – Pipe Core entering 2024 with a full range of UV solutions.
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