Following the headline news about the Flint water crisis, where lead from the supply lines leached into the city water when it switched its supply source, ensuring that lead levels are reduced or eliminated in drinking water has become an important issue for water utilities. But how do you determine whether that old fitting sitting back in the shop is free of lead or not? Here's a quick look at lead-free certification marks and how to identify them on your drinking water and plumbing products.
We all know replacing aging, failing culverts is a pain. You have to shut down traffic, which results in complaints. Any utilities and road surfaces above the culvert may be disrupted in the process and will need to be repaired again once you've replaced it. The old culvert needs to be dug out and carefully removed, often as it's falling to pieces in the process. Then you need to get the new culvert into place, bury it and repair any surface areas and utilities that may have been damaged in the process. What a pain! Fortunately, there's a much easier way to achieve the same ends: slip-lined culvert rehabilitation. Here's more about how the process works.
Though hydrant markers are typically added for visibility and easy locating in the snow, there can actually be any number of situations or conditions where having your hydrants marked can help your water utility avoid damage and expensive repairs. At the same time, your fire department can quickly locate the hydrants in an emergency, allowing them to minimize property damage. Here's a quick look at some of the situations in which hydrant markers can come in handy.
Whether you're an emergency contractor or water utility, pulling service lines can be an expensive and time-consuming proposition. You need to dig up the old line, run new line, then re-fill and repair the area where you've run the lines, whether it involves turf, asphalt or concrete. Fortunately, there's a less expensive and easier way to get the job done. If you've worked with a service line puller kit in the past, you may have had mixed experiences. New Concept Tool's service line puller kit is better than the competition. Here's how our kit makes a big difference to your productivity and cost effectiveness in the field.
Tools. When you work in the water utility industry, you know that your crew's efficiency is only as good as the tools they have available for use. Unfortunately, it's easy to get sucked into using what's available locally rather than having the correct tool to get the job done. Here's a quick look at some of the gate valve tools we've developed specifically for use by professionals in the water utility industry.
When it's time to replace service lines, is your crew spending more time digging and filling than actually getting the line in place? Do you have to deal with crowded or paved areas that are seriously disrupted whenever you need to perform service line work? What about your customers--does your call volume go up significantly because your customers are upset over access issues? If any of these problems sound familiar, you're probably missing a vital tool in your water utility's kit: a service line puller. Here are some more details on how this kit can help you save time, money and frustration.
Do you have a client who needs higher levels of security on their service lines to ensure an uninterrupted flow of water and to maintain safety? Maybe you have trouble areas and just shutting off the meter isn't keeping the water from flowing for more than a short amount of time. Tried other security devices that were removed by magnets, leading to not only the loss of the lockout device but also issues caused for your customers by the service interruption? We understand. Those tampering with your service boxes do not. Your job is protecting a crucial service line from being shut off by someone who should not have access. That's why we've developed our High Security Service Box Locking Device to provide you with the security you need to get the job done. Here are the details:
When you're working in waterworks, gate and service maintenance is a regular task that must take place to keep your system running effectively and efficiently. If debris or soil builds up in the box, it can make it impossible to operate the valve properly. The valve may not shut completely because of debris lodged in the works, or you may not be able to get a solid connection with the operating key. When that happens, your fist step should be to clean out the box to allow free operation of the valve or curb stop. Here's how to go about it.
When your crew needs to move a bulky or heavy item as part of their daily work, sling harnesses can be a great benefit, allowing them to quickly move that part or equipment into place without the risks of heavy lifting. But wherever heavy items are being moved mechanically, there's always a chance of danger and possible injury to members of your crew. Here are some basics on sling harness safety and how OSHA and ASTM standards come into play on the job.
Hydrants can be a significant part of your water utility's overall assets. They're also heavy, bulky and difficult to place correctly without a lot of trouble. Because they can involve trench work, it can be dangerous for your crew to install, with potential for serious injury if something goes wrong. For that reason, the experts at New Concept Tools have developed a hydrant setter that helps protect your crew and your hydrants from damage. Here's a quick look at how to use a hydrant setter to improve safety and speed up the installation of this difficult but necessary part of your water utility system.
