Although casing spacers play a small part in the installation process of a water or sewer carrier pipe, the part they play is an important one. Also known as casing insulators, they’re able to improve a carrier pipe’s performance, reliability, and lifecycle. In addition, insulators ensure accurate alignment, provide support, and reduce pipe installation time.
Why You Should Use Casing Spacers
When you need to install a carrier pipe and casing, you’ll need a medium to fit between the empty annulus (the ring-shaped space between the carrier pipe and casing). For this, you’ll have two options, annulus filler or casing spacers. Unlike annulus filler, casing spacers can provide a number of benefits.
Repair
Annulus filler is sand that is used to fill the empty space between a carrier pipe and its casing. While annulus filler provides insulation, it can make performing repairs on the casing or pipe difficult. For example, if a repair needs to be made, sand will either escape or will need to be removed to reach the carrier pipe. Once the repair is done, the missing sand will need to be replaced.
With casing spacers, there’s no need for filler as metallic spacers will keep the pipe centered and secured in its casing. This means that repairs can be done more efficiently.
Variety of Materials
Insulators can be made with a wide variety of materials. This can include wood, stainless steel, carbon steel, polyethylene, epoxy-coated steel, and more. The material used is typically specified in product plans.
Cost
One of the biggest benefits that come with using casing spacers is the opportunity to lower installation and maintenance costs. Annulus filler is not only expensive, but it requires extremely intensive labor and can act as an electrolyte, inviting unwanted current to the pipe. Casing spacers, however, eliminate the need for annulus filler. This results in efficient installation, repair, and replacement.
Pipe Integrity
When spacers are installed on a carrier pipe, they provide protection to the pipe in a number of ways including:
- Uniform support for the weight of the pipe
- Electrical Insulation
- Corrosion Protection
- Keeping the carrier pipe and casing separate
Pittsburgh Pipe is Your One-Stop-Shop For Casing Spacers
Our team works hard to provide our customers with the best products and services available in the industry. We offer a wide range of insulator solutions that can be customized for your company’s unique needs. Give Pittsburgh Pipe a call today and one of our experts will answer all of your questions.
About Pittsburgh Pipe
Centrally located in the heartland, Pittsburgh Pipe has been supporting America’s infrastructure through the manufacture and distribution of superior quality industrial pipe and related underground construction products since 1977.
