INDUSTRY:PRODUCT:

Municipal SolutionsRoyal SealTM SDR35 Solid Pipe and SDR Gasketed Sewer Fittings

About the White Rock BC Marine Sewer & Storm Replacement ProjectWith a population of 18,250, White Rock is located in the southwest corner of the Lower Mainland, 45 kilometres from Vancouver and only five minutes to the Canada/US border. This seaside community is clustered around an 8 km. sandy beach and the waters of Se-miahmoo Bay. Over the past five decades the community has become a preferred retire-ment location and has multiple and single-family homes on small lots.

As a beach community, a vast majority of the properties in White Rock are built on a hill. Drainage is a particular concern given the heavy precipitation in the region.

Since the community has built up over time, the sewer and storm pipe system inevitably became a mix of different materials, includ-ing PVC, asbestos cement and concrete. “Basically it had gone through a lot of piece-meal upgrades,” explains David Chan, P.Eng, M.Eng, Branch Manager with Aplin & Martin Consultants Ltd. in Surrey, BC, the consulting

engineers for the replacement project.

A new beginning In 2012, the decision was made to replace the entire system with new PVC pipe. The $1 million project would entail the installation of over 1800 metres of storm and sanitary sewer pipes, 34 manholes and 130 service connections.

The materials of choice included Royal SDR 35 Solid Pipe and SDR 35 Gasketed Sewer Fittings. “Since this was a complete end-to-end replacement, we used 250 and 300 mm pipe for total run of 850 metres,” Chan ex-plains. “For the most part we were able to use the same alignment, with some sections slightly offset.”

Installation began in early 2013. There were a number of unique aspects to the project, Chan notes. “The system was on a steep hill, and we came across a lot of unknown sur-faces. The ground conditions were not the greatest, and in one section there was a layer of old road that we had to cut through. Royal provided a lot of support in determining the different sizing methods and materials we needed.”

About SDR35 Solid Pipe and SDR Gasketed Sewer FittingsDesigned for sewer and storm sys-

tem applications, SDR 35 PVC Solid

Pipe features a Double Seal Locked-In

(DSLI™) gasket and is available in 100

- 675mm (4 - 27”) and in 4.27 metre

(14’) lengths. Resilient and easy to han-

dle, it is resistant to abrasion, scouring,

gouging and corrosion. The smooth in-

terior walls enable higher flow rates us-

ing smaller diameter pipe sizes versus

concrete pipes.

SDR 35 Gasketed Sewer Fittings are

injection-moulded PVC branches and

tees that are designed for non-pressure

drainage of sewage and surface water.

Design features enhance assembly and

reduce the risk of damage. All compo-

nents meet ASTM D 3034 and F1336

standards.

White Rock Community Gets a New Lease on Sewer & Storm Systems

He notes that PVC was the obvious choice because it is lightweight, durable and easy to install. “It gave us a lot of flexibility because two PVC pipes could be laid side-by-side. This twin trenching approach allowed installation to be done in a very quick and efficient man-ner.”

This could not have been achieved as effec-tively with a thicker-walled pipe such as con-crete he says. “The thinner walls meant the trench could be narrower which was less dis-ruptive to the community and would require less road cuts.”

Another unique aspect of the project was the fact that the system was positioned in the middle of the hill. This required a num-ber of pump connections for homes on the

lower side of the hill, while the higher side was served by gravity. “We had to pay a lot of attention to ensure all the connections were tied in properly.”

Working the system Dan Bubyn, project manager for Pedre Con-tractors Ltd. in Langley, says working on a hill with a lot of grade made for “a very interest-ing job. Having properties pumping into the mains from below is not all that common.”

Given some of the underground surprises, de-sign changes were needed as the project pro-gressed. Adapting to the changes was made much easier with PVC pipe, Bubyn says. “The pipe and fittings were easy to work with so we could install a lot more lineal feet in a day compared to other types of products.”

He adds that being able to combine both pipes into a single trench also reduced work-load considerably. “The ability to move things around when we needed allowed us to work in and around existing utilities in a safe man-ner.”

Flexibility was critical for this project, Bubyn says. “When you’re dealing with less than ideal ground conditions and an older infra-structure with different materials, you need to come up with answers quickly. You want to feel confident you can come up with the right

solutions and provide good products to the owner when you’re making those decisions. With PVC, changes can be made quickly, and it’s easy to make it do what you need it to do.”

In addition to a great product, the customer service provided by Royal and Kelly Arter from distributor Corix Water Products, Co-quitlam was outstanding, he adds. “We’ve had a great, long-standing relationship with both. The customer service has always been excellent, and they always ensure we have what we need. They make it easy for us to get the job done.”

About Royal Building Products® Royal Building Products, is a division of

Axiall Corporation (NYSE: AXLL). The

company manufactures and distributes

leading materials for the home remodel-

ing, building and municipal construction

markets. For over 40 years, the company’s

commitment to quality, innovation and

customer relationships has attracted the

loyalty of a growing number of building

professionals, homeowners, architects,

engineers and distributors to its prod-

ucts. With operations throughout North

America, Royal Building Products offers

the renovation, remodeling and new con-

struction industries a broad range of in-

novative products including siding, trim,

accessories, soffit, rain ware, mouldings,

deck, window profiles and patio doors.

Royal Building Products also manufac-

tures pipe and fittings for the electrical,

municipal, irrigation, plumbing and indus-

trial construction industries. For more

information, please visit our website

www.royalbuildingproducts.com.