After 1,500 feet or more of carbon steel pipe had already been run for a project, there was a last-minute change in plans and two additions were made. With any other pipe joining solution, that would have thrown off construction by a few days, but thanks to Viega’s MegaPress System, the delay was minimal.
The project is a new concrete plant for Dolese Bros. Co. in Oklahoma City. Founded before Oklahoma officially became a state, Dolese has 116 years of experience in Oklahoma, with more than 50 facilities and nearly 1,000 employees.
Dolese Bros.’ old plant was nearing the end of its production life, so the company built this new flagship location from the ground up. The new build includes underground and above- ground water piping. An on-site water recycling system pipes water from ground level up 30-40 feet. Hot-water and chilled- water loops keep the concrete at the correct temperature during hot and cold months.
A crew from Flintco LLC installed all the air lines and water lines at the new Dolese plant, and they put MegaPress to work for it. MegaPress and MegaPress XL fittings in sizes 1″ up to 4″ were used on the project.
“We used Viega fittings for about 95 percent of the above- ground water piping, approximately 2,000 feet,” said Adam Trautman, Project Manager for Flintco. “We’re historically a general contractor, and we don’t have a lot of certified pipe welders on standby that we can just pull whenever we need.
“At one point we had discussed doing everything threaded, but even with a pony threader, that much pipe – and those types of pipe sizes – can put a lot of wear and tear on our guys and the equipment. Everyone we’ve shown the MegaPress XL to is impressed – it’s like pressing copper.”
In talking to their supplier, Viega was suggested, particularly with the need for the larger-sized fittings. Trautman said the superintendent looked at MegaPress and “was blown away by it.”
It was when a last-minute change in plans came up that the versatility and ease of use of MegaPress really shined. It was decided that two additional isolation valves were needed, and the piping had to be cut into the already installed lines.
“If we’d had to add in two more valves using traditional welded fittings, it would have been a day and a half or two days, easily, with a welder to get that job done,” Trautman said. “With MegaPress, we were cut in and ready to move water within 30 minutes.”
At the new concrete plant, chilled water is added to the concrete to keep it cool in the summer so it doesn’t exceed temperatures regulated by the American Concrete Institute. Pipe runs from a 15,000-gallon storage tank to the top of the plant to cool the concrete. Similarly, in the winter a booster pump and hot water are used so that the concrete doesn’t freeze.
Flintco hadn’t used Viega fittings prior to building the Dolese concrete plant, Trautman said, but he had seen ProPress used in other projects before.
“I’m definitely intrigued after seeing how easy and versatile it was to use MegaPress – efficient and effective,” Trautman said. “We’ll continue to be open to using MegaPress, especially for retrofits. It’s a great solution if you don’t have a large dedicated piping crew on site.”
