3,000 homes maintained their water supply

Spalding, Lincolnshire, UK

Summary of the EZ Valve Installation Project

Three failed clamps on a 12” water main leaking water
In-situ valve inoperable so EZ Valve cut in
3,000 properties-maintained water supply thanks to repair

Leaking Encapsulation Collar

R2M is AVT’s UK distributor with a 6-year partnership in place. The company is known in the region for being a hugely responsive supplier of equipment to the water industry, so when it received a call one Saturday in July 2024 about a water leak, the company set about arranging the transportation of the products required to resolve the issue.

Anglian Water, the utility serving Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, and Suffolk, called R2M and shared details of a stretch of water main located in Spalding, Lincolnshire which had sprung a leak. The company had conducted initial investigations and identified three malfunctioning repair clamps on the 12-inch cast iron pipe.

The initial plan was to encapsulate the leaking repair clamps. However, upon attempting to close the closest gate valve, it was found to be inoperable. The best and quickest option was to install an EZ Valve insertion valve on the live line, enabling a diversion. The main was then shut down overnight to enable the final repair to be made.

AVT EZ Valves are insertion valves that are installed without the need to shut off the water flow. The valves use integrated isolation gates, which when closed after a slot has been milled across the pipe, allows the low-profile EM (end milling) machine to be removed and the bonnet with a resilient wedge to be installed, all while the flow is maintained.

R2M Site Services, an independent installation company, installed the EZ Valve on the Monday and the diversion was put in place. This allowed the 3,000 properties serviced by the water main to maintain their service while the affected section of pipe is repaired.