Calcium cut by robot

Calcium Removal

Obstruction Type: Calcium

Our client came to us after being quoted $1.2 million to replace a 600-foot section of pipe that was suffering from a calcite buildup.

The key to removing this type of calcite is to break the tension bond at the joint and the waterline, breaking the calcite free from the pipe. When minerals form a diameter greater than 50 percent of the pipe’s, those materials form a “pipe within a pipe” that uses its host pipe for strength and support.

Rather than replacing the entire section of pipe, we removed the calcite buildup in the heavily impacted section, along with an additional 200 feet. The project effectively solved the problem, and our cost was 2% of the price of replacement.

Special thanks to Kent Carlson at the National Clay Pipe Institute for information relating to vitrified clay pipe.