Meat processing plant gets faster, cleaner, permanent main drain line repair
The Situation:
It started with a sink hole in the middle of the parking lot: a 22” storm water line collapsed leaving a giant hole. CME Services was brought in and was able to line the 80ft long, 10ft deep pipe, and restore the parking lot, in one day versus the week it would have taken for a traditional excavation repair.
So when the main drain line of the production floor started backing up, CME was called in to repair it. This food processing plant was built and added onto over 4 decades, starting in the 70s. 220,000 sq. ft of the plant sits on cast iron pipes, and every day, 700,000 gallons of water go down the drains, half of which contain caustic chemicals and cleaning solutions used to sanitize the plant on a nightly basis.
Years’ worth of erosion by the caustic cleaning chemicals had caused the walls of the main drain pipe to weaken and even disintegrate in spots, allowing gravel to gradually penetrate and increasingly clog the line. The monthly
activity of bringing in a contractor to clear the main drain line using a sewer machine first and then a jetter, was ultimately deteriorating the already weak pipe further, resulting in complete erosion in more & more areas. It quickly became clear that the pipe would need to be replaced. The hope was that it hadn’t deteriorated so much that it couldn’t be lined, and would have to be dug up.
The Solution:
CME had 2 days to complete the task – from digging their access holes to lining the pipe and filling the holes back up with concrete in time for them to dry, so the plant could be up and running by Monday morning, 6 am. Approximately 3 ft x 3 ft access holes had to be dug at either end of the 440 ft pipe to be lined. The seriously eroded pipe had to be cleaned without further erosion and without causing any collapse that would prevent the pipe from being lined from one end to the other.
The pipe was so eroded that it first had to be cleared and pre- lined in 20-ft increments in order to prevent cave-ins. Only then could the pipe be lined in its entirety, leaving a brand-new and seamless pipe within the old one.
Despite the unforeseen challenge presented by the severely eroded pipe, the 440-ft main drain line was able to be lined and all work completed within the allotted timeframe.
The Customer
Further Processing Plant for meat products
The Problem
Disintegrating cast iron main drain line from production area resulting in repeated drain back-ups
The Challenge
Repairing the disintegrating underground pipe within the narrow production shutdown window
The Solution
CME worked around the clock to clean and line the pipe within the time allotted
“CME has the all the right tools and the expertise to do the job right. And when their robotic cutter broke, Chuck Menkhaus didn’t hesitate to buy another one on the spot to get the job done on time.”
“The main line is 440 ft long and it has all the tie-ins from our branch lines, not to mention the fact that half of it lies under a storage freezer and 100 ft of it runs underneath an oven line. Traditional pipe repair would take months to accomplish, and would incur many additional costs.”
“CME came in over the Thanksgiving shutdown with only 2 days to complete their task. The team was knowledgeable and focused, and respectful of our plant environment and deadline. The owner, Chuck Menkhaus, was on site for most of the project as well, providing leadership and direction when needed.”
“It took CME 2 days to complete the process. Replacing the line, would have taken 4 months at least, not to mention the added costs of moving equipment to access the line, setting up trenches, bringing in dumpsters, all the concrete needed to backfill and replace the floor, etc. CME has some high-Dollar equipment and are prepared for every eventuality. They have the right tools and expertise to understand the situation and make the right decisions.”
