New Rodding Branch developed to reduce installation times

New Rodding Branch developed to reduce installation times

Saint-Gobain PAM UK has collaborated with plumbing installers to design the brand-new Rodding Branch (Patent pending), which can deliver significant labour time-savings and ultimately lower overall installation costs of cast iron drainage systems.

Reductions in installation times were particularly apparent in multi-storey developments with basement levels where the drainage systems can have numerous directional changes and multiple connections to vertical pipe stacks. Typically, this type of application would require a number of components to be assembled together; now with the new Ensign rodding branch, the installation of each directional change is reduced by up to one hour.

The need for robust pipe materials in basements is down to several environmental factors, including temperature fluctuations and high risks of contact due to pipework regularly being left exposed. In addition, basement runs often require larger diameters of pipe. This often leads to HDPE systems being more expensive once supplementary parts that they require (such as expansion joints and anchor brackets) are taken into account.

Mike Rawlings, Marketing Manager for Saint-Gobain PAM UK, explains: “Usually, when the horizontal pipework changes direction, installers would need to add a short length of pipe, an end cap to allow access for rodding, a support bracket and even, on certain installations, a set of pressure grip collars to accommodate thrust pressures at the end of a pipe run. This entire process can involve the use of up to eight separate components and would take a significant amount of time, even for experienced installers. The new rodding branches remove this issue by combining all of the necessary parts into a single unit, boosting productivity and lowering installation times.”

The new branch is available in a 45° angle for horizontal directional change but can connect to other angles for flexibility and a 90° angle for use where the vertical pipe stack connects to the horizontal pipe run.

The product combines all components into a single part, which also includes a pressure resistant end cap tested up to 5-bar of static pressure and a fixing lug. These additions remove the need for the full bracket that is required to support the directional change in the traditional manner, and a grip collar if additional restraint is required to accommodate higher end thrust pressures.

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