by Brianna Crandall — March 30, 2016—Pipe Restoration Technologies (PRT), a pipe lining innovator and manufacturer, recently announced that it has been awarded its 14th U.S. patent, Patent #9273815, titled, “Process for Coating the Interior Surface of Water Service Lines.” This patent covers the in-place coating of metallic pipes, including lead, copper and steel pipes, curing the resin in at least one hour.
PRT’s patented, in-place epoxy lining solution, ePIPE, restores pipes from the inside using an application of an epoxy barrier coating, providing a remedy for pinhole leaks, corrosion control, and prevention of lead leaching from pipes without the destruction or disruption encountered by pipe replacements.
In-place epoxy lining solution ePIPE restores pipes from the inside, providing a minimally invasive remedy for pinhole leaks, corrosion and lead leaching. Photo courtesy of PRT
The Flint, Michigan, water crisis has brought major attention to the cumulative effects of lead consumption, especially in pregnant women and small children. Relying on chemical treatment of the drinking water and getting it wrong was a major contributor to the Flint problem, according to PRT.
The company reminds that lead is a dangerous toxin, poisoning drinking water, with medical experts agreeing there is no amount of lead deemed safe for consumption. Lead exposure can impair a child’s IQ and cognitive function, and can lead to behavioral problems.
ePIPE lining technology reduces lead leaching from lead service pipes and other in-line lead contributors such as lead solder from leaching into the drinking water supply. As seen recently in the Hong Kong Lead Crisis, lead solder can elevate lead levels from 10 to 60 times the allowable limit, points out the company. Prior to 1988, lead solder was a commonly installed material used with the installation of copper piping systems in the United States and Canada.
Using the ePIPE pipe-lining process, lead levels are reduced to well below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cut-off guidelines for lead, at 10 ug/l (10ppb), says the company, pointing out that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cut-off levels for lead, at 15 ug/l (15ppb), are 50 percent higher than WHO recommendations.
The ePIPE technology is completed to pipes “in-place,” reducing the need for excessive digging or tearing up roads or buildings’ foundations or walls. ePIPE is said to be a long-term solution that does not require the addition of expensive and questionable water treatment chemicals.
PRT and ACE DuraFlo CEO Larry Gillanders said:
We are already providing our ePIPE technology as a solution to lead leaching in England, and we have already provided the ePIPE solution to thousands of properties in the U.S. We are prepared to help cities like Flint to bring their water pipes into lead leaching compliance, using this efficient, effective and proven solution.
With our licensed network of plumbing companies across the country that use ePIPE, we are asking all cities and building owners who are dealing with lead compliance issues to contact us so that we can protect their drinking water. Our non-invasive epoxy coating system can bring lead contaminated water systems into compliance within hours, without causing destruction or closing down streets. This is a win-win for cities and their citizens.
In addition to lead leaching, ePIPE controls corrosion and fixes pinhole leaks, one of the leading causes of water loss in the United States. It is estimated that 10 percent of homes have pipe leaks, which contribute to more than 1 trillion gallons of water that leaks from American residences every year. Approximately 1/6 of the United States’ clean water is believed to be lost each year due to pipe leaks.
Pipe Restoration Technologies (PRT), part of ACE DuraFlo Systems, is the parent company of the ePIPE product and worldwide group of installers that utilize the patented ePIPE process to restore pipes in-place. PRT and its affiliated companies have locations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Mexico and Hong Kong.
