Recent content by mechanicalchad

Awesome thanks! I'm thinking I should be able to infer alkalinity based on pH changes after adding acid and corroborating with some manual measurements at the beginning. Good enough for what I'm using it for anyways. Do you happen to know of any good brands for pH and chlorine? Thanks again!

Looking to play around automating my hot tub chemicals. Does anyone know of good, cost effective methods to sense pH, Free Chlorine, and Total Alkalinity that would give a 4-20 mA Output? Thanks, Chad

I find ourselves in situations that often require that we put up a shell that keeps out the rain and wind. However, cost is always a factor and I am always looking at ways to do this more economically. I know that twinwall polycarbonate sheets allow sunlight to come through, and if there was...

Thanks Greg! I figure 0.9 degrees is about 100 km which does seem rather large, and does seem to call all of the location data into question. However, upon further review, that was just one measuring device, and they have an algorithm that narrows that accuracy down. However, they didn't give...

I have a facility that appears to have damage that could be from a lightning strike. I have data from the local weather office that shows 11 lightning strikes in the area giving both latitude and longitude. None of them are exactly on my location, but a couple of them are quite close. I would...

I like the video idea! The exact times for each operation would be ideal, but I just don't have that area tied into our cameras yet. It would also be interesting to see what types of things cause unnecessary delays: missing tools, etc. I have a crazy, undeveloped idea rolling around in the...

You certainly raise some excellent questions. I think I would add the following: 8. Can we make a clamp be applicable to more than one i) size; or ii) ansi rating? 9. Are there other sealing methods to contain pressure at pipe openings? Now I just wish these questions were easier to answer :)...

Thanks for the responses! We do both field and shop, but I'm focussed on more the shop side of things now. Definitely multiple configurations. Nominal diameter ranges from 2" to 24" for the range we would look at, 150 Ansi to 2500 Ansi. The piping is both straight run piping, runs with tees...

We are always reviewing of our piping fabrication and looking for ways to speed it up, and bolt-up for hydrotest always just naws at me. For how long hydrotests have been done, there MUST be a quicker way to bolt-up blind flanges, or maybe find a better way than blind flanges altogether...

Thanks for your response. I was thinking pipe module sections when I wrote that (it's a Friday), which are 60 to 100 feet in length, but you're right most of our spools are no more than 40 to 60 feet in length (usually closer to 40 feet). We use trailers for moving the spools and limit the use...

Hi All, I'm looking at ways to increase the speed of construction of pipe modules, and one area of improvement that has been identified is the process of installing pipe spools within the rack. I was hoping I could put it out there to see if anyone has some suggestions. We would prefer to...

Hi All, I have heard and seen pictures of aromatic polyurethane coatings being applied overtop of an aggregate base in tanker truck offloading areas to contain spills, and it got me wondering whether I could do something similar for the base of a temporary shop floor so I don't need a concrete...

I have inherited a site that has a gravel road and pad built over a layer of loam top soil. The area is prone to being muddy after very short rainfalls, and I have been looking at options to improve this. This problem is compounded by the previous thought that adding more gravel would fix the...

Hi Bob, I've personally never used a conductance switch, but in my experience simplicity is better (especially when it comes to operations understanding how it works and how to fix it). I've always found I was able to have my groundwater flow to a sump where simple on/off switches suffice. I...

Thanks for the feedback guys! I like the idea of a solid pipe, but was initially questioning how easily it would get plugged over time (if debris were to go through the area inlets), but given the mainline is a 16" line it would probably take quite a bit to plug, and unfortunately this is along...