The benefits of the RieberLok gasket are so impressive that you have to see it yourself. Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority in Conway, South Carolina, heard about the RieberLok internal gasket and its benefits over an external harness. However, they wanted to see the proof for themselves by putting both the RieberLok gasket and a bell joint harness to the test.
On February 27, 2020, the authority performed a joint restraint field test on 6" C900 PVC pressure pipe. The Grand Stand field crew assembled three sections of 6” DR18 C900 PVC pipe. One joint was restrained with an internal RieberLok gasket and the other with an external bell joint harness. Two mechanical joint caps with external grip ring joints were used on each end of the configuration as anchor points for the pulling devices.
Using a 13-yard dump truck on one end and a backhoe holding a construction refuse container on the other, the crew attempted to separate the assembled joints. After multiple attempts to separate the joints, one of the pipes fractured at an end cap and a bell harness slid approximately 2 inches on the spigot end of the pipe.
“The only thing that didn’t move was the RieberLok self-restrained gasket. The RieberLok-restrained joint stayed intact and on the home line,” said Kevin Stine, Eastern Regional Sales Manager for RieberLok.
The video shows the aggressive pulling forces inflicted on all components in the test system. Kevin Stine, Josh Amon from Preferred Sources Inc. (RieberLok Manufacturers Representative in the North Carolina/South Carolina market) and 26+ GSWSA utility crew employees, including Repairs Manager Mark Edwards and Construction Manager Kyle Nobles attended the field test.
The field test proved that if you want the most economical PVC pipe joint restraint that holds up to the harshest pressures, RieberLok gasket is your answer. There are many ways to restrain PVC C900 and IPS Pressure Class pipe, but RieberLok gasket is the best internal, push-on restraint for PVC pressure pipe that does not require any special tools, rods, clamps, bolts, or poly and wax wrapping. If you are interested in learning more about how the RieberLok works, or to set up a demonstration, please contact us.
