The planned work consisted of cutting a section out of this 6” Cast Iron main to enable a flow meter to be fitted. Access to the pipe, and the positioning of the pipe within the 3’ square chamber, made this job particularly difficult. The use of petrol equipment was out of the question and the lack of space around the pipe further limited the options. Short of excavating all around the chamber, the ICS 890 Hydraulic Saw fitted with a 15” PowerGrit Chain was the only option.
The Saw was secured to the Pipe using ICS’s unique clamp, which increases accuracy and speed of cut. The pipe was still under pressure when the cutting commenced. The saw is not affected by the water pressure, and took less than 2 minutes (excluding pauses to allow the water pump to catch up).
The left hand cut hand to be done free hand, as it wasn’t possible to mount the Clamp on the coupling sleeve and took about 3 minutes. The cut was started by plunging the Saw through the centre of the Pipe and then rocking the Saw up and down until the cut was complete. Care was taking to avoid contact with the nose of the Saw on the concrete under the pipe.
From arrival on site, setting up the equipment, connecting the Saw to the 2.3t Excavator and the HOP35 Portable Water Tank to completion, took less ½ an hour.
This is a typical example of how the Saw’s unique depth of cut makes light work of difficult cut outs in confined spaces. It could be that other services in close proximity to the water main cause access issues. All are overcome by using the PowerGrit Utility Saw.
