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100+ Year Sewers
See List of Cities with VCP
in Use Over 100 years
Manufacture
Vitrified clay pipe is truly unique in its corrosion and abrasion resistance qualities.
Clays and shales are chemically inert materials which are mined and then are transformed
into dense and hard clay body through firing in kilns to 2000 degree temperatures
(1100 deg C). At this high temperature, vitrification occurs as the clay mineral particles
become fused into an inert and stable material.
Early Uses
Original planners and engineers of sanitary sewer systems did not include any sewage
treatment of wastewater as we know it today. The need for water tight joints was not
apparent since I/I (infiltration and inflow) had no negative impact, since there were no
treatment plants. In fact the flow helped reduce odors and aided in the ultimate
dilution with the higher volume of I/I. |
Ephesus, Greece (now Turkey)
2600 Year Old Pipe |
A
History of Sewerage Treatment shows that terra cotta pipes the predecessor
to today's Vitrified Clay Pipes (VCP) were used in the Mediterranean cultures as
early as 1700-1500 B.C.E. Note the above photo from Ephesus that shows crudely
made, but intact terra cotta pipes that are 2600 years old.
The new clay pipes of today have joint
pressure ratings that range above 29 psi and are made with high densification
extruding equipment and are fired consistently at high temperatures. The results
are an essentially inert corrosion free material that will not deteriorate with
time and greatly out performs limited life plastics and metals.
A 1935 Metcalf & Eddy
study, American Sewerage Practice reported in ENR magazine,
showed that only 7% of all sewage disposal systems used an activated sludge processes and 99%
used dilution for all or part of the treatment solution. Indeed, the phrase, "Dilution
is the solution to pollution" was accurate for the times. As a result, the
pipe systems of those times did not require nor have air tight
joints as we know them today.
Technological Improvements
Through decades of technological improvements vitrified clay pipe (VCP) has evolved into a
high performance system with high strengths and flexible water tight joints. The elostomer
compression joint systems used in VCP are water and air tight. The vitrified clay pipe has
high strength and unequalled corrosion resistance. Can Clay Corporation is the first North
American manufacturer of VCP to be certified to the internationally recognized ISO 9002 Quality System Standards.
Today's Pipe
Today new joint designs have been developed for ease of installation and for pipe jacking,
pipe bursting and microtunneling installations.
NoBel™ is a low profile jointed trouble
free and easy to install. Can Clay's Denlok™ pipe
has a stainless steel sleeve and typical compressive strengths of
16,000 psi.
Denlok™ has the highest jacking
strength of any North American made pipe and has been successfully installed on five continents.
Vitrified clay is the only pipe that has a 100 year plus service life
rating by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The following is only a list of a few of the many municipalities where
vitrified clay sewers continue to serve for one hundred years or more.
City
100 Year Life Systems of VCP |
Date First
Clay Pipe Installed |
Washington,
District of Columbia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Boston, Massachusetts
Sydney, N. S. Wales
Manchester, England
Liverpool, England
London, England
Clinton, Iowa
Edinburgh, Scotland
Rigby, England
Croydon, England
Darlington, England
Chicago, Illinois
Cleveland, Ohio
New York, NY
Erie, Pennsylvania
Grand Rapids, Michigan
St. Louis, Missouri
Hartford, Connecticut
Indianapolis, Indiana
Los Angeles, California
New Haven, Connecticut
St. Paul, Minnesota
Portland, Oregon
Raleigh, North Carolina
Bloomington, Il
Lawrence, Kansas
Baltimore, Maryland
Portland, Maine
San Francisco, California
Jacksonville, Florida
Albany, Georgia
St. Joseph, Missouri
Davenport, Iowa
Kansas City, Missouri
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Bucyrus, Ohio
Omaha, Nebraska
Camden, New Jersey
Memphis, Tennessee
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Providence, Rhode Island
Nashville, Tennessee
Rome, Georgia
Rockford, Illinois
Terre Haute, Indiana
Sioux City, Iowa
Red Wing, Minnesota
Reno, Nevada
Fargo, North Dakota
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Napa, California
Kalamazoo, Michigan
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Source: National Clay Pipe Institute, Clay Pipe Engineering Manual
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