A Cause for Celebration

By: Marcus Galindo

Saving money and finishing weeks ahead of schedule was not what Sam Tenorio, a mechanical engineer and project manager, anticipated when he agreed to try a new polyvinyl chloride product. In fact, he was reluctant to put his trust in something unfamiliar, especially when the stakes were so high. The corroding steel water line his firm would replace had sparked considerable public debate.  He could not afford setbacks.  

But when the complications he feared did not materialize, a skeptical Tenorio became a believer in Ultra Blue C909, the lightweight molecularly oriented PVC pipe also known as PVCO, manufactured by JM Eagle. The new, innovative product would certainly please clients and allow him to stay way ahead of his competitors. 

“Normally you expect to finish three days ahead or behind. But by the time we got to the end of this project, we realized we were two weeks ahead,” Tenorio said. “I’ve worked with this crew for the last six years and we’ve never seen anything go this fast.”

The project moved quickly because the Ultra Blue C909 is so light that each section of 6-, 8- and 12-in. pipe can be lifted and moved by one person, compared with the two or three needed to install a section of pipe made of ductile iron, steel or cement.

And yet the pipe is also incredibly strong. When a piece of heavy machinery blew a tire, a section of C909 was used to prop up the vehicle until it could be repaired. 

Tenorio’s crew installed the PVCO parallel to an existing 25,000-ft steel pipeline that runs along State Highway 178 in Ridgecrest, Calif. The job was commissioned by Searles Valley Minerals the entity in nearby Trona that is responsible for the waterline. SVM executives decided to build a parallel line to avoid the exorbitant cost of excavating eroding steel. 

When Tenorio first analyzed the project for SVM, the corroding steel pipeline was experiencing two new leaks per week. That number doubled by the time the project was approved by local officials in 2010.

Repairing a rusty relic while installing a new line often can slow down the best of crews. But because the C909 was so easy to work with, Tenorio discovered he could free up one or two members of his crew to fix leaks and still stay ahead of schedule. 

“We had a good method in place,” he said. “Despite all the leaks in the old line, we mobilized well and continued to move ahead with the new pipe. It was almost too good to be true.”

Peace of Mind

The stretch of decaying 12-in. steel pipeline had earned a notorious reputation.  The frequent ruptures made the community wary of a major break. Such an event would have been devastating because the pipeline supplies potable water to Trona, Ridgecrest and several SVM processing plants.

There was another scare factor as well. The leaky steel pipe caused puddles of water on the shoulders of State Highway 178. But the deeper fear was that water seepage might cause the soil under the highway to compact. This condition could cause the pavement to collapse into a sinkhole.

Tenorio believes the pipe was a disaster waiting to happen because erosion had likely reduced the original 1/4-in. thickness to about 1/16 in.—way too thin to withstand the pressure of surging water. But the cost was thought to be prohibitive, and approval would require cooperation between the cities of Ridgecrest and Trona, SVM and Caltrans, which owns the highway.

The game changer was Ultra Blue C909. The durability and track record of the pipe won the confidence of the community, which needed assurances the water supply and nearby highways would be safe. 

50-Year Warranty

Despite Tenorio’s initial reluctance to use C909, he was impressed with JM Eagle’s unprecedented 50-year warranty announced in early 2010. Even more impressive was the signed letter Tenorio received detailing the guarantee extended by the manufacturer.

“Not knowing the product, I was a little hesitant,” he said. “I need to be 100% sure when something is new. But JM Eagle was supportive. I felt really comfortable having someone send me a letter, direct from the department head, that confirmed they stand by their product.”

The success of the SVM project has replaced Tenorio’s healthy skepticism with high hopes. He now believes he will be far more competitive in the market. 

“I now have competitive advantages because I’m familiar with the product and my knowledge is ahead of my competition,” he said. “If my competitors don’t have the knowledge, my productivity will be a lot faster than anybody else’s.”

JM Eagle
5200 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90045
Phone: (800) 621-4404