The Flint water crisis is not far behind us, with significant changes still happening in the water utility industry. Now, Newark, New Jersey is facing similar problems. Water utilities across the country are scrambling and investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove lead water supply lines from their systems, often involving extensive excavation, digging and a lot of time and expense. But what if replacing your water utility's lead water supply lines could be fast and easy? Here's a look into how the innovative Service Line Puller Kit offered by New Concept Tools makes the process easier, allowing your water utility to replace more lead service lines in less time and at a lower expense.
Let's start by looking at the traditional way that a lead water service line is pulled when it's discovered to be a problem for a homeowner. First, the water utility needs to come out and verify that the line is lead, then contact local utilities to come out and mark their services. Traffic may need to be rerouted around the work, especially if the water main runs down the middle of the street. Heavy digging needs to take place, typically with a backhoe, with very careful work being performed around the existing utilities. The old line is eventually completely removed, a new one laid in place, reburied and then all of the damage must be repaired - pavement, sidewalks, turf.
But what if you could replace the lead water supply line without having to dig up all of that space? What if you could minimize the damage and still make the process go much more quickly? Our Service Line Puller Kit may be your answer. There are other service line puller kits on the market, but they don't stand up to wear and tear during regular use. They are permanently attached to the pulling heads, which cause serious issues if the cable breaks, requiring a new cable and head. Our service line puller kit includes a pulling head that is attached using heavy hardware, so if your cable snaps, you can simply detach it and reattach it to a new cable.
Other service line puller kits require you to wrap a cable around a backhoe or other heavy equipment's business end. This puts strain and stress on the cable, which can cause it to break. We've gotten around this issue by using a cable grab tool that can quickly be put in place and removed as needed. At the same time as the old line is being split or pulled out, the new supply line is being drawn into place behind it. Once it's attached at both ends, you simply repair the (much smaller) damaged areas and get on to your next task.
By incorporating the Service Line Puller Kit into your water utility's available options for tools, you can more quickly replace dangerous lead service lines in your water utility, making your customers happy and more secure in their trust of the water you provide. If you have additional questions or concerns about the Service Line Puller Kit, our experienced associates would be happy to help you. Please feel free to reach out today to discover just how well this dynamic tool can help your water utility stay on top of the lead service line crisis.