Winter is fast approaching, and the Almanac predicts a harsher winter for much of the Northern and Midwest regions of the United States. Roads and sewer infrastructure will take the brunt of the impact this winter, which can lead to many issues for your assets.
These extreme weather conditions can make it even harder to rehabilitate and maintain infrastructure assets and ultimately lead to costly repairs. As we approach these harsh winter months, it is important to ask… is your infrastructure prepared to take on the winter weather?
Here are some tips on how to better prepare your assets for serious weather conditions that come with the winter months:
INSPECT & CREATE A WINTERIZING PLAN
You will want to be ahead of the game in every aspect. This can be accomplished through a proactive inspection program. By performing an inspection, you can determine what actions must be taken to ensure your infrastructure is ready to take on the winter conditions. There are a variety of inspection technologies available to you.
Take notice of highly corroded walls of your underground manhole or cracks in the infrastructure. These cracks can significantly impact your infrastructure through what are known as freeze/thaw cycles, which can be devastating to your infrastructure assets. As water enters the cracks of your asset and freezes, it can expand and ruin the structural integrity of your underground asset.
Once you have knowledge of your asset’s condition – now it’s time for a restoration plan. Different defects call for different product solutions. An assessment will provide the proper solution to address the service requirements of your large-diameter pipes, culverts, tunnels, and manholes. After you inspect for defects and perform an assessment, it’s time to create a plan to address defects and winterize your assets. Having a plan of attack can go a long way to ensuring that your infrastructure assets are protected and prepared.
WINTERIZE YOUR ASSETS
After determining what defects your underground infrastructure asset holds, begin preparing your asset for the coming winter storms. Whether your project involves treating manholes, lining pipes, or structurally lining large-diameter pipes, we have many solutions to winterize your underground infrastructure assets properly and effectively.
If your asset calls for filling cracks and voids, relining or coating walls of your asset, or even providing corrosion resistance to last throughout the winter, we’ve got the solutions for you. The sooner you winterize, the more peace of mind you can provide for yourself and the protection you can provide for your asset. Winter will not be easy on your infrastructure, but with our solutions, you can guarantee it will hold up under pressure.
The bottom line is many asset owners are unaware of any issues until after there’s a winter storm. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s too late and damage or catastrophic failure could have been avoided. There are several trenchless lining solutions to repair compromised assets that can be performed with little to no surface disruption and will keep you operational throughout the process. Being proactive and properly preparing for the wrath of winter, can save you time and money, lower probabilities of failure, lessen negative consequences when failures occur, and ultimately lead to quicker resolutions when problems arise.
Interested in learning more about what you can do to protect your underground infrastructure assets? Talk to one of our technical experts to find out more about our products and preventative measures, and to make sure your critical infrastructure is ready for the upcoming winter weather. Schedule an assessment.
For all your winterizing needs, be sure to check out our upcoming blogs and learn how preparing your assets for winter will save you money and prevent complete replacements. Do not wait, prepare for winter now! If you’d like to be notified when new education and resources come out, be sure to fill out this form.