flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Liberty Utilities protects installers with Viega MegaPress

Sponsored Content

Liberty Utilities protects installers with Viega MegaPress

Liberty Utilities of New Hampshire wanted a way to keep its installers safe without compromising the quality of their installations, which is why the utility provider decided to start installing Viega MegaPress. 


By Viega Sponsored Content | October 13, 2014
Liberty Utilities installs Viega MegaPress. Photo: Viega
Liberty Utilities installs Viega MegaPress. Photo: Viega

Joining pipe can be a demanding task. Even with proper equipment and training, traditional methods of installation still run the risk of causing injury to installers, experienced or not. Liberty Utilities of New Hampshire wanted a way to keep its installers safe without compromising the quality of their installations, which is why the utility provider decided to start installing Viega MegaPress. 

“We’re doing 500 in-to-outs and the biggest concern was the wear and tear on the installers’ arms, trying to save their bodies from the wrenching they’re doing,” said Bob Mostone, Gas Service Department Supervisor for Liberty Utilities. “Less mess and threading, that was what caught my eye. It’s easier to fit things together, especially since we’re changing out large-volume meters to rotary meters. Cutting out old flanges and installing new ones is a lot easier too.”

Mostone, who is a licensed gas fitter since 1991, has worked for the utility company for 29 years. When he first experienced press fitting technology, his first thought wasn’t about time savings. 

“I saw press technology and I was interested in the wear and tear on the servicemen in the field,” said Mostone. “With Viega MegaPress, we have fewer soft tissue injuries, which are Liberty’s big concern this year.”

According to Mostone, every three months, Liberty’s Vice President of Operations and Engineering chooses a safety category to focus on. The previous category was trips and falls, and currently Liberty is focusing on reducing soft tissue injuries. 

 

 
Viega MegaPress carbon steel press fittings 

 

Liberty Utilities is installing Viega MegaPressG fittings in sizes ½" to 2" as it continues working to change out meters across its areas of service. Before experiencing Viega MegaPress, Liberty Utilities installed piping systems using traditional methods. When Liberty discovered the Viega MegaPress system, they were immediately interested in switching.

“The breaking point of the pipe is always weakest around the threads,” Mostone said. “The pipe-wall thickness from the thread breaks down. With threaded pipe, it snaps at the fitting. That’s our strong point now when we’re pressing them with Viega MegaPress.”

Viega MegaPress has allowed Liberty Utilities to take a weakness in black iron pipe joining and turn it into a strength. 

Liberty Utilities worked with their local Viega Technical Manager to ensure that Viega MegaPress fittings would meet all codes and standards. 

“We did a class with some of the pipers and the codes and standards group, and actually one of the local gas inspectors,” Mostone said. “From that class we voted to move forward to see if we could get it done. We went through the process for our company to approve it. We checked with the state fire marshal’s office and they were fine with it.” 

Approved for more applications than any other carbon steel press fitting, Viega MegaPress saves installation time but also helps prevent labor-related injuries on the job. 

“Saving wear and tear on the installers’ bodies was my biggest concern,” Mostone said. “Viega MegaPress is helping us with that.”

For more information, visit www.viega.us.

Related Stories

| Nov 27, 2013

Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope

BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina. 

| Nov 27, 2013

University reconstruction projects: The 5 keys to success

This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the environmental, economic, and market pressures affecting facility planning for universities and colleges, and outlines current approaches to renovations for critical academic spaces.

| Nov 26, 2013

7 ways to make your firm more successful

Like all professional services businesses, AEC firms are challenged to effectively manage people. And even though people can be rather unpredictable, a firm’s success doesn’t have to be. Here are seven ways to make your firm more successful in the face of market variability and uncertainty.

| Nov 26, 2013

Design-build downsized: Applying the design-build method in an era of smaller projects

Any project can benefit from the collaborative spirit and cooperative relationships embodied by design-build. But is there a point of diminishing return where the design-build project delivery model just doesn't make sense for small projects? Design-build expert Lisa Cooley debates the issue.

| Nov 25, 2013

Electronic plan review: Coming soon to a city near you?

With all the effort AEC professionals put into leveraging technology to communicate digitally on projects, it is a shame that there is often one major road block that becomes the paper in their otherwise “paperless” project: the local city planning and permitting department. 

| Nov 22, 2013

Kieran Timberlake, PE International develop BIM tool for green building life cycle assessment

Kieran Timberlake and PE International have developed Tally, an analysis tool to help BIM users keep better score of their projects’ complete environmental footprints.

| Nov 20, 2013

Architecture Billings Index slows in October; project inquiries stay strong

Following three months of accelerating demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index reflected a somewhat slower pace of growth in October. The October ABI score was 51.6, down from a mark of 54.3 in September.

| Nov 19, 2013

Pediatric design in an adult hospital setting

Freestanding pediatric facilities have operational and physical characteristics that differ from those of adult facilities.

| Nov 18, 2013

6 checkpoints when designing a pediatric healthcare unit

As more time and money is devoted to neonatal and pediatric research, evidence-based design is playing an increasingly crucial role in the development of healthcare facilities for children. Here are six important factors AEC firms should consider when designing pediatric healthcare facilities.

| Nov 18, 2013

Lord Aeck Sargent opens metro D.C. office, updates brand

Architecture, design, and planning firm unveils its sixth office, plus a new visual identity system and website

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021