2008 Manhole Guide

Reader Service Number 50
MANHOLE REHABILITATION GUIDE

Editor’s Message
The Vital Link Publisher

Bernard P. Krzys
Associate Publisher
We’ve all heard the expression that a chain is only as strong Robert D. Krzys
as its weakest link. If we view a sewer system as a chain, then Editor
James W. Rush
the links are the manholes. Any attempts to strengthen the
Managing Editor
system (i.e., reduce the migration of extraneous water into the Sharon M. Bueno
system by sealing the mainlines) can only be truly successful
Assistant Editors
with an accompanying effort to fix the “weak links.” Pam Stask • Greg Thompson
Manholes, like their pipe brethren, comprise a range of materials, sizes, shapes Contributing Staff Editors
and ages. From brick sewers built by artisans in the pre-Civil War era to precast Keith Gribbins • Bradley Kramer
structures installed today, each has unique attributes and idiosyncrasies that Jason Morgan
require special consideration for maintenance and rehabilitation. Not surprisingly, Creative Director
there are a multitude of rehabilitation methods and products when it comes to W. M. Conley
manholes. Senior Graphic Designer
In this special supplement to Trenchless Technology, we take a close look at the Edward A. Haney
manhole, the often-overlooked segment of the collection system. We examine the Graphic Designers
problems that affect manholes (including freeze/thaw cycles and traffic loading, Sarah Hayes • Chris Slogar
Elizabeth C. Stull
which often do not affect the mainlines), as well as the available solutions.
Marketing Manager
There are currently about 20 million manholes in the United States, and accord- Kelly Dadich
ing to reports, more than half of them were installed before 1960 and are nearing Regional Sales Manager
or have exceeded their design life. That means plenty of opportunity for those Dan Sisko
involved in manhole repair and replacement. Circulation Manager
But just how many manholes are being addressed? The consensus seems to be Alexis R. Tarbet
that manholes are increasingly being considered as part of a city’s rehabilitation Web & Interactive Manager
program, but still not to the extent that they should be. According to figures from Mark Gorman
Wade & Associates cited in this issue, expenditures for manhole rehab in 2003
were approximately $100 million.And while that figure was expected to increase Editorial Advisory Board
to $500 million over the next several years, it still represents a small fraction of Chairman
the overall sewage/waste disposal construction spending, which is estimated at Dr. Tom Iseley, P.E.
Professor/Director at CEMT at IUPUI
$25 billion for 2008. Indianapolis, Indiana
In this issue you will find an overview of the history and components of man- Alex Buehler
Insituform Technologies Inc., Chesterfield, Missouri
holes, as well as the available methods of rehab (although new technologies are
constantly under development). There is also a directory of product manufactur- Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
ers and suppliers in addition to a sampling of their latest wares. Dr. David Bennett, P.E.
Another important area when discussing manholes is condition assessment Bennett Trenchless Engineers, Folsom, California
now that cities are taking a more businesslike approach to their sewer system Steven R. Kramer, P.E.
Parsons, Washington, D.C.
maintenance and repair. NASSCO has recently developed its Manhole Assessment
Joseph Loiacono, ing.
and Certification Program (MACP), an extension of the popular Pipeline Sanexen, Montreal, Quebec
Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) that has helped standardize main- Ronald T. Thompson, P.E.
line defect coding throughout the United States. Applying standardized defect Malcolm Pirnie Inc., Jackson, Mississippi
coding to manholes helps assure the integrity of the data, as well as assist in the Irene McSweeney, P.E.
Boston Water and Sewer Commission
evaluation of deterioration patterns for risk assessment and renewal planning. Boston, Massachusetts
While the trenchless industry developed as a segment of the pipelines market Editorial & Advertising Offices
1770 Main St., P.O. Box 190
— in fact the term “trenchless” doesn’t relate to manholes — it is apparent that the Peninsula, OH 44264 USA
two are inextricably linked. No doubt, as we continue to address our aging sewer (330) 467-7588 • Fax: (330) 468-2289
systems across the country, more and more attention — and work — will be www.trenchlessonline.com
e-mail: info@benjaminmedia.com
devoted to manholes.
Reprints
Regards, Wright Reprints
Ph: 877-652-5295
Fax: 281-419-5712
Jim Rush
Editor, Trenchless Technology
www.trenchlessonline.com TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT M-3

24 Manholes: An Overview of Associations and Guidelines
Table of Contents Tracking the recent developments in standardized inspection
guidelines and condition assessment.
On the Cover: A Collection of Manholes By Greg Thompson
6 Manholes: Looking at their Past to Address their Future 26 Sewer Manhole Renewal
Looking back on the history of manholes throughout the years. A selection from the book, Trenchless Technology: Pipeline and
By Sharon M. Bueno Utility Design, Construction and Renewal.
By Mohammad Najafi, Ph.D., P.E.
12 Manhole Snapshots: How Owners from Around the
United States Address Rehab 29 Piecing Together the Puzzle
Explore the ways different cities across the United States manage Manhole rehabilitation proves important in infrastructure
their infrastructure. management.
By James W. Rush By Pam Stask
15 Key Components of the Manhole 32 Managing Manhole Rehabilitation Projects

Understanding manhole renewal from the bottom up. From pre-planning and design, to construction and its final results, a
By William Shook look in how to manage a manhole rehab project.
By David Jurgens, P.E., and Joanne B. Hughes
18 Manholes: A Major Component of the Total System
Solution for Collection System Renewal 36 Selecting a Polyurethane Chemical Grout
Renewal technologies and methods used in manhole rehabilitation. to Seal Leaking Structures
By Gerhard P. Muenchmeyer, P.E. What to look for when choosing the right polyurethane chemical
grout for your manhole project.
20 Manhole Inspection Software By Ed Paradis
New software solutions focus on manhole condition assessment.
By Joe Purtell DEPARTMENTS
38 Product Showcase
42 Manhole Manufacturers and Suppliers Directory

M-4 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT www.trenchlessonline.com
By Sharon M. Bueno
Manholes:
Looking at their Past to Address
their Future
anholes have been a part of our wastewater col- “Some of the original manholes are in excellent con-
M lection systems for more than three centuries.

When thinking about those early manholes that
were built some 200 years ago, descriptions of the ma-
dition, amazingly,” comments Cretex Specialty Products
northeast regional manager Lee Haessig, who has been
in the industry 16 years. “I think a lot of that has to do
sons who constructed them brick by brick, layer by layer with the quality of the workmanship and the craftsman-
could include artists and craftsmen. ship of these guys who constructed these manholes 100
What else could you call someone whose work is still in years ago, even 75 to 50 years ago. Some of these guys
operation today? Their work is a testament to their abili- really were artists and craftsmen. They knew what they
ties to create something that has withstood time, their were doing.”
environment and technological advancements. Sure, “It’s amazing to me. You will see very, very old man-
they are experiencing problems associated with their age holes with very little mortar in between the bricks and
but many, many of these access ways to the underground you wonder how they can stand up. But the bricks them-
sewer tunnels are still in operation today. Even those in selves look like the day they were put in the ground,”
the manhole rehabilitation industry talk in amazement adds Joe Talley, market manager of pipes and wastewater
and respect for the work done by their predecessors, with Kerneos. “And with brick, you had the luxury of do-
which was done without the use of the technologies we ing any configuration you wanted because the work was
enjoy today, such as robotics, epoxies and coatings and being hand laid.”
even the pre-cast concrete manholes that are installed. A majority of the early manholes were constructed with
Brick manholes, as well as stone manholes, have played mortar and brick but stone, such as cobblestone, was also
a key role in the development of our country’s waste- common. Because they were made from scratch, their de-
water collection systems. Manholes were constructed to signs, while mostly circular, were left to the hands of the
provide an entry way to the underground sewer tunnels, masons. Karl Sauereisen, vice president with Sauereisen
requiring they be safe from collapse as the workers made Inc., remembers over the years seeing 100-year-old man-
their way below to inspect, clean and repair sewer pipe. holes with square bottoms. The oddest shaped manhole
The brick or stone construction was a perfect design for cover that Haessig recalls was a triangular one in New
this purpose, as the masonry material provided a strong Hampshire that even pointed the way to where the flow
and sturdy foundation. was heading.

“I did see an old manhole that was in New England the thousands upon thousands of cars and trucks that
that was actually lined with wood. That particular struc- pass over a brick manhole on a daily bases — something
ture dated back to the late 1700s or early 1800s,” relates designers couldn’t fathom 100 years ago when designing
Sprayroq president Jerry Gordon. “That was just a freak manholes and roadways. Up until 20 years ago or so, a
of nature. What we’ll find in many situations is that a ma- majority of U.S. manholes went virtually untreated and
jority of manholes are forgotten about and in time are maintained — allowing 80 years of neglect take their toll.
paved over with asphalt or buildings are constructed over There are an estimated 20 million manholes throughout
them. Somehow or another the manholes get lost in the the United States today. Of those, the U.S. EPA estimates
system due to time and urban sprawl.” that 4 million are at least 50 years old and another 5 mil-
lion are 30 to 50 years old. The EPA
further estimates that 3.5 million man-
holes are suffering from serious struc-
tural decay and are in need of immedi-
ate rehabilitation or replacement.
In the case of the brick manholes,
joint deterioration results in a few
scenarios that catch the attention of
municipalities. Inflow and infiltration
(I/I) is a common result of years of cor-
rosion inside them. Collapse through
the loss of bricks due to mortar degra-
dation is also a possibility, but is con-
sidered an extreme or drastic result.
“What you usually end up seeing are
leaks coming in from between these
joints,” Talley explains. “Infiltration
is a big topic right now and has been
for the last decade. The problem with
manholes made of brick is that it’s not
very easy to stop the leaks without se-
This photo from Sauereisen shows the square bottom of an old manhole. The inset view riously putting some sort of coating
shows gives some perspective of the artistry required to lay up a brick cone section above the or lining in there. If you stop the leak
bottom section of a manhole. Note the meticulous placement of brick. right here on this little spot you are
staring at, it’s just going to find its way
It wasn’t until the late 1950s and 1960s that a switch to the next spot. You just chase leaks through however
from brick-made manholes to pre-cast concrete was many square inches of mortar joints there are between
made, with the cost to make being a primary factor — for the brick. If you stop it there, it may come out behind
materials and labor. you. And that’s an area where there is groundwater and
Even as industry experts talk in reverence to some hydrostatic head pressure.”
degree of the construction of the older manholes, they Sauereisen notes that another problem that manholes
express concern for their condition, as well as of those encounter is degradation due to the freeze-thaw cycles
which came after — those being of the modern-day, pre- and shifting ground, particularly in the northern to north-
cast concrete variety, which fall prey to the exposure of east sections of the country. The tops of manholes are
sewer gas. While the brick itself in most of these manholes subjected to freeze-thaw so the concrete, not necessarily
has held up, the mortar that is holding them together is the brick but its mortar, expands and contracts when it
another story. Time, corrosion and detrimental sewer gas gets hot and cold. “That repeated growing and shrinking
over the last 50 to 100 years, in many cases, has slowly and growing and shrinking weakens its strength and it
eaten away at the mortar joints, leaving municipalities no starts to breakdown over time,” he explains.
choice but either rehab or replace the manholes.
“The brick has held up pretty good, as they are made Future Trends
of clay and clay does not corrode like concrete does Taking stock of the condition of the country’s water and
with sewer gas,” explains Sims Rhyne, president of Spec- wastewater infrastructure came into vogue in the 1970s
traShield. “The problem with the brick is that the mortar with the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, forcing
joints are made of cement and the sewer gas corrodes cities to evaluate the state of their pipes, manholes and
cement. So through the natural course of time, the gas, lift and pump stations. While pipe relining has become a
as well as the environment the manholes exist in, begins staple of the trenchless marketplace, manholes just don’t
to cause cracking in the joints and later bricks begin to seem to get the same level of respect even though aging,
fall out.” deteriorating manholes are just as attributable to I/I as
Also contributing to some of the mortar joint cracking aging, deteriorating pipelines.
problems is the constant pounding the joints take from “Even though manholes have been shown time and
The Warren structural epoxy manhole liner system delivers a stand-alone, self-supporting structure when applied at 250 mils to
badly deteriorated structures. At 100 mils the system will protect new concrete from H2S attack and seal out infiltration, enhance
the flow and reduce buildup in the structure. The hard, ceramic-like plastic shell has proven to reduce odors coming from manholes
and pump stations. With over 10,000 structures in place, the Warren system has passed the test of time.
Approved applicators of the Warren Environmental System Master Applicator – A&W Maintenance, Inc. (888)-5WARREN
Approved Applicators:
Bradbury Industries, TX (830)624-5823; Wildcat Construction, CO (303)646-1200; Utility Maintenance, KS (316)945-8833;
Suncoast Infrastructure, TN (601)420-9682; Superior Pro Coat, CA (323)877-4861; Pipeliners of Puerto Rico, PR (787)300-6679;
W.L. Hailey Corporation, AL (615)255-3161; IVS Group, VA (304)768-4307; T Gray Utility & Rehab Co, TX (713)681-0500;
CWE Technologies, LLC, MI (734)657-2421; Drilline, Australia (888)-5WARREN; Lanes for Drains, UK (888)-5WARREN;
Ferro-Monk Construction, UK (888)-5WARREN
P.O. Box 1206, Carver, MA 02330

Ph: 508-947-8539 Fax: 508-947-3220 www.warrenenviro.com
time again to be a large, if not the
largest contributor of wet weather is-
sues, such as I/I, and it’s been demon-
strated that they are a very cost-effec-
tive option to repair, cities will spend
millions of dollars on mainline lining
projects and they might not put a big
emphasis on the manholes that are
within that particular lining projects,”
Haessig notes. “I think there should
be more of a focus on manholes.
Obviously I’m a little bias because
of our product, but I really believe
that manholes are kind of neglected.
And I don’t know why that is. A lot
of people think they don’t have prob-
lems but yet they are not willing to go
down there and inspect the manholes
and go out there in a rain storm and
see if the manholes are leaking.”
Sauereisen says several states in
the warmer climates that have to deal An unusual old manhole that Cretex worked on in Nashua, N.H. The manhole cover has since
with higher corrosion rates in their been changed to the traditional circular style.
manholes are now requiring that new
or the increased chance of biogenic corrosion. These
construction manholes be lined with a protective lining
states include Florida and Arizona, with Texas following
— either some sort of epoxy or polymer lining in advance
suit, among others.
of being put in the ground due to grade conditions and/
Gordon adds that more and more
cities are looking for longer term solu-
tions for the rehabilitation of their en-
tire infrastructure. “Not just manholes
but pipelines,” he says. “There are cer-
tain technologies used today that offer a
two- or five-year fix for manhole rehabil-
itation and are perceived to be not more
than patch jobs or short-term solutins. I
think people are looking for a better re-
turn on their investment if they are go-
ing to spend taxpayers’ dollars. So tech-
nologies that can provide greater than
10, 15 or 20 years of continued service
after rehabilitation are the ones that are
really going to have more prominence
in the marketplace.”
Haessig and those we spoke with be-
lieve that the attention to the manholes
will continue to rise. “It’s got to go up,”
Haessig says. “They’ve either got to re-
habilitate or replace them because there
are manholes that are 100 years old or
older and they have outlived their de-
sign life. A typical design of a pre-cast
manhole is about 50 years. That means
that those that were put in the ground
in the late 1950s, need to be rehabbed
or replaced now or should at the very
least be looked at.”
Sharon M. Bueno is managing editor of

Trenchless Technology.
Manhole By James W. Rush
Snapshots:
How Owners from Around the
United States Address Rehab
he whole trenchless industry grew And manhole problems are not tem operators: Paul Arnone, sewer
T up around the installation or re-
pair of pipe. Techniques such as auger
unique to specific areas of the United
States. Cities large and small and old
collections supervisor, Carmel, Ind.;
Bill Clendening, manager-preventa-
boring, horizontal directional drilling, and new deal with inflow and infiltra- tive maintenance, JEA (Jacksonville,
cured-in-place pipe and other close- tion (I/I) through the manhole. Ac- Fla.); Ron Moore, materials engineer,
fit liners have been researched and cording to the U.S. Environmental St. Louis Metropolitan Sewerage Dis-
reviewed many times over. But one Protection Agency (EPA), there are trict; and Kevin Eby, director, Licking
area that sometimes gets overlooked more than 20 million manholes in County (Ohio) Water and Wastewater
— despite being the most visible — is the United States. Of those, 4 mil- Department.
the manhole. lion are 50 years old or older, while
St. Louis
Serving a population base of 1.5 mil-
lion residents and covering an area of
525 sq miles, the St. Louis Metropoli-
tan Sewer District (MSD) is the fourth
largest in the United States. The dis-
trict also has some of the oldest sew-
erage infrastructure in the country,
with some portions dating back to
before the Civil War, according to Ron
Moore, materials engineer for MSD.
Cities across the United States are addressing the deterioration of their manholes,
Not surprisingly, the district has an
such as these. ongoing program to identify and re-
pair aging and damaged manholes.
Manholes are necessary compo- another 5 million are between 30 to According to Moore, the impor-
nents of any sewer system, providing 50 years old. An estimated 3.5 million tance of addressing manholes is two-
access for inspection, maintenance are suffering from serious structural fold. “Cracking in the manholes leads
and repair. In a trenchless setting, decay and are in immediate need of to water intrusion, which in turn can
manholes perform the function of replacement. lead to voids in the street,” he said.
a launch or egress shaft for materi- Manholes are susceptible to the rig- “So by fixing the manholes, you pre-
als, liners or other equipment. But ors of traffic loading and freeze-thaw vent damage to the street at the same
more and more, manholes are being cycles in addition to the harsh condi- time. And it can be very expensive
looked at for what they are — a vital tions that affect sewer pipes, namely when you have to block traffic and re-
link in the collection system chain. hydrogen sulfide gas. There are a vari- pave the road.”
In fact, studies have indicated that ety of rehabilitation options available, In addition to using in-house
between 25 and 75 percent of all and choosing the right one depends crews, the district commissioned an
groundwater and surface water that on the unique conditions of each outside consultant to identify prob-
enters the sewer systems does so sewer system. lem manholes as part of a system-
through the manholes. Fixing pipe To gain an understanding of the wide cleaning and TV program. Man-
segments can become a fruitless ex- challenges related to maintaining holes are either repaired in-house, as
ercise if those leaky manholes aren’t manholes, Trenchless Technology in- part of mainline rehab work or bid as
addressed as well. terviewed four different sewer sys-
a separate contract. About 90 percent of the manholes are 400 and 500 manholes since the pro-
MSD has used a variety of repair concrete, with some brick manholes gram began.
methods including cementitious mor- in the older part of the city. In one apartment complex, the ef-
tar, polyurea coatings, epoxy coatings, Paul Arnone, sewer collections su- fectiveness of the manhole lining
CIPP chimney liners and chimney pervisor, notes that his department program was evident. “We lined ev-
seals. Moore says common problems began a manhole lining program ery manhole in the area of a master-
related to manholes are cracking in about eight years ago and since that metered complex where there was
the top 2 to 3 ft, related to freeze- time, they have noticed a decrease more water coming out through the
thaw cycles and degradation related in complaints of sanitary sewer over- sewer system than there was going in
to hydrogen sulfide gas exposure. flows (SSOs). As part of routine sewer through the drinking water system,”
MSD has implemented the NASSCO line cleaning, crews inspect manholes Arnone said. “Once we lined the
Manhole Assessment and Certification and note those in need of repair. Field manholes, we noticed a significant
Program (MACP) to standardize its reports are handed into supervisors, decrease in flow, and the complex ac-
condition assessment data. As man- where those to be fully repaired are tually had to amend its drainage sys-
holes are repaired, they are entered entered in the department’s GIS. tem because it was no longer flowing
into the district’s geographic informa- If repairs are minor, Arnone says through our sanitary sewer pipes.”
tion system (GIS) to assist with future spot repairs are typically done in-
planning. house. Otherwise, the manholes are Jacksonville, Fla.
fully lined. “We go ahead and cover JEA, formerly known as the Jack-
Carmel, Ind. 100 percent of the manhole while sonville Electric Authority, provides
Located about 25 miles northeast we’re there,” he said. “That way we sewer service to roughly 200,000
of Indianapolis, Carmel is one of the know that the manhole will be good sewer customers in the greater Jack-
fastest-growing communities in In- for a long time.” sonville area. JEA has undertaken an
diana. The City of Carmel owns and The manholes that are identified aggressive approach that includes the
operates its own collection system for full-length lining are prioritized replacement of about 300 miles of
and treatment plant and has about and contracted out. Spectra Tech, a gravity sewer between 1997 and the
10,000 manholes in its service area. licensee of the SpectraShield brand present.
of polymer liner, has relined between

JEA currently has two three-year
contracts underway to rehabilitate
which then became the first areas to
be examined.
Licking County, Ohio
manholes, one with Concrete Con- Once manholes are identified as The Buckeye Lake Sewer System
servation Inc. for full-length coatings in need of repair, officials determine in Licking County in central Ohio is
and the other with J&H Waterstop for whether a full structural rehab is more than 50 years old and the man-
structural fiberglass inserts. needed or if a coating will be suffi- holes are all brick. Through the years,
JEA is in the process of developing cient. numerous manhole castings had to
a CMOM (capacity assurance, man- “The intention of the program is be raised to give access.
agement, operations and mainte- to reduce sanitary sewer events, so if Recently, all manholes were sur-
nance) program that has an emphasis we see something that is in imminent veyed and evaluated for structural de-
on preventative maintenance. As part danger, we’ll address it immediately,” ficiencies and inflow and infiltration
of the program, JEA has implemented Clendening said. “Otherwise, the (I/I). Manholes then were prioritized
a “pop top” program to inspect its manholes will be prioritized based on in accordance with these two factors.
52,000 manholes. “On a weekly basis condition, as well as other factors and After the evaluation, manholes that
we have crews going out popping the handed off to the contractor.” were identified as a source of I/I and/
tops and inspecting the manholes,” Clendening adds that JEA requires or had structural deficiencies where
said Bill Clendening, JEA’s manager of a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty for spray lined. To date, the county has
preventative maintenance. “Naturally the products it uses. He says that to rehabbed about 25 of its 300 man-
we don’t spend as much time on the date, the manhole program is paying holes, according to Kevin C. Eby, di-
newer developments as we do in the dividends. “The reportable rates of rector of the Licking County Water
older sections or areas that we know sanitary sewer events are down about and Wastewater Department.
has a history of problems.” half over a year ago,” he said. “Some Spray lining was the method of choice
Under the systematic ‘pop top’ of it could be weather-related, but we due to manholes being in the middle
program, crews are given maps of feel that the manhole program has of roads and the corrosivity of the sys-
the manholes to be inspected along played a role.” tem. The county has used both Spectra
with a standardized sheet to charac- To date, JEA has lined about 7,000 Shield and SprayRoq for relining.
terize the condition of the structures. manholes using the SpectraShield
The first step was identifying areas product. James W. Rush is editor of Trenchless
hardest hit by sanitary sewer events, Technology.

Key Components of the Manhole

Understanding Manhole Renewal from the Bottom Up By William Shook
here are more than 20 million manholes in the Unit- Since manholes represent a large and critically impor-
T ed States and more than half were installed prior to
1960. In addition, governmental studies over the years
tant segment of every sewer system, it is important to
understand their parts and problems from the bottom
show that commonly more than half of all inflow and up. So we will examine each part and their correspond-
infiltration (I/I) enters sewer systems through manholes. ing problems and solutions in that order.
Furthermore, cities and engineers are concluding that
since manholes are the easiest segment to inspect and BENCH AND CHANNEL: The bottom is the flow area,
the least expensive to fix, their budgets can be stretched which is a natural extension of the pipe inlets. It is most
to get a lot more correction for a lot less money. Is it any commonly referred to as the channel, and sometimes as
wonder then that manholes are receiving the attention the invert since it is the lowest point of the sewer line.
they desperately need? Pipe inlets may enter at different elevations (drop in-
Manholes are underground chambers built to provide lets). If there are to be any changes in direction, they are
man-entry access for inspection and maintenance. They made at the channel. The gently sloped concrete floor
are subject to erosion from groundwater intrusion, cor- between the wall of the barrel and the channel is the
rosion from liquids and gases, wear from dynamic traffic bench and it provides a foothold so workers are above
loads and general deterioration from age. Out of sight, active flows. Benches deteriorate from abrasion and cor-
their degradation is not easily monitored. Unfortunately, rosion and the channels are prone to leak. Cementitious
when they are neglected and complete collapse is likely or polymer overlays are available, which arrest the leaks
since, unlike pipe, manholes are in direct contact with and reshape the bench to keep flows fully within their
the surface. channels.
Reader Service Number 57 Reader Service Number 58

WALL OR BARREL: This section of the manhole is typi- CONE: This section tapers from the top opening to the
cally 4 ft in diameter because it was originally designed full lower dimension or barrel section. It may taper con-
to provide enough space for a worker to inspect and centrically, like a triangle with equal legs, or eccentrical-
clean the pipe. While this dimension has remained stan- ly, like a right angle triangle. Sometimes large diameter
dard, there is little need any longer for maintenance manholes have no cones at all and, instead, they have a
workers to enter this hazardous confined space since flat concrete slab set flush with the pavement. In brick
inspection, cleaning pipe lining and even manhole lin- manholes, the tapering is as unique as the original brick-
ing can be conducted without entry. This section may layer who built it without uniform tapering or standard
be precast concrete, masonry (brick and mortar), block heights. The cone and barrel sections have identical
or any combination thereof. Masonry and block man- problems and are included in the previous discussion.
holes have problems caused by erosion from ground-
water (infilrosion is erosion caused by infiltration), age GRADE ADJUSTING RINGS: The frame rests on concrete or
(hey, everything wears out) and corrosion of the mortar polymer rings that are used to set the frame at the prop-
joints, which individually or in concert causes structur- er grade with the pavement. The maximum adjustment
al damage. allowed by most cities is 16 in. Since rain water tracks
above and below the roadway pave-
ment, these rings are highly suscepti-
ble to movement from traffic loading
and freeze/thaw movement, which
create large amounts of inflow and
infiltration. This problem is solved
with external or internal seals. Exter-
nal sleeves may be fitted over the en-
tire adjustment section from frame to
cone before backfilling. Such sleeves
may be banded, shrink wrapped or
hand applied. Plastic chimneys can
be set directly on the cone with ad-
justment rings stacked around it.
Plastic chimneys prevent any water
migration between the rings, frame
or cone. When excavation must be
avoided, internal sleeves are an op-
tion. Internal sleeves are available
as rubber sleeves held in place with
Image from ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 92 stainless steel bands, hand or spray
applied flexible coatings and cured-
Voids need to be filled and structural liners can be in-place liners. The lifetime benefit cost, each products
placed that reinforce and seal the old wall to a better proven performance and their corresponding ease of in-
than original condition. The structural strength de- stallation are deciding factors in selection.
pends on the thickness and strength of the lining mate-
rial. The liner choices are: cementitious, polymers and FRAME AND COVER: To most citizens this is the manhole
composites. Composites are typically a combination of since it is all they see. Historically, it is made of cast iron
cementitious plus polymers or fiberglass plus polymers. that easily withstands the rigors of traffic loads though
While most polymers are used only as a corrosion coat- some are now made of polymers or ductile iron for ease
ing, some can be applied at sufficient thickness to add of handling and corrosion considerations. Vent holes in
structural strength. A design guide is available from Iowa the cover and the gap around the cover are entry points
State University for determining the correct thickness for for surface water. Plugging vent holes, placing gaskets
the depth, diameter, groundwater pressure, traffic load- under the cover and inflow dishes just below the cover
ing and condition. When no structural benefit from the are typically the best solutions to this problem.
original wall remains, then complete replacement is nec- Manholes are complicated and critical segments of ev-
essary. It may be accomplished by pouring a new man- ery sewer system but they are the easiest to inspect and
hole within the old one with removable interior forms, the least expensive to renew. Thorough evaluation and
slipping a rigid sleeve into the barrel and grouting the careful selection of renewal methods produce improve-
annulus after excavating and removing the cone or by ments which dollar-for-dollar earns the best return for
a complete dig and replace. Time, disruption and costs city budgets.
are critical to this decision. The corrosion common to
municipal sewers is microbiologically induced corrosion
(MIC). Protection is available by using the anti-bacterial William Shook is president of AP/M Permaform, which is
additive to Portland-based cements, calcium aluminate based in Johnston, Iowa.
cements, polymer coatings or embedded plastic liners.

ADVERTORIAL

Manholes:
A Major Component
of the Total System
Solution for Collection
System Renewal
By Gerhard P. Muenchmeyer, P.E.
n a collection system, which in-
I cludes the mainline pipe and the

service connection to the house,
the manhole serves as the only access
for maintenance and periodic inspec-
tion. Some early sanitary sewer sys-
tems did not provide for manholes of many different materials that have ceptible to surface water inflow that
at pipe junctions, grade changes or different structural and renewal char- tends to be of short duration at high
direction changes. Lack of manholes acteristics. flow rates. Poor access to manholes
soon proved to be a serious design The cover must provide easy entry can greatly impair the ability to main-
flaw and consequently manholes are into a manhole yet provide a water- tain the entire collection system.
now essential to the proper design of tight seal after it is replaced. The The different conditions of a man-
a collection system. manhole frame must have adequate hole can generally be described as
According to Wade & Associates, in structural strength in order to be follows:
2003 there were more than 20 mil- able to resist damage from mowing Condition I: The manhole is con-
lion existing manholes in the United equipment, traffic, soil movement, sidered structurally sound with little
States, of which 4 million were more erosion and frost. The walls must be indication of settlement, cracking or
than 50 years old and more than 5 mil- structurally capable of withstanding other signs of structural fatigue in-
lion were 30 to 50 years old. With new traffic from cars, trains or planes de- cluding minor corrosion, infiltration
construction since 2003 and further pending on their location. or exfiltration through precast joints,
deterioration of the existing manhole The manhole must provide access mortar joints or around the pipe con-
infrastructure, these estimates have to pipe connections for inspection, nection.
probably risen significantly. sufficient space for cleaning and reha- Condition II: The manhole is ex-
Also according to Wade & Associates: bilitation from ground level. It must hibiting early signs of structural fa-
Expenditures in 2003 were near $100 not allow extraneous water from sur- tigue evident by minor cracks, loss
million and projected annual expen- face runoff (inflow) or groundwater of mortar or brick, corrosion (less
ditures for manhole renewal would (infiltration) to enter and surcharge than 0.5 in. in depth), or minor cross
exceed $500 million in the foresee- the sewer system. It must be resistant sectional distortion (less than 10 per-
able future. Some of the key issues that to hydrogen sulfide corrosion or ero- cent); however, the existing structure
need to be addressed for manhole re- sion from wastewater flow. is currently supporting the soil and
newal include reduction of infiltration The invert should provide correct live load.
and inflow (I/I), corrosion protection, hydraulic configuration that directs Condition III: The manhole is ex-
rebuilding of structural integrity and flow from incoming pipes though hibiting severe structural fatigue
public safety issues. the manhole and into outgoing pipes and collapse is eminent. Conditions
without deposition of sediment, ac- indicating this degree of deteriora-
Purpose cumulation of rags or backing up the tion would be distortion beyond 10
The manhole is one of three ma- system. percent, severe corrosion (exposed
jor components of a sewerage sys- Manholes are at high risk of damage reinforcing) or large sections of the
tem. Manholes, however, continue from normal wear and tear, third par- existing structure are missing.
to be a potentially weak link in the ty actions, corrosion, soil movement
sewer system. They are constructed and traffic loads. They are highly sus-
Renewal Technologies during a rain event. and is typically used for a Condition
There are numerous renewal tech- A number of technologies are I manhole. When a manhole has
nologies available in the industry available to seal or encapsulate this reached Condition II, besides grout-
and new ones are being developed area of the manhole — both from the ing, a protective coating is normally
on a regular basis to meet the needs interior and the exterior — and are required. Coatings can vary from
of the market. categorized as chimney seals. The Portland cement to high-strength
Starting from the top of the man- manufactured type seal typically in- and greater corrosion-resistant ce-
hole structure — the cover. Covers cludes a circular rubber sealing gas- ments such as calcium aluminate
are typically replaced rather than re- ket that is installed and held in place based products.
newed. Covers are available in stan- with stainless steel expansion rings. For higher corrosion resistance
dard sizes or can be manufactured to Polymer chimney seals are specially and increased strengths, polymer
custom specific requirements designed using a highly elastic poly- materials are used to coat and re-
If the manhole casting is defective, mer which is applied over the chim- surface the manhole wall and cone.
replacement, rather than renewal, is ney area and allowed to cure. Once These products include sprayed on
usually the approach. Conventional cured, the polymer material can sus- epoxy, urethane and urea.
excavation or cutting and extracting tain some minor movement of the Specific product selection can vary
can be used to effectively remove and casting during its service life without based on climatic conditions and the
replace the casting. A cutter/extractor cracking or failing. The stretchable amount of moisture influencing the
is a tool that cuts a circular groove cured-in-place liner is similar to a manhole to be renewed. The appli-
around a manhole frame much like cured-in-place pipe liner but is de- cation of coatings and lining will en-
a saw would cut a hole in a piece of signed specifically to seal the chim- sure long-term renewal against all the
wood. The frame and the road over- ney area of the manhole. The resin major deterioration mechanisms.
cut is removed in a five- to 10-minute impregnated material is set in place When a manhole has reached Condi-
procedure. A new casting can then be along the length of the chimney area, tion III, it typically requires total recon-
placed on the manhole chimney and then using an inflatable bladder, it struction using structural cast-in-place
a protective concrete ring poured is pressed tightly against the chim- concrete lining systems, cured-in-place
around the new casting to protect it ney until the liner is ambient cured. lining systems, panel liners and thicker
against road impact loads. Formed and cured-in-place chimney wall coating systems.
An inflow dish then can be installed seals are usually hand applied with The manhole bench and flow chan-
to catch inflow leakage, through the a base trowel application of epoxy nel are typically considered non-
manhole vent holes, during rain resin, followed by applying a layer structural and can be renewed using
events. Inflow dishes are available of fiberglass fabric and finally apply- a variety of cementitious and polymer
in a variety of materials and come ing another hand troweled layer of coating products. In most cases, the
equipped with or without drain epoxy. This is then allowed to cure same coating that is applied to the
holes. The chimney area of the man- and form a reinforced composite wall and cone of the manhole is also
hole is usually constructed of three manhole chimney seal. The purpose applied to the bench and channel. As
or more courses of brick. This allows of each of these technologies is to an alternative to applying a coating,
for future adjustment if the road stop further deterioration and leak- precast plastic manhole inserts can be
pavement or surrounding soil area age from the chimney area of the installed as channel replacements.
are either raised or lowered. This is manhole.
also an area of the manhole that is The manhole cone and walls require Summary
susceptible to leakage from inflow structural strength and the ability to There is a technology available to
withstand groundwater leakage from renew virtually every defect found in
infiltration. As concrete corrodes and deteriorated manholes. This article
Manhole Rehab the mortar in brick manholes begins
to disintegrate, the manhole needs to
summarizes but a few of those avail-
able in the renewal market. Technolo-
Techniques be considered for renewal. The exist-
ing manhole structure acts as the base
gies have been developed to provide
long-term solutions to renewing one
• Pre-formed Manhole Units structure to allow for the effective ap- or more of the major components of
• Concrete Liners: Poured-in- plication of renewal materials. Once a leaking, corroded or structurally
Place the structure of the manhole is seri- deteriorated manhole.
ously affected, the number of renewal The use and application of these
• Liners: Cured-in-Place technologies that can be applied to manhole technologies, however, re-
• Cementitious Coatings/Grouts properly restore it become limited. quires, in all cases, well trained and
— Sprayed/Pumped/Troweled Renewal for manhole cones and walls experienced applicators. As good as
typically encompasses three deterio- these products are, if not applied cor-
• Polymer Coatings/Grout — rectly, the results will leave the custom-
ration mechanisms or conditions —
Sprayed/Pumped/Troweled er disappointed and looking for alter-
infiltration, corrosion and structural
• Mechanical Seals/Inserts deterioration. native solutions for the next project.
• Protective Systems for New Grouting of a manhole is an effec-
Gerhard P. Muenchmeyer, P.E., is the
Manholes tive means of stopping infiltration
technical director of NASSCO.
Manhole Inspection
Software
New Software
Solutions Focus on
Manhole Condition
Assessment
By Joe Purtell
paper-based methods of performing

manhole inspections to software-based
methods: GPS and condition assess-
ment standards.
GPS
The availability of GPS-based satel-
lite data and geographic information
system (GIS) maps have enabled much
greater precision as to how we locate,
identify and network together our
pipelines, manholes, laterals, lift sta-
tions, etc.
GIS mapping allows us to see the
interconnection of all of the compo-
nents of the collection system and,
consequently, make better decisions
ith an estimated 20 million man- save approximately $1.2 million.
W holes in the United States, man-
holes are the “windows” to the condi-
In addition to these costs, maintain-
ing the structural integrity of manholes
about managing it. When considering
a comprehensive manhole assessment
strategy, it is important to leverage both
tion of America’s pipelines and also is a significant cost and priority. Proac- GIS and GPS technologies for precision
a critical access point for storm water tive manhole assessment is a key com- and efficiency. For larger cities with an
runoff and pollutants. ponent of any collection system asset existing GIS, deploying a manhole as-
As populations grow, the ever- management program. sessment strategy using precise maps
growing burden on our wastewater Because of the sheer quantity, per- makes the job much easier for the field
treatment systems only increases. By forming manhole inspection and re- crews and the supervisors. Knowing
aggressively finding and fixing inflow- habilitation are daunting tasks. Many whether a found manhole belongs to
infiltration (I/I) sources, utilities can utilities currently use a manhole sur- the sewer department or the storm de-
essentially add capacity. As an example, vey form, which inspectors use on a partment or another entity altogether
if just 100,000 gallons per day (gpd) of clipboard to collect the data. Unfor- will save time and labor costs.
unnecessary flow were eliminated, the tunately, aggregating and searching Once captured, the data will exist for
annual savings at the treatment plant through hundreds or thousands of future reference, making it easier to
would be approximately $50,000. And forms to prioritize rehabilitation is inef- find specific assets that may have been
the value of avoiding that same 100,000 ficient. There are two main innovations paved over or buried by debris. GPS co-
gpd in treatment plant expansion could that are driving utilities to change from ordinates are unique for each manhole
asset and therefore a precise way to determine location and
ownership. Furthermore, field crews can validate GPS coordi-
nates for manholes from the field, which may be more precise
than those previously estimated by GIS. Each week, as more
and more data is accepted and inserted into the relevant GIS
map layer, the quality of the community’s maps is improved,
allowing for this data to be shared among other departments
and agencies as appropriate.
Manhole Condition Assessment Standards

Engineers have various methodologies and defect codes
that have evolved over time to give them the best understand-
ing of the condition of their manholes. They depend on the
data that their manhole inspectors collect to determine the
probable causes of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), surcharg-
ing or specific structural classifications such as “imminent
C UES has deployed its Granite XP Manhole In-

spection Module solution at a major U.S. city,
with the objective of inspecting its 33,000 manholes
within the next 24 months. Approximately 40 inspec-
tion units are in use to meet this aggressive regula-
tory deadline. Cleaning crews and CCTV crews from
the city, as well as its contractors, perform “quick”
manhole inspections to triage good, fair or bad man-
holes during the course of their daily CMOM inspec-
tion tasks.
At the end of each day or week, the data is trans-

ferred wirelessly, or via wired connection or by re-
movable media (thumb drive) back to the Enterprise
Edition of Granite XP in the city’s central office, where
the data is aggregated and checked for any data col-
lisions. Granite XP has sophisticated data validation
technology to efficiently manage thousands of the
city’s manhole inspections performed each week on
specific manhole asset IDs. Once in the office, the
media and data is moved to a centralized Oracle or
SQL Server database to retain the inspection history
for each asset. GIS maps can be linked to the inspec-
tion data to allow users to “click on the map” and pull
up the images and data about any inspected man-
hole asset through Granite XP.
failure likely to happen” within the softwareshouldhavetheabilitytoflexibly
manhole. incorporate the specific defect codes and
Like detectives, inspectors should mandatory fields that engineers require
perform each inspection in the same, from their manhole inspections. If the
consistent manner, collecting data and softwarecan’tforcetheinspectortoinput
images, including both still digital pic- a required value, then data accuracy will
tures and video. As long as a suitable be lost.
defect coding scheme is used with Also, good software should be able
consistent classification of the sever- to synchronize between GIS systems
ity of the defects done by the inspec- to present to the user the most cur-
tor, the “home grown” standard can be rent view of the network of pipelines,
sufficient. Paper-based methods of manhole manholes, laterals, etc., so that the po-
For those utilities that wish to adopt assessment are a thing of the past. tential for associating a particular man-
a defined proprietary standard, NASS- hole inspection to the incorrect man-
CO has released the Manhole Assess- Manhole Inspection Software hole is virtually eliminated. Software
ment Certification Program (MACP). To leverage the advances in GPS tech- that has no knowledge of the network
This program defines the codes and nology and standardization, several ven- of wastewater assets around it will cre-
required data entry for an inspector to dors have designed software to facilitate ate separate “silos” of information in
use during a manhole inspection. the process. Well known CCTV software stand-alone databases which will in-
Additionally, several consulting engi- vendors such as Wincan, flexidata, Pi- crease the probability of data collisions
neering firms have created proprietary peTech,POSMandCUESprovidesoftware and corruption.
standards as well. CH2M HILL offers its withtheabilitytocollectmanhole-specific
SCREAM methodology for manhole as- condition assessment data. Some are, or Joe Purtell is director of the CUES
sessment, which adds the ability to ana- willbe,MACP-certifiedbyNASSCO.Other
lyze specific components of the man- Software Division, which is headquar-
software vendors such as Hansen, RJN,
hole structure to obtain greater insight GBA Master Series and CH2M HILL also tered in Orlando, Fla.
as to the likely I&I, structural issues and offermanholeinspectionsoftware.Good
costs associated with rehabilitation.

Advertorial
New Product Released to fill gap in

Underground Structure Rehabilitation
Protective Liner Systems has expanded its product line with its inability to completely bond to the host structure and
a new product called KevLiner™. KevLiner™ is intended to fill the technical problems that can occur during installation.
the gap between traditional coating systems and cured-in- PerpetuWall™ completely replaced the bag system because
place fiberglass liners. It is intended for use in structures and of its superior strength, bonding capabilities and ease of
large diameter pipe. Like the products in the Perpetu™ Series, installation.
KevLiner™ is able to cure in the presence of water and has an Today Protective Liner Systems operates out of the Atlanta
exceptional ability to bond to most materials. KevLiner™ is area where it manufactures and develops all of its products
similar to a traditional coating on the surface but within are in house. This creates a distinct advantage over many of
Kevlar fibers. its competitors that rely on a third party for R&D and/or
Adding fibers to an epoxy is nothing new, but using Kevlar manufacturing. Protective Liner Systems continues to develop
is. Kevlar strands are much stronger and exhibits properties new products and looks for ways to refine existing ones and
that are far more preferable than fiberglass strands. Properly simplify installation techniques. In addition to producing
sized and at the correct quality for a given volume, Kevlar superior products, Protective Liner Systems maintains an
strands will create a small matrix similar to fiberglass cloth. exclusive Certified Applicator program to ensure the best
This matrix is not as strong or durable as fiberglass cloth customer service and product installation.
found in cured-in-place fiberglass liners but it does add
strength and minimizes brittleness of the epoxy. The added
strength reduces and distributes the pressures and loading
from ground movement, traffic loading, and hydrostatic Products:
pressure. Minimizing the brittleness eliminates the biggest PerpetuCoat™ - Underwater Curing Epoxy Mastic
problem with using an epoxy on its own. When an epoxy Uses: Coating Cement and Steel structures to prevent
coating is compromised it will separate from the wall of the corrosion and minor infiltration
host structure and then break apart. The Kevlar in KevLiner™
supports the epoxy, if it separates from the wall, and keeps PerpetuCoat LT™ - Underwater Curing Epoxy Coating
the liner intact. Uses: Coating Cement and Steel structures to prevent
KevLiner™ is not intended to replace any existing Protective corrosion and minor infiltration
Liner Systems product, but to supplement the available
products to the customer and engineer. Protective Liner PerpetuSeal™ - CIP Fiberglass Structural Chimney Seal
Systems operates on the idea that each situation requires Uses: Line Chimneys of Manholes to prevent Infiltration
the correct solution and refuses to accept the idea that one and Corrosion. Also restores or enhances structural
product is suitable for every situation. PerpetuWall™ is still performance
the toughest and most respected liner in the infrastructure
rehabilitation industry for underground structures. When it PerpetuWall™ - CIP Fiberglass Structural Liner
does not fit in to the budget of a project or it is overkill for the Uses: Prevent all Corrosion, Infiltration and Exfiltration
situation, KevLiner™ offers a step down in performance at s throughout structure. Also restores or enhances
cost comparable to traditional epoxy coatings. structural performance.
Brief History & Background of Protective Liner Systems.
Protective Liner Systems was founded in 1984 with a focus PerpetuFastSet - Underwater Curing Epoxy Resin
on producing products specifically for underground structure Uses: Underwater curing epoxy resin designed to be
rehabilitation. Originally founded as Waste Engineering of used with fiberglass, kevlar and carbon fiber for point
Florida, the founders combined their talent and experiences repair.
and started using moisture intolerant 100% solids epoxy and
fiberglass cloth materials to form a manhole liner. The liner Protective OverCoat™ - Acid Resistant Polymer Cement
became a bag that was inflated by a bladder and cured-in- Uses: Line existing and new concrete structures to
place. This bag system, is still used today by some companies. prevent corrosion from H2S
In situations that a bag could not be used a hand layup
system was developed and is now known as PerpetuWall™. KevLiner™ - Underwater Curing Epoxy Mastic with Kevlar™
The epoxies and resins were refined and are now known Uses: Coating Cement and Steel structures to prevent
as PerpetuCoat™, PerpetuCoat LT™, and PerpetuFastSet™. corrosion and infiltration
In the mid 1990’s the bag system was re[laced because of

Manholes: An Overview of
Associations and Guidelines
By Greg Thompson
ith more than SCREAM

W 20 million man-
holes in the United
Released
2005, Sewer Con-
in
States, condition assess- dition Risk Evalua-

ment presents obvious tion Algorithm Model
challenges. The push for (SCREAM) is a tool de-
standardized inspection veloped by CH2M Hill
guidelines and condition as- and built into the InfoNet
sessment has grown over the asset management system.
years and recent developments Conforming to U.S. guidelines,
have been encouraging, with NASS- SCREAM is one of InfoNet’s stan-
CO’s Manhole Assessment Certification dard settings available for manhole con-
Program (MACP) and new software developed dition grading.
for monitoring and rehab-method selection. By using SCREAM in a manhole, defects are identified
ASCE Guidelines and assigned according to level (upper and lower in the
The granddaddy of them all, The American Society of Civil manhole) and component. SCREAM scores the upper and
Engineer’s (ASCE) guidelines represent the earliest attempt lower levels individually and then the overall manhole. Addi-
to standardize manhole construction, inspection and reha- tionally, SCREAM includes codes for specific coatings and lin-
bilitation methods. ings, as well as materials codes in order to accurately address
The first publication of such guidelines, ASCE Manuals and differing degradation properties among different materials.
Reports on Engineering Practice No. 37, Design and Con- Similar to other coding practices, SCREAM aims to reduce
struction of Sanitary and Storm Sewers, was in 1960 and has inspector subjectivity. The inspection focuses on three areas
since undergone four revisions. when coding a defect — the category of the defective ma-
The current guidelines were established with the 2007 terial, type of defect and severity of defect. The latter two
publication of Gravity Sanitary Sewer Design and Construc- are more subjective than objective, but SCREAM’s coding
tion, Second Edition (ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engi- system seeks to address this concern by offering numerous,
neering Practice No. 60 / WEF Manual of Practice No. FD- specific codes.
5). This edition represents a thorough revision of the first All SCREAM codes and scores are on a scale of 1 to 100,
edition of Gravity Sanitary Sewer Design and Construction, which allows a more thorough understanding of relative
which was published in 1982. defect scores among assets in a system. It should be noted,
These guidelines were prepared in cooperation with the though, that SCREAM assigns the number values based on
Water Environment Federation (WEF) to provide theoreti- the input of the inspector. In this way, the inspector main-
cal and practical guidelines for the design and construction tains focus on assessing conditions rather than prioritizing
of gravity sanitary sewers. The administrative and organiza- rehabilitation needs.
tional phases of sanitary sewer projects are presented with MACP
parameters necessary to establish design criteria, complete a Since its debut in 2006, NASSCO’s MACP program has
design and award a contract. The manual offers discussion of trained more than 2,000 professionals in standardized inspec-
trenchless and conventional construction methods. tion and evaluation of manholes
In addition to these general guidelines, other ASCE publi- and other sewer system structures.
cations are updated with more frequency and provide up-to- NASSCO had preciously developed
date standard practice information. For example, the ASCE the Pipeline Assessment and Certi-
Manual of Practice 92 is dedicated to manhole rehabilitation fication Program (PACP), which has
and has been updated in 2008. since become the recognized stan-
Finally, it bears mentioning that ASCE is contributing to the dard in North American pipeline
Guidelines for the Physical Security of Wastewater/Stormwa- condition assessment.
ter Utilities along with the American Water Works Association When developing MACP, NASSCO
(AWWA) and WEF. These guidelines are in trial and revision sought to incorporate ASCE in the
phase, but address security issues throughout wastewater successful format of PACP. Employ-
systems, with sections detailing standards for protection of ing a similar coding system to PACP, MACP allows a series
manholes. of common codes to be employed industry-wide to clearly
indicate manhole defects. These defects can be monitored noted that the engineer needs to marry design and the spe-
over time and used to identify deterioration patterns, which cific requirements of the project. NASSCO is confident that
can then be used to plan renewal schedules. TAG-R improves the likelihood that the best rehab method
Using MACP coding, inspectors record key attributes and will be fitted to a project as its recommendations are based
construction features of each manhole, including: material, on hard data.
dimension and type; key data for estimating I/I; and struc- TAG-R is a Windows-based software designed for use by
tural or O&M defects. Inspectors start at the manhole cover, city professionals, engineers and contractors and is available
work to the frame on which it sits and then to the chimney. as a standalone product and as part of the Inspector Training
Armed with this data, effective selection of rehabilitation and Certification Programs.
method is possible.
MACP training can be provided as a supplement to NASS-
Conclusion
As important as assessing the condition of manholes is at
CO PACP training at no additional charge. Additionally, NASS-
least as important is a standardized method for reporting
CO provides free MACP training at three major trade shows
the said conditions. ASCE’s written standard have provided
— WEFTEC, UCT and No-Dig — each year.
a framework for manhole construction and rehabilitation
TAG-R the other inspection protocols/standards have incorporated
Earlier this year, Trenchless Assessment Guide for Reha- ASCE guidelines into their framework. For a professional us-
bilitation (TAG-R) software became available. Developed by ing InfoNet, the SCREAM tool provides detailed condition
NASSCO with the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC), TAG- reports that can be prioritized automatically. NASSCO’s tools
R is the first interactive software designed to evaluate sewer (MACP and TAG-R) seek to address the industry as a whole
rehabilitation methods. TTC had previously developed the with broad-based standardized condition assessment scoring
Trenchless Assessment Guide (TAG) software with the Na- and practice.
tional Association of Utility Contractors (NUCA). Whatever the selected method for assessing manhole con-
dition and choosing a rehabilitation method, one thing is
clear — what had been oft-overlooked weak spots in sewer
systems have become a focal point for rehabilitation.
Greg Thompson is assistant editor of Trenchless Technology.
Optimized for ease of use, TAG-R evaluates performance

data of a number of rehabilitation and repair technologies
with project parameters provided by the engineer. TAG-R is
extremely easy to use. Engineers simply enter the parameters
of a rehabilitation project. More than 60 technologies are
evaluated by TAG-R, including access-point-to-access-point
pipe renewal, spot repair methods and manhole rehabilita-
tion methods commonly used for renewal projects. To evalu-
ate and project performance of a given technology, NASSCO
compiled data from product suppliers through their engi-
neering and operations teams. To ensure accuracy, all data
was peer-reviewed.
TAG-R estimates a given renewal method’s perceived risk
by taking project environment, the method’s track record
and overall project risk among other factors. From there,
TAG-R recommends a renewal method, though it should be
AMerik Engineering Inc. Trenchless Supplies

●
Top SealTM lateral sealing system 6 to 20 inches
●
AM cutters from 6 to 24 inches
●
Fiber Spot Repair - Sectional Liners 6 to 40 inches
●
H-Expander - rerounds pipes 6 to 16 inches
●
Slugger - removes resin slugs in laterals
●
AM root cutter - turbine driven
2600 Ainsley Ct. Marietta, GA 30066

Ph. 770 924-2899, Fax 770 924-2301
e-mail: amerik@bellsouth.net ● www.amerikengineering.com
Sewer Manhole Renewal

(Editor’s note: This is a selection from the book, Irrespective of the age, the location of a manhole within
Trenchless Technology: Pipeline and Utility Design, a system often dictates the type of problems manholes will
Construction and Renewal, by Mohammad Najafi, develop. These problems include erosion, corrosion and
Ph.D., P.E.) wear from dynamic traffic loads, any of which will create
structural fatigue and/or serious I/I. Other influences that
anholes are windows to the sewer system, as can contribute to the structural decline of a manhole in-
M they are the most visible point in identifying the

condition of the underground sewer infrastruc-
ture. Without a complete manhole renewal plan, corro-
clude soil movement and water table fluctuation (hydro-
static loading). Soil movement can be because of natural
occurring events such as
sion and infiltration and inflow (I/I) problems will not earthquakes or freeze/thaw
be solved in these crucial structures. cycles or induced by nearby
Although manholes are easily accessible, they offer a va- construction activities.
riety of challenging problems that are frequently misun- Old concrete is relatively
derstood and overlooked. Like pipelines, manholes come porous and very rigid. Once
in a variety of materials and sizes. They are commonly a rigid structure has experi-
made of brick-mortar, precast concrete, concrete block enced movement, there is a
and cast-in-place concrete. At each major change of direc- good possibility of founda-
tion or grade in the sewer system, a manhole is usually tion damage. A fracture in
constructed to facilitate flow, cleaning and inspection. the wall of a manhole can
Open-curved channels in the base of the manhole allow also open up the possibility
sewage to change direction with a minimum amount of for erosion. Approximately
friction from one pipe segment into another. half of the manholes that
There are currently more than 20 million manholes in have been installed in the
the United States with over half installed prior to 1960. United States were never
As we drive through communities, one can often deter- pressure tested to ensure
mine the age of a system by looking at the manhole lid. water or air tightness. This
In the older systems, the lids may be 18 in. in diameter constant water intrusion
and have numerous vent holes. The manhole chamber takes a wearing toll on the
below the lid of older systems is generally constructed porous concrete over time. For the case of a brick man-
of brick and mortar. Newer systems will generally have hole, water movement alone can remove mortar between
a lid of 24 to 30 in. with only one or two pick holes and bricks and aid in the loss of bricks, causing the potential
is constructed of precast concrete. These early observa- for failure of the structure over time. If we add the corro-
tions tell us little about the potential problems we may sive nature of modern sewers and its no wonder concrete
encounter as old manholes suffer from a variety of seri- fails, often very quickly.
ous problems. They are subject to erosion from surface
runoff and groundwater intrusion, corrosion from liq- Trenchless Technology: Pipeline and Utility Design,
uids and gases, wearing from dynamic traffic loads and Construction and Renewal, as well as other publica-
general deterioration from age. Out of sight, their deg- tions, can be purchased through the Benjamin Media
radation is not easily monitored. When neglected, their Inc. Resource Center. For more information call (330)
complete collapse is likely to result. 467-7588 or e-mail jkrill@benjaminmedia.com.
Comprehensive list of DVDs, CDs & Books Online

www.benjaminmedia.com/book-store

Piecing Together
the Puzzle
Manhole Rehabilitation Proves Important in

Infrastructure Management By Pam Stask
hen on the brink of finishing a puzzle, there is that ex- projects of just a few at a time while pipe lining received the
W citement of inserting the last piece to finally see the pic-
ture in its entirety. The time comes to complete the master-
lion’s share of attention,” says William E. Shook, president
and founder of AP/M Permaform. “When cities realized that
piece when the last piece has gone astray and the excitement the groundwater they hoped to eliminate by lining the pipe
is put on hold. You flip over the puzzle’s box and examine moved downstream to the next weakest point, which were
the floor, glide your hands under the sofa, but to no avail the manholes, then manholes began to be included on every
the piece is gone and the puzzle goes incomplete. But, you major pipe lining project. Cities soon discovered that man-
can’t help but wonder — what happened to that one, all- holes are the easiest and least expensive part of any piping
important piece? system to correct.”
For sewer projects, manhole rehabilitation has become the With the realization that manholes required attention, com-
missing piece of the puzzle so many cities hope to complete. panies such as AP/M Permaform and Strong Systems began to
Besides rehabbing miles of pipe interlocking and stretching offer cementitious manhole rehabilitation systems to address
under cityscapes, cities must also look at the condition of the manhole issues at hand. Over time, this gave way to other
their sewer’s manholes in order to protect the infrastructure products and applications being used such as chimney seals,
as a whole. in-flow dishes, semi-structural cementitious liners, fiberglass
“Manholes are the primary source of access to collection inserts and so forth. As more and more sewer departments
systems for its inspection and repair,” says Joanne B. Hughes, recognized the need for correcting their deficient piping
vice president of Cohesant Inc. (previously president of Ra- systems, the more that companies in the manhole market
ven Lining Systems). “Maintaining the integrity of these struc- concentrated on finding better and less expensive solutions,
tures is critical for modern society. Manholes must be built or explains Shook. With new products and technologies evolv-
rebuilt to withstand the ever-changing environment to allow ing, manhole rehab work became an important part of the
safe and continued access. Additionally, with manholes being trenchless industry.
one of the three primary components of a wastewater collec- “In the late 1980s and early 1990s, manhole rehab became
tion system, they can significantly contribute to system [in- a part of the trenchless sector since it is far less expensive
flow and infiltration (I/I)] when maintenance is neglected.” and more effective to rehab the manholes and underground
However in the past, the sewer system puzzle went unfin- structures in place vs. replacement by dig-and-replace meth-
ished and manholes did not take much precedence in a project ods,” says Joseph Trevino, vice president of Protective Liner
as a whole. It wasn’t until the late 1980s, early 1990s, that these Systems.
structures began to be addressed and rehabbed. As cities be- Today, the increased emphasis on manhole rehab has
gan to notice increasing I/I problems, they began to give atten- forced cities to look at these structures with a closer eye and
tion to the manholes and not just the pipes underground. an open pocketbook. Instead of just focusing on the pipes
“In the early years, manholes were done in very small underground, the manholes are now becoming a part of

sewer rehab projects. necessary to renew their manholes because of age and wear,”
“The manhole rehab market has grown at a rapid pace,” explains Shook. “Newer cities in the South and West must renew
says Danny R. Warren, president of A&W Maintenance Co. their manholes because of corrosion. No areas are exempt from
and on behalf of Warren Environmental and its applicators. the attention needed to correct this long ignored area of defi-
“If cities rehabbed four or five manholes a year, it was consid- ciencies.”
ered a lot. Now, it’s not uncommon for some cities to want
to rehab 500 to 1,000 manholes a year.” Changes over Time
And the need for manhole rehab isn’t just felt in one particular Ever since manhole rehab became a vital part in the trench-
area of the country — it’s a problem all cities must deal with when less industry, professionals in the manhole business have
maintaining their vital infrastructure. been hard at work developing new products and perfecting
“Well established older cities in the East and Midwest find it those already around to create a solid solution for munici-
palities in need. Besides creating a product
that simply solved the problem at hand,
trenchless professionals have demanded a
product that could stand the test of time in-
cluding environmental changes that occur
over the years.
“Over time, new and safer products have
become available and products that are
much easier to deal with from every as-
pect,” says Warren. “Instead of using a prod-
uct that might last four or five years, there
are products out now that can last 40 to
50 years. These products can shift with the
movement of the earth, as well as withstand
the freeze and thaw cycles of the earth.”
As the manhole rehabilitation market
continues to grow and demands for prod-
ucts increase, new technologies have be-
come available to satisfy the needs of cities
looking to rehab their infrastructure. This
surge for products has resulted in compa-
nies releasing technologies and solutions
to fit the bill for manhole rehab issues.
“Technology marches forward accord-
ing to the size of the market,” says Shook.
“Engineers drive technology providers to
continually improve while cities pressure
installation costs downward. This com-
bination of forces drives the providers of
manhole renewal technology to offer bet-
ter products for less money. In our own
case, AP/M has introduced at least one
new product or method each year since
1985.”
With time, manhole rehab technologies
and products are becoming better and saf-
er. For example, there has been an increase
in safety awareness when entering a sewer
system, new higher capacity epoxy pumps
have entered the market and the Clean Wa-
ter Act and other regulatory acts have influ-
enced the industry, notes Trevino.
With industry professionals perfect-
ing their trade and cities continuing to
research and understand the importance
of manhole rehab, the products are ever-
evolving to withstand 40 to 50 years of
use. Now, manhole rehab contractors
have the confidence to stand behind their
products for decades to come — a confi-
Reader Service Number 68 dence that took many years to achieve.
“Three years ago if you would’ve asked me for a five-year vulnerable to wide economic swings,” says Shook. “We
warranty, I probably would’ve said no,” explains Warren. are in an industry that is not limited by the size of the
“Three years ago if I would’ve asked a bond company to bond volume of need but rather we are in an industry that is
a manhole project for five years they would’ve laughed at restricted only by the investment committed to restor-
me. But today they’ll do it because the industry has changed ing our buried infrastructure. I predict that you will see
that much. We’ve gotten that much better at our craft. As an more cities raising rates to fund repairs for their long
industry, we’ve all stepped up to the plate.” neglected systems. Whether they’re spending willingly
or unwillingly, the investment must be made.”
The Next Step
It’s been nearly two decades since manhole rehabilita- Pam Stask is an assistant editor of Trenchless Technology.
tion came to the forefront of trenchless projects. With the
ever-increasing need to upkeep sewer in-
frastructure, the need (and demand) for
rehab methods and technologies is con-
tinuously present, and projects are aplen-
ty for professionals eager to work.
“Manhole renewal technology and con-
tracting services are definitely on an up-
ward course,” says Shook. “We see the
expansion curve that began in the 1980s
growing steeper every year because the
volume of manholes needing renewal is
growing more rapidly than those receiv-
ing attention. For example, a city with
25,000 manholes must renew at least 500
structures each and every year just to get
through their system once in 50 years. Not
many cities are dedicated to this rate so
they continue to fall further and further
behind.”
Since infrastructure in North America
and across the globe will always call for re-
pairs and maintenance, the manhole rehab
industry can expect to be in demand from
cities looking to keep their systems up and
running. As long as manhole profession-
als continue to research and develop their
latest offerings, the potential for further
growth is evident.
“Manhole rehab will continue on a
steady path, however, growth opportuni-
ties exist for contractors and suppliers de-
livering innovative solutions that provide
greater opportunity for 1) ease of instal-
lation, 2) consistency of quality, 3) cost
controlled and 4) properties exceeding
today’s requirements for corrosion pro-
tection and strength,” says Hughes.
Although manhole rehab is on the rise
and has the potential to continue to grow
as an industry, one main challenge stands
in the way of cities utilizing rehab tech-
nologies and addressing their infrastruc-
ture — funding. Despite the potential of
an economic downturn in the United
States, the manhole rehab industry will
continue to see business from clients
even though budgets are increasingly
shrinking.
“My experience of 32 years in the mu-
nicipal market convinces me that we are
blessed to be in an industry that is not Reader Service Number 69
Managing Manhole
Rehabilitation Projects
By David Jurgens, P.E., and Joanne B. Hughes the role of each of these team members changes through the
course of the project.
anholes — an intentional, organized hole in the ground Approaching project management from an owner’s per-
M that allows access to the utility line underneath, with a spective, this article offers insight into the challenges utilities
lid on top. It would seem that a structure this simple would be encounter in assessing, designing and managing manhole re-
easy to fix. Unfortunately, it isn’t. habilitation projects.
Fundamentally, sewer manholes exist to give safe access to The project leader must first identify the project objectives.
the sewer pipe, allow main- As manholes exist to provide
tenance crews to perform as access for the inspection, main-
much work as possible without tenance and repair of the pipes
entering the pipeline, to not al- that carry the sewage, they are
low infiltration and inflow (I/I) also identified as a break in
into the system, restrict flow or the pipe that presents an easy
allow solids to collect and to place for I/I to enter the system.
remain as invisible as possible. As such, their maintenance is
They also meet the needs of the crucial to system operation and
aboveground conditions, to not many times overlooked or over-
overflow, to store wastewater in simplified, which can create an
high flow circumstances, allow imbalance in overall system
flow monitoring or other tools operation. Therefore, adopting
to be installed in the manhole basic objectives for a manhole
and to last for 200 years. project should provide the re-
Manhole rehab starts with a thorough SSES.
This is a pretty long list for quired focus, such as:
such a simple structure. • Minimize the overall cost to the community of creating, main-
Any field investigation and construction project takes a lot taining and replacing manholes
of work, starting with the budgeting and funding and ending • Build as few manholes as possible
with final close-out of the project. Between these come the • Site manholes to meet operations and maintenance needs
planning, organizing and decision-making. Manhole projects • Keep all manholes accessible
• Achieve intergeneration equity through a planned approach
are no different. And as every manhole is a unique structure,
to maintain and increase the longevity of each structure until
each and every manhole requires a number of decisions. eventual replacement is required
Getting Started In addition, preparing tools that can prove useful to manage-
Assuming the funding is in place, the first decision is where ment throughout project and operational cycles may include:
to start. And most rehabilitation projects start with the sanitary • Inspection and grading protocol that can provide logical follow-
sewer evaluation study (SSES). The next decision is: Which up steps to maintain and improve manholes
should be the first to rehab? • Decision matrix that can be used when choosing materials and
Manholes seem to be the perfect choice. They’re simple, rel- methods for manhole rehabilitation
atively low cost, designs ought to be straightforward and they • Current information of available materials and technologies
• Inspection and quality control mechanisms for project
often provide a high payback for the investment. Manholes
management
are so simple it seems that anyone should be able to evalu-
There are several resources that can assist managers with
ate them, so why hire a consultant? Field maintenance crews
managing a manhole project, including consultants specializ-
should be able to look at a manhole and identify what needs
ing in collection system inspection and rehabilitation, and the
to be done, right? Fayetteville, Ark., tried this in the late 1980s
soon to be released 2008 update to ASCE Manual 92: Man-
and failed miserably. The lesson learned was that SSES work,
hole Inspection and Rehabilitation, which includes the above
including the manhole inspection portion, truly is a combina-
tools.
tion of science and art. The blending of these two is where the
project management team comes into play. SSES
Throughout the life of a project, many specialists are re- The physical work of almost every sewer rehabilitation
quired to provide their unique perspective, knowledge and project starts with the SSES. Once a utility has identified the
expertise. These include the utility operators, engineers, sur- basin(s) that have the most significant problems, a qualified in-
veyors, manufacturers, contractors, accounting and budget house team or consultant should be engaged to perform SSES
personnel, safety personnel, traffic controllers, city planners, field testing and investigation. Study results should identify
the public and the governing body of the utility. It takes skill- the path of the project and many times are based on mainline
ful management to understand how the different parts of the needs for repair and replacement. Inspection of the manholes
process fit together to merge this diverse group of specialists on these lines and other high risk areas provides necessary in-
into a cohesive team. This is made more complicated in that formation to properly begin design. The goal during the as-
sessment phase is to evaluate the structural and flow condi- utilities with in-house capabilities to perform inspections. Re-
tions of the manholes and identify defects and factors that may habilitation can also be phased, allowing for easier funding of
contribute to changes in the service environment or impact annual costs. Effectively, the phased approach treats manhole
the long-term viability of the manhole. rehabilitation as a continuous maintenance activity rather than
a major construction project type action.
Objectives of Field Investigations: A comprehensive short-term approach allows for faster re-
• Recognize and document specific defects and conditions in each sponse to system needs or regulatory demands. It also mini-
manhole mizes mobilization and management costs, as well as provid-
• Generate sufficient quality data to enable repair selection and ing the opportunity to receive quantity discounts for materials
specification by designers and services not realized in a phased approach. The short-term
• Quantify the I/I rates allowed into the system in the manhole’s approach is more appropriate when the manhole rehabilita-
existing condition
tion is executed in a capital construction project and is not
• Identify other related issues
part of the utility’s normal maintenance activity.
Regardless of the approach taken, assessment should be
To accomplish these objectives, investigators must be
used to establish baselines for future studies and maintenance
knowledgeable of defects and rehabilitation options to associ-
activities, updating (or creating) maps, numbering systems and
ate product alternatives and installation constraints. Manholes
GIS input. As mentioned earlier, data management, both of
generally account for up to half of the I/I that enters a collec-
quality and quantity, is essential for proper design and future
tion system from utility-owned components of the system. To
O&M. Further, the use of the inspection and grading protocol
eliminate these sources, a manhole must be thoroughly inves-
tool will provide more consistent information and the detail
tigated. Identifying the pipe conditions at the exterior man-
necessary for selection of materials and project management.
hole wall also provides key information, as the pipe condition
The field investigation data is the basis for design.
in the proximity of the manhole may significantly impact the
repair methods chosen. Design
A utility may choose to approach assessment in a continuous Design work for manhole rehab requires combining field
phased approach or even be required to address issues with a knowledge, the SSES data and the engineer’s design elements
comprehensive short-term approach. A phased approach pres- to produce the best quality results.
ents the opportunity for an orderly inspection with a few key Team members responsible for designing and writing the
inspectors with specialized training. This approach also allows specifications are equally influential on the quality of the

installation. Poor specifications and/or poor material selection pected occurs — as is almost always the case in rehabilitation
will fail. Therefore, it is important that those managing design- — approach the problem as a team. Rather than just being
ers possess expertise in system operation, impact of popula- a contractor problem or a utility problem, make it a project
tion change, wastewater corrosion and available rehabilitation problem. After all, both parties are striving to meet the same
methods. The design team should verify the technical aspects objective: a quality project in which the utility gets the work
of processes selected and require substantiation of product done to meet its rehabilitation objectives and the contractor
performance claims with independent testing and actual in- is fairly compensated for his efforts.
stalled history. Further, as the success of many of the methods The best project management teams understand that the
selected are dependent upon the contractor performing the contractor earns what he is paid, as long as he meets the con-
install, identification of available qualified contractors within struction requirements. As with on-time payments, if a con-
the region should be made during the design phase. tractor knows that the inspector and the owner’s project team
Typically, rehabilitation projects will deal fairly with him when issues
include addressing one, several or come up, he will provide a better
all of the manhole components and bid. That reduces the uncertainty.
may include lid replacement, grade Change orders are a way of life in
adjustments, frame and chimney re- rehabilitation, for the underground
pair, grouting, bench and invert res- environment is never exactly what
toration and protective or structural we thought. When faced with solv-
coating and lining. Selection criteria ing anomalous circumstances, a
includes evaluating accessibility of combined team-based decision-
the manhole, downtime available making process increases efficien-
for the rehabilitation process, exist- cies and produces the best solutions
ing structural deterioration and the for everyone.
relative risk of future major failure, The key to success is partnership
I/I, surface conditions near the man- Manholes generally account for up to half of the I/I that in fairness. The contractor has to
hole and existing and future condi- enters a collection system. meet the specifications. By the same
tions related to corrosion. The designer is also required to token, the utility must pay the contractor what he deserves.
evaluate the cost-effectiveness of repair to savings of flow re- Inspection assures honesty. Fairness in unforeseen circum-
moved from repair and the unit price cost work. stances generates a healthy business relationship between all
members of the team.
Construction Through all of this, we have not discussed perhaps the most
The workload requirements for the project management
important person of all: the customer. A manhole rehabilita-
team change once again when the construction begins. Most
tion project to a utility is the least invasive of all construction
construction contractor and utility relationships are, by the
work it performs. However, to the customer whose yard is be-
basics of a low bid environment, inherently adversarial. The
ing invaded, it’s huge. Communication with customers is im-
contractor bids the job competing with other contractors for
perative. With good communication, the customer can trans-
the lowest price and the utility wants to get the best possible
form from the complaining resident to an ally.
product for the least cost. The engineer is caught between the
two, being the honest broker to ensure the contractor does Summary
the work within the specifications but also not allowing the The entire project team, including the leader, engineer, con-
utility to change the scope of work during the course of the tractor, field investigator, O&M crew, accountant, inspector,
project. It is in this area that a true team effort pays the biggest office staff, customer and utility board all want the same result
dividends. — a successful rehabilitation project that extends the life of the
At a minimum, the execution of a typical manhole rehabili- utility for a reasonable cost.
tation project requires management of process and contrac- Every team member plays an important role — from the
tor scheduling, flow management when diversion or bypass is leader providing the vision, the guidance and making the deci-
necessary, traffic, inspection, completion reports and payment sions that guide the team to the field investigator gathering the
authorization. The accounting staff becomes more critical as data identifying the defects that impact the decisions made by
payments are submitted and processed. And while it is easy the designers in prioritizing and choosing the solutions. The
for a utility to be lax in contractor payments, contractors know engineer must write a tight specification, providing clear direc-
well which utilities and project managers within utilities, pay tion for the contractor who must properly apply the products
well. And those project management teams that pay well will and construction techniques. The inspector must employ his
get lower bids. expertise to ensure the work is performed properly and han-
Inspection and quality control also move to the forefront. dle field questions fairly and promptly. The accountant must
Inspection is critical, as those items that are not adequately scrutinize every payment and process them quickly. And, the
tested and inspected can not be verified as properly installed. O&M staff must provide input throughout the process so the
But the testing is not conducted to find areas in which the con- best information is included in the SSES, and the rehabilitation
tractor tried to get by the specifications but to identify those effort is maintained to maximize its life.
weaknesses that can be addressed during construction avoid- Through excellent team-based project management, these
ing future failure. are all possible.
Additionally, the utility should institute systematic checks
in the manufacturing and construction environment that David Jurgens, P.E., is water and wastewater director for the City of Fayette-
provide for a defect-free finished product. Test in the begin- ville, Ark. Joanne B. Hughes is vice president of Cohesant Inc.
ning, in the middle and the end. And when something unex-
Advertorial
Reduce I/I…Check Your Chimneys

enewal of the aging sewer infrastructure is an expensive
R challenge that municipalities face on a daily basis. Most

of North America’s underground infrastructure was
developed in the early part of the 20th century. Municipalities’
work hard to maintain these systems but the task is daunting.
Inflow-and-infiltration (I/I) is a major concern for sewer
operators trying to keep their treatment facilities at or below
the design capacity. With treatment cost approaching $3 per
1,000 gallons, groundwater entering the collection system can
quickly send treatment costs skyrocketing.
Treatment cost escalation is just the tip of the iceberg. The
strict operational standards imposed by the EPA are forcing
many municipalities to look at more sophisticated methods of
rehabilitation. Many sewer collections managers realize one
of the most critical areas of leakage is the sewer manhole.
It is estimated that 50 percent of all sewer infiltration enters
through the manhole structure. It is estimated that 50 percent of
manhole leakage comes in at the manhole chimney section.
The manhole chimney section has been an area of concern Designers are now offering technologies to quickly remove
for years and has inspired numerous products that attempt and rebuild the manhole chimney section. One Ohio-based
to reduce I/I. Many topical coatings have been introduced design team (Mr. Manhole) has perfected a way to quickly cut
with varying levels of success. Flexible chimney seals have and remove a manhole frame and lid down to the cone level
enjoyed widespread use. While these products have their and rebuild it level with the height and slope of the road. The
merits, the larger issue is the poor design of the original repair is guaranteed not to leak and has a 20-year design life.
manhole chimney structure. Manhole chimney structures are The system works on a skid steer and uses a plastic stay-in-
typically constructed of bricks and mortar or concrete rings place form to prevent water and gas from deteriorating the cast
and mortar. Many horizontal joints creating planes of weakness in place, epoxy coated re-rod reinforced concrete collar. The
characterize this type of construction. Impact loading from repair features a triple seal against leakage and has the added
traffic and the effects of frost heave combine to cause frequent benefit of being attractive and bump free. The Mr. Manhole
structural failure. System can be seen online at www.mrmanhole.com.
Engineers are now looking for ways of successfully If your collection system is in need of a major tune-up and
rebuilding the manhole chimney section in ways that ensure you have limited funds, consider rebuilding your manhole
structural durability and stop leakage. Engineers are aware that chimneys for a permanent solution to structural failure and
although the manhole chimney accounts for only 10 percent leakage. The treatment cost-savings could pay for the repair
of the manhole structure, it is responsible for 50 percent of over time and the public will be thankful for the smooth result.
the leakage. This fact makes rebuilding the manhole chimney New methods and tools are on the way, so be sure to consider
a great value. all your options when planning infrastructure repairs.

Selecting a Polyurethane
Chemical Grout
to Seal Leaking Structures By Ed Paradis
hemical grouts of various types have been success- selecting materials for freeze/thaw and moving load con-
C fully utilized in infrastructure repairs for more than

40 years. Although the chemistry of various chemi-
cal grouts may differ, the basic principle is the same. The
ditions.” These considerations have made polyurethanes
the product family of choice for most specifiers and mu-
nicipalities when repairing leaking manholes and below
grout is injected under pressure in a liquid state into the grade structures.
leaking area of a structure or through the structure into
the surrounding soil and then solidifies by means of a Polyurethane Grouts
chemical reaction into various forms. These grout forms The polyurethane family of grouts covers a wide range
can be solid, foams or gels, depending on the formula- of products with vastly different characteristics. In their
tion. When properly installed, chemical grout creates a liquid form, polyurethanes can range in viscosity from
permanent leak repair that extends to the positive side under a 100 cps to over 1,000 (cps is a measure of vis-
of the structure and is capable of lasting the full life of cosity or flowability of liquids. Water = 1 cps). In their
the structure. reacted state, different polyurethanes may form a solid,
a flexible or rigid foam or a gel. Foams are created by the
History release and entrapment of CO2 gas during the polyure-
One of the oldest chemical grout product families is thane’s reaction. The trapped gas in the grout thus pro-
the acrylamides. Although many areas have begun to use duces an expansion of the product as it cures. Depending
the less toxic acrylates or acrylics, these types of grouts on the particular polyurethane used, this expansion can
are still used for repairing leaks in mainline sewers. Due be as moderate as one to two times, or as high as 30 times
to their high water content, they have low viscosity, al- its original volume.
lowing them to be injected through remote controlled There is no one “perfect” polyurethane for all manhole
packers into joints or cracks in sewer pipes, creating a repair applications. Each type of grout has pros and cons
seal in the soil surrounding the pipe. Unfortunately, the that should be considered, depending on the type of repair
high water content of these products can be problematic being considered. To help with this process, polyurethane
if they are allowed to dry out, which will result in high chemical grouts can be roughly divided into three catego-
shrinkage and loss of flexibility in the gel. In addition, ries: hydrophobic, hydrophilic and multi component. The
these grouts are designed to have low tensile strength, following are general guidelines as to the properties of
which allows the remote grouting packer to be easily each type of grout. Hydrophobic polyurethanes use a small
moved inline. That characteristic, however, makes these amount of water in their reaction, usually less than 10 per-
products prone to fracture if placed in compression. This cent. They require the addition of a separate accelerator that
makes them a poor choice for cracks or joints in concrete allows for adjustment of the reaction time. They may have a
structures. ASTM F 2414-04 Standard Practice for Seal- moderate (three to five times) to high (more than 20 times)
ing Manholes Using Chemical Grouting states the follow- expansion rate. The high expansion formulations generally
ing: “Sealing material shall not be rigid or brittle when cure to a rigid or semi-rigid foam, and the moderate expan-
subjected to a dry atmosphere. Use consideration when sion rate products cure to a flexible foam.
The hydrophobics are the most versatile and chemical- with temporary measures. Lift holes and pipe penetrations
resistant products in the polyurethane family, capable of that have been surface sealed with an hydraulic cement are
the widest range of applications. The hydrophilic poly- likely to have large voids behind the patch. In order to cre-
urethanes use significantly more water in their reaction. ate a permanent seal, a high expansion rigid or semi rigid
This is often up to 50 percent water or 1-to-1 by volume polyurethane is best to fill and seal large voids.
for the foaming formulations having moderate expansion • Can the leaking areas be sufficiently identified to allow
rates generally between three to seven times. The hydro- for crack or point injection? This is a huge concern with
philic gels do not expand, but may use up to 90 percent brick manholes. If there is not a clearly definable crack or
water or 10-to-1 in their reaction. They rarely use a sepa- void that can be injected, injection into the soil outside the
rate accelerator, so their reaction time is more depen- structure should be considered. Injection of grout into the
dent on field conditions such as temperature and water surrounding ground actually fills the small voids in between
volume. Because these products continue to seek out ad- the particles of soil to create a waterproof barrier or curtain.
ditional water during their reaction phase, they achieve
excellent bond to wet substrates. Their higher water con- Injection Techniques
tents do make them vulnerable to shrinkage, but they are An entire article could be devoted to the subtleties of
also capable of rehydrating when water is reintroduced different installation techniques of polyurethane grouts.
to cured grout resulting in a “post reaction” swelling. What follows is only a brief summary of the available tech-
Finally, the multi-component polyurethanes use no ex- niques. The key to successful polyurethane grouting is: 1)
ternal water in their reaction. They have an “A” and “B” Get the appropriate grout into the desired location and
component that are mixed to form the reaction. They are 2) hold it in place long enough for it to react. The sim-
factory-formulated with fixed set times and generally cure plest method to accomplish this is the soak-and-place or
to a rigid foam. They can be formulated for specialty ap- “oakum soak-um” method. A porous material such as un-
plications such as high strength, high expansion rate or oiled oakum, open cell backer rod or even a cotton rag is
very fast reaction times. Since they use no external mois- dampened and then used to soak up some polyurethane
ture, they produce a consistent result and are not subject grout from a pail. It is then inserted into a joint, crack or
to dilution. As we will see, each type of polyurethane has void and held in place until the polyurethane grout reacts.
advantages in different manhole sealing applications. This method is often used to stop flowing water leaks or to
create a dam in front of a void, joint or wide crack to allow
Choosing a Polyurethane for injection behind the dam. The most common method
The approach to grouting below grade structures varies of polyurethane grout installation is crack injection. Al-
greatly, depending on the type of structure and the site though referred to as “crack” injection it actually refers to
conditions. For example, in pre-cast manholes, points the pumping of grout into any crack, joint or void. An en-
of infiltration are usually readily evident with staining try point is created, usually by drilling a hole to intersect
or flowing water pointing directly to the point of entry. the area to be grouted and a small one-way valve, referred
Brick manholes, on the other hand, are likely to show to in the industry as a packer, is installed in the hole. The
entire sections of damp wall without any clear sign of grout is then pressurized and pumped through the packer
entry point. The different conditions require a different into the desired area. The final method is called barrier
approach and often a different product choice. grouting or curtain grouting. This method entails creating
A checklist like the following is helpful to determine a grout wall in the soils surrounding the structure, either
the best course of action: by drilling holes from inside the structure or by driving
• Is there flowing water evident? Flowing water, particu- pipes from ground level outside the structure to the de-
larly a high flow of water, is best addressed with hydropho- sired depth and pumping pressurized grout into the soil.
bic polyurethanes. This is not to say it cannot be stopped
with a hydrophilic, but consider the advantage of the hy- Summary
drophobic. The contractor can add accelerator to the grout Unlike contractors of years gone by who only had one or
to speed up the set time. There is less chance of the grout two products to use for every application, today’s grouter
being diluted by running water. A high expansion grout can has the benefit of many chemistries to meet the various site
develop the force necessary to overcome the water pressure conditions. As the situation requires, he can: choose a high
and “cut off ” the flowing water. expansion hydrophobic to stop fast and high water flows
• Will there be movement in the repaired area? In gen- or fill voids; a moderate expansion hydrophilic to seal flex-
eral manholes are not prone to large amounts of movement; ible joints; a flexible hydrophobic for freeze/thaw or wet/dry
however, movement conditions do exist. Each vertical riser cycling areas; a polyurethane gel for curtain grouting into
must transfer the force of the street traffic from the frame soils, or a low viscosity hydrophobic for curtain grouting in
and cover to the ground under the base. This creates a flex freeze/thaw or wet/dry cycling areas or a multi-component
movement at each riser joint and requires a flexible repair grout to overcome special problems. As the range of prod-
material to move as well. ucts grows, so does the need for a strong partnership be-
• Are there leaks near the top of the manhole? The closer tween the specifier, chemical manufacturer and contractor
to the street or ground level, the greater the chance of wet/ to support this ever expanding and improving industry.
dry cycle or freeze/thaw cycles. High water content grouts
are not as good a choice in such areas. Ed Paradis is regional sales manager with De Neef Construction Chemicals,
• Are there likely to be voids associated with the repair? which is headquartered in Houston.
Many manholes have been installed or previously repaired
cone. Cretex’s state-of-the-art technol-
Product Showcase ogy combines all of the advantages of a

mechanical seal with the assurance of a
pliable gasket in a product that’s cost-
AP/M Permaform CCI Spectrum effective and easy to use where manhole
excavation is required. There are no
messy primers, torches or special tools
needed to install the seal. The seal is
available in 7-, 11-, 16- and 20-in. widths
and can easily accommodate offsets and
diameter differentials. The high-quality
EPDM rubber also allows for either above
or below grade applications. Visit www.
Patented SpectraShield liner is a spray- cretexseals.com for more information.
Manholes have been neglected for applied, silicone-modified polyurea sys-
years and are now suffering from differ- tem that is used to rehabilitate and protect Containment Solutions
ent levels of disrepair. Today’s manhole wastewater structures such as manholes,
specialists need lots of options. For 25 wet wells or wastewater treatment plant fa-
years, AP/M has helped them select the cilities. There are many advantages of Spec-
right tool to match each critical problem traShield: It stops groundwater infiltration
whether it needs cement liners, coatings, and prevents corrosion; it imparts struc-
structural polymers, chimney seals, chan- tural strength with its stress skin panel ef-
nel liners, internal corrosion protection fect; its fast curing means a typical 7-ft deep
with ConmicShield or complete no-dig manhole can be completed in less than one
replacement with Permaform. hour; it is cost competitive with all other
Making the best choice from minor re- coatings and liners; and it comes with a 10-
pairs to major replacement helps stretch year warranty. For more information, visit
city budgets so they can get more done www.spectrashield.com.
for less. The next time you think about
manhole renewal, think about AP/M’s Clean Water Resources Containment Solutions Inc. (CSI) man-
Tool Box. What’s in your tool box? Visit holes carry a 20-year structural and cor-
AP/M Permaform at www.permaform.net rosion warranty. Containment Solutons’
or call (800) 662-6465. fiberglass manholes also resist structural
fatigue better than either concrete or
Avanti International brick manholes, which can be seriously
weakened due to movement caused by
traffic, shifting soil, temperature changes
and cyclic groundwater loading. As a re-
sult, FRP manholes will not crack, crum-
Clean Water Resources now offers the ble or leak during their normal design life.
Lifespan System for manholes, catch ba- That’s why so many people say fiberglass
sins and vaults and Duracoat concrete manholes are the permanent solution to
liner. When used together, they provide a your manhole problems. Containment
fully-integrated, leak-free, non-corrosive Soultions offers standard size manholes
approach against stormwater infiltration. for new construction and smaller retro fit
Pair the Lifespan frame, tapered adjust- manholes for rehabilitation projects.
ment risers, cast-iron or composite cover
Avanti’s AV-330 Safeguard now comes with the most durable sprayable concrete De Neef Construction
in a dual cartridge. This durable MDI- liner and stop system failure. Field tested
based hydrophilic expansive grout reacts in some of the most demanding utilities Chemicals
rapidly with water to quickly and safely in the country, CWR’s total package is best
seal leaks. Designed and engineered for in class. These green products help clean
today’s environmentally conscious work- water and reduce climate change impact
force, it is a non-flammable, non-toxic and by reducing greenhouse gas.
non-hazardous product used to stop wa-
ter infiltration in below grade structures Cretex
and an excellent tool for confined space
entry projects. Avanti’s AV-330 Safeguard
is easy to use and effective. Visit Avanti at
www.avantigrout.com. Hydro Active Cut is a hydrophobic
polyurethane, with the addition of two
new accelerators De Neef Construction
Chemicals now manufactures (Cut Cat
Fast and Cut Cat Extra Fast). This mate-
rial has the ability of stopping even the
Cretex External X-Lite Seal is a high- highest volume leaks. When in contact
performance, watertight seal between with water, the grout expands and quick-
the manhole frame casting and concrete ly cures to form a tough, rigid, closed-cell
polyurethane foam that is essentially un-
affected by corrosive environments. This
It is also safe (no VOCs or solvents) and
easy-to-apply — simply mix and trowel.
Parsons Environmental
material is widely used to stop leaks in Visit Epoxytec at www.epoxytec.com.
below grade structures such as manholes,
storm drains, box culverts and tunnels Epoxytec Uroflex
and is approved by UL for NSF 61 (po-
table water). Call De Neef Construction
Chemicals at (800) 732-0166.
Epoxytec CPP
Parson’s turnkey manhole rehabilita-
tion system allows contractors to load up
product in the morning and not have to
return to the shop until the end of the
Epoxytec Uroflex is the ultimate and day, thereby saving valuable time. The 20-
safe, 100 percent solids (no VOCs), for- ft trailer comes equipped with a 99-hp,
giving and easy-to-apply coating for man- John Deere diesel that drives the entire
hole protection. Uroflex is an excellent hydraulic system, which includes a 100-
“do-it-yourself ” coating for sanitary sewer cfm air compressor, 15-kW generator,
Epoxytec CPP is a manufactured “do- manholes (protecting against high-level 4,000-psi pressure washer, mortar mixer
it-yourself ” solution for manhole rehab H2S, and its sulfuric byproduct). Uroflex and pump. A 300-gal water tank can pro-
that also requires sealed protection. The is designed as a top coat to extend the life vide enough water for the day. A pneu-
material is a trowel-applied epoxy that expectancy of sewer infrastructure. It can matic spincaster and electric grout pump
can repair concrete and/or line the entire be easily applied by roller, brush or spray are also part of the package. The design is
manhole structure. When used as a liner, (also by disposable cartridge spraying) such that a two-person crew can perform
the material may be used to resurface, for a total of 40 to 60 mil thickness. all of the work required to rehabilitate
protect and seal — all-in-one-shot. Ep- manholes, from cleaning to leak stopping
oxytec CPP is surface and moisture toler- to lining and coating.
ant, often requiring just water blast prep.
Fax to: 330.657.2855

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Pipeline Seal & Insulator structures. It reacts with water to form
either a watertight foam or impermeable
manhole wall with stainless expansion
bolts. In stock in several sizes and config-
gel depending on the water to Hydro Gel urations, Force line hoods are also avail-
SX mix ratio. This product is ideal for able. Visit www.reliner.com.
stopping leaks in manholes, sewer pipes
and utility vaults. Prime-Flex Hydro Gel Sauereisen
SX is U.L. certified to conform to ANSI /
NSF Standard 61 Drinking Water Systems
The Riser-Wrap seal is a two-layer sys- Components — Health Effects.
tem designed for corrosion and sealing
protection on encapsulating manholes, Protective Liner Systems
vaults and pipelines. Seal joints against
groundwater infiltration, tolerant to soil
stress, UV and freeze-thaw conditions.
The first layer is a rugged sealant encap-
sulated by a heat shrink sleeve. Applica- Sauereisen SewerGard No. 210RS is a
tions are for manholes (pre-cast base, rotary spray-applied material specifically
cone, risers, cast iron frame), concrete designed to protect underground infra-
vaults boxes, septic tank joints, repair PerpetuWall is a fiberglass and epoxy structure from chemical attack and physi-
and step-down joints. For rehab where structural composite liner that is installed cal abuse. No. 210RS permits economical
grout has failed and new construction. by hand. Hand installation produces a protection of either new or resurfaced
Size your application at www.riserwrap. higher level of quality than bag liners at substrates, providing an impermeable,
com. a lower cost. PerpetuWall doesn’t require high-strength, corrosion-resistant lining
any special or heavy equipment, giving for manholes. The spincast installation
Poly-Triplex it the ability to be installed anywhere
without disturbing the surrounding area.
methods allow manhole restoration proj-
ects to proceed safely and easily from
PerpetuWall has the lowest failure or de- ground level. Visit Sauereisen at www.
fect rate of any manhole or structure re- saueresien.com.
habilitation liner over its 20-plus years of
installations. Sealing Systems Inc.
PerpetuSeal is a fiberglass and epoxy
structural composite chimney seal that
is installed by hand. PerpetuSeal is based
Poly-Triplex Liner System has a track on the same technology as PerpetuWall
record of success in wastewater environ- and can be upgraded to a full depth Per-
ments with more than 11,000 structures petuWall liner at a later date. PerpetuSeal
lined to date. The impermeable mem- can be installed in any manhole and can
brane encapsulated between structural survive harsh freeze and thaw cycles and
layers of fiberglass and polyester elimi- dynamic traffic loading. PerpetuSeal of-
nates pinholes, gas penetration and in- fers the best performance to cost ratio of Flex-Seal Utility Sealant is a state-of-the-
filtration. The liner is saturated with any chimney seal. Visit www.Protective- art plural component aromatic urethane
epoxy resins and cured-in-place with LinerSystems.com. with an incredible 800 percent elonga-
air pressure and steam heat forming a tion and a tensile strength of 3,200 psi.
monolithic composite, bonded to the Reliner/Duran Inc. Flex-Seal is designed to prevent inflow/
host structure. Other features are: stops infiltration and to provide corrosion pro-
chemical corrosion; stops infiltration; re- tection at the grade adjustment ring sec-
stores structural integrity; up to 20-year tion or joint section. Flex-Seal Utility Seal-
warranty; and 100-year engineered life ant provides an excellent seal and it will
service. Poly-Triplex liners are designed pass a vacuum test according to ASTM
for permanent rehabilitation of man- standards. The internal seal is manually
holes, pump stations and culverts. Visit at applied using a paint brush and the kit
www.poly-triplex.com. is designed to cover 12 vertical in. on a
27-in. diameter manhole. Visit www.seal-
Prime Resins The Drop Bowl and Pipe Support sys-
tems by Reliner/Duran Inc. eliminate
ingsystems.com
troublesome outside drops in manholes,

clean up failed inside drops and are ex-
cellent as stormwater drops. When used
in wet wells, they can help prevent pump
cavitation. Compact, low-profile Drop
Bowls and Stainless Pipe Supports are
Prime-Flex Hydro Gel SX is a moisture- simple and cost-effective, reduce mainte-
curing, hydrophilic polyurethane resin nance and simplify cleaning and inspec-
designed to stop leaks in below-grade tion while providing full access to areas
below. The bowls attach quickly to the

Sprayroq Strong Seal Systems Terre Hill Composites
Strong Seal Sealant is a 100 percent Terre Hill Composites (THC) offers the
Sprayroq, an industry leader in the devel- solids, zero VOC polyurea material spe- cutting edge in manhole rehabilitation.
opment of spray-applied polyurethane solu- cifically formulated to prevent infiltration This cured-in-place system uses PVC as
tions for infrastructure rehabilitation, corro- between the manhole cover frame and the first line of defense against acids typi-
sion management and infiltration control, manhole chimney. Strong Seal Sealant’s cal to the sewer environment. Modified
is pleased to offer a green product line for unique spray cartridge application sys- solids novolac resins and hardeners are
corrosion coatings in wastewater collection tem requires simple surface preparation, used to bond the tailor-made composite
and treatment systems. Sprayshield Green no primer, no mixing and no wasted ma- liner to the host structure. Since pressure
replaces 35 percent of its petroleum-based terial. Strong Seal Sealant remains flex- is used during the installation process,
components with a unique, environmen- ible after set to withstand traffic loading, the epoxies are forced deep into the sub-
tally friendly renewable source material. ground shift and thermal stresses, has strate creating a bond unmatched by any
This flexible, 100 percent solids polyure- a temperature service range of -20 F to other technology. THC is the only manu-
thane coating provides chemical resistance 250 F and is impervious to commonly facturer that uses fused-seam technology
for concrete, steel, masonry, fiberglass and encountered chemicals. Contact Strong for this unparalleled PVCP-F lining sys-
other surfaces in municipal, industrial agri- Seal Systems for additional information tem. Its industry-leading non-prorated
cultural and maritime applications. Its quick or a field demonstration. Visit www. 10-year warranty guarantees the elimina-
curing time allows the newly protected strongseal.com. tion of infiltration and corrosion.
structure to be returned to service immedi-
ately. Visit www.sprayroq.com

Manhole Manufacturers and Suppliers
A-Lok CCI Spectrum Inc. Improved Construction Manhole Systems Perma-Liner
Water-Lok Connector (FS) SpectraShield (PC, SRS) Methods Inc. Ext. Rigs for Manholes (Other) Industries Inc.
697 Main St. 9716 Florida Mining Blvd. W Nu-Wall (SRS) 1780B Stoney Hill Dr. Perma-Flex (FS)
Tullytown, PA 19007 Jacksonville, FL 32257 P.O. Box 5798 1040 North Hudson, OH 44236 Perma-Coatings (CL)
Ph: (800) 822-2565 Ph: (904) 268-4951 Redmond Rd. Ph: (800) 433-3995 6196 126th Ave. N
Fax: (215) 547-5260 Fax: (904) 268-4923 Jacksonville, AR 72078 Fax: (740) 266-5103 Largo, FL 33773
Ph: (501) 982-7715 Ph: (727) 507-9749
Ameron International ChemRex Inc. Fax: (501) 982-9794 Miller Pipeline Corp. Fax: (727) 507-9849
Arrow-Lock (PC) ThoRoc SP15 (CL) Encapseal Safe-T-Seal (FS)
245 South Los Robles Ave. Sewerguard Epoxyliner Industrial Magnetics Inc. 8850 Crawfordsville Rd. Perma-Tech
Brea, CA, 92821 HBS100 (PC) Manhole Cover Lift Systems Indianapolis, IN 46234 Industrial Coatings
Ph: (626) 683-4000 889 Valley Park Dr. (Other) Ph: (800) 428-3742 Perma-Tech UX-Line
Fax: (626) 683-4060 Shakopee, MN 55379 1385 M75 S Fax: (317) 293-8502 Polyureau and PR 8003 P (PC)
Ph: (952)-496-6000 Boyne City, MI 49712 23100 Miles Rd.
American Fax: (952)-496-6062 Ph: (888) 582-0822 Mr. Manhole Cleveland, OH 44128
Highway Products Fax: (231) 582-3100 Mr. Manhole System (SRS) Ph: (888) 885-4637
Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Riser CWR Holdings LLC 556 Honeysuckle Bend Fax: (440) 338-3261
(Other) The Lifespan System (SRS) Infrastructure Lima, Ohio 45807
11723 Strasburg Bolivar Rd. 1615 Cross Highway Repair Systems Ph: (419) 229-3015 Pipeline Seal
NW Fairfield, CT 06824 InfraPoxy (PC) Fax: (419) 228-7716 & Insulator Inc.
Bolivar, OH 44612 Ph: 203-659-1300 4301 A. 34th St. N Riser-Wrap (SR, PC, FS, SRS)
Ph: (888) 272-2397 Fax: (203) 286-2320 St. Petersburg, FL 33713 Multiurethanes Ltd. 6525 Goforth St.,
Fax: (330) 874-3800 Ph: (727) 327-4216 Chemical Grouts (SR) Houston, TX 77021
Containment Solutions Fax: (727) 327-4118 6214-A Kestrel Rd. Ph: (800) 423-2410|
AP/M Permaform Flowtite Rehabilitation Mississauga, Ont. L5T 1Y9 Fax: (713) 747-6029
Permaform (SRS) Manhole (SRS) IPA Systems Canada
Permacast (CL/PC) Route 20, Box 1380 Drycon (PC) Ph: (800) 663-6633 Poly-Triplex
6250 NW Beaver Dr. #1 5150 Jefferson Chemical Rd. 2745 N. Amber St. Fax: (905) 564-7998 Technologies
Johnston, IA 50131 Conroe, TX 77301 Philadelphia, PA 19134 Poly-Triplex Liner Sys. (SRS)
Ph: (800) 662-6465 Ph: (888) 409-7731 Ph: (800) 523-3834 NeoPoxy Corp. Union Station
Fax: (515) 276-1274 Fax: (800) 839-4727 Fax: (215) 425-6234 StructoLiner (SRS) P.O. Box 398
ProtectoLiner (PC) Bonifay, FL 32425
Avanti International Cretex Kerneos Inc. SuperFlex (FS) Ph: (850) 547-9999
Avanti Chemical Grouts, Specialty Products SewperCoat (CL) 27057 Industrial Blvd., Ste 208 Fax: (850) 547-9990
Pumps (SR) Manhole Chimney Seal (FS) 1316 Priority Lane Hayward, CA 94545
822 Bay Star Blvd. N16 W23390 Stone Ridge Dr. Chesapeake, VA 23324 Ph: (510) 782-1290 Press-Seal Gasket Corp.
Webster, TX 77598 Waukesha, WI 53189 Ph: (757) 284-3200 Fax: (510) 782-1292 EZ-Wrap (FS),
Ph: (800) 877-2570 Ph: (800) 345-3764 Fax: (757) 284-3300 EZ-Stik #3 (FS)
Fax: (281) 486-7300 Fax: (262) 542-0301 New Life Coatings 2424 W. State Blvd.
Ladtech (PC) Fort Wayne, IN 46808
BigsEasy Lift Cues Inc. Ladtech Advusting Rings (FS) 31004 Hwy 27, P.O. Box 478 Ph: (800) 348-7325
BigsEasy Lift (Other) Urethane Mainline Sealing 6704 Meadowlark Ct. Lake Hamilton, FL 33851 Fax: (219) 436-1908
4242 Chowden Ave. N Equipment (SR) Lino Lakes, MN 55038 Ph: (863) 438-8660
Robbinsdale, MN 55422 Vari-Seal Portable Sealing Ph: (651) 415-1252 Fax: (863) 439-3755 Prime Resins Inc.
Ph: (866) 926-5438 Carts (SR) Fax: (866) 397-7571 Prime Flex 900LVSF (SR)
Fax: (612) 860-7047 3600 Rio Vista Ave. NPC Inc. Prime Flex 920 (SR)
Orlando, FL 32805 LMK Enterprises Inc. Joint Seals (Other) Prime Flex Hydro Gel (SR)
Canusa-CPS Ph: (800) 327-7791 CIPMH Chimney (SRS) 250 Elm St. 2291 Plunkett Rd.
Wrapid Seal (FS) Fax: (407) 425-1569 1779 Chessie Lane Milford, NH 03055 Conyers, GA 30012
2408 Timberloch Pl., Bldg C-8 Ottawa, IL 61350 Ph: (800) 626-2180 Ph: (800) 321-7212
The Woodlands, TX 77380 DeNeef Ph: (815) 433-1275 Fax: (603) 673-7271 Fax: (770) 388-0936
Ph: (800) 441-0862 Construction Chemicals Fax: (815) 433-0107
Fax: (281) 367-4304 Chemical Cementitious Parson Environmental Protective Liner
Grouts (SR) Madewell Products Inc. Systems Inc.
Carylon Corp. 5610 Brystone Dr. Products Corp. MH Liner (CL) (SRS)
Polyurea Spray-Seal (PC) Houston, TX 77041 Mainstay System (SRS) Quick Plug (SR) 6691 Tribble St.
2500 W. Arthington St. Ph: (800) 732-0166 Mainstay Composite Parsonpoxy SEL-80 (PC) Lithonia, GA 30058
Chicago, IL 60612 Fax: (713) 849-3340 Liner (CL/PC) Parsonpoxy FP (FS) Ph: (877) 462-6465
Ph: (800) 621-4342 Madewell 806 Flexible P.O. Box 4474 Fax: (770) 484-1821
Fax: (312) 666-5810 Epoxytec Inc. Epoxy (SR) Reading, PA 19606
Epoxytec CPP (SRS, SR) ML10 Hydraulic Cement (SR) Ph: (800) 356-9023 Quadex Inc.
CCI Pipeline Systems Epoxytec Uroflex (PC) 7561A Industrial Ct. Fax:(610) 582-6064 QM-1s Restore (CL)
Wrapid Seal (FS) P.O. Box 3656 Alpharetta, GA 30004 Hydra-Plug (SR)
26618 Prairie St. Hollywood, FL 33083 Ph: (770) 475-8199 4801 Crystal Hill Rd.
Spring, TX 77373 Ph: 877-GO.EPOXY Fax: (770) 475-8167 Little Rock, AR 72118
Ph: (281) 350-2100 Fax: 954-961-2395 Ph: (501) 758-8628
Fax: (281) 288-6261 Fax: (501) 758-3814

Raven Lining Systems Sealing Systems Inc. Sprayroq Inc. Strong Seal Systems, Warren
Aquatapoxy (PC/SRS) Infi-Shield External Sealing SprayWall (PC) a Division of Environmental Inc.
Raven 400 Series (PC/SRS) Product (FS), 4707 Alton Ct. The Strong Co. Inc. (SRS)
13105 E. 61st St., Suite A Flex Seal Utility Birmingham, AL 35210 Strong-Seal (CL) P.O. Box 1206,
Broken Arrow, OK 74012 Sealant (FS, PC, SRS) Ph: (800) 634-0504 4501 Emmett Sanders Rd. Suite 2-G Carver Sq.
Ph: (800) 324-2810 9350 County Rd. 19 Fax: (205) 957-0021 P.O. Box 9209 (zip: 71611) Carver, MA 02330
Fax: (918) 615-0140 Loretto, MN 55357 Pine Bluff, AR 71601 Ph: (888) 592-7736
Ph: (800) 478-2054 Standard Cement Ph: (888) 783-7436 Fax: (508) 947-3220
Reliner/Duran Fax: (763) 478-8868 Materials Inc. Fax: (863) 439-3755
Reliner - invert only (SRS) Reliner MSP (CL) Product Categories:
Inside Drop Bowls (SRS) Southwest Eposil Fusion Bonded Terre Hill Composites, (Where Applicable)
Stainless Steel Pipe Straps (SRS) Concrete Products System (CL) a Division of
Inside Drop Bowl (Other) Con-plast Plastic Liner Standard/Mainstay CL
Terre Hill Concrete Products
53 Mt. Archer Rd. System (PC) DS-4 Epoxy Coating (PC) Multiplex Liner (SRS) Cementitious Liners
Lyme, CT 06371 519 S. Benson Ave., Ontario, 5710 W. 34th St. Suite A 485 Weaverland Valley Rd (spray and trowelled)
Ph: (800) 508-6001 CA 91762 Houston, TX 77092 P.O. Box 10 SR
Fax: (860) 434-3195 Ph: (909) 983-9789 Ph: (888) 278-1337 Terre Hill, PA 17581
Fax: (909) 983-4187 Fax: (713) 680-1017 Ph: (800) 242-1509
Spot Repairs
Sauereisen Inc. Fax: (717) 738-6946 (chemical grouting, plugging
SewerGard (CL) Southwestern Stephen’s Technologies & patching)
160 Gamma Dr. Packing and Seals (SR) Tnemec Co. Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Rainstopper (FS) 31004 Hwy 27, P.O. Box 478
PC
120 Vinester (PC)
Ph: (412) 963-0303 6905 Westport Lake Hamilton, FL 33851 6800 Corporate Dr. Protective Coatings
Fax: (412) 963-7620 Shreveport, LA 71149-0369 Ph: (863) 438-8660 Kansas City, MO 64120-1372 FS
Ph: (800) 843-4950 Fax: (863) 439-3755 Ph: (800) 863-6321 Flexible Seals
SealGuard Fax: (318) 687-4337 Fax: (816) 483-3969
SealGuard (SR) SRS
363 Mars-Valencia Rd. Structural Repair Systems
Mars, PA 16046 (monolithic formed cement,
Ph: (866) 625-4550
CIPP liners, structural
Fax: (724) 625-2392
polymer systems)
Manhole Rehabilitation Guide

Index of Advertisers
Advertiser .............................................Page # ............... RS #
Amerik Supplies ........................................M-25 .................. 64
AP/M Permaform ......................................M-15 .................. 57
View These Manhole
Avanti International ....................................M-14 .................. 74
Benjamin Media Resource Center ...................M-26 .................. 80
Rehabilitation Webinars at
BigsEasy Lift ...............................................M-4 .................. 77 www.trenchlessonline.com!
Carylon Corporation ...................................M-27 .................. 66
CCI Pipeline Systems ..................................M-41 .................. 72 Structural Rehabilitation,
CCI Spectrum ...........................................M-15 .................. 58 Corrosion Control
Cretex Specialty Products .............................M-31 .................. 69
CUES.....................................................M-22 .................. 61 Sponsored by
CWR .....................................................M-22 .................. 62
de neef Construction Chemicals Inc. ................M-25 .................. 65
East Jordan Iron Works................................M-33 .................. 70 Protective Linings:
Epoxytec ...................................................M-5 .................. 51 Specification Criteria for Manhole
Epoxytec .................................................M-11 .................. 55 Restoration & New Construction
Industrial Magnetics Inc. ..............................M-30 .................. 68
Mr. Manhole ............................................M-35 .................. 71 Sponsored by
Mr. Manhole ............................................M-44 .................. 76
No-Dig 2009 ..........................................M-28 .................. 67
Poly-Triplex Technologies ..............................M-17 .................. 59 Rehabilitate Your Corroded,
Prime Resins................................................M-2 .................. 50 Leaking Manholes, Wet Wells or
Protective Liner Systems .................................M-7 .................. 52 Treatment Plants Once and for All
Protective Liner Systems ...............................M-23 .................. 63
RELINER/Duran, Inc. ..................................M-41 .................. 73 Sponsored by
Sauereisen ................................................M-10 .................. 54
Sealing Systems Inc. ....................................M-13 .................. 56 Go to www.trenchlessonline.com and click on
Sprayroq .................................................M-21 .................. 60 Webinars to register for upcoming sessions and
Trenchless Technology Webinar Archives...........M-43 .................. 75 to view archived sessions.
Warren Environmental, Inc. .............................M-9 .................. 53

2008 Manhole Guide

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MANHOLE REHABILITATION GUIDE

The Vital Link Publisher

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15 Key Components of the Manhole 32 Managing Manhole Rehabilitation Projects

Reader Service Number 77

M lection systems for more than three centuries.

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P.O. Box 1206, Carver, MA 02330

Sharon M. Bueno is managing editor of

Manhole By James W. Rush

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Key Components of the Manhole

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n a collection system, which in-

I cludes the mainline pipe and the

paper-based methods of performing

Manhole Condition Assessment Standards

C UES has deployed its Granite XP Manhole In-

At the end of each day or week, the data is trans-

Reader Service Number 61 Reader Service Number 62

New Product Released to fill gap in

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ith more than SCREAM

States, condition assess- dition Risk Evalua-

Greg Thompson is assistant editor of Trenchless Technology.

Optimized for ease of use, TAG-R evaluates performance

AMerik Engineering Inc. Trenchless Supplies

2600 Ainsley Ct. Marietta, GA 30066

Sewer Manhole Renewal

M they are the most visible point in identifying the

Comprehensive list of DVDs, CDs & Books Online

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Manhole Rehabilitation Proves Important in

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Reduce I/I…Check Your Chimneys

R challenge that municipalities face on a daily basis. Most

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C fully utilized in infrastructure repairs for more than

Product Showcase ogy combines all of the advantages of a

Fax to: 330.657.2855

What is your primary business at this location. (CHECK ONE)

❑ Pipeline Contractor 4. UTILITY COMPANIES Signature: _________________________________Date: _______________

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troublesome outside drops in manholes,

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Manhole Rehabilitation Guide

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