Steve Vick International Help Divert Pipework at Salisbury District Hospital

January 25, 2017

Aging steel gas pipework at Salisbury District Hospital is being replaced as part of a major renovation project.

Plans to replace and redirect a network of old steel pipes that currently encircle a number of hospital buildings is underway. As part of this project the underground pipes are being replaced with new P.E. pipe and the over ground pipes are being replaced with crimped steel; both will provide a safe form of transporting gas around the hospital site.

Steve Vick International was called in to purge the gas from the old pipes and prepare the steel network for connection with the new P.E pipe.

New connections

The project took the Contract Service engineers only two days to complete. The first day was spent preparing the steel pipes for connection to the new P.E.

This involved the SVI technicians fitting Under Pressure Tees and Valves at two separate locations. At one location a 4” steel pipe would be connected to a 125mm P.E. pipe and at the second, an 8” pipe would be connected to a 150mm” P.E. pipe.

Once the Under Pressure Tees and Valves were installed, the SVI engineers used a new ‘cutting edge’ Pipe Tapping Machine Drill which enables holes from ¾” to 2” to be drilled safely up to 4 bar, without any gas escaping.

Once the hole was drilled and the valve shut it was ready for the new P.E pipe to be connected by CPI Moling ( During the intervening time the gas supply remained secure.

Safety first

The second day of this project involved purging the gas from the old steel pipes that supplied the hospital.

The SVI Mini Purge Ejector was used for this operation; this small, lightweight device is much smaller and easier to handle than traditional tools of its type. It ensures a fast, clinical and effective purge of metallic gas pipes between 3” and 12”.

The purge process involves attaching the Mini Purge Ejector to one end of the isolated main and the vent is opened at the other end to draw air in. Compressed air is introduced into the Mini Purge Ejector which creates a vacuum. This has the effect of withdrawing the gas from the main; the purged gas and air are expelled into the atmosphere at a safe gas/air ratio.

Once the gas had been eliminated, the pipes could then be manipulated and removed safely.

The project was successfully completed on time and Alan Lambourne from CPI Moling said ‘Steve Vick International finished the job in a timely and professional manner’. Corrigenda Facilities Services ( were the main contractor involved and reported that the hospital estates project officer was very pleased with the overall project.