Educational

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Manhole Rehabilitation? Our team at OBIC has decades of experience in sewer system rehab, construction and operation. Our combined experience includes everything from collapsing sewer manholes to deteriorating pipes and everything in between. As a matter of fact, there is not much we haven’t seen, heard and rehabilitated. While we take pride in our accomplishments and enjoy telling stories of some of the most challenging projects we have tackled, we have also learned a lot over the years. It is that experience and knowledge that helps us to expertly mitigate the varying maintenance

What Does Sewer System Inflow and Infiltration Mean? Our No-dig Sewer Rehab Solutions Can Help When groundwater or stormwater enters dedicated sanitary sewer systems, inflow & infiltration is occurring. Most inflow & infiltration, or I&I, is caused by aging infrastructure that includes manholes and sewer pipes. While this may seem like a hopeless, inevitable problem, there are steps that communities can take to protect their wastewater systems. Infiltration is when clean groundwater enters the sewer collection system. A great example of this is when heavy rain or snowmelt penetrates the ground and raises the groundwater level. That

Different Types Of Industrial Coatings And Their Applications In Latin, obic is the root word for barrier. When we founded our company in 2017, we couldn’t think of a better name for our products. Regardless of whether we are working on a manhole rehabilitation project, restoring an aging stormwater culvert or keeping drinking water safe with water treatment structure repairs, OBIC products are all designed to provide a long-lasting, cost-effective barrier of protection. Made of a flexible polymer that is environmentally friendly, OBIC coating systems are spray applied and cure in minutes. This makes them ideal for

What Are The Options For Manhole Hand-Injection Grouts? Underneath the streets of every city is a maze of sewer pipes, storm drains, manholes and pump stations that carry wastewater and stormwater through a strategically planned sewer system. These sewer systems are vital to protecting the environment and keeping our communities clean. Unfortunately, they are also deteriorating at a rate that is difficult for many communities to manage. According to infrastructurereportcard.org, the nation’s underground wastewater pipes are, on average, 45 years old with some systems exceeding 100 years. When you consider that the average life expectancy for these

Understanding The Difference Between Pump-Injected And Hand-Injected Grout For Wastewater Structure Rehabilitation Water and wastewater rehabilitation projects inevitably share one common challenge, infiltration issues. These are often leaks that are caused by cracks, missing mortar, deteriorated gaskets, pipe intrusions or a dozen other issues that allow groundwater to enter the structure. Unfortunately, once a leak occurs it will continue to worsen unless steps are taken to stop the infiltration of groundwater. At OBIC, we have earned a reputation for our industry-leading lining system that prevents infiltration from occurring. What is not so well known is that our

How Do You Rehab a Manhole? A Day In The Life Ever wondered about what the manhole rehabilitation process is like for OBIC certified installers? We had a camera crew follow Advanced Lining, an OBIC installer located in Utah, as they worked on a municipal manhole rehab in Moscow, Idaho. The city of Moscow had 17 aging manholes with groundwater infiltration issues. Although experienced in rehabilitation projects like this, the installation crew was challenged with an unusually cold October. They were also faced with a limited timeframe, as the project was in a residential neighborhood.

Are There ASTM Standards For Manhole Rehabilitation Methods? It is generally understood that the primary reasons for manhole rehabilitation are to stop inflow & infiltration, prevent hydrogen sulfide corrosion and restore structural integrity. At OBIC, we have talked extensively about inflow & infiltration as well as corrosion, but there seems to still be a lot of questions out there about how OBIC products help with structural issues. Two questions that we hear frequently are: What’s the definition of structural? What standard exists for manhole rehabilitation that defines structural? This blog post helps to answer those questions, but

Prevent Manhole Inflow And Infiltration Issues With These Tips From OBIC When was the last time you inspected your system’s manholes? If your answer is an awkward silence, you are not alone. Many municipalities face challenges with limited budgets and resources, so manhole inspections are often put on the backburner until a noticeable problem occurs. Unfortunately, this means that you could have a manhole that is leaking groundwater right now. Although you may not yet see the impact on operations, you could have a leak that looks like this.

What Is The Best Sewer System Coating? Everything You Need To Know About OBIC 1000 Every company believes its product is the best. Chevrolet believes their Silverado is better than Ford’s F-Series. Ford believes their F-Series is better than Dodge’s Ram, and the list goes on. The sewer lining coatings business is no different. When it comes to water and wastewater inflow/infiltration and corrosion issues there are a variety of options to choose from. Of course, only one rises to the top when it comes to long-lasting quality and a fast return on investment. It may come