§ A182-7. Inspection and testing.

Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.

A. 

The contractor shall supply all necessary materials and equipment to test the piping as described below, including pump, piping, valves and labor. The Engineer will supply the test gauge or else calibrate the contractor's gauge before and after the tests. All pressure tests must be done in the Engineer's presence under his direction. The testing of water mains shall be done in accordance with AWWA Standard C-600.

B. 

Two tests are required.

(1) 

The first shall be a hydrostatic pressure test only. This shall be done when a section of line has been completed and concrete thrust blocks have set up sufficiently. The line shall be partially backfilled or braced against movement during the test. All air must be bled out of the section to be tested. If necessary, the contractor shall install corporation stops at the high points, for blowoffs. The hydrostatic test shall be of at least two hours' duration. Test pressure shall be as indicated by the Engineer and, in general, shall be done 1 1/2 times the actual working pressure applied at the lowest point of the section to be tested. A correction shall be made for the difference in elevation between this point and the test gauge. The pressure in the line shall not vary by more than ± five pounds per square inch for the duration of the test. With the required pressure on the line, the entire run shall be examined for evidence of leakage. Any leaks discovered shall be corrected and the test repeated.

(2) 

Leakage test.

(a) 

A leakage test of two hours' duration shall be conducted concurrently with a pressure test. No pipe installation will be accepted unless and until the leakage is less than the amounts allowed in AWWA Specifications C-600, Section 4.2, Table 6. Allowable leakage is determined by the following formula, where L is leakage in gallons per hour, S is the length of pipe tested in feet, D is the nominal diameter of the pipe in inches and P is the average test pressure during the test in pounds per square inch. Allowable leakage is approximately 11.65 United States gallons per 24 hours per mile per inch nominal diameter of pipe at a pressure of 150 pounds per square inch.

L =

SD√P   133,200

(b) 

When testing against closed metal-seated valves, an additional leakage per closed valve of 0.0078 gallons per hour per inch of nominal valve size shall be allowed.

(c) 

All visible leaks are to be repaired regardless of the amount of leakage.