What Tools Are Used In Pipeline Construction?

When it comes to pipeline tools, waterworks engineers and construction workers often focus on more expensive maintenance equipment — equipment like cameras, crawlers, cable, and cable reels. While it’s essential to have a diverse set of high-tech gadgets, you shouldn’t take the trade’s basic tools for granted.

If the right tool isn’t available in a pinch, inspections can come to a screeching halt. The day could be a complete loss if your hands are tied and you aren’t able to open needed maintenance holes or perform minor repairs as quickly as possible.

Here are ten essential tools that every pipeline worker should use to safely and efficiently tackle a project:

1) Manhole Hook

Pipe inspection is a necessary part of any pipeline construction. It’s an essential process for keeping your pipelines running smoothly and safely. There are many different options for inspecting your pipes, but utility hole hooks have always been a standard solution among industry professionals.

2) Sledgehammer

Maintenance holes are a way for maintainers to access equipment in a safe and controlled manner. Whenever you drill, mill, or cut new maintenance holes into pipelines, the possibility of creating dust exists. Maintenance hole lids protect from this dust while workers complete work on sewer grates or other water systems.

However, over time these covers can become impossible to remove with just standard tools used for that purpose. Overhead swings with sledgehammers will effectively loosen the cap.

3) Gas Monitor

Have you ever had a maintenance hole covered with dirt, grease, or oil? If the answer is yes, you know how easily it can be for workers to slip and fall while climbing over the cover. We’ve seen many people sustain severe injuries by falling into a hole because they could not see where they were going due to obstruction from dirt and petroleum products.

Below the lid of a utility hole, gas and methane can collect to explosive levels. These gases may cause an explosion with just one spark from a simple tool like a hammer or wrench. In addition to this danger, workers may become overwhelmed by escaping gases during removal; therefore, you must take proper precautions at all times.

4) Downhole Roller

The downhole roller tool is a powerful and versatile device that prevents damage to the cable. It also allows you to detect problems in your pipeline so that you can deal with them before there are serious consequences. It is not uncommon to encounter a bend in the pipe at the invert of an underground tank. When this occurs, alert your field crew to begin a more thorough inspection.

5) Lowering Rope

Imagine that your tower crane is in an emergency and needs a new camera head. In the old days, you’d need to hire a specialized company to do it for you as it’s a dangerous job. But with the proper lowering rope, combined with the engineer’s skills (and some safety devices), it can safely place the camera at any required height (up to 300 meters).

6) Digging Bar

Maintenance holes are not always readily accessible. Often they are buried under a layer of asphalt or a few inches of dirt. A digging bar will help workers break through these obstructions and uncover the maintenance hole lid. The tool’s lightweight design makes it easy to use.

7) Shovel

Clearing dirt around the opening is an essential step before removing a maintenance hole cover. When you remove the lid, the last thing you want is a mound of dirt pouring into the maintenance hole structure and onto the pipeline trough below. Shovels have many valuable functions, including uncovering buried maintenance holes and cleaning the maintenance hole ring before lid replacement.

8) Flashlight

Workers should look into a maintenance hole at the start of any pipeline inspection to determine flow and structural conditions. Because maintenance hole structures can be deep and very dark, flashlights provide workers with the necessary light. With illumination, you can estimate the depth of the design and determine whether you need any special tools or equipment for entry. If a flashlight is not available, you can use a mirror to reflect sunlight directly into the maintenance hole.

9) Toolkit

You can guarantee one thing with pipeline tools – repairs. In one form or another, repairs need to happen regularly. Rather than limp back to the yard, you can perform most repairs in the field. A toolkit with tools that match the camera system can mean the difference between a productive day and a wasted day. We recommend inspecting the toolkit regularly to ensure that the right tools are available when needed.

10) Electrical Repair Kit

Having a well-stocked electrical kit handy will help keep equipment running. Whether it’s checking the voltage, continuity, or performing minor repairs with a soldering iron, these tools can make a difference when it counts.

You’ll find most of these pipeline tools at your worksite. For a more comprehensive list of our most recommended pipeline tools, read our handy checklist below:

Pipeline Installation Equipment

Some of the pipeline installation equipment we recommend include:

• Pipelayer Machines
• Pipe Bending Machines
• Hydraulic Wedge Mandrels
• Multipurpose tractors
• Line up clamps
• Pipeline rollers
• Pipe Conveyor System
• Roller Cradle
• Vacuum Lifter
• Pumps
• Valve Wheel Wrench

Pipeline Operations Equipment

Some of the pipeline operation equipment that helps in the smooth and continuous flow of liquids and gases are as follows:

• Ball valves
• Check valves
• Butterfly valves
• Gas Compressors
• Reciprocating Pumps
• Screw Pumps
• Positive Displacement Pumps
• Lobe Pumps
• Pressure/Temperature Gauges
• Metering skid
• Squeeze off tools
• Filters
• SCADA system
• PLCs and Remote Terminal Units
• Valve Wrench Tool

Pipeline Maintenance Equipment

Lastly, some of the pipeline maintenance equipment we recommend are:

• PIGs (Pipeline Intervention Gadgets)
• Pig Launchers and Receivers
• Waterworks Engineer Square Wrench
• Roller Clutch

Durable Tools for Pipeline Construction

Lowell Corporation prides itself on offering the best hand tools in the industry. Whether you’re working in civil engineering or a pipeline construction zone, we have the right tools to strike a balance between cost and efficiency. Together, our valve wheel wrenches and roller clutches achieve the best combination of productivity and accessibility for pipeline development, maintenance, and operations. You can rely on our valve wrench tools and square wrenches to make your next project go smoothly. With our essential pipeline tools, you get the backing of the most trusted name in the hand tool industry.

Lowell Corporation is proud to manufacture all of its tools right here in the U.S.A. in the heart of New England. All Lowell wrenches are 100% guaranteed with our one-year manufacturer warranty.

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