Ice Plug




	An electric pipe-freezing device (above) enabled crews to cut a 2 inch water supply, install a shutoff valve and connect to new plumbing in this old New York City subway station, all without extra concern due to working in a confined space. Below: Removing the collar from the pipe.


	The New York Transit Authority's mid-town subway station at 33rd Street and Park avenue, on the Lexington line, has seen numerous changes since it was built in 1935. A recent major renovation undertaken by Melwood Construction, Queens Village, N.Y., included new plumbing.

	—————————————————— The confined space challenge became a non-issue because the self-contained device vents nothing to the atmosphere. ——————————————————

	After months of unsuccessfully searching for a water shutoff station it fell to David Peccorelli, overseeing the project for Melwood, to find a safe and convenient way to connect the existing 2-inch supply line to the new plumbing without a shutoff valve. To complicate matters, the operation was to take place within a confined space. The Melwood crew used a self-contained electric pipe-freezing unit to form an ice plug in the line, permitting safe and quick cutting of the line, valve installation and connection to the new plumbing. The operation was accomplished with a minimum of inconvenience to transit authority personnel and patrons, construction workers and others in the New York mid-town area. The confined space challenge became a non-issue, because the device is completely self-contained and, unlike systems using carbon dioxide, vents nothing to the atmosphere.


	Two units are available, weighing 45 and 60 pounds; both operate on 110-volt current. The smaller unit can form two ice plugs in pipes to 1-1/4-inch diameter and 3.5 amps. The larger unit forms one ice plug in pipes to 2-1/4-inch diameter, requiring 5 amps. Works in Atlantic City, too. During construction of an additional; gaming area at Harrah's Casino, Atlantic City, N.J., the plumbing foreman, Pat Spina, was faced with a dilemma similar to that of the transit authority. His task was to connect the chilled water lines in the new construction to those in the existing casino, ideally without draining the system. Faced with the lack of a convenient shutoff valve, Spina used a single electric pipe-freezing device to freeze both existing 1-inch lines, even though the system was protected with glycol. The connection was made with no inconvenience to casino guests and, again, without the concerns often associated with performing such tasks in confined spaces.