Featured Products GU Manhole Base Liners by Sealcon

Introducing the GU Manhole Base Liner ®
Shope Concrete Products is proud to introduce the GU Manhole Base Liner from our existing  product line. Shope Concrete Products is a widely known distributor in the Puget Sound area for Sealcon GU Manhole Base Liners. We feel it's important to offer our customers smart solutions which address today's environmental challenges and cost effective budgets within commercial, industrial, and residential sectors.
 

Featured Product

Why use a GU Manhole Base Liner?
About 40% of the more than 20,000 wastewater systems in the United States are concrete. Corrosion severely compromises the structural integrity of these concrete components, costing millions in repairs.

More aggressive corrosion can be expected when septic conditions exist, which may result in corrosive destruction to concrete bases. The more turbulent the effluent, the more hydrogen sulfide is released. This is most common at lift stations and manholes. This gas collects above the flow line where it combines with carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]). Both of these "acid" gasses produce a mild, weak acid solution when they dissolve into the sewer's moist environment.

The solution? The GU Manhole Base liner is the ultimate containment system for protecting and increasing the life of your manhole base from microbial induced corrosion.

How long has Microbial Induced Corrosion been around?
Microbial Induced Concrete Corrosion (MICC) has been apparent in concrete manhole and related sanitary sewer structures since the mid 1940's and is on the increase. The hydrogen sulfide issue has been clearly accepted by utility operators, civil engineers, and the precast concrete industry. Corrosion in anaerobic and aerobic forms has the capacity to severely damage concrete manhole structures.
 

How does Microbial Form? An anaerobic bacterium in sewage produces hydrogen sulfide gas. Turbulence from force mains, drop manholes, and pump stations allow the hydrogen sulfide gas to release into the atmosphere in pipes and manholes. Sulfide gas is converted into sulfuric acid by the aerobic Thiobacillus bacteria that grow on the concrete surfaces above the wastewater flow. Sulfuric acid produced by Thiobacillus quickly corrodes the concrete, resulting in severe structural damage to the pipe and manholes.

Microbial at Work Click image above to view graphic

Two forms of Microbial Corrosion in Concrete
Two forms of MSMA are responsible for the corrosive action and deterioration of the concrete structure. One form of MSMA is a process by which hydrogen sulfide is produced by anaerobic bacteria occurring below the flow line. This reaction becomes increasingly prevalent in systems with flat sewer slopes producing oxygen deficient or septic sewage, long detention times in force mains, wet wells or surcharging gravity sewers.

The second form of MSMA is an aerobic process in which oxidized hydrogen sulfide produces sulfuric acid above the flow line. The rate of corrosion accelerates due to turbulence created by steep slopes , high flow velocities, drop connections, hydraulic jumps and poor channel  design affecting riser sections, cones, flat slab tops and adjustment chimneys.