Over the years, pipe stands have become an important feature for many water utility systems. But what's the history of these stands, why have they been designed as they are and what are some potential issues they face? Here's a quick rundown on pipe stands and what you need to do to keep them functioning well for your water utility.

When it comes to your water utility, you've already got a decent idea of what condition your pipes are in, whether they're supplying water or removing waste. But what about the pipe supports that prop them up? If they're in bad condition and aren't being checked for corrosion or weakness, you may find yourself in the middle of a crisis with burst pipes and unhappy customers. Here's more information on how to inspect your pipe supports and when they need replacing.

When you need to connect to a water meter, there's no doubt that using a flared coupling provides you with a better connection and a much lower chance of failure than many other methods. But it can be difficult to make the connection from a copper supply line to your meter. At Red Hed Manufacturing, our job is making sure you can get your job done with better fittings, including our flare coupling adapters for meters. Here's how they'll help you make a better connection.

It's fairly common in the waterworks industry to step from one pipe size to another, typically using a single flange or a series of fittings to make the connection happen. What if you need to fit the diameter change into a small area? We have a number of space saver flanges that help make the transition in the space needed, as it combines both connections in a single plate. But what can you do when you have a specialty situation that needs a different approach? At Team Red Hed Manufacturing, we believe in providing customized solutions for our clients when they're needed. Here's the story of how we helped solve a unique problem for an upcoming bid.

When you work in the water utility industry, you expect some amount of water loss through leaky transmission lines and meter issues. But what if downsizing the meters in your supply system could ensure you'd regain those lost profits through more accurate record keeping? In this post, we're going to discuss a few real-world examples where downsizing helped the client greatly reduce waste and increased profits significantly. Here's what they found:

When it comes to downsizing older meters for new equipment, it's not unusual to run into issues in spacing and sizes between the two meters. How do you bridge the gap between the new meter and the old lines that are in place? Red Hed Manufacturing was recently called in to help a Louisiana utility as it downsized from an older meter to a more compact version that left a gap. Here's what we did to help them solve the problem and how it worked out in the end.

When winter is here and the ground is frozen hard, the performance of your tap machine may be the last thing on your mind - until it stops working. Unfortunately, when these expensive machines break down, it can be hard to find the money in the budget for a replacement. When it's got your task list at a dead stop, did you know that you can repair a Reed tap machine or service a Muller tap machine? At Red Hed Manufacturing, we want to provide you with additional options that save your utility money and allow you to continue using equipment that can be difficult to repair otherwise, starting with your tap machine.

Since the Flint water crisis has come to a head, utilities and municipalities all over the country have started paying much more attention to the socially and economically costly problems that can develop from existing lead lines in the system. Has your department made a plan for removing or replacing these lines? If not, you may want to get into gear exploring your options. But while many utilities are looking at replacing existing lead lines, they haven't considered the ramifications it will have on the rest of the existing system. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when replacing your utility's existing lead lines.

It's not just a catchy phrase in Game of Thrones. Winter really is coming, and in the waterworks industry, that means time spent dealing with cold, icy weather, damage to the system and frozen lines. It also means running around when you realize you haven't prepared your inventory properly. Here is some more information on how to keep your water utility functioning well in the cold and what to keep on hand ahead of time.

You know what it's like. Everyone has to go read meters or replace them at some point or another and this process can be challenging - but there's a solution: meter pits. Meter pits allow reading, changing out or repairing a meter without entering a customer dwelling. Also, if you're having trouble reading a transponder because the dwelling is set back to far from the road, a Red Hed Manufacturing meter pit is your solution.