The commissioning process continues. There is every prospect that this will work effectively - once all the air leaks have been located and fixed.
Any gas that passes the seals on the joints readily defeats the vacuum and prevents the syphon from working at peak flow rate.
Considerable effort went into the installation of this innovative water feed and when working, provides a useful additional supply of water down the cut into Stroud.
All the joints have received additional sealant, but air is still finding paths through into the water. The proper cure is to fully pot the joints so that they are truly gas tight.
To this end, we have started the potting process which involves drilling a small hole in the top of the joint so that the potting can be poured in. It then fills the space between the 'O' ring seal, which is the standard fitting for the pipe and the additional flange seal injected in after installation.
The potting material is a two pack flexible polyurethane, with a cure time of about 30 minutes at current temperatures. As we secure more supplies, the joints will be addressed, Today, the right angle bend into the lock was fully potted. We did run the system today, but could not achieve a full pipe due to existing air leaks.
Your scribe pours in another 300g
