Municipal & Commercial Hot Tapping - Industrial TS&V
Hot Tapping Houston & Texas & More
Hot tapping, also commonly referred to as wet tapping, pressure tapping, or TS&V (Tapping Sleeve & Valve) services, is a specialized method to create a new branch connection to an existing water main without interrupting service. Unlike traditional methods that require shutting down the main to insert a tee, hot tapping maintains continuous operation, making it highly efficient and practical for diverse applications.
At Mickie Service Co., we offer a vast inventory of tapping sleeves and valves, paired with a team of highly trained technicians ready to serve the Houston area.
Hot Tapping Services
Mickie Service's Hot Tap machine has a cutter with a specialized saw for our hot tapping services. We're able to offer full-service tapping solutions by providing the tapping sleeve and valve services. There is usually an uncertainty with customers when they need to provide details for the underground pipe or vessel, so Mickie Services stocks epoxy-steel, stainless steel, and MJ tapping sleeves in standard sizes to reduce this delay.
Why Hot Tapping?
The purpose of hot tapping, or why a company would prefer hot tapping services, is when it's impractical to take the main pipe or vessel out of service to clean it by conventional methods. The benefits of hot tapping for pipes and vessels include zero water loss and no damage to the infrastructure.
How Does Hot Tapping Work?
- Inspection: Assess and brace the exposed water main.
- Setup: Install the appropriate saddle or sleeve and attach the valve, ensuring a successful pressure test.
- Tapping: Use the equipped tapping machine with the correct cutter head to tap the main.
- Completion: Extract the cut-out section, close the valve, and remove the tapping machine.
Hot Tapping Service Area
Our primary service area for municipal and commercial hot tapping (12" and smaller) is the greater Houston area. For larger diameter and mechanical projects outside this area - please contact us and we will work with you to determine if our solutions are right for your work.
Mickie Service Municipal & Commerical Hot Tapping Advantages
- Same day or next day service - guaranteed (on standard size taps).
- Large on hand inventory of tapping sleeves and valves - to enable a quick resolution/successful installation if existing pipe type/size are different than planned.
- Full time PM and office staff to ensure that all aspects of the service, not just the tap itself, are effectively managed.
- Extensive knowledge of local specs and procedures and long standing relationships with inspection teams.
- Highly trained, experienced installation technicians.
- Real-time job/installation checklists are generated and provided to our customer at the end of every job (these checklists are stored permanently by MSC, in case there is ever a question about work performed).
Commercial and Municipal Hot Tapping
Guarantees no service disruption or water loss.
Reduces scheduling variability (no need to coordinate with the authorities on water main shutdown, which can often take multiple attempts).
Eliminates the risk of water main contamination
Reduces crew service time and off-peak hours scheduling.
Saves time and costs, from start to finish.
There are several names for hot tapping that you might have seen including:
- Pressure tapping
- Industrial TS&V services
- Wet tap
We are able to work with operating pressures up to 600 psi and temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mickie Services performs hot tapping on the following main water pipe materials:
- PVC / C900
- Ductile Iron
- Cast Iron
- Asbestos Cement (AC)
- Steel
- Gifford-Hill Concrete (link to Concrete Steel Cylinder Tap)
- HDPE
- Tap size: 1/2"-48"
- Pipe Contents
- Water
- Sanitary Sewer
- Storm Sewer
- Steam
- Air
- Natural Gas
Pipe Diameter Capabilities
| 3/4 inch | 16 inch | 36 inch |
| 2 inch | 20 inch | 40 inch |
| 4 inch | 24 inch | 44 inch |
| 8 inch | 28 inch | 48 inch |
| 12 inch | 32 inch |