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Dangers of Hydrostatic Pipe Testing

Hydrostatic testing is an important way to check the strength or weakness of piping when it is done safely. However, if you don't do it according to the safety rules, severe injury or death could result. The internal gases could be strong enough to produce intense pressure, leading to an explosion. Indeed, safety rules do exist for such work.

  1. Inexperienced Personnel

    • This job requires a high level of safety training. Do not use a person who is not familiar with testing procedures. The safety rules are very specific, and you must follow (or enforce) them to the letter. Failure to do this could result in loss of life or great damage to your company's piping system.

    Compressed Gases

    • Never use compressed air or gases in this test. According to Harvel's website, this could lead to a tremendous release of energy, which could happen suddenly. That could cause what the website terms as a "whipping effect." This leads to the shattering of the piping and the associated fittings. The explosion could occur multidirectionally. In fact, the AbsoluteAstronomy.com website recommends the use of water in this test. According to Harvel's site, you must set this water at 200 pounds per square inch for two hours, at 50 PSI over what the NFPI considers to be the maximum pressure.

    Deleterious Chemical Additives

    • The presence of chemicals containing dangerous lubricants or additives is possible. Always check the materials used as part of the piping test. The Harvel website, for example, gives an example of an additive that may be in the air compressor lubricant. If such chemicals exist in whatever lubricant you use, this could lead to damage of the piping system as a whole and result in costly repairs. It's important to read the labels or MSDS (material data safety sheets) and to be familiar with all materials with which you are working.

    Failure to Follow Proper Post Test Procedures

    • Trying to shortcut the recovery process, indeed, could lead to an explosion. According to the Harvel site, once you've found a leak or weak point in the piping system, you must cut out the section of the piping with the weak part and replace it, then allow the system to heal itself. Then you must retest it after you've waited for the "healing" to fully occur.

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