T3 CIPP Resins: What Makes Us Different
Trenchless pipe repair is a quickly growing market today, and there are plenty of companies that supply resins, liners, and equipment. At the core of each supplier is its resins. You’ll hear claims of better formulas, better methods, and better prices.
But it may surprise you to learn that most CIPP resins function about the same. So why would one company’s resins be better than the others?
How Do T3 CIPP Resins Work?
Every conventional CIPP resin comes in two components: the base resin and a hardening agent (catalyst). When the base resin and the catalyst are mixed together, they initiate a chemical reaction that changes the resin into a rigid material. Before that chemical change starts, CIPP resins are impregnated in a felt or fiberglass liner. The liner is then inverted into the damaged pipe. From there, the curing process can start, and the result is a relined pipe that can last up to 50 years.
Triple-T Base Resin
The base resin T3 offers is a 4:1 thixotropic epoxy resin designed to provide versatile applications and durable repairs. With a high heat deflection temperature (HDT) of 250ºF, this resin can withstand most use applications with ease. It cures overnight at ambient temperatures between 65º and 85º, with full properties developing in seven days.
Our base resin is also non-DOT regulated and VOC-free, making it safe for transport and use. It can be used with any epoxy hardeners as long as the proportions are correct, but our specially formulated hardeners provide the most consistent results.
Triple-T Hardeners
T3 offers three different CIPP resin hardening agents, each formulated for specific curing initiation times. These hardeners include 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute formulas, each designed for specific applications and different environmental conditions.
Triple-T 60: our standard hardener, with a 60-minute activation time.
Triple-T 30: our fast-curing hardener with only 30 minutes of workable time before hardening begins.
Triple-T 15: our ultra-fast hardener with a 15-minute activation time.
Curing
Ambient curing was the original standard for CIPP resins. Once the resin-impregnated liner is in place, a bladder or calibration tube is inserted into the host pipe, and then inflated. The air inside the tube is either heated to accelerate curing, or simply left at room temperature. This curing process is the longest option, but it is efficient in its use of equipment and materials.
More commonly, hot water and steam curing systems are used in CIPP repairs. The calibration tube is filled with heated water, often at around 120º or more. The water is circulated and reheated to keep the temperature consistent until the curing process is complete. Hot water curing reduces the hardening time from 8 or more hours to around 2 hours. Steam curing can reduce the time even further, to less than an hour.
The vast majority of our customers use hot water curing for most jobs, although ambient curing works well for small jobs or patching.
UV Activated Resin
A new development in CIPP resins is UV activated resin. These resins are generally single-component epoxies, and they don’t start hardening until exposed to UV light. Once a UV resin is exposed to light, however, the curing process is almost instantaneous—as rapid as 90 seconds.
The drawback to UV resins at this time is that there is limited testing data available for strength, chemical resistance, and life expectancy benchmarks.
Why the Different Curing Times?
T3 has three different hardeners with three different activation time frames. But why would you choose a longer or shorter activation time? Interestingly enough, your CIPP resin hardener choice is critical to your success.
Climate
The most important factor in choosing your resin hardener is your climate. Since resins are activated and accelerated with heat, the ambient temperature in which you work is critical to proper installation.
For colder climates, a fast-acting hardener can make your processes much easier. When the ambient temperature is below 45º, the resin won’t be able to cure without added heat. Once you start the curing process, that temperature needs to remain high enough to keep the chemical reaction going.
But in warmer climates, longer curing times are important so that you have time to get the impregnated liner in place before it begins to harden.
Job Type
More often than not, our customers are doing simple sewer line repairs. Longer activation times provide more flexible application methods. This is why our Triple-T 60 Hardener is our most popular hardener. Ambient curing is still relatively fast when wastewater needs to be minimized, but hot water heating can reduce the curing time drastically.
But for smaller jobs, and for patches, ambient curing is best. In these situations, a short activation time can make a difference in how long it takes to reinstate lines and complete the repairs. Our Triple-T 15 and 30 hardeners work best for these applications.
Which T3 CIPP Resin Hardener Do You Need?
In most cases, your hardener will be the same from job to job. But since there are always exceptions to the norm, we have three different hardener formulas to meet any needs that might pop up.
Triple-T 60
When you’re looking for a general purpose resin hardener, our 60-minute formula is your best option. With a longer workable time, you’ll be able to mix it with the base resin on the job and have plenty of time to get your liner in place and calibrated. Once it starts curing, you still have a relatively short time from start to finish. It works well in warm climates, and it’s a dependable option for nearly any repair.
Triple-T 30
Colder climates create a bigger challenge for starting and completing the curing process. The 60-minute formula requires a great deal of energy to keep temperatures stable within the host pipe when ground temperatures are lower than 65º. And when ambient temperatures dip under 45º, curing could take as much as 16 hours.
Using the 30-minute formula makes it easier to keep the curing temperature stable, and it constricts your work times to a reasonable length, even in cold temperatures.
Triple-T 15
When you’re working in extremely cold temperatures, or when you need a fast ambient repair or patch, our 15-minute formula is the perfect solution. In warmer climates, this hardener works too fast for general applications, but it’s perfect when a simple patch is required within a damaged pipe or when a CIPP resin liner has issues.
What Makes T3’s CIPP Resins Different?
Resins are generally the same from company to company, since the chemical makeup of both base resins and hardeners function similarly regardless of the specific formula. But that doesn’t mean that all resin suppliers are on equal footing.
At T3, we go above and beyond the basic requirements that most companies stop at. All resins need to be ASTM-certified for use, but when you start looking for specific benchmarks and standards, you’ll struggle to find more than the most basic information when you work with other companies. But T3 Lining Supply sees our responsibilities to our customers in a different light.
Extensive Benchmarking
Our hardeners and base resin have undergone extensive stress testing, standardization, and documentation. When you choose T3, you’ll know exactly what you’re working with, from tensile and flexural strengths to hardness ratings. We know what our materials can handle when it comes to caustic and hazardous materials, as well as dependable heat deflection temperatures so you don’t run into problems down the road.
Third-Party Testing
We don’t want our customers running into trouble because of biased testing, so all our resins are tested by third-party labs. Few companies bother with this step because of the time and expense involved, but we know what happens when you don’t know how your materials will handle the job they’re supposed to do. Third-party testing is one of the best ways to prevent this kind of frustration.
Detailed Specifications
Everything we know about our resin and hardeners is available to our customers, and it’s no short list. Our spec sheets let you know all the strength ratings, temperature thresholds, curing times, applications, and special instructions. We don’t just hand you the resin and wish you the best. We provide all the information you need to get the job done right the first time.
Unparalleled Customer Support
But more than anything else, choosing T3 materials means choosing industry-best support for your company. Our team of experienced professionals will personally train your employees so you can hit the ground running. And when you encounter questions, concerns, or struggles, we are just a phone call away. Our support team is ready 24 hours a day to answer your questions and walk you through difficult repairs. We’ve built our business around building your business, something the CIPP repair industry simply doesn’t provide elsewhere.
Contact T3 today to see why our customers won’t even consider another supplier for their CIPP resin needs. We’re ready to help your team succeed through the best trenchless technical training and support in the industry!