Risk-based force main management
Stay a step ahead of force main failures with assessment services that support long-term asset management
Most force main failures are preventable
Force mains, also known as rising mains, make up a small percentage of most wastewater collection systems. However, failures on these critical pipelines have high social, environmental, and financial impacts. Fortunately, most force main failures are preventable. Utilities can protect their communities by assessing these pipelines and addressing problem areas.
Today, inspecting force mains is easier and more cost-effective than ever. Utilities can leverage advanced technology to assess force mains without removing them from service. Using a data-driven approach to force main management, utilities can prevent high-consequence failures, decrease capital expenditures, and increase confidence in the operation of their buried infrastructure.
The case for proactive force main management
Pinpoint problem areas
Force mains rarely deteriorate uniformly along the entire pipeline. Only about 4% of inspected pipes show indicators of distress. Pinpointing these problem areas enables utilities to make precise repairs. Using this approach, utilities around the world are getting more life out of their critical force mains for about 5-15% of full replacement costs.
Protect your community
Force main failures hit a community hard. They can release a large amount of wastewater into the environment. Optimizing system control reduces the liability of aging force mains. Condition assessment empowers utilities to act before a pipe fails. Planned repairs are significantly less disruptive and less expensive than a failure.
Unlock superior insights
Inspecting force mains is the best way to understand their true condition and identify threats. With a clear picture of force main condition and risk, utilities achieve greater confidence in the overall operation of their system. This translates to greater customer and community assurance.
Shifting from reactive to proactive
Most force main failures are the result of internal or external corrosion and structural defects, with a smaller number resulting from pressure surges and joint leaks. Condition assessment can identify and target these failure modes. In fact, between 65-75% of force main failures are preventable with a comprehensive pipeline management program.
Your force main management partner
Force mains are far more difficult to assess than gravity sewers, requiring specialized tools and a team with proven expertise. Xylem's data-driven approach is built on over 30 years deploying and validating assessment technologies across more than 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of force mains. That experience translates directly into professional inspection delivery and defensible recommendations across every stage of the asset management cycle.
Stage 1
A comprehensive risk assessment is the foundation of an effective force main management program. Xylem builds a dynamic risk profile for your critical force mains, using quantitative modelling to focus limited resources on the most vulnerable pipelines. From these results, we develop a prioritized inspection plan to ensure each pipeline gets the right level of assessment based on risk.
Stage 2
Xylem's proven assessment technologies collect pipe-by-pipe condition data on force mains without requiring a shutdown, bypass, or dewatering. From locating gas pockets that can lead to internal corrosion to quantifying pipe wall distress, our inline tools deliver actionable data with minimal disruption. We work closely with utilities to select the right tools based on common failure modes, operational requirements, and risk-reduction goals.
Stage 3
Our engineers translate condition data into defensible short- and long-term management plans. From Finite Element Analysis to remaining useful life modelling, we give utilities a clear picture of how their force mains are performing today and how they're expected to perform in the future.
Stage 4
Most force mains have low degradation rates. Xylem helps utilities avoid unnecessary full replacement by implementing targeted renewal and reinspection cycles that extend asset life and lower lifecycle costs. Applying this four-phase approach across your force main network can keep critical assets performing reliably for decades to come.
Let's build your force main management plan
Force mains are difficult to assess, costly to replace, and critical to your community. Xylem partners with utilities to cut through that complexity with dedicated project support, customized inspection plans, and skilled local teams backed by hundreds of in-house pipeline experts. Every assessment is executed with a commitment to safety and experience from thousands of projects worldwide.