As a growing family-owned and operated company since 1976, GROEBNER – like you – has seen the natural gas industry change in many ways.
As a growing family-owned and operated company since 1976, GROEBNER – like you – has seen the natural gas industry change in many ways. This year is presenting us all with unique challenges and opportunities. We’re doing all we can to continue to maintain the great relationships we have with you, our customers and our suppliers. And we want to help you do the same in your business. The lessons everyone is learning in preparedness and streamlined processes will serve us well now and as business begins to normalize. Now may be a good time to review your in-house inventory, fill in some blanks, and even learn some new processes that offer greater efficiency. GROEBNER can help you with that review.
Fast Pipeline and Connection Repairs
An easy and valuable item to keep in stock is LLFA Tape. This ultra-fast, self-fusing tape is perfect for either temporary or permanent pipeline and connection fixes in the field. It was designed specifically to seal leaks in harsh weather. It’s a straight-forward application, with only minimal preparation time. LLFA Tape is highly resistant to UV and ozone and maintains its strength and stability if exposed to CH4, H2S, and O2. These properties mean you can keep a stock of this tape in your warehouse, toolboxes, or service trucks without concern about its effectiveness degrading. It’s ease of use for repairs means you won’t need extra people in the field. Fast application and sealing mean your customers won’t have to be evacuated for a repair, minimizing person-to-person contact. LLFA Tape is a perfect item for your inventory and system maintenance.
Field Safety Signage
It’s especially important right now to keep utilities up and running, with no accidental outages. Clear safety signs in the field are more critical than ever. Poorly maintained or unsightly signs are more likely to be ignored by most people; so now is a good time to replace old, damaged signage with new utility signs from Rhino Markers.
Rhino manufactures utility, construction, warning, and custom signs and markers to meet any imaginable need. Rhino’s TriView Marker Posts are the industry’s best markers for creating awareness of buried facilities and reminding excavators to call before they dig. The triangular profile, combined with the internal Flex PLUS rod, makes the TriView the most durable marker post on the market. In areas where livestock, wildlife, or vehicles are likely to impact signage, the TriView will rebound to its upright position, where other posts would fail. When the number one goal of your marker post is to increase public awareness of a buried utility, use the Rhino TriView, the one that can be seen from every direction.
Rhino UV Armor Signs are built to last the tests of time and exposure, guaranteeing a minimum 10 years of elite performance. Each sign is coated with a patent pending Rhino UV Armor coating, which prevents bubbling, limits cracking, and significantly reduces fading. Since different situations and environments call for different materials, Rhino offers three options, all focused on durability, with colors, shapes, and messages to best fit your every signage need:
- Aluminum Composite Material (ACM)
- Polyethylene
- Aluminum
The Rhino HIT Kit is used to enhance root cause investigations and accurately record damage to buried facilities. This includes fiber optic cable, pipelines, electrical lines, and more. The HIT Kit uses a standard tool to record every accident, which enables consistent photographic damage reporting. High visibility damage and mark posts allow you to photograph the excavation site from different angles and provide a better perspective of the damage or near miss. Use of the Rhino HIT Kit can reduce unnecessary and costly legal actions when damage occurs.
With marker posts, custom signs, and other locating and marking products, Rhino can meet all your signage needs for buried utilities.
Meter Bypass Systems
With heightened concerns of letting others into our home, products that can allow you to maintain natural gas lines from outside are particularly helpful. A meter bypass system allows a gas meter to be safely and easily replaced, with no interruption of service or the need to enter a residence. Working now to upgrade meter systems in your community will pay dividends in the future, as you’ll no longer need to schedule appointments with customers to re-light pilots or conduct appliance checks. You can now do all your work from outside the building.
A couple options are available to you through GROEBNER from two of our reliable supply partners – A.Y. McDonald and Georg Fischer. Let GROEBNER help you review their offerings and select the right equipment to suit your specific needs.
As a gas leader, A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. is known throughout the industry for their wide variety of gas meter bars, meter valves, and accessories. Their bypass meter bars – for both residential and industrial use – make maintenance, inspection, and gas meter change-outs easier than ever.
A.Y. McDonald residential bypass meter options include the self-contained bypass 6410 Residential Meter Bar. The 6410 includes a horizontal inlet and outlet, 6” centerline, two integral valves, high security lock design, and no swivels attached. The 6312 Series Meter Bar offers multiple meter applications with bypass technology applied. The 6312 also contains a rear center inlet and vertical outlet, two integral valves, high security lock design, 6” centerline, and no swivels attached.
For an industrial solution, A.Y. McDonald offers the 6480 Series Meter Bar. This meter bar consists of a horizontal inlet and outlet, 8 1/4” centerline, high security lock design, two integral valves, and no swivels attached.
Georg Fischer’s latest gas line product, the Co-Pilot Meter Bypass System, quickly connects to virtually any existing 6″ on-center meter set, whether it’s composed of a prefabricated steel set or a malleable meter bar combined with swivels and nuts. It’s adaptable to many combinations of meter nuts, and its aluminum body is coated with a UV resistant gas gray polyester to keep unit looking good and protected for years of service. The Co-Pilot is self-contained. It is tamper proof, with a custom activation key, and optional locking devices that provide multiple levels of security.
Installing meter bypass systems now will help you meet current distancing needs and streamline your processes into the future.
Meter Reading at a Distance
GROEBNER offers another option that helps your field crews avoid unneeded exposure. It also simplifies the meter reading process for you and your team.
Sensus Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) allows meters to be read from the office, so walking to or even by each structure/house is not required. Operation costs go down, data collection and timeliness improve, and your customers receive bills based on actual usage, not estimates. This may be the right time to begin transferring your entire system to AMI, and this infrastructure should definitely be considered as you plan for system expansion in the future. Talk with your GROEBNER sales representative to see how Sensus AMI can help you with today’s special needs and with the most efficient meter reading process going forward.
Gas Leak Detection
Gas leak detection is always important, to help ensure continued service to your customers. For those of you who are using SENSIT Technologies gas detection systems, there’s a new product that allows you to keep your detectors running at peak efficiency, while remaining available to your staff more consistently.
The SMART-CAL 360 allows you to calibrate your detection equipment yourself, without the need to send it in to the factory. Firmware updates are pushed directly to your equipment, so you can be sure you have the latest information to keep your equipment working properly. Less down time, with the most current firmware, ensures your using the most effective leak detection possible.
Pipeline Flow Stoppage
It’s always important that pipeline repairs and maintenance are as efficient as possible to prevent shutting down much-needed natural gas utilities. GROEBNER partners with Mainline Control Systems to offer Kleiss MCS flow control systems a unique flow-stopping system that allows you to quickly bypass a section of pipe for faster repair, while allowing natural gas flow to continue.
The Kleiss MCS systems can work with multiple pipe materials, wall thicknesses, pipe diameters, and flow pressure. One system can be used in many applications, holding down inventory costs. Kleiss MCS systems are of a size that is manageable by a smaller team of workers, with less need for heavy equipment. Whether you have repair needs now or will in the future, these flow-stopping systems are an excellent investment in your future.
- Kleiss MCS60-38 System(used on 3” to 8” pipe with pressure up to 60 psi)
- Kleiss MCS60-1016 System(used on 10” to 16” – 18” PE – pipe with pressure up to 60 psi)
- Kleiss MCS15-1824 System(used on 18” to 24” pipe with pressure up to 15 psi)
- Additional systems to fit your specific pipe sizes and pressure are available
Focus on Your Needs
For our nearly 45 years of existence, GROEBNER has focused on maintaining our relationships with our customers and suppliers at the highest possible level. And that means we’re focused on helping your business succeed. We want to help you meet your commitments to your customers and communities. We will continue to reach out to all our customers and suppliers to ensure we know how best to serve you. You can always reach us with your requests and questions at 1-800-638-8322 or sales@groebner.com. We’re here and working for you and your customers, no matter how unusual the circumstances.
GROEBNER in Unusual Times
GROEBNER’s team is always looking for new ways to live our values – quality, integrity, service. We’ve had some unique opportunities lately.
- Keeping our warehouses open with support from local businesses – To ensure you can get the products you need, we’re making sure our team has the cleaning products and masks they need to keep working. We are buying 80% alcohol hand sanitizer from a brewing company and hand-made masks from a dance costume company.
- Expanding our vendor network – When the increased need for alcohol wipes became clear, our team members acted quickly to find additional sources so all current and future orders could be filled.
- Delivering when you need us most – A customer had a time-critical project that required a LineTamer, which is pulled by pick-up truck. The deadline did not allow the customer to make the full drive to the Illinois office and back themselves so one GROEBNER staffer volunteered his own vehicle and met the customer at a central location to make the hand-off.
- The GROEBNER team “paying it forward”:
- Team members have made masks for local churches / neighbors, donated restaurant gift cards to those in need around them, and supported local businesses with a food allowance from the company.
- At our offices, we’ve offered pre-packaged cookies as thanks to the essential truck drivers who keep our vital pick-ups and deliveries moving.
- We are committed to continuing charitable contributions, even as many of the events GROEBNER normally would fund have been canceled. We are now reaching out to places such as local food shelves who are supporting those directly being impacted by these hard times.