City and County of San Francisco
Contract Proposal
75711
ATTACHMENT A
San Francisco Water Department
Specifications
For Water Meter Boxes And Covers
(August 2011)
i
City and County of San Francisco
Contract Proposal
75711
ATTACHMENT A
San Francisco Water Department
Specifications for Water Meter Boxes and Covers
All water meter boxes and covers shall be manufactured and conform to all provisions and standard
ANSI/SCTE 77 for Tier 15, Western Underground Committee’s Guide 3.6 and as specified herein. The
more stringent requirements shall be used when there is a contradiction between standards.
All meter boxes and covers shall conform and comply with the specifications stated herein and with all
drawings, Appendices 1-13.
I.
WATER METER BOXES
The meter boxes shall be a two-piece box consisting of body and frame.
The boxes shall be manufactured with minimum inside dimensions as shown on the attached
drawings Appendixes 1-13 for the various boxes and covers. Outside dimensions shown are
minimum values.
Bidder offering thinner boxes must justify, with calculations and tests that the box can perform
satisfactorily for the intended usage.
A.
BODY:
1.
Materials:
Meter box body shall be made of Fiberglass-Reinforced Plastic or Polyethylene.
Polyethylene shall be treated with UV inhibitor to prevent UV degradation.
2.
Fabrication:
Meter box body shall be manufactured using rotation or injection molding
techniques for Polyethylene. Other techniques may be acceptable if they can
produce products with comparable quality as rotation or injection molding
techniques.
3.
Characteristics:
Meter body shall have straight walls with vertical reinforcements. Flared wall body
will not be acceptable. The box shall be designed to have a bottom integral flange a
minimum of 1” wide to prevent settling. The body shall have pre-cut pipe entry
areas (mouse holes) 3” wide x 4” high, located on the bottom center of each short
side end wall.
Attachment A (August 2011)
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City and County of San Francisco
B.
Contract Proposal
75711
FRAME:
1.
Material:
Meter box frame shall be made of fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete.
2.
Characteristics:
The frame shall be rigidly attached to the body to form a structurally sound box.
Meter box frame top surface shall have a 0.5 minimum coefficient of friction when
tested in accordance with ASTM C-1028. Meter box frame shall be extended
beyond the box wall allowing the box to lock into the sidewalk pavement or
surrounding backfill materials. Fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete shall meet
impact resistant tested per ASTM D-2444 and have water absorption less than 1%
per ASTM D-570.
II.
WATER METER BOX COVERS
A.
Material:
1.
Water meter box covers shall be made of fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete.
Cover shall contain sufficient fiberglass reinforcement to meet or exceed the product
performance characteristics specified herein, including but not limited to vertical
loading.
2.
Manufacturer shall provide third party, independent test lab certification of
compliance with the material testing specified herein and in WUC, Guide 3.6.
3.
Fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete covers shall withstand an impact force of 70
foot-pounds with a type “C tup” when tested per ASTM D-2444 without puncturing
or splitting.
4.
Water absorption of the fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete covers shall be less
than 1% per ASTM D-570.
5.
All covers shall have a minimum coefficient of friction of 0.65 when tested in
accordance with ASTM C-1028.
6.
Fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete meter box covers shall be resistant to
chemicals commonly found in the operating environment. Polymer concrete material
shall be tested in accordance with ASTM D-543 to the chemical reagents listed in
WUG, Guide 3.6, Section 6.2.4. There shall be no more than 2 percent change in
specimen weight.
7.
The polymer concrete material shall be ultraviolet light resistant and shall be tested
in accordance with ASTM G-154-current revision.
Attachment A (August 2011)
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City and County of San Francisco
8.
B.
III.
Characteristics:
1.
Covers shall be manufactured per the dimensions shown on the attached drawings.
Fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete shall meet impact resistant tested per ASTM
D-2444.
2.
Locking provisions shall not be required to secure covers to box. Covers shall be
interchangeable with San Francisco Water Department’s existing concrete boxes
(BES C-9WX, BES C-30W, Christy box B30, and BES C-36W, Christy box B36,
Armorcast box –A6001534X12 and A6001921X12) except Christy box B9X.
The letters “SFWD” shall be recessed, in the approximately center of the cover. The letters
shall be at least 1/16 inch deep and 1 ¼ inch high and ¾ wide.
D.
Advanced Meter Infrastructure Compatibility:
1.
Manufacturer may be requested to demonstrate their product compatibility with
ACLARA standards for RF signal transmission.
2.
All lids shall allow ACLARA meter transmission unit to be securely mounted to the
bottom of the lid. Predrilled holes shall be included to accommodate mounting of
Aclara meter transmission unit.
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
Fiberglass reinforced polymer concrete and polyethylene material shall be resistant to
chemicals commonly found in the soil or in the operating environment. Polymer concrete
material shall be tested in accordance with ASTM D-543. The polymer concrete material
shall be resistant to sunlight and any climatic condition and shall be tested in accordance
with ASTM D-756, procedure “E”.
COLOR
A.
V.
Water meter box cover must be a proven product, in use by three (3) other Utilities
for a minimum of three (3) years.
C.
A.
IV.
Contract Proposal
75711
Meter boxes and covers shall be “concrete gray” in color.
LOAD CAPACITY
A.
Boxes:
Box assembly shall be designed to withstand 20,800 lbs. Box will be vertical load tested on a
10”x20”x1” steel plate without damage.
B.
Covers:
General:
Attachment A (August 2011)
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City and County of San Francisco
1.
Contract Proposal
75711
The Covers shall be tested to demonstrate a Design Load of 10,400 lb. force, the
maximum possible wheel load of a Class 6 vehicle (26,000 GVWR). A Safety
Factor of 2.17 shall be applied for Proof of Design Load (per ASTM C 497). The
covers shall be tested as described below and certified to withstand the (minimum)
Proof Load of 22,568 lbs when loaded with a 10” x 10” x 1” steel plate.
2.
C.
VI.
VII.
While the preferred method for cover testing would be in the “box” in which the
cover is intended to function, that is not practical for this project. Specially
fabricated test frames shall be prepared to support the cover in a fashion simulating
the support the cover will receive in the box after installation. The test frame shall
provide the same area of support to the cover as existing meter boxes (see those
required above). The frames shall provide no more contact area that the boxes
provide.
Vertical Load Test Protocol:
1.
Apply the 10,400 lb load over the prescribed area centered on the cover. The load
shall be transferred into the cover and test frame through a ½” thick piece of rubber
backed by ten inch by ten inch by one-inch thick steel plate. A spherical bearing
swivel head shall be used in the testing machine. The load shall be applied at a rate
of 550 lb/ second, +/- 450 lb/ second.
2.
The Design Load (10,400 lb) shall be cycled on the cover in the test frame ten times
as per WUC, Guide 3.6 test protocol. On the eleventh cycle, the load shall be
increased to confirm the cover can sustain the Proof of Design Load (22,568 lb.).
3.
The failure criteria shall be determined by the one of the two following criteria.
Yield – the point on a stress / strain curve where resistance to the applied load no
longer increases as deflection continues. Break – the point where increasing load
results in exceeding the tensile or elastic limit of a material.
SUBMITTALS
A.
Prior to award, samples may be required. Refer to Special Condition #73 – Samples.
B.
Prior to production, shop drawings will be submitted to SFWD department for approval.
C.
Boxes and covers shall conform to all provisions of standard ANSI/SCTE 77 for Tier 15 and
Western Underground Committee’s Guide 3.6. Test reports to be submitted shall be
provided by a nationally recognized Standards Testing Laboratory at no cost to the City.
DESIGN/PRODUCT MODIFICATIONS
A.
Meter boxes and covers specified in this attachment are intended for installation in sidewalks
and driveways (traffic load areas) and occasionally in bare ground, lawn areas, or sand areas.
Heavy loads from traffic are expected in some of these areas. The specifications stated are
minimum industry requirements for meter boxes and covers to perform satisfactorily under
normal usage in these areas.
Attachment A (August 2011)
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City and County of San Francisco
Contract Proposal
75711
B.
Bids offered for the boxes and cover designs must be conducive to the various ground areas
and conditions and perform satisfactorily under normal usage as stated in this attachment.
C.
After award, in situations where the boxes and covers do not perform satisfactorily under
normal use, the City representative shall notify Contractor of the problem. The Contractor
shall modify the design to correct the deficiencies at no cost to the City.
D.
Prior to any modifications, the Contractor shall provide revised specifications and drawings
at no additional costs to the City representative and Purchaser for review and approval.
E.
Failure of Contractor to comply with this section of this contract shall constitute a default of
this Contract as stated in General Condition No. 48, Contractor’s Default.
END OF SPECIFICATIONS – ATTACHMENT A
Attachment A (August 2011)
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