We recently caught up with local business owner and long-time customer, Paul Moore, about his 40-year relationship with Dobson’s and the types of gaskets used by his clients across the water industry.
The Managing Director of pipework fabricators Power Run for over 30 years, Paul has spent most of his working life interacting with businesses in the water distribution, sewerage and pump industries. In January, he left his role to establish start-up PMJ Mechanical Logic, a consultancy firm offering CAD design services, volume engineering, and project management to his contacts in the water and sewerage market.
The scope of work during his career has been varied, ranging from large-scale pipework overhauls for some of the country’s leading utility companies to smaller jobs requiring bespoke or one-off gaskets. Paul, who has spent most of his life living in and around Keighley, had no hesitation in approaching Dobson’s, a recognisable company that has been ever-present in the town for six decades.
“Dobson’s has been supplying the various businesses that I have worked with throughout my career,” he says. “I prefer working with local manufacturers and I’ve never thought about using a different company.
“Pete and Andrew always go above and beyond, whether we need standard or one-off gaskets. It’s the way that they’ve always operated.
“Even when I have looked around at other suppliers I always come back to Dobson’s. They may not always be the cheapest, but their gaskets are always the best.”
Gaskets that Comply with Water Industry Standards
With many clients based in the water treatment sector, it is integral that all gaskets meet strict guidelines set out by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) and the Water Regulations Approval Scheme (WRAS).
As a result, orders usually include a range of EPDM gaskets, manufactured from a WRAS-approved, water-resistant rubber, and Novus 30 non-asbestos gaskets, suited to high-temperature applications involving oils, fuels, and acids.
Applied to pipe flanges, Novus gaskets are either manufactured in full-face configurations, which cover the entire flange, or in smaller inner bolt circle (IBC) configurations that sit within the diameter of the bolts holding the flanges together.
“Because some gaskets will be used in the water industry, they must be DWI and WRAS approved to ensure that they meet the guidelines required for safe drinking water,” Paul explains.
“We occasionally order rubber sheet material and strips to pack the pipes, but we primarily order pre-cut standard EPDM or Novus gaskets in either a 1.5mm or 3mm thickness to comply with the regulations.”
The gaskets are manufactured on a job-by-job basis, with quantities ranging from one-off pieces to larger runs of between 50 and 100 gaskets.
For Paul, one project stands out in his time working with Dobson’s, an emergency pipe overhaul at the United Utilities Water Treatment Works in Oswestry. With the works providing drinking water to over one million users in Liverpool and Cheshire, the project, which should have taken months to complete, was instead set a timescale of several weeks.
“The job required a range of gaskets to fit pipe flanges with a diameter of between 1200 and 1600mm, as well as some for larger pipes,” he recalls.
“But despite the short timescale, Dobson’s turned around the gaskets that we needed in just a few days.
“They come into their own producing gaskets quickly for a job, sometimes working out of hours and on weekends so that they can deliver what we need.
“Even when we have been called into an emergency, they’ve always produced the gaskets that we require on time, and that’s important in minimising equipment downtime and reducing costs for our clients.”
For more information about EPDM or non-asbestos gaskets, visit the product pages or email
More Info: EPDM Gaskets
More Info: Non-Asbestos Gaskets
To learn more about PMJ Mechanical Logic, contact Paul by emailing