The Gossner Foods cheese plant in Logan, UT needed a new fire protection system retrofitted in the shelf-stable milk section of the plant. The production area was where the milk is processed and packaged into self-serve cartons, so to match the food grade piping, stainless steel was installed.

“We retrofitted their production area in the old part of the building,” said Chris Gilden, Project Foreman for Paradise Fire Protection, Inc., in Logan, UT. “For some of the project, we used the traditional roll-and-groove joints, but we used Viega ProPress® for stainless steel in the food grade sections so it would match.”

Paradise Fire Protection, Inc. installed Viega ProPress for 304 stainless in a range of sizes, 4" mains and branch lines in sizes 1", 1¼", 1½", and 2".

“We used about all the pipe we ordered,” Gilden said. “We flew out a designer and went through and designed the project. From that design, I came up with what parts we needed.”

Gossner Foods, founded in 1966 by Edwin Gossner and his family, is a cheese-making company in Utah and Idaho. Specializing in Swiss, they also offer cheddar, Monterey Jack, Muenster and others. Gossner Foods uses more than a half million pounds of milk daily for cheese production.

Paradise Fire Protection, Inc. is a full service fire sprinkler company, specializing in the design, installation, service, testing and inspecting of water-based fire sprinkler systems.

“We had some areas where you couldn’t necessarily put a ladder,” Gilden said. “So that was challenging.”

What Gilden and his team learned about Viega ProPress systems, though, is that the pipe and fittings can be preassembled before installation.

Utah cheese plant protected with stainless fire sprinkler

“We would put two or three pieces and press them on the floor, and then we’d press several pieces with fittings together. We’d get 30 feet at a time and press a bunch of it together. We could carry that in preassembled and get it up in the air where we could get to the ladders. That was a plus to the Viega ProPress system.”

The preassembled piping runs weighed less than Gilden expected. “You can do most of your work on the floor,” Gilden said. “The pipe is really light, it goes together quickly, and we didn’t have a single leak. So you don’t have to worry too much about the outcome of pressurizing and testing.”

I like that Viega ProPress fittings won't hold any pressure.”“

CUSTOMER: Gossner Foods

APPLICATION: Fire protection system

LOCATION: Logan, UT

CONTRACTOR: Paradise Fire Protection, Inc.

A project the size of Gossner Foods isn’t new to Paradise Fire Protection, Inc. The company does commercial jobs that size or larger. Currently, they are working on three separate high schools. One-or-two-year jobs are normal for them. But the Gossner Foods project was the first time Paradise Fire Protection, Inc. had installed Viega ProPress systems.

Gilden’s team was working a different project when a Viega representative stopped by to meet with the company. Gilden and his team happened to be there installing a fire protection system, so when they found out later that Gossner required stainless steel, they called the Viega rep.

“The timing was perfect,” Gilden said. “The rep made a good impression on us.”

Gilden reported that compared to the other brands of press fittings, Viega ProPress performed at a much higher standard.

“We didn’t have any leaks or issues,” Gilden said. “We have not been called back to Gossner with leaks or anything. With the other stuff, we had joints leak at low pressures, but once it got up to pressure it would stop. It was kind of scary.”

Gilden was pleased with the time savings Viega ProPress systems provided and is proud of the finished product.

“It’s a stainless facility,” Gilden said. “You can look up in the air and see the stainless and it matches. You can see how clean everything looks. It’s kind of hard to spot the lines because they blend in with everything else.”

Gilden appreciated that Viega ProPress fittings offer the patented Viega Smart Connect® feature, which helps installers identify unpressed connections during pressure testing.

©2015 Viega LLC

“I like that Viega ProPress fittings won’t hold any pressure,” Gilden said. “If you dry fit, it will leak through. A lot of fittings, if you dry fit, will hold 20 or 30 pounds and then blow apart. If you’re in a situation where you can’t have a blowout like that, Viega ProPress works great.”

Overall, Gilden and Paradise Fire Protection, Inc. were extremely satisfied with the project.

“The job was a retrofit above a bunch of equipment that was already installed, so it was a pain,” Gilden said. “But Viega made it easier.”

For more information on Viega system solutions, visit www.viega.us, or call toll free: 800-976-9819.