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How to install RACI casing spacers

Five steps per ring, one tightening tool, no bands or bolts. How to put RACI spacers on the carrier pipe, space them, and push the pipe through the casing.

Installation manual (PDF)

Call 214-340-4226

Fort Worth, TX · Tightening a RACI ring on PVC carrier pipe · Feb 2026

Tool

RACI tool

One tightening tool per crew

Tape

Butyl, supplied

Double-sided, full circumference

Fasteners

None

No bands, bolts or straps

Per ring

5 steps

Make up, tape, wrap, tighten twice

Before you start

Check first

The model, runner height, elements per ring, ring spacing and number of rings on your quote, sales order or approved submittal.
The actual casing inside diameter and carrier pipe outside diameter. Measure before the rings go on.
That there are no major obstructions inside the casing.

Have on hand

The RACI tightening tool.
The double-sided butyl tape that ships with the spacers.
Casing lubricant for rough casings and long pushes. Recommended, not required.
Neoprene wrap-around end seals with 304 stainless steel clamps for both casing ends.

Where the rings go

The spacing on the approved drawings governs. These are the maximums when the drawings don’t say.

Situation	Rule
Belled pipe under 30 in.	No more than 8 ft apart, center to center
Belled pipe 30 in. and up	No more than 5 ft apart, center to center
Fused or welded pipe (HDPE, steel)	No more than 6 ft apart, center to center
Bells and couplings	A ring within 2 ft of each side. Never on the bell, coupling or joint.
Casing ends	Double rings at each end: 2 at the front of the push, 2 at the tail
Longer casings	Public Works Products may recommend more spacers. Follow the recommendation.
Small-diameter pipe	Closer spacing where the drawings show it, to keep the pipe from sagging

Clearance: at least 0.60 in from the runner tips to the casing, and from the bell to the runner tips. Full rules are on the Casing Spacers page and in the standard detail and specification (PDF).

Assembling a ring

Repeat for every ring along the pipe.

Step 01

Make up the belt

Push the male end of each element into the slot of the next one, up to the 2nd marker tab. Keep going until the belt is long enough to go around the pipe.

Stop at the 2nd tab. Going further now can keep the ring from tightening properly later. Once joined, elements can’t be backed off without damaging them.

Joining RACI casing spacer elements together — Join the elements

Initial ring makeup: engage each element to the second tab — Up to the 2nd tab

Step 02

Tape the pipe

Wrap the double-sided butyl tape around the full circumference of the pipe where the ring will sit. The tape has to be at least as wide as the element; if it isn’t, run a second strip beside the first.

Peel the backing off just before the ring goes on.

Double-sided tape wrapped around the carrier pipe — All the way around

Tape must be as wide as or wider than the spacer element — At least as wide as the element

Step 03

Wrap the ring

Wrap the belt loosely around the pipe, onto the tape, and close the ends by hand to the 2nd tab, same as in step 1. On large pipe this is a two-person job.

Keep the ring square to the pipe, not at an angle, and make sure the tape backing is off.

Two workers wrapping the spacer ring around the pipe — Wrap loosely, close by hand

Keep the spacer ring square (90 degrees) to the pipe — Square to the pipe

Step 04

First tightening

With the RACI tool, tighten each connection evenly up to the 3rd tab. Check as you go that the ring is still square and sitting on the tape.

Stop at the 3rd tab for now. Going further on one connection can keep the others from engaging.

Initial tightening with the RACI tool — Even, one connection at a time

RACI tightening tool on the spacer ring tabs — Up to the 3rd tab

Step 05

Final tightening

Work around the ring with the tool, tightening gradually and evenly until every element has about the same number of tabs engaged, at least 3.

No snipes or cheater bars on the tool handle.

Final tightening to a minimum of 3 tabs — 3 tabs minimum

No snipes or cheater bars on the tightening tool — No cheater bars

Step 06

Repeat along the pipe

Repeat steps 1 to 5 at the spacing on your quote or sales order until the whole string has its rings. Once tightened, the pipe is ready to go into the casing.

Finished RACI spacer rings on PVC carrier pipe, ready for the push — Fort Worth, TX · Rings on and tightened

Pushing the pipe into the casing

Put the lead and tail rings on before the push starts: 2 rings at the front of the push and 2 at the tail end.

Longer casings: Public Works Products may recommend more spacers. Follow the recommendation on your quote or sales order.

Lubricant is optional. We recommend it for rough casings and long pushes.
Check the casing is clear. No major obstructions inside.
Re-tighten each ring just before it goes into the casing.

Lead and tail ring layout: 2 lead rings at the front of the push and 2 tailing rings at the end. Public Works Products may recommend more spacers for longer casings. — Lead and tail rings

Concrete carrier pipe with RACI spacers going into a steel casing at the bore pit — Modesto, CA · Concrete pipe going into a steel casing · Jan 2026

Before you seal the ends

RACI spacer runners bearing on the inside of a steel casing at the casing end — Runners bearing on the casing, pipe clear of the steel

Look in at each end. The pipe should bear on its spacers with clearance at the top, and neither the pipe nor its bells should touch the casing.
Seal both ends with 1/8 in. neoprene wrap-around end seals and 304 stainless steel clamps. See End Seals.
Grout the annular space only if the contract documents call for it, and only after this check.

Downloads

Document	Format	Size
Installation manual	PDF, English	0.4 MB
Manual de instalación	PDF, Español	1.0 MB
Casing spacer standard detail and specification	PDF, fillable detail sheet and spec section, 3 pages	62 KB

Questions on the job?

Call us with the pipe, casing and spacer model, and we’ll help sort it out.

214-340-4226

Size & quote