The Case for Plastic Water Pipes

HDPE pipe is recyclable and reusable, durable and long-lasting and resistant to corrosion. 

It is estimated that PVC and PE pipes can have a lifetime exceeding 100 years.

They are eight times less dense than steel pipes, and therefore there is no need to bring in heavy lifting equipment to shift them while they are being installed.

Globally, up to 30% of all piped water is lost through pipe leakages somewhere in a system. The main cause attributed to pipe failure. Plastic process pipes systems are flexible and do not carry the same inherent risk of cracking as metal or concrete alternatives. They are less affected by ground movements and are strong enough to withstand deformation from traffic loading. Their inherent resistance to corrosion also makes them less vulnerable to leaks originating inside the pipe.

Plastic pipes also require fewer joints. HDPE pipes, for example, can be produced, transported and installed in longer lengths than metal pipes. This allows plastic pipelines tube installed with up to two or three times fewer joints than pipelines made of traditional materials. Moreover, HDPE pipes are fitted together with fusion-jointing processes, therefore less liable to leak.

Easier installation

Plastic pipe systems can also be installed with so-called ‘trenchless technology’, creating far less disturbance to traffic flows and the environment than the traditional systems they are often replacing.

The installation of traditional piping systems usually starts with a trench being dug in the road, resulting in major traffic and environmental disruption. For trenchless installations, on the other hand, a continuous boring hole is drilled beneath the ground by a horizontal directional drilling machine. Once the drilling head reaches the end of the borehole, the plastic pipe is attached to it and then pulled back through the hole.

The flexibility of plastic pipes, combined with their tensile strength and resistance to abrasion, makes them a perfect fit for this trenchless installation technology.

Recyclable

At the end of their service life of sometimes 100 years or more, plastic pipes can be collected, recycled and reworked into other PVC or PE products. It is possible to recycle and reuse them at any stage in their life-cycle, whether early during the manufacturing or much later at a post-industrial use stage.

PVC, for example, is recycled either mechanically into tiny particles which are then converted by heat into a plastic material for factory use, or chemically through being reduced by chemical or heating processes to its molecular components before being fed either into the manufacture of new PVC or used as fuel for energy recovery. This reusability effectively cuts down waste material from the production line and reduces the overall burden of disposing of PVC piping. It also limits PVC’s environmental footprint over time.

Process piping is better for the future, the economy, and our health. 

All Plastic pipe systems and products are available through Indelco Plastics Corp.