Plastic piping has been around for many years and is quite popular. This is due to the many unique qualities it possesses. Some of them include:
Environmental benefits: plastic pipes can be recycled
Transportation costs are low: This is due to their lightweight nature
Low friction loss: As the surfaces of plastic pipes are generally quite smooth, they require less power to transmit fluids in plastic piping compared with other piping systems. Furthermore, they offer less frictional resistance to the fluids flowing through them and help minimise the build up of scale and other deposits
Low energy requirements: In comparison with other non-metallic materials, the pumping energy requirements are less and there is also minimal increase of energy requirement over the lifetime of the piping
Good chemical resistance: Plastic piping has the ability to handle a wide variety of chemical solutions
As you can see there are many advantages of using plastic pipes. They have a a much lower thermal conductivity than other piping materials. This has the additional benefit of helping to eliminate or greatly reduce the need for insulation later.
Due to its lightweight nature and its flexibility, plastic piping is becoming more well known and popular amongst consumers. This is particularly the case with the smaller plastic pipes that can be easily manoeuvred around through obstructions.
Why is plastic piping used?
Plastic piping is popular in the industry as is it is used to transport fluids, or anything that can flow from one destination to the other. The piping engineers ensure that the fluid is transported in the safest manner possible to wherever it needs to go. Firstly, they have to decide on the most appropriate piping material for the job. A number of factors are considered.
Plastic piping is not seen as being a suitable replacement for more traditional piping materials such as concrete or metal. This is because the weight of the load being transported or the corrosiveness of the fluid are all important considerations. It depends on what qualities the plastic pipe has.
Plastic pipe verses Metal pipe
There are many instances where a plastic pipe can be a worthy replacement option for a metal pipe. Firstly, it is cheaper to install, and it would do the job better then a metal pipe in some cases. This is due to many reasons. One of the qualities of plastic is that it can withstand corrosion more than metal. For instance, plastic pipes do not start jamming, or sticking because of rust or corrosion. In addition, the smoothness of the surface of a plastic pipe allows it to continue that way for years. Metal pipes are not the same as they tend to scale and corrode over a period of time.
It is the unique qualities of plastic piping that make them practical and easy to use. Many engineers realise that they are not substitutes for other conventional pipe. Depending on what is being transported, plastic piping is usually chosen for its lightweight and non-corrosive properties. There are many different types of plastic, suitable for different purposes.
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about plumbers, central heating, Bradford plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!