Common Uses of PVC Piping in Construction Environments

Polyvinyl chloride, better known as PVC, is a versatile material that’s used in a wide variety of piping applications. It can be as thin and flexible as a wall covering or as rigid as an industrial pipe. It can also be matched to any color or made entirely transparent.

Due to its strength, durability, cost-effectiveness, and many other factors, PVC piping is used in a wide variety of applications in building and construction. 

Common Uses for PVC Piping in Construction

PVC is one of today’s most popular materials for building and construction. It has many excellent qualities that make it a clear front runner to its counterparts. It’s a lightweight, durable, water-resistant material that has a long lifecycle and doesn’t require much maintenance. PVC is widely used for plumbing and electrical applications in new projects and to replace traditional materials like wood and metal in refurbishment projects. Read on to learn more about the different types of PVC and their common uses in construction.  

PVC vs. uPVC

One of the things that makes PVC so versatile is that it comes in various types, and each can be used for different applications. Regular PVC piping is the most common type and the type that’s used for piping in construction applications. It’s a strong yet lightweight plastic that can be made softer and more flexible when plasticizers are added to it. If no plasticizers are added, it is known as rigid PVC.

PVC is a flexible plastic that can be used for everything from insulating electrical cables to distributing non-potable water in plumbing applications. This versatile material can be made to look like other materials and manufactured in many different colors. These features make it ideal for use as a replacement for wood in construction applications and vinyl siding.

Piping

PVC can be used to create virtually leak-free pipes that help conserve energy and water. PVC pipes are corrosion-resistant and resistant to environmental stress. The natural features of PVC piping keep buildup from building up, improving their functionality and increasing energy efficiency.

PVC is often used to produce a wide variety of piping and is the preferred material for most plastic pipes in the world today. It has smooth inner walls that assist in water flow and is incredibly resistant to chemical erosion. It also functions well in a wide range of operating pressures and temperatures. These features, combined with its strength and cost-effectiveness, make it an ideal choice for exterior drainage pipes and sewage lines.

PVC piping can be used instead of cast iron for some heavy-duty plumbing and draining applications. It can also be used as a replacement for aluminum and copper pipes for use in irrigation and pool circulation systems as well as in waste lines. It is easy to cut into pieces of various sizes and can be easily fastened with glue, making it an ideal alternative to metal as well.

In addition to piping, PVC is the number-one material choice for the following construction applications:

• Cables – PVC is one of the most trusted materials for electrical wiring and cable applications. It can withstand harsh conditions, such as dampness and exposure to varying temperatures, behind building walls for the life of the building.
• Windows – PVC helps produce affordable, extremely durable, and energy-efficient siding and window frames that are highly durable.
• Flooring – PVC (or vinyl) flooring is durable enough to withstand heavy foot traffic, is easy to install and maintain, reduces noise, and is comfortable to walk on. PVC flooring is also 100% recyclable.
• Roofing – PVC roofing membranes are easy to install, highly weather-resistant, strong, and durable. PVC roofing membranes are also 100% recyclable.

Why PVC is a Good Choice for Construction Applications

PVC products are resistant to oil, weather, and UV radiation, making them the perfect choice for most construction applications. PVC is highly versatile and produces high standards of quality. Finished PVC products can be made in any color and are flexible or resistant to mechanical shock.

PVC doesn’t corrode like many other building materials. It can be cleaned easily with mild cleaning products and doesn’t require frequent painting. Because of its strength and resistance to abrasion and moisture, PVC is ideal for everything from fencing, decking, and flooring to roofing, cladding, wall coverings, and windows.

Read on to learn more about the main features that make PVC a good choice for construction applications.

Strong and Lightweight

PVC is a strong, lightweight, stiff, and low-cost plastic material that’s easy to bond using solvents or adhesives. Its resistance to abrasion, natural mechanical strength, toughness, and light weight are just some of the features that make PVC ideal for many building and construction applications.

Easy to Install

One of the most popular applications for PVC piping is drainpipes. Most of today’s plumbers and construction workers prefer PVC because it’s easy to cut, join, shape, and weld in a variety of styles. It can be cut easily with a hacksaw and joined together with easy-to-apply solvent cement. PVC won't corrode unlike its galvanized steel, copper, and metal counterparts, which eliminates any worries about pinhole leaks or restricted water flow.

Durable

PVC piping is said to last 25-40 years, but with technological advancements, this number is climbing. PVC has been shown to last 100 years and beyond for underground pipes. The first PVC piping systems were actually installed more than 80 years ago, and most of them are still in use today. These numbers become even more significant when you consider that PVC pipe systems show a much lower failure rate than piping systems made with other materials.

In above-ground applications like cable insulation and window profiles, well over half have been shown to have lifespans of over 40 years. This is due in part to PVC’s high resistance to shock, abrasion, chemical corrosion, weathering, and rotting.

Cost-Effective

PVC has many technical and physical properties that provide high levels of cost-performance advantages, which is one reason it has been the most popular material for a wide range of construction applications for decades. It’s very competitive in terms of price as a material alone. Of all the piping and construction materials available today, PVC pipes are the most cost-effective choice over their lifetime. This includes installation, maintenance, purchase, and dismantle costs.

Safe

PVC is naturally a non-toxic polymer that has been used as a socially valuable resource for over half a century. PVC pipes have a high degree of corrosion resistance and inertness, which makes them one of the safest options for transporting drinking water. They’re free from bio-film contamination and are one of the world’s most thoroughly researched and tested plastics. PVC meets all the international standards and abides by all regulations for safety and health.

Environmentally Friendly

PVC pipes are by far the most environmentally friendly of most traditional piping and construction materials. It’s a low-carbon plastic that requires far less energy and fewer resources to manufacture than its counterparts. It also has a very low weight, which requires less energy to transport. PVC pipes also last a long time, require a minimum amount of maintenance, and are easily recyclable up to 8 to 10 times.

PVC pipes can be recycled easily several times over without losing the technical properties that make them so appealing for use in construction and building applications. Moreover, their leak-free fittings eliminate water loss, and their smooth surface reduces energy use and pumping costs. These factors make them good for both the environment and consumer utility bills.

The Best Material for Construction

When you consider all the factors that make PVC useful for construction environments, it’s easy to see how it has grown so quickly in popularity. Whether you’re using it to build a drainage system for a new building, to encase electrical cables around the house, or to install a swimming pool, PVC provides a vast number of benefits. From being one of the most durable, safest, cost-effective, and long-lasting materials available for piping, construction, and building applications today, you can’t go wrong with this versatile plastic that has unsurprisingly taken the industry by storm over the last few decades. If it’s the planet you’re most concerned with, this is by far the most durable and long-lasting environmentally friendly material you can choose for your building needs. 

But another group, representing plastic pipe manufacturers, has in turn branded an article publicising the results as “fear mongering”.

The Copper Sustainability Partnership (CuSP) highlighted two tests conducted by Warrington Fire on four different pipe materials. A smoke test examined the chemicals emitted by each material, while a second considered how quickly each material burned.

The four materials tested were: corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST); cross-linked polyethylene (PEX); multi-layer composite pipe (MLCP); and copper.

CuSP told Construction Briefing that the single burn test confirmed to the EN standard and a smoke chamber test to ISO .

According to the findings, the CSST pipe, which has a plastic coating, produced the most smoke within the first four minutes of a fire test, giving a VOF4 value of 761. That was followed by PEX with a VOF4 value of 507, MLCP with a value of 291, and copper with 0.

A test of the toxicity of emissions found that PEX pipes are the most toxic in a fire with a Conventional Index of Toxicity (CIT) value of 0.10. MLCP and CSST each had a CIT of 0.06, and copper again scored 0.00.

The tests also examined emissions of poisonous gases (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and nitrogen oxide) and found that plastic or plastic-coated pipes emitted higher concentrations than copper pipes in each case.

Looking at burn times, the tests found that a PEX pipe will burn completely in a house fire in 2 minutes and 43 seconds, ahead of MLCP pipes at 5 minutes 3 seconds, and CSST at 9 minutes and 11 seconds.

In an article published by CuSP headed “Plastic Under Fire: The Hidden Dangers Lurking in Your Walls”, it claimed, “The specification of plastic pipes, especially MLCP in vertical voids in high-rise apartments and office blocks, is not only irresponsible but bordering on negligent. This practice creates vertical fire highways, potentially turning a localised incident into a building-wide catastrophe.”

It added that increased smoke production, “especially from CSST and PEX”, could result in more extensive smoke damage throughout a building.

It said the findings raised questions about current buildings and practices and called for the stricter regulation of plastic pipes in residential buildings and high-occupancy structures.

But after an initial review of the article, British Plastics Federation (BPF) Pipes Group Caroline Ayres took issue with the tone of the article and a lack of detail on testing.

In a statement to Construction Briefing, she said, “The ‘Code for Construction Product Information’ (CCPI) was initiated by the Construction Product Association (CPA) as a direct response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. This sets out the need for clear, accurate and unambiguous construction product information and they have issued a Words and Phrases to Avoid document. The article does not meet this code.

“There is lack of detail, including further details of testing, thus it is hard for us to come back with an informed, factual response. We would expect there to be an appropriate report such as a UKAS accredited Euro Classification report(s).

“This is a deliberately fear-mongering article which is not conducive to having a fact-based discussion in the industry. Plastic piping systems within buildings offer many benefits including their use in fire sprinkler systems. The BPF Pipes Group supports industry working together to achieve best practice and in understanding that there is a time and a place for a variety of materials in the building industry.”