How many years is the service life of various plastic pipes?

Every man-made object on Earth has a predictable useful life and needs to be repaired and replaced, and pipes are no exception. In fact, sewer pipes are affected by a variety of factors, such as corrosive wastewater, gas, acid production, flow conditions, pressure from the surrounding soil, pressure from the topsoil, and shifting top loads. Thus, the maintainability of a pipeline can be defined as the productive service life that will be provided when subjected to the expected load.

Over the years, most of the old pipes have been replaced with higher quality pipes. Advances in technology have led to the development of better pipe materials with service lives ranging from 50 to 100 years. In theory, longer service life does not necessarily mean the same life in practice.

As the quality of urban life improves and the availability of resources provided by the city becomes overpopulated, the load on the pipeline increases not only due to increased traffic, but also due to improvements in road infrastructure, thereby increasing the load to the existing pipeline.

Commonly used pipe materials are high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PPR). How is the service life of various materials, the article can be broken down one by one.

1, HDPE tube

HDPE pipes are a preferred alternative due to their light weight and ease of transport compared to cast iron and ceramic clay pipes. HDPE tubes are manufactured by extrusion technology on a single screw extruder. The HDPE particles are melted and cast in a mold. Air is introduced through the star wheel of the circular mold at a pressure of approximately 0.8 to 1 kg/sq. Until the mold reaches the required size and shape. Chilled water is used for the curing process.

Life expectancy - 50 to 100 years

2, PVC pipe

PVC pipe has become another popular choice for sewer pipes due to its flexibility and the advantages of being easy to transport and install. PVC pipe is made by mixing PVC resin with stabilizer, plasticizer, etc., in a mixer, and then feeding it from this pipe into a twin-screw extruder equipped with a suitable size mold. Through the heating chamber, the desired shape is formed in the heating chamber. During sizing, the pipe leaving the extruder is cooled by pressure.

Life expectancy - 50 to 70 years

3, PPR tube

PPR pipe, as a new type of pipe, has unique advantages. It can be used as either a cold water pipe or a hot water pipe. The PR pipe interface uses hot melt technology, and the pipes are fully integrated together. Therefore, once the installation and pressure test is passed, there will be no aging phenomenon like long-term leakage of aluminum pipes. Advantages: moderate price, stable performance, heat insulation, corrosion resistance, smooth inner wall, safe and reliable, impermeable.

Life expectancy - 50 to 70 years

Regardless of the material of the pipe, the maintenance of the pipe is the key to ensure the service life.