FlowGuard® Pipe and Fittings Blog
Product information, material comparisons, installation best practices, design considerations, safety information and more from the pioneer in CPVC plumbing technology.
CPVC Performance | Health and Safety | Installation | Material Comparison
Installation is a significant factor in the time it takes to complete a project, the long-term reliability of the plumbing system, and the overall job cost. Each of these factors contributes to your ability to win a plumbing job, and its profitability. For this reason, plumbers can benefit by being more proactive with their piping material recommendations to home and building owners.
Share
Assessing resistance to biofilm growth in plumbing pipe is one of the most important specification considerations an engineer can make. That resistance is essential to keeping potable water safe and free of bacterial contaminants that can lead to serious health problems.
Share
Find straightforward answers to questions about: joint reliability, drinking water safety, service life and more.
Health and Safety | Installation
With any construction project, there are inherent risks and liabilities. For example, falling objects, powerful machinery, and heat used near flammable materials all create opportunities for injury and property damage. Contractors, building owners, and occupants all stand to benefit by limiting the number of hazards located around a job site. One way to accomplish this is through the selection of plumbing system material.
Share
Every construction project, whether a new home or repair job, has its challenges. And when it comes to plumbing, one of the most common is trying to install piping in confined or cluttered areas. Piping is somewhat flexible, but generally speaking you can’t bend or contort it in any way. Fortunately, this challenge can be easily overcome by going through obstacles (e.g. floor joists) or configuring the system to go around them. The bigger challenge of working in tight spaces is the method required to join pieces of pipe together. The piping material you select can make a significant impact on the reliability of a weld and the amount of work required to complete it—which directly impacts time and cost.
Share
CPVC Performance | Health and Safety | Material Comparison
Over 16,000 residential fire accidents were reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2015. As a homeowner, your plumbing system probably doesn’t come to mind when you think about fire hazards. However, the material of your pipes plays a critical role in flammability. Electrical shorts or power overloads can cause a fire to ignite near your plumbing pipes. Depending on the material of the pipe, your plumbing system can actually make the fire worse and spread it throughout the home. While some thermoplastics like polypropylene (PPR) aren’t built to withstand heat or fire, that’s not the case for all. Specifically, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) is engineered to limit flammability and smoke generation. In fact, FlowGuard® CPVC has been tested in accordance with EN 13501-1:2002 (a test of how well a material will react to fire) and earned the best possible fire resistant rating a non-metal material can receive. So, what are the fire resistant properties that make FlowGuard CPVC one of the most trusted materials for residential plumbing systems?
Share
CPVC Performance | Health and Safety | Installation
Homeowners and plumbers need to be cautious of the damaging effects UV rays can have on piping materials. Ultraviolet light generates free radicals within thermoplastics. For thermoplastics like polypropylene (PPR), which are particularly susceptible to UV, the free radicals can begin to chemically break down the material. This leads to early deterioration of the pipe and shortens its service life. Fortunately, this is not the case with chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). Below, we address the impact UV light has on thermoplastic pipes and explain how FlowGuard® CPVC is designed specifically to withstand these effects.
Share
The most important chemical in creating clean, potable water? Chlorine. An article in Scientific American shows how chlorine and chlorine-based compounds “kills a large variety of microbial waterborne pathogens” and are “widely credited with virtually eliminating outbreaks of waterborne disease in the United States and other developed countries”. The graph below shows a decline of typhoid fever since the introduction of chlorine: So, to varying extents, the water supply in your home will carry a certain level of chlorine. While that means your water is safe, it can also cause problems―specifically, corrosion of the materials that carry it.
Share
Thermal expansion and contraction is a property of all piping materials. As the water and environmental temperature increases or decreases, the pipe length will fluctuate. The longer the run, the more significant the change.
Share
CPVC Performance | Installation | System Design
All piping materials expand and contract with temperature changes. The more significant the change, the more a pipe’s length can change. If not accounted for in a plumbing system design, the compressive stress can damage the pipe, shortening its lifespan or causing leaks. To avoid these issues, deflection configurations need to be designed into the plumbing system. Essentially, deflection configurations take advantage of the pipe’s inherent flexibility and spread the compressive stress of an expanding or contract pipe over the length of the connecting pipe piece. However, for these configurations to be effective, they need to be long enough so that the pipe doesn’t bend beyond its limits.
Share
Clean, potable water is arguably the most critical element for human well-being, and the adverse effects of contaminated water can be seen across the globe. FlowGuard® CPVC pipes and fittings are less susceptible to bacterial buildup and resistant to the chlorine that water treatment facilities use to kill bacteria and disinfect water supplies, making it a more viable solution than other piping materials for preventing microbial water contamination.
Share
-->
