Plastics Pipe Systems for Hot Water Services

The author seeks to define the service conditions for plastics pipe systems for use in domestic hot water distribution and conventional central heating systems, outlines methods of assessing long tern performance of materials and systems and briefly reviews commercially available materials for these applications. 

Plastics pipe systems, because of their cost effectiveness, ease of installation and good perfornrance, have successfully penetrated such domestic piping applications as soil and vent, waste, underground drainage and rainwater systems, which were previously the domain of traditional metal or ceramic materials.

The one area where there has been little or no penetration, at least in the U.K.. and about which there has been much speculation. is the use of plastics pipe system for domestic hot and cold water distribution and central heating. Since the early sixties the widespread introduction of commercial plastics hot water piping has been prophesied as imminent but. with a few notable exceptions, they have failed to materialisn in significant terms.

The aim of this brief paper is to define the service conditions such systems will be subjected to, to examine the methods available for selecting suitable plastics materials and the means of proving the performance of full systems and finally, to review those materials which are currently finding application in domestic hot water distribution.