Which pipe material is the best for water supply networks in terms of quality of water supplied ?

Published on by in Technology

Dear Colleagues,

I am Davis working on project and construction management, planning, monitoring, control and execution of various infrastructure projects in the Middle East. For my new water supply project I would appreciate to some inputs from you.

As we all know, different materials are used for water supply networks such as DI( ductile iron), HDPE, UPVC, GRP, GI (galvanized iron), Copper  etc . I would like to know your opinion about which material  is the best for maintaining the quality of water supplied to the public , irrespective of the cost. What are the reasons behind it? I I'm interested in knowing some recent trends in using these materials, some case study will also be nice to discuss if some one has it.

Many thanks,

Davis Augusthy

Project Manager

Muscat, Oman

 

 

 

Taxonomy

40 Answers

  8. Robert Pitchers

    Dear Davis

    Different types of pipe materials may be of merit depending on the particular water supply network. Networks pipes (from a treatment works to a property) may be of different materials than those used for a plumbing installation inside a building. Other factors, such as their structural integrity, may be more important than their effects on water quality.

    From a microbiological point of view, non-metallic materials (e.g. plastics) for use in contact with drinking water should not exert an adverse effect on water quality by leaching compounds that could support the growth of micro-organisms. Approval schemes exist to test the suitability of non-metallic pipes (e.g. here in the UK there is British Standard BS6920 Part 2.4). No plastics material should be used that has not passed such a test.

    Obviously, metal pipes do not leach organic compounds capable of supporting microbial growth. However, their surfaces can be rougher than plastics materials and can create micro-environments that can provide a sheltered habitat to permit biofilm growth.

    But, what grows on a pipe is strongly influenced by the characteristics of the water supply. A water with an effective chlorine residual or without nutrients (biostable) will have a greater impact on limiting microbial growth than the type of pipe material. The converse applies.

    Once inside a building, other factors become more significant. Both temperature and stagnation can exert a strong influence on water quality. There has been much debate about whether copper or plastics make better materials for plumbing installations. It has been claimed that copper can reduce biofilm formation and thus reduce the likelihood of Legionella growth. Flexible tap-connectors made from various artificial rubber materials (e.g. EPDM) have been found to support biofilm growth and have been suspected of causing infections in hospitals.

    I hope this helps you to reach a decision.

    Kind regards

    Robert

  9. HDPE are widely used in India. The climate and weather conditions are basically arid to semi-arid in nature. And transporting water (Drinking water) to remote areas are usually accomplished by HDPE only. Primarily may be because of its cost effectiveness, durability and ease of transport / handle. As rightly suggested by Maher Chebib, it also depends on were to use, type of client and total investment allocated.

  10. Cement lined ductile

    Cement-mortar lined ductile iron pipe is a very durable solution and no weird substances leach into water over time. The cost is higher than HDPE but still much cheaper than stainless steel, copper or similar material.

  12. Best for quality or best for cost benefit?

    As you are in the middle east one important aspect to remember is that the client can be a bit difficult in term of material acceptance. Having said that the best material, if cost is really not in question is 316L SS. Now that costs so the best cost benefit is HDPE, for small diameters, cement lined DI for larger ones. However remember that HDPE is difficult to install in a hot climate as its heat expansion is significant and there are not too many qualified contractors that can install these pipes here. Having said all this, for the Middle East, go for cement lined DI. It is a known material, approved by the authorities, and familiar to the contractors. Good luck.

  13. HDPE and JRP are made of inert materials. They are light, flexible and durable. Best suited for potable water

  14. HDPE and JRP are made of inert materials. Ther are light, flexible and durable. Best suited for potable water

  15. Water tecknology sr. expert

    HDPE and JRP are made of inert materials. Ther are light, flexible and durable. Best suited for potable water.

  16. MARTA DUTSCHMANN DA SILVA GOMES - WASE COMPANY

    Dear Davis Augusthy,

    Today commonly we find the question of the most appropriate material to put in a water network, and the scientific and technical knowledge on this topic differs from manufacturer to manufacturer. Each one tries to explain and expose the advantages of their materials to be applied in networks of clean water. But this choice has to do with different criteria depending on the type of facility, in which diameter is to be used, the storage in site work, the installation costs, and in your case the criterion most influential is the material which ensures the most quality of water supplied.

    The  WASE company   (http://wase.pt/), based in Portugal, has an innovative service decision support consultancy in the area of choice of the most appropriate type of pipe depending of the situation. We deal with these issues professionally, based on two software’s: one is the study of each solution installation costs- The INVESTPIPE software (is under development for diameters up to 200), and another software- the WISED- with criteria insertion, and pondering for each one, it gives robust and reliable results for the final decision. Therefore you will take a decision of witch material to apply in your network, based on something concrete, reliable and focused in your special case. The choice will be always yours, but conscientiously and according to the criteria that have more weight for you! 

    I see you have a choice to make for your project and many doubts are coming, well, we can help you, based on your decision criteria’s (water quality transported, the investment cost, and reliability of the material, durability and versatility of the solution). The difference in the degree of importance of these criteria is not linear, that is, the criterion that carries more weight for you is the transported water quality, and it will undoubtedly be the criterion with more weight. The weight of this criterion comparing to others, such as the investment costs, the durability of the material, its resistance, facility of installation, reliability when in operation, etc. will all have different weights in your choice, these differences are not linear and equal. The WISED software eliminates all the errors that multicriteria matrices have. 

    Feel free to contact me at  +351 969 034 092  or   marta.gomes@wase.pt . I leave you below an excerpt in English of our website so you can have a little more information about the software support for multi-criteria decision. (I've attached my business card also).

    To see an example of a WISED report (demonstration) for a choice of material for a DN110 between ductile iron pipes, PVC and PEAD, please contact me to my email, I can give you a brief pdf with the graphics and weighted I used for this specific example.

     

    "Decision support: What is this service? The service decision support of WASE, offers its customers a collaboration in deciding which materials and / or equipment to be placed in a supply system and water distribution. Includes pipeline network, pumping stations, valve boxes and treatment plants. With over 12 years of experience in the sector and working directly with different materials pipelines and equipment’s (pipes, fire landmarks, valves, etc.) The WASE Company provides a consultancy service to support decision so that our customers can opt for the best solution, with trust and transparency, increasing the effectiveness of management decisions in particular with regard to investments. The efficient management of the system has to be made to minimize operating costs and the assets have to guarantee to be suitable when placed in contact with water for human consumption, they must be approved materials for contact with drinking water, and they have to be of high reliability and durability. There are doubts as to the decision to be taken to the choice of materials of a water supply system? And the choice of materials to be placed in a drinking water distribution system? The WASE Company intends to meet with the provision of the decision support service. Thus, we know that we headed for a breakthrough mission in this area, in which the managing body of supply and / or water distribution systems, needs of an external entity that provides support for the choice of materials that will be part of the assets that are to manage. This service is not intended to WASE choose for our client, what we want is to draw attention to the most important details related to the choice of a material and / or equipment, and base the decision support report, taking into account the needs of each client. In partnership with BANA Consulting, a strategic consulting firm, a pioneer in Portugal in the area of decision support and multi-criteria, the WASE Company is prepared to answer technical questions about materials and equipment within its business area.

    SOFTWARES: Evaluating options considering multiple benefits, costs and risks is a challenge that the management of water bodies encounter in day-to-day. Through WISED and INVESTPIPE application, we can support decision-making processes in a collaborative, transparent and objective. WASE promotes this application as the main tool in decision-making materials of a supply system / distribution of water, however, it's a software applicable in other areas, already proven and international recognition, such as procedural proposals in supply competition in assessment strategies, staff performance and investment projects. With WISED, processes are transparent and objective assessments. The main advantages to the use of this application are:

    • Promote the objectivity and transparency in decision-making processes;

    • Ensure the choice of what is in fact the best alternative;

    • Ensure best practice in scoring and weighting procedures;

    • Allow the standardization of assessment processes across the board;  

    • Increase the level of confidence in the evaluation and selection process;  

    • Allow the participation of various stakeholders in a collaborative way."

  18. Pipe Materials

    Stainless Steel might cause problems of corrosion if the is chlorine or iron in the raw-water.

    Also you should think about the possibility af allergic-problems with view at heavy metals like chrome or nickel.

    Next is that every changes in the construction of the pipeline later is very complicated.

    I would prefere Duktile with cement inside.

    Thomas Junger

  19. Materials for water network

    In my opinion HDPE. That for mant reasons

    1. If the bottom of the chanel (where pipe must deployed) is less than 70 cm, you have to calculate the environmet conditions. Here in greece we call it ''frozen factor'' but for M. Eat have the mean of high temperatures. So you don't want to face situations that the water is arriving at temp. >25-30 0 C.

    2. If the depth is higher and because of geological factors, you need pipes with high flexibility (HDPE>9%), that assure you with longer duration and lower service costs.

    3. Here in Greece we constructed networks for potable water with HDPE and d=1m

  20. Dear All, I gone through all your comments and hope we can conclude like this. If cost doesn't matter the best material is 316L SS. Considering the economical aspects and easiness in handling HDPE is the best upto 500mm dia and DI for higher diameters. Any objection to this. DI, HDPE and UPVC pipes are in common here in Oman. Thanks for your valuable suggestions and comments. Regards, Davis

  21. dear Mr Davis I work in Iran i think it depend on quality of material and cost price analysis for example in Iran project s UPVC and HDPE are more cheap than ductile pipe in diameter between 100 up to 350 mm but for diameter above 400 mm to 1000mm ductile iron have prefer

  22. Metal pipe is much available in that area. because plastic pipes can`t afford the temperature of middle east. But galvanized iron pipe is toxic for human beings, ductile pipe isn`t so convenient for installation. So SS 316L is the best choice for domestic water.

  23. Best for quality or best for cost benefit?

    As you are in the middle east one important aspect to remember is that the client can be a bit difficult in term of material acceptance. Having said that the best material, if cost is really not in question is 316L SS. Now that costs so the best cost benefit is HDPE, for small diameters, cement lined DI for larger ones. However remember that HDPE is difficult to install in a hot climate as its heat expansion is significant and there are not too many qualified contractors that can install these pipes here. Having said all this, for the Middle East, go for cement lined DI. It is a known material, approved by the authorities, and familiar to the contractors. Good luck.

  26. Pipe materials for water supply

    Dear Davis, in the UK all pipe materials for use in supply of water have to be approved by the Drinking Water Inspectorate under its regulation 25. You can see a full listing of all materials at http://dwi.defra.gov.uk/drinking-water-products/approved-products/soslistcurrent.pdf 

    As you stated the question most materials can be used provided they have been approved. 

    Relies from others alude to the difference in performance in different situations and you would do well to look at a pipe material selection guideline manual; especially one from the Middle East where there are distinct conditions. For example plastic pipes will degrade in strong ultra-violet light and so unless pipes are stored under cover this could be a constraint. Similarly there are some examples of extremely aggressive ground conditions in terms of corrosivity. So here it would be prudent to consider carefully whether metallic pipelines were suitable. I've even seen concrete and clay pipes attacked in Al-Ain. 

    Trends in Europe in recent years have been towards plastic pipes but for specialist applications other materials come into their own. North America has seen a slower uptake of plastic materials but plastics are now making greater inroads. It's not just the pipe materials which are important but rather that designers and specifiers understand the systems and materials and their constraints. In particular it is not just about the pipes themselves but rather how whole systems come together and how pipes are jointed and fitted to things like valves and hydrants as well as how house connections are made. 

       

  27. Ductile Iron Pipe is by far the best material! You can build homogenous pipeline from DN 60 mm to DN 2000 mm even more. The normal products have a wide range of application in from low to high pressure. With special external coating and special internal lining you can cover all types of practical situations. The range of fittings and valves is very large and comprehensive. The locking systems are efficient and allow to avoid concrete blocks. Many international standards such ISO 2531 or european standards EN 545 garantee the quality of the products. see : www.pamline.com and www.dipra.org Thanks

  29. Dear Davis, I spent well over 20 years either as COO or CEO at a large water system in the US. Stay away from galvanized iron. Zinc is notoriously corrosive. Ductile Iron is OK, but ensure joints have adequate thrust restraint and I would recommend polyethylene lining as normal practice. HDPE is great if one can afford it. Thick walled can also be used for directional drill carrier pipe.

  31. The general consensus is to use plastics for their available range of diameters. MDPE has been used extensively in the UK but most countries prefer HDPE. Be very careful with uPVC as the lower classes can break due to negative pressures under surge conditions. Ductile iron is a great material fro larger diameters. I, personally, would never recommend steel as it pinholes when it fails and it is difficult to find the leaks.

  32. Which pipe material is the best for water supply networks in terms of quality of water supplied ?

    Plastic pipes (UPVC):

    The raw material needed to make most plastics comes from petroleum and natural gas. Due to their relatively low costs, ease in manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water, plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products: from paper clips to pipes intended for transporting drinking water. Plastic has replaced many common materials such as cement and metals within drinking water networks. Plastics are often preferred than metals due to a number of inherent advantages: plastic piping is lightweight and does not require an open flame for joining the flexibility of plastic can simplify the installation. Plastics are typically lower in cost and resist the corrosion and scaling that plague metals in some applications. However, indication of the mitigation of synthetic chemical contaminants from plastic pipe materials to water may exist. These contaminants likely occur at low “safe” levels, but are sufficient to generate odour and taste concerns in some cases. Another disadvantage of some types of plastic pipes is that they have lowered resistance to chlorinated water. 

  33. Take a look at this website www.coretechsED.co.uk/safe-drinking-water.html. It's slightly off subject but we are a UK manufacturer who, we believe, have a device that can make a big difference in helping bring sterile, safe drinking water and irrigation to remote and impoverished urban communities. Any advice on taking this to market in the Middle East would be very gratefully received. Thanks for your attention

  38. These are definitely HDPE pipes! The price is affordable, easy storage and installation, long life, simple repairs, etc. Regards