In building construction, plumbing pipes are designed to transport treated drinking water/potable water to end-users or consumers. These, aided by pipe fittings like steel, copper, and PVC pipe fittings, can serve different purposes such as water supply, drainage, waste disposal, etc. in a pipeline of different sizes of pipes.
Therefore, it is right to say that piping systems are designed in such a way that these primary purposes are served:-
It is a tubular or hollow cylinder used to convey fluids such as water from one place to another. It can also be used for structural applications.
Pipes usually differ depending upon their sizes:-
In every building, an adequate amount of water should be available at required places to meet the needs and demands of occupants. The transmission of water is done with the help of piping systems within the structure above or below the ground.
As builders and architects, it is of utmost importance to understand the pros and cons of the different types available in the market and then make an informed choice.
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It is one of the strongest and most durable variants available. They are capable of withstanding the high pressure of water and provide ease of usage. Available in comparatively longer lengths, it incurs low installation costs.
Having a high price point, these promise a high level of quality. Moreover, pipes are available in both flexible and rigid versions and in a variety of sizes.
Stainless steel pipes are used to carry fluids from one place to another under pressure. These are made from steel sheets, are lightweight, and can be bent easily.
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Copper is one of the most traditional materials used to manufacture plumbing pipelines. It remains a popular choice even today. Used in a plumbing system, these are of two types:-
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GI or Galvanized Iron pipes are made of mild steel sheets coated in a layer of zinc to prevent rusting. These are used to supply water, gas, or any other liquid inside the building.
These are prepared from 12 mm or 0.5 inches to 15 cm or 6 inches in diameter. They are available in 6 meters or 20 feet length.
Their ends are threaded so they can be screwed into each other.
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These variants were very popular for drainage systems in the first half of the twentieth century. However, these can still be found in many places today.
These are susceptible to rust over time and come in different sizes, the smallest one being four inches.
It is made from pig iron and is typically 5 cm to 120 cm in diameter. The usual length of its section is 12 ft., but a length of 20 ft. can be easily achieved as well.
These are dipped in a bituminous compound for protection against corrosion and for enhanced hydraulic qualities.
These are available in various shapes, like L-shape, T-shape, I-shape, U-shaped, etc.
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It has a long product life and offers one of the best service lives out of any other materials. It is easy to join and install. However, alkaline water may quickly degrade thin sections of it.
The precast variant is available in sizes up to 72 inches in diameter, and sizes up to 180 inches have been made on special order.
These pipes are reinforced except in sizes less than 24 inches in diameter. For heavy drainage and to dispose off the water, a large diameter is used. Smaller diameters are used for small flows.
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Polypropylene or PPR pipe is straight, rigid, and cylindrical, commonly available in green or white color. This offers an outer diameter ranging from 20 mm to 110 mm.
Resulting from European technology, these are made out of Polypropylene Random Copolymer plastic. These have low thermal conductivity and are cost-effective as well.
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Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (UPVC), also referred to as rigid PVC pipe and fittings, are used for all plumbing purposes in residential and commercial buildings.
These are suitable for looping at each floor level, outdoor installations, and concealed lines for cold water distribution. The material, UPVC, has strong resistance to chemicals, sunlight, and oxidation from water.
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Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride, abbreviated to CPVC, is closely related to PVC. Although both the materials are made from the same basic component, the main difference is that CPVC is chlorinated. This chemical difference gives CPVC the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, unlike PVC. Therefore, some building codes call for CPVC as a replacement for PVC to transport hot water.
it is a strong, durable plumbing solution and has found its applications all over the world for more than 50 years.
Originally developed by Lubrizol Advanced Materials, CPVC’s inherent chemical resistance and ability to withstand high heat and pressure make it suitable for residential, commercial, and industrial piping systems.
A piping system is a network of pipes of different sizes arranged in a proper manner for the purpose of transfer of fluids. It is a collection of various components, fittings, and valves put together to perform a specific job.
The piping system in a building is largely governed by the type of building and how it has been planned. The system to be adopted is dependent upon the building and place of installation.
The piping system can be categorized into two, namely:-
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A single stack piping system has no particular trap ventilation as such. In this system, the stack itself acts as a vent through the roof.
Moreover, it is important to carefully measure the horizontal distance between sanitary fixtures and drainage stacks and the vertical distance between the connections of branches of both.
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Also known as a single stack partially ventilated system, in this piping system, soil pipeline and waste pipeline are connected to a single vertical stack with an extra pipeline for ventilation.
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Also called the single stack fully ventilated system, in this piping system, the soil pipeline and waste pipeline are connected to a single vertical stack. Another trap pipeline is individually ventilated and connected to a separate stack.
In this system, all the soil appliances are connected to a soil stack and other plumbing fixtures.
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In this piping system, there is a common vent stack for ventilation of soil and waste stacks.
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In this system, there are individual or independent vent stacks for the ventilation of soil and waste stacks.
These are used in piping systems for connecting straight sections, adapting to different shapes and sizes, and for regulating the flow of fluids or distributing them. These fittings are used in plumbing to manipulate the flow of materials within the piping system.
A pipe line system comprises other elements like fittings, joints, strainers, valves, bolts, flanges, gaskets, and supports as well in different sizes.
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Elbows are used for the purpose of changing the angle or direction of the pipeline. These are most commonly found in 45-degree and 90-degree turns.
The bend in these fittings resembles an arm joint. These fittings can be made of different materials.
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A tee, as the name suggests, resembles the letter ‘T’ and is the most common type of fitting. It is used to merge or divert the flow of fluids.
In addition, T-fittings can connect pipelines having different diameters or alter the direction of flow of fluids or both. These are made out of different materials and are available in various sizes and finishes.
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A coupling is yet another fitting used to make a branched connection. It serves the purpose of connecting.
There are two types of couplings, regular coupling, and slip/repair coupling.
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A reducer reduces the flow by sizing down the inner diameter. Therefore, the reducer may refer to any fitting which results in any alteration of the diameter. This change may be made to meet the flow requirements of the piping system or fit a different size.
Reducers are of two types:-
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Bushings are used to make the diameter smaller in size. These fittings require very little application space and are capable of making abrupt changes.
There are two types of bushings:-
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Unions are similar to couplings in functionality. The main difference is that a union is more convenient and easy to use. Being easily removable, unions are a great option that offers easy maintenance and prevents the inconvenience of any future replacements. On the other hand, the coupling is a permanent fitting that can only be taken out by cutting it off.
A union contains three parts:-
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Pipe caps or caps are specialized fittings that are used to close any open end. These can be made out of rubber, plastic, or even metals.
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An adaptor is responsible for connecting two pipes that are not of the same size or material. Most commonly used for copper as well as PVC pipes, adaptors change a non-threaded end into male or female threads, as needed.
Following are some common types of adaptors:-
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Generally used to close any opening, plugs are connectors that come in handy during the time of inspection or repairs. It can either be made out of metal, plastic, or rubber.
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A swage nipple is similar to a reducer in functionality. The only major difference is that swage nipples generally connect a butt-welded pipeline to a screwed pipeline.
Similar to a reducer, these are also concentric as well as eccentric.
Following are the different end connections available in a swage nipple:-
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A check valve or a non-return valve is a fitting that allows the fluid to flow in one direction only. Thus, it has two openings in the body, one for fluid to enter and the other for fluid to exit the pipeline.
Majorly, these are of the following types:-
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A nozzle is a device designed to regulate the direction as well as the properties of a fluid flow. Additionally, it is a fitting with a tube of assorted cross-sectional area. So, it is used to direct or manipulate the flow of fluids.
Thus, nozzles are often used to regulate the rate of flow, speed, direction, mass, shape, and pressure of the flow that surfaces from them. Moreover, in a nozzle, the velocity of a fluid increases with an increase in its pressure energy.
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Firstly, a globe valve is a fitting used in a case where frequent adjustment of the flow rate is required. It is a compression-type valve with a disk or a plug that is compressed into a seat to form a tight seal in its spherical body.
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Evidently, polyvinyl chloride or PVC pipe fittings connect two sections of a PVC pipeline together. Moreover, these come in a huge variety of configurations. They may be glued (S) as well as threaded (T).
Glued fittings are also known as slip fittings. While specifying a PVC pipe fitting, the size and type of connection are also required to be mentioned.
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Copper tubing uses compression fittings or a soft metal or thermoplastic ring. This ring is then squeezed into the pipeline.
So, these fittings adapt to the surface creating a seal. Thus, these are most commonly used in hot/cold water applications.
For the purpose of sizing, each country has its own set of standards and codes.
The following table shows the major organizations for standards:-
S.No. | Abbreviation | Organization | Country |
1 | ANSI | American National Standards Institute | United States |
2 | SCC | Standard Council of Canada | Canada |
3 | AFNOR | Association Francaise | France |
4 | BSI | British Standard Institute | United Kingdom |
5 | CEN | Committee of European Normalization | Europe |
6 | DIN | Deutsches Institute of Normung | Germany |
7 | JISC | Japanese Industrial Standards Committee | Japan |
8 | BIS | Bureau of Indian Standards | India |
9 | ISO | International Organization for Standards | Worldwide |
These standards establish common grounds such as engineering criteria, principles, manufacturing process, practices, materials, etc. Moreover, they establish a standard way of working that minimizes mismatching.
In addition, a few other generally referred to standards are The American Petroleum Institute (API) Standards, The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Standards, and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Standards.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), so far, has not developed any standards for the design. Therefore, ANSI and ASME are widely used for their design in India.
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Nominal pipe size [inches] | Outside diameter [inches] | Outside diameter [mm] | Wall thickness [inches] | Wall thickness [mm] | Weight [lb/ft] | Weight [kg/m] |
1/8 | 0.405 | 10.3 | 0.068 | 1.73 | 0.24 | 0.37 |
1/4 | 0.540 | 13.7 | 0.088 | 2.24 | 0.42 | 0.84 |
1/2 | 0.840 | 21.3 | 0.109 | 2.77 | 0.85 | 1.27 |
3/4 | 1.050 | 26.7 | 0.113 | 2.87 | 1.13 | 1.69 |
1 | 1.315 | 33.4 | 0.133 | 3.38 | 1.68 | 2.50 |
1 1/4 | 1.660 | 42.2 | 0.140 | 3.56 | 2.27 | 3.39 |
1 1/2 | 1.900 | 48.3 | 0.145 | 3.68 | 2.72 | 4.05 |
2 | 2.375 | 60.3 | 0.154 | 3.91 | 3.65 | 5.44 |
2 1/2 | 2.875 | 73.0 | 0.203 | 5.16 | 5.79 | 8.63 |
3 | 3.500 | 88.9 | 0.216 | 5.49 | 7.58 | 11.29 |
3 1/2 | 4.000 | 101.6 | 0.226 | 5.74 | 9.11 | 13.57 |
4 | 4.500 | 114.3 | 0.237 | 6.02 | 10.79 | 16.07 |
5 | 5.563 | 141.3 | 0.258 | 6.55 | 14.62 | 21.77 |
6 | 6.625 | 168.3 | 0.280 | 7.11 | 18.97 | 28.26 |
8 | 8.625 | 219.1 | 0.322 | 8.18 | 28.55 | 42.55 |
10 | 10.750 | 273.0 | 0.365 | 9.27 | 40.48 | 60.31 |
12 | 12.750 | 323.8 | 0.406 | 10.31 | 53.52 | 79.73 |
14 | 14 | 355.6 | 0.375 | 11.13 | 54.57 | 94.55 |
16 | 16 | 406.4 | 0.500 | 12.70 | 82.77 | 123.30 |
18 | 18 | 457.0 | 0.562 | 14.27 | 104.67 | 155.80 |
20 | 20 | 508.0 | 0.594 | 15.09 | 123.11 | 183.42 |
24 | 24 | 610.0 | 0.688 | 17.48 | 171.29 | 255.41 |
32 | 32 | 813.0 | 0.688 | 17.48 | 230.08 | 342.91 |
*Schedule 40 chart gives sizes of all types of pipes such as stainless steel, zinc-coated, PVC, galvanized iron, copper, and carbon and chrome pipes.
In order to standardize the storage, handling, and stacking process, engineers, architects, and builders across the country follow certain specifications.
To indicate the class of its contents, each pipe shall be marked with the appropriate primary identification colour, such as:-
Contents | Identification color |
Water | Sea green |
Steam | Silver grey |
Air | Sky blue |
Drainage as well as other waste | Black |
Gases | Canary yellow |
Oils | Light brown |
Acids as well as alkalis | Dark violet |
Fire installations | Fire red |
So, apply the color marking to the entire length of the pipe or as a band of color near the valves, junctions, walls, etc. In addition, the minimum width of the color band should be 25 mm.
Where, in the usual course of manufacture or to satisfy the requirements of any other Indian Standards, a pipe is painted to a required color, the identification color shall be applied after the pipe is fixed in position. In addition, display charts showing the colors for primary identification at points were needed for reference.
Due to its cost-effective piping solutions, Supreme is a renowned market leader in India’s plastic industry. Moreover, their wide range of products caters to almost all types of application segments. So, right from above-the-ground to underground applications, Supreme pipes have everything in plastic piping products.
Established in 1996, Astral Pipes offers CPVC, PVC as well as Pex plumbing pipe and fittings for hot/cold water. Also, it is one of the most reputed PVC pipe manufacturing companies in India.
It is a top-rated PVC pipe and fittings company in India. Finolex pipe and fittings are available in various sizes, pressure classes, and diameters making them suitable for a wide variety of applications in both agricultural as well as non-agricultural sectors including housing, industrial, and construction.
The leader in the manufacture of PVC as well as CPVC piping systems, Ashirvad Pipes is ISO 9001:2008 certified and is a National Award-winning company. Also, it develops and manufactures UPVC riser/column pipe used in the erection of submersible borehole pumps up to the depth of 1,000 feet and more.
Jindal Pipes Ltd., India’s one of the best as well as largest manufacturers of ERW, black and galvanized steel pipes, and tubes, offers different pipe thicknesses from 2.00 mm to 9.50 mm having an Outer Diameter (OD) ranging from 1/2′ to 14′ NB. Moreover, their products conform to various national and international standards. Thus, incorporated for the manufacturing of steel pipes and tubes, this company has brought great development in its manufacturing process.
Apollo Pipes is a company that relies on modern technology for the manufacture of PVC pipes. So, having an extensive range of products, Apollo Pipes offers CPVC pipes and fittings, UPVC pipes and fittings, SWR pipes and fittings, UGD pipes, pressure pipes and fittings, UPVC column pipes, UPVC casing pipes, HDPE pipes, sprinkler system, solvent cement, etc.
Ajay Pipes is a company whose products reflect innovative technology as well as impeccable quality. Moreover, it offers CPVC pipe and fittings, UPVC pipe and fittings, SWR pipe and fittings, and UDS pipe and fittings with high strength & durability.
This company offers the cheapest range of PVC pipes worldwide. Also, they provide PVC pipes for all residential and commercial projects. Dutron is a pioneer of PVC hose pipes in India and has also started manufacturing PVC braided hoses, flat delivery hoses, corrugated pipes, and plastic sheets.
Tata Pipes is one of the first brands of plumbing pipes in India. Also, these pipes mainly carry liquids and low-pressure gases. Tata Pipes have an average 360 GSM zinc coating, better than IS 1239 spec to provide corrosion protection to the pipes.
Due to its wide range of products covering the entire installation technology sector, Viega has advanced to become an internationally operating market leader. Ensuring German quality standards, Viega offers connectors as well as pipe fittings with press connections made of gunmetal and multi-layer pipes.
In the building and construction industry, piping systems and piping materials play a vital role in performing the task of conveying fluids. Type of fluid as well as the circumstances of conveying them influence the materials used for making a pipe. Also, fluids can be hazardous, corrosive, or flammable in nature. Thus, pipes made out of different types of materials carry different types of fluids.
Pipes come in different sizes. So, they can be divided into three main categories: metallic (galvanized iron, cast iron, steel, copper, etc.), cement (concrete cement, etc.), and plastic (UPVC pipes, CPVC pipes, etc.)
With this article, you would be now clear that CPVC is a higher grade of PVC pipes. In addition, it uses all the advantages of PVC and overcomes all the limitations of UPVC pipes.
Although a piping system not only involves different types of pipes, other components like fittings, valves, etc. remain equally important. Also, in plumbing, many types of fixtures join together as per requirement. Joints as well as fittings join straight pipes, change the direction of flow, or join pipes of different sizes.
Moreover, pipeline maintenance commences at the planning stages of your operation and continues throughout the life of your business. So, the best way to avoid issues in a pipe and keep energy costs down is to make sure that the piping system is working properly.
As a professional, it is your responsibility to ensure a smoothly operating as well as efficient piping system. For this, builders, architects as well as engineers across the country follow certain standards. Moreover, these comprehensive specifications provide instructions for pipe stacking, storage, and installation.
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