PVC pipes remarkable evolution of pipes and fittings as pvc takes many form

The History and Rise of PVC

Living without anything made of PVC would prove quite difficult today, since PVC finds its way into countless everyday products. So what is PVC, exactly? PVC stands for Polyvinyl Chloride, a polymer derived from hydrocarbons. Its history has unfolded in an unusual yet remarkable way. A lesser-known German chemist named Eugen Baumann first created PVC in 1872, but he didn’t see it as a useful product and never patented his discovery. PVC remained unpatented until another German chemist, Friedrich Klatte, used sunlight to trigger effective polymerization of vinyl chloride.

Still, people found little use for the patented material at first. In 1926, American researcher Waldo Lonsbury Semon developed a plasticized form of polyvinyl chloride — the material we now call PVC. He built the first PVC products: shoe heels and golf balls. Nobody could have predicted that a material with almost no users would later dominate the market with countless applications.

PVC now plays an essential role in everyday life. Manufacturers use PVC in raincoats, flooring, packaging sheets, electric wires, domestic appliances, pipes and fittings, surface coatings, tiles, and paints. Advancing technology has let processors turn PVC into several varieties, and the electrical, agricultural, industrial, and plumbing and drainage sectors now consume these varieties in huge volumes.

PVC offers an excellent finish, which makes it suitable for carrying water or liquid industrial fluids to machinery. Its diverse applications led to the development of other forms, such as CPVC and UPVC, which also serve domestic and industrial purposes. Manufacturers use all these forms — PVC, CPVC, and UPVC — at large scale to produce pipes and fittings. Through this evolution, PVC has found its way into almost every home, society, office, and industry around the world.

Homes around the world therefore widely use PVC pipes and fittings in water supply networks, as well as for discharge and outlet purposes.

Existing Types of Water Supply Pipes and Fittings

Pipes and fittings serve a wide range of applications, from transporting gas and water (cold and hot) to moving various industrial liquids and fluids securely from one location to another. The right choice of pipes and fittings depends on their intended use and working conditions, which determine suitability, performance, and cost-effectiveness. The sections below cover the types of pipes and fittings currently in use across domestic and industrial sectors.

Cast Iron Pipes

Manufacturers make cast iron pipes and fittings from pig iron, and these products resist corrosion and exposure well. Cities and towns widely use them in water distribution and management systems, and they can last up to 100 years, though over-exposure to chemicals and sunlight may shorten their lifespan. Manufacturers also blend them with a bituminous compound for added corrosion resistance and produce them in a wide range of thicknesses to suit different weight and pressure levels. Complex joints and couplings require skilled labor, but cast iron pipes remain cheap and economical for large cities and towns.

GI Pipes

GI stands for Galvanized Iron, and homes widely use these pipes to transport gas, liquid, or drinking water. Manufacturers make GI pipes from mild steel sheets, and galvanizing them with zinc adds extra resistance to rusting and corrosion. However, alkaline and acidic water degrades their quality, so installers often avoid them where the water carries these properties. GI pipes cost less and weigh less than cast iron pipes.

Steel Pipes

Steel pipes also supply water or gas from one spot to another, and manufacturers produce them from steel sheets. They feature a welded joint along their length, though this isn’t obvious at first glance; larger steel pipes come with visible bolted or welded joints instead. A zinc solution treatment adds extra corrosion resistance, and steel pipes typically last 25 to 50 years, though excessive alkaline and acidic water can also affect them.

Copper Pipes

Manufacturers usually make copper pipes with a smaller circumference. Since copper doesn’t rust on its surface, these pipes offer great endurance and a long life, though copper’s high cost can make them expensive to install. Plumbers use copper pipes especially to transport hot water or steam, since these pipes resist twisting or sagging even at high temperatures.

PVC Pipes

Made of plastic, or PVC in scientific terms, these pipes rank as the most widely used pipes around the world. PVC pipes and fittings carry both cold and hot water and also resist alkaline and acidic water. Added plasticizer gives PVC pipes and fittings efficient elasticity, flexibility, and strength.

Homes, societies, and apartments generally use both CPVC and UPVC for complete domestic solutions, and each form has its own composition and application. PVC, CPVC, and UPVC each come with their own range of pipes and fittings, and all three find use in our homes. The PVC Pipes and fittings used for water supply and drinking water (hot and cold) fall under CPVC, while UPVC handles outlets, sewage, and water discharge.

Industries and the agricultural sector also commonly use CPVC. The term UPVC means unplasticized, while standard PVC, once plasticized, becomes CPVC — short for Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride. People use PVC pipes and fittings all around the world, not just for domestic purposes but also in hi-tech machinery and industrial sectors. Their easy installation, anti-rusting properties, and maintenance-free design let PVC pipes and fittings compete well against iron or steel pipes and fittings.

Types of PVC Pipes and Fittings in the Market

CPVC

Manufacturers produce Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC), a thermoplastic, by chlorinating polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC). This process makes CPVC considerably more flexible than standard PVC and lets it withstand higher temperatures. CPVC finds applications in both domestic and industrial sectors, and CPVC pipes and fittings can carry both cold and hot water, as well as special grades of industrial fluids.

CPVC pipes and fittings provide affordable plumbing and drainage solutions with easy installation. They resist fire and chemical exposure strongly and also withstand extensive sunlight exposure thanks to added UV stabilization. Agricultural and irrigation systems have also adopted CPVC pipes and fittings, since these systems require materials that remain exposed to sunlight for long periods.

UPVC

UPVC stands for Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride, an inflexible type of PVC that the building and housing industry uses extensively. Builders mostly use UPVC in outlets, sewage systems, and other water discharge points.

Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride offers strong protection from chemicals and general exposure. This strong, inflexible, and durable material also resists air, rusting, breakdown, and dampness, and its fire-resisting properties have made it useful for electrical purposes too. UPVC pipes and fittings stay essentially odorless, which makes them appropriate for transporting sewage, wastewater, and other chemical fluids used industrially.

UPVC’s ability to withstand temperatures from 0°C to 65°C makes it reasonable for a wide range of applications, though its use has stayed largely limited to housing and building purposes.

Various Forms of Fittings Available for PVC Pipes

• Tees: PVC tees are fittings with three ends shaped like the letter T, giving you multiple options for connecting pipes.
• Elbows: Elbows are fittings with two ends set at either a 45-degree or 90-degree angle.
• Crosses: Crosses are fittings with four ends, shaped like a plus sign (+), that connect pipes in multiple directions.
• Couplings and Unions: Couplings and unions are PVC fittings that extend pipes or enlarge an existing or new pipe network.
• Caps and Plugs: Caps enclose any open pipe end that doesn’t need discharge, while plugs mostly connect two different types of ends within a piping network.
• Adapters (Female and Male): Adapters create a versatile fitting system when needed. Adapter fittings alter the end shape of a pipe, allowing it to connect to other types of fittings and pipes of varying sizes.
• Bushings: Bushings work like adapter fittings, too, connecting pipes of different diameters through their narrow ends.
• Nipples: When two female-end fittings need to connect, nipples play a crucial role in joining them.
• Flanges: Flanges are PVC fittings that let you attach extra accessories and items to any pipe or pipe network in a plumbing and drainage system. Fixing PVC flanges to a pipe or its network can significantly increase the endurance of the pipes and related fittings.

Sizes of PVC Pipes Available in the Indian Market

Buyers commonly confuse one aspect of PVC pipes: the difference in sizing and measurement that determines cost and effectiveness. PVC pipes come in sizes ranging from 1/8″ to 24″, and sometimes larger. Two common versions exist: Schedule 40 PVC pipe and Schedule 80 PVC pipe.

Generally, a 2″ PVC fitting suitably fits a 2″ PVC pipe, and both Schedule 40 and Schedule 80 PVC fittings fit onto PVC pipes of either schedule. You can assume both schedules share the same external diameter. Only the internal diameter differs — it runs smaller in Schedule 80 pipes, which makes them thicker and gives them a greater pressure-withstanding capacity than Schedule 40 pipes.

Conclusion

Ajay Pipes manufactures PVC pipes and fittings that work efficiently and persistently for your plumbing and drainage needs. We’ve built a strong presence in the PVC pipe and fitting industry for over half a century, serving the whole nation. Give Ajay Pipes a call to learn more about our affordable, high-quality PVC piping and fitting systems.

For any queries, contact the plumbing experts at Ajay pipes on the Toll Free No.: 1800-11-4050 or via email at our email address info@ajaypipes.com