PVC Industrial Products stocks and delivers a very wide selection of plastic pipe and fittings so that you are fully supported on any type and size of project. In fact, our competitors often come to us directly or refer customers to us when the application is off the beaten path. No other supplier in the Ottawa-Gatineau region offers the range of materials and sizes (1/4 inch to 24 inch diameter) that we do.
Selecting the proper pipe and fittings for a given application can be difficult at times and we have technical staff available to help with that at no extra charge. And below we offer some general guidelines to help you with your planning.
Schedule 40 PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe is the basic “go to” pipe that we recommend for general applications where cost is a primary factor and operating temperature will not exceed 140 °F or 60 °C. It is formulated to outlive metal pipe (especially where chemical and corrosives exist) and, compared to metal pipe, it has less friction loss, generates no rust or scale and has minimal contaminant buildup. This makes it a very economic system to both purchase and maintain. It is light weight, easy to handle and can be installed by solvent cementing, threading or flanging – all possible by hand with no special equipment. It is suitable for industrial, residential, commercial and agricultural applications and can be buried underground without harm from soil and other environmental agents.
Starting with Schedule 40 PVC (above) as the baseline we then vary from this if operating conditions and applications require as follows:
If the fluid being carried may be under pressure it is recommended that you call us to confirm the operating conditions so that safety is not compromised. In most cases we will upgrade the pipe schedule (thickness) from Schedule 40 to Schedule 80 PVC in order to double the pressure rating at a given temperature and pipe size. It is important to know that pressure rating decreases as temperature and pipe diameter increases but can be increased by increasing pipe thickness (Schedule 80 vs 40).
If the operating temperature may exceed 140 °F or 60 °C, we recommend using CPVC Pipe which can handle temperatures up to 200 °F or 93 °C. As with PVC, CPVC pipe can handle higher pressures when Schedule 80 CPVC is used as opposed to Schedule 40 CPVC.
If the fluid can be chemically corrosive or if fire and impact resistance is more important we also tend to recommend CPVC pipe. Many chemical and processing plants use CPVC for these reasons.
If visibility is important in piping we recommend Clear PVC pipe. It has all of the qualities of PVC pipe while allowing the user to have all-round visibility into what is happening inside the pipe. This pipe is especially useful in specialized applications such as clean rooms, sight glasses, dual-containment and monitoring equipment.
In addition to these types of pipe which are carried in stock, PVC Industrial Products also supplies Fluid Systems which include pipe comprised of polypropylene (poly pro or PP) or Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF). Poly Pro systems such as PROGEF, while not as mechanically strong as PVC or CPVC systems, are extremely chemical resistant and therefore commonly used in chemical industries, pulp and paper, metals processing and lab drains. PVDF systems such as SYGEF provide an excellent all round system with exceptional toughness, strength, and chemical and abrasion resistance. It finds application in very aggressive environments where corrosives are founds such as food, chemical and metals processing.
Other types of pipe such as White PVC, HDPE and LDPE are available at PVC Industrial Products via special order. For these projects the volumes and lead times are primary considerations for both delivery and costs. Call us for more details.