FEATURES
45
CORRUGATED STAINLESS-STEEL PIPES
Stainless steel has long been viewed as an
expensive alternative for copper in plumbing
and one that does not really offer any great
advantages but, according to John Tarboton,
Sassda executive director, this changed thanks
to a few significant industry developments over
the past few years. These changes include the
opening of Inox Systems’ Boksburg factory
back in 2014, meaning that pipe stems are
now manufactured locally, and the finalisation of
the standard in May 2016, along with the local
availability of corrugated piping that received
full certification in September 2017, now made
accessible via Easyflex. cost-effective. These systems offer differing
levels of savings, but they all offer savings
over their equivalent copper and brass system
counterparts. As pipe sizing becomes larger, so
the savings increase,” he says.
Tarboton comments, “With the price of stainless-
steel corrugated pipe now cost comparable
with other metals such as copper, this type of
piping provides a number of advantages when
compared with ‘conventional’ pipes, as they are
lightweight, flexible, require fewer connections
and fittings, are self-cleaning, and are less
susceptible to extreme temperatures and
corrosive environments. The installation time
is also reduced when compared with that of a
conventional copper system. These same standards base the lifespan of a
piping system on a 50-year service life. Since
polymer piping systems can never corrode or
suffer from metal fatigue, the functionality on
day one should be maintained for the entire
life of the system.
Patrick is quick to add, though, that these
savings do not come with a downturn in
quality. “Our local National Standards, which
are modelled on equivalent international
standards, require each polymer pipe system
to withstand far higher temperatures at higher
pressures than they will ever normally be
exposed to in order to prove their suitability,
and all pass with flying colours,” he says.
In addition, they have far lower life cycle costs.
For example, a higher range of stainless steel,
such as (Medical) Grade 316, has an average
life cycle of 100 years, as does one slightly
below that, for example Grade 304. It all
depends on the correct grade being specified
for the specific environment. Additionally, polymer systems have very low
heat conductivity, which allows them to be
extremely efficient at transferring water without
losing thermal energy (for heated or chilled
water applications). They therefore save energy
and, by extension, water wastage. Patrick also
adds that polymer’s ability to absorb kinetic
energy allows the piping to be excellent at
absorbing hammer shocks, which is important
due to an increasing trend for using lever taps.
“In doing so, it also protects the integrity of
joints,” he says.
Drakenstein Local Municipality, in Paarl, in
the Western Cape, is the first in the country
to fully convert to the use of stainless steel in
all its water treatment and bulk conveyancing
applications and currently has a water loss
figure of 13.4% versus other municipalities’
average water loss of 39%. But the advantages do not stop there.
According to Patrick, the relatively low
weight allows polymer pipe to be more easily
transported, lifted into place, and installed,
while the ruggedness of the product
reduces the risk of arriving on site with a
damaged product.
A minor but also relevant benefit is that
aesthetically, corrugated piping holds its own
with a number of current design projects
looking to use it in exposed installations. “While straight lines are tidy and predictable,
polymer pipes’ ability to curve around
obstacles, feed through steel and timber
frame struts, or even make a long radius bend
without using a fitting, is both a time and a
cost saving,” says Patrick.
POLYMER PIPING SYSTEMS
There is a huge variety of plastic and polymer
pipes available. Chairman of PHACT, Ken
Patrick, explains that there is a polymer pipe
solution for every job, with each offering
varying benefits. “Polymer pipes are very
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
Patrick adds that polymer piping also provides
good chemical resistance and makes an excellent
low-cost option when moving aggressive liquids
or under harsh water conditions. PA
January 2019 Volume 25 I Number 1