Plumbing Africa January 2019 | Page 48

46 FEATURES Galvanised pipe on the way out? Galvanised steel pipe and tube have numerous modern applications, but it seems that small bore plumbing pipes will likely face increasingly stiffer competition from alternative materials in the near future. By Warren Robertson For years, galvanised steel was considered the norm when installing plumbing in buildings, with tens of thousands of homes throughout the country still getting their water thanks to these hardy pipes. The times are however changing and new advances in plastic pipes and, to a lesser degree, from copper have led to a sharp decline in the number of plumbers who install galvanised pipe in new buildings. “Plastic is cheaper and much easier to install,” says Robin Clarke, executive director at the Hot Dip Galvanizers Association of Southern Africa. “It doesn’t take a specialist to install a plastic pipe; whereas you had better measure very carefully if you want to plumb a home with galvanised steel,” he adds. Anthony Botha, marketing manager at the Hot Dip Galvanizers Association, is quick to mention that galvanised pipe and tube companies in South Africa are keenly aware of this shift in market forces. “Galvanised steel piping still has a strong future. There are loads of applications for which it is an appropriate solution,” he says. Internationally, the use of galvanised steel in homes has been on a sharp decline for a while now with the US moving towards stricter regulations for producing galvanised pipe for potable water due to a perceived risk of ‘heavy-metal’ contamination in the water, including lead. This is an issue Botha feels is not of significance in South Africa, believing it is rather the issue around substitution by ‘easier to install’ materials that plays a greater part in the downturn of fortunes for small bore galvanised piping in South Africa. January 2019 Volume 25 I Number 1 “Galvanised products are coated in a coating comprising 98% zinc and zinc-iron alloys, with some trifling percentages of lead, aluminium, or other metals. In America, the mere mention of lead in the equation has led to paranoia, so they instituted all sorts of laws regarding how these pipes are made, whereas in South Africa, and many parts of Europe, we are much more logical,” he says, explaining that South African laws generally target water quality at the end of the system. “We have very strict laws in South Africa about what and at what levels these minerals may or may not be contained in potable water. Instead of worrying about the pipes and how they are made, thereby creating additional expenses in unnecessary testing, we’d rather test the quality of the water that is dispensed. If that is safe, then surely the pipes are doing their job well?” he contends. Botha states that cheap imports of galvanised steel pipes from China are being scapegoated as suppliers of low-quality galvanised piping. China will produce to any specification that the buyer stipulates; the unscrupulous buyer who focuses solely on profiteering from selling the lowest standard/specification of ‘cheap’ product is really the nexus, which has resulted in the availability of the low-standard galvanised piping being sold today. At the end of the day, Botha says that where large amounts of water are being moved, galvanised pipe remains a viable choice. “In many instances where the pipe is buried underground, particularly instances where cold water is being moved, the correct specification galvanised steel piping remains appropriate,” he says. PA www.plumbingafrica.co.za