Why High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Pre-Insulated Service Pipe Delivers Greater Value and Lower Overall Costs to a Chilled Water Piping Project

HDPE has superior material science in comparison with it’s traditional counterparts (copper and steel)

Here are three great reasons why you should invest in HDPE as your chosen service pipe for underground application:

1) Galvanic Corrosion Resistance: Inherent corrosion resistance and electrically inert material aids in eliminating internal pipe ‘galvanic’ corrosion between dissimilar materials (stainless/ cast iron/ copper) particularly at valves and instrumentation connections.

2) Service Pipe Longevity: HDPE has both internal and external corrosion resistance, far greater than is’s counterparts, such as copper, carbon steel and stainless steel. There is no risk of pipe pitting

3)

HDPE is a lower cost service pipe option

Price competition underpins modern projects. The cost to compete is often the hurdle between a project starting or stalling at the concept stage. In addition, completion at a builder and a contractor level demands materials delivery exceptional engineering value at an affordable pricing, as the chart adjacent demonstrates.

HDPE is the ultimate ROI Piping Option

HDPE piping has historically demonstrated a better ROI solution to it’s traditional construction material counterparts, such as steel, stainless steel and copper. This is demonstrated in many ways; three significant benefits of HDPE as your chosen chilled water carrier pipe, is as follows:

• ACCELERATED INSTALLATION; HDPE being light weight is fast to handle into trenches. It’s inherent ductility allows for slight contouring to trench irregularities (including slight set-down and set-ups) without the addition of costly and timely bends, fast and easy to field cut, fast and simple to weld (using either butt-fusion or electro-fusion), yielding a rapidly installed yet extremely reliable critical in-ground infrastructure service.

  • DUCTILITY; Ground movement can subject in-ground services to erratic changes and sever localised loads not intended, during design. Ground movement happens unexpectedly and at any time and is difficult to plan for and rectify if failure occurs. HDPE offers designer and ultimately asset owners the confidence of elasticity and a pipe capable of absorbing significant shock and elongation without failure.

  • ENDLESS LIFE; In some conversations like landfill and waste management, HDPE is a “dream come true” as this material offers incredible hardiness and durability and for as long as the lifetime of a building. HDPE is only broken down by exposure to UV light and/ or aggressive chemicals such as sulfuric acid over an extended period of time. Asset Owners investing in HDPE as their chosen carrier pipe option for underground applications can have peace of mind that their infrastructure investment will exist for an infinite period of time, well exceeding the typical serviceable life of modern buildings.