Is A High-Quality Polymer Piping System Environmentally Friendly?

Is A High-Quality Polymer Piping System Environmentally Friendly?

The entire world has a pollution problem, and while many things contribute to this, for most households the culprit is plastic. Most of us are aware that plastic bags, packaging and disposable goods are made from this material, and that if it isn’t recycled, it ends up polluting our oceans and staying intact in a landfill instead of breaking down. Because we’re so used to seeing plastic as the enemy, when the time comes to repair or replace our piping systems, we want to choose materials like copper or steel instead as we think this is the greener choice. This isn’t always the case. Here’s why a high-quality polymer piping system could be a more environmentally friendly choice.

100 Years And Going Strong

A recent, peer-reviewed environmental and performance review into the durability of plastic pipes over a 100 year long period found that polymer piping such as PVC doesn’t encourage bacteria and pathogens to grow, while metal and concrete pipes require phosphates to be added to reduce corrosion, which in turn encourages the growth of algae in water systems. It also found that that plastic piping required a stable level of pumping energy due to the fact that its walls don’t degrade or roughen in time, in comparison with other materials that do. Due to the corrosive nature of soil, one can expect metal piping to require replacing in as little as a decade, with plastic lasting a minimum of twice as long as that.

The review also determined that plastic piping’s environmental friendliness starts during manufacturing. Metal pipes create more than nine times more carbon emissions during their creation process from start to finish than plastic pipes do.

Think Long Term

When considering installing a new piping system in your home, you need to look at the bigger picture. If you picked a cheap plastic polymer piping system, you’d likely have to replace it in months, making it costly, time-consuming and not earth friendly. However, if you think long term and invest in a high-quality polymer piping system, you’re using something that could last you decades without breaking or degrading – making it the wiser choice.

Still on the fence? Aquatechnik provides a wide range of Sydney customers with hot and cold water piping products and accessories. Contact us today for advice on your piping options.