Plastic tubing is used for carrying fluids and vacuum systems. Common plastics used are ABS, PVC, CPVC, and PP. Plastic tubing is advantageous over metal tubing due to ease of installation, sterility, durability, and cost. Plastic tubing is used in home plumbing, exterior plumbing, and landscaping systems. Plastic valves and fittings are made of the same material as the pipes. RTP is increasingly used as an alternative to steel for oil and gas transportation.
Plastic tubing is a term used to refer to plastic piping systems for carrying a variety of fluids, as well as vacuum systems. Pipes often contain pressurized drinking water and wastewater, chemicals, heating and cooling fluids, and compressed air. There are several plastics manufactured for use in plastic piping, the most common being acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), and polypropylene (PP). Plastic tubing has many advantages over metal tubing, including ease of installation, sterility, durability, and cost.
Home plumbing systems often include ABS and PVC pipes. Black ABS pipes have largely replaced cast iron in household waste disposal systems primarily due to their ease of installation and low cost. For the transport of potable water, PVC pipes are a reliable alternative to copper for the same reasons. PVC, like copper, resists corrosion and is a bacteriostatic material that resists the growth of pathogens. CPVC has high resistance to caustic and acidic fluids and is often used in place of PVC for residential and commercial plastic piping to carry pressurized water.
Exterior plumbing and landscaping systems are also increasingly served by plastic tubing as an alternative to galvanized steel or iron tubing. Both PVC and PP pipes ensure easy installation and have high resistance to UV deterioration and corrosion due to soil moisture and atmospheric conditions. PVC pipes are most frequently welded together with a solvent, while PP pipe systems use compression joints that are simply pushed onto the ends of the pipes to create a watertight seal. PVC and PP tubing can be interchanged midstream with the use of appropriate adapter fittings.
The valves and fittings in most residential and commercial plastic piping are made of the same material as the pipes and are installed in the same way, usually with a solvent that momentarily dissolves the plastic. In larger piping systems for transporting hazardous gases or chemicals, or when gas or compressed air is held under high pressure, the pipes are often joined with metal flanges which can be bolted together.
The benefits of plastics have led oil producers to increasingly turn to Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe (RTP) as an alternative to steel for oil and gas transportation. RTP pipes can also be retrofitted into corroded steel pipe systems to create an environmentally friendly and cost-effective system that takes a fraction of the time to install compared to replacing steel pipes.
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