Many factors contribute to the design and specification of a piping system, from size to pressure to layout. It’s just as critical to think about what’s inside the pipes—the quality of the water and the disinfection treatments that will be used on that water over the life of the system. The additives used for primary and secondary disinfection can often have an impact on the integrity of the pipe. For the majority of projects, water … Keep Reading »

For 30 years, the environmental movement and the green building emphasis that grew out of it have focused on the role of manufacturing in emitting waste byproducts to the air, water and land. As interest in green buildings has grown, so has the interest in the potential for environmental impacts across every phase of a building product or system’s lifecycle. Today, the goal for many architects is optimizing the resource utilization needs of buildings for … Keep Reading »

The lower thermal conductivity of CPVC and other plastic piping materials compared to steel and copper often leads specifiers to wonder whether the material alone is sufficiently insulating for pipe in commercial plumbing and hydronic heating applications. Corzan CPVC’s thermal conductivity is 1/300th that of steel, so this is a reasonable question, especially given pipe insulation’s materials and labor cost. The reality is that it depends on the application. How a bare pipe loses heat … Keep Reading »