If you’re considering <strong>replacement water mains</strong> work to upgrade your old pipes, what material would you want your new pipes to be made from?
The answer is <strong>plastic</strong>. It’s proven itself as a superior material for a wide variety of installations and it’s ideal for replacing supply pipes to properties.
<strong>What Goes into a Replacement Water Main?</strong>
The plastic we use is <strong>MDPE</strong>, short for medium density polyethylene. It is an approved material for supplying mains drinking water below ground. It comes in two colours, blue and black. Normally the blue goes below ground and the black is used above ground.
Plastic pipes are <strong>corrosion-resistant</strong>, making them ideal as replacement water mains material. Many old, metal water pipes corrode over time, leading to deterioration and damage. This can then result in leaks, or in the pipe’s diameter narrowing, which affects water flow.
With lead pipes, corrosion can lead to contamination of drinking water and increases the risk of <strong>lead poisoning</strong> in the home.
Plastic pipes are also <strong>non-reactive</strong>, so we can connect them with other pipes without there being the risk of a chemical reaction leading to corrosion – something that can happen with pipes of different metals connecting with one another.
In term of <strong>installation</strong>, plastic pipes are lightweight and flexible, so using them can considerably speed up the work involved in getting them in place. Also, because of their portability, we can transport plastic pipes in longer lengths, which means less joins when installing them.
One of the key concerns with any water supply is <strong>leakage</strong>. The use of fewer joints in plastic pipes makes them highly <strong>leak-resistant</strong>.
<strong>Minimising Disruption</strong>
For installing replacement water mains, our preferred method is <strong>impact moling</strong>. Using this technique means we don’t have to dig trenches on your property to lay fresh pipework.
Instead, we use a <strong>pneumatic device</strong> to drill boreholes, which create a pathway for the new mains pipe. This trenchless technology allows us to make accurate paths, and correct them if necessary – and we can even make curved boreholes.
The moling displaces and compacts soil rather than removing it, which means that there is far less disruption than traditional excavation methods.
Together with plastic pipework, this ensures our work is both efficient and effective, giving you a <strong>durable water mains solution</strong> and ensuring that you have a reliable water supply for the future.
If you want to improve your water supply, talk to Pipeline services today.
