Welcome to John’s Blog. Answers to frequently asked questions are periodically posted here. The objective is to share information about PVC pipe with readers as well as with utilities, design engineers and pipe installers. The blog provides the latest information on PVC pipe design, installation, and application for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
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John Houle: Senior Technical Consultant, PVC Pipe Industry
John Houle holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He has more than 25 years of experience in the plastic pipe industry in applications engineering, market development, forensic analysis, technical writing, and standards development.
Some utilities are hesitant to use PVC pipe in deep-burial applications. This reluctance is based more on misconception than on engineering principles, since PVC pipe has been used for many years at depths in excess of 50 feet. The attached technical brief concentrates on the science of the subject. Click here to read. PVC Pipe Stands Up to Large Earth loads Some engineers insist on using iron pipe over a certain depth – while the rest of the sewer main is PVC – because they fear PVC won’t hold up under large dead loads. The fact is that buried PVC pipe does not act alone – it receives support from the surrounding soil. The combined pipe/soil structural system allows PVC pipe to be buried at depths not possible for “stronger” rigid pipes. Long Life for Deep Bury The two example projects in the document show that deep-bury PVC pipe continues to function well over time: one installation is from 1995 (28 years) and the other from 1986 (37 years).
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