PVC has the lowest water main break rate of all pipe materials in North America.

PVC water pipe breaks decreased by 10% since 2012 while corrosion-prone ductile iron pipe failures increased by 13%. Ductile iron water pipe break rates are 2.4 times higher than PVC.

Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC) paper on the importance of using transparent and verifiable standards when determining the environmental impacts of a pipe product. No other pipe material has disclosed environmental impact to as transparent and regulated a degree as the PVC pipe industry.

This article summarizes the findings of an AWWA Research Foundation survey of water utilities in the early 1990's of PVC pipe's performance.

A PVC Pipe News article giving a contractor's perspective on installing different pipe materials.

A comparison based on 70 years of waterworks experience... In reaction to their loss of market share, the DI industry has focused on raising concerns about PVC as the pipe of choice. We thought it was time to review this old list of competitive claims.

Using constant flow volume to calculate occasional surge pressures, PVC outperforms DI pipe.

This comparison of PVC and fiberglass gravity sewer pipes is based on decades of flexible-pipe research and field experience. A review of the properties and capabilities of both materials shows PVC to be the better choice.

Comparison of PVC and fiberglass pipe for municipal pressure applications.

This comparison of PVC and HDPE pressure pipes is based on: (1) For PVC pipe – decades of research and field experience; (2) For HDPE’s new PE4710 pipe – short usage history with yet-to-be-determined longevity. Even if the issue of PE4710’s longevity is ignored, a review of the properties and capabilities of both materials shows PVC to be better suited for water and sewer pressure applications.

Using constant flow volume to calculate occasional surge pressures, PVC outperforms HDPE pipe.

This Canada-specific comparison of PVC and polypropylene (PP) sewer pipes is based on: (1) For PVC sewer pipe – decades of research and field experience: (2) For PP’s new sanitary-sewer pipe – brief history of usage with unknown longevity

PVC is the product of choice for sanitary sewer piping, used in more than 85% of new installations. The newest product in the industry is polypropylene (PP) profile-wall pipe, but “new” is not always better. In fact, the introduction of PP into the sanitary sewer market should be cause for concern for wastewater utilities.

Shows that for trenchless applications PVC is by far the most widely used pipe, with the longest life cycle and is easiest to maintain or rehab (see pages 8-11).

Molecularly Oriented PVC Pipe — PVCO: light-weight, thinner-walled alternative with the same pressure capacity as thicker-walled PVC pipe.

This technical report examines head loss and pumping costs over 100-years for PVC and ductile iron pipe.