PVC drainage pipes and water pipes, from the name we know that the two have different uses, but apart from the use, the differences in other aspects are often ambiguous. Here we will sort it out for you.
1. Different raw materials
● PVC water supply pipe:
High-purity PVC resin is required, and additives and stabilizers must also be non-toxic and harmless and meet hygiene standards;
● PVC drainage pipe:
The requirements for the purity of PVC resin are relatively low. Traditional stabilizers and general plasticizers can be used to improve the durability, impact resistance and corrosion resistance of the pipe. The hygiene standards are relatively low.
2. Different uses
● PVC water supply pipe:
Mainly used for transporting drinking water, requiring the pipe to meet the national hygiene standards to ensure water quality safety.
● PVC drainage pipe:
Mainly used in drainage systems to treat domestic wastewater, sewage, rainwater, etc.
3. Different pressure wall thickness
● PVC water supply pipe:
Need to withstand a certain water pressure, the pressure range is between 0.63MPa and 2.5MPa, and the pipe wall is relatively thick.
● PVC drainage pipe:
Mainly used for drainage and sewage, generally does not involve the concept of pressure, and the pipe wall is relatively thin.
For example, for the national standard PVC drainage pipe of DN110, the specified wall thickness is only 3.2mm; while for the national standard PVC water supply pipe of DN110, there are seven options of wall thickness: 2.7mm, 3.4mm, 4.2mm, 5.3mm, 6.6mm, 8.1mm, and 10mm, depending on the pressure.
4. Different specifications
● PVC water supply pipe:
Specifications range from dn20 to dn1200, with many specifications, and each specification corresponds to different wall thicknesses according to different pressure bearing capacities.
● PVC drainage pipe:
According to the national standard, the specifications range from dn32 to dn315, and each specification corresponds to only one fixed wall thickness;
5. Implementation standards
● PVC water supply pipe:
GB/T 10002.1-2023 Rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC-U) pipe for water supply
● PVC drainage pipe:
GB/T 5836.1-2018 Rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC-U) pipes for building drainage
The implementation standard is also the easiest way to visually distinguish water supply and drainage pipes. GB/T 10002.1-2023 is for water supply pipes, and GB/T 5836.1-2018 is for drainage pipes. Of course, if it is a non-standard pipe, it is another matter.
In general, the difference between PVC water supply and drainage pipes is mainly the difference in sanitary standards and pressure bearing capacity. Water supply pipes have higher requirements for sanitary standards and pressure bearing capacity, while drainage pipes have relatively lower requirements.
