How to choose water pipes during decoration, copper pipes vs PVC pipes

When you are decorating, many customers do not know which pipe to choose. If it is waterway, now there are stainless steel, copper, ppr, PVC and other pipes to choose from.

PVC pipes and copper pipes both used for pipelines, which one is more suitable? copper pipe and copper pipe fitting expert Winland Metal will take you to find out.

Decorative pipe

If the pipes are only used for decoration, generally speaking, copper pipes have a greater advantage because of their bright color and durability. Decorating with copper pipes can achieve a distinctive industrial style. As for whether copper pipe or PVC pipe is more suitable for decoration, decoration is a beautiful art, and you can choose from specific creativity. For example, PVC pipes are cheaper. Someone once tried to slap the PVC pipes and then brush the metal paint for post-modern decoration.

Water supply pipeline

At present, there are many kinds of pipes on the market that can be used in water supply systems. The most common ones are copper pipes and PVC pipes. They have their own advantages and disadvantages as decoration pipes. Drinking water has relatively high requirements for water quality, so copper pipes are generally chosen for high-end residential and commercial projects.

price

Purely considering the purchase price, PVC pipes have more advantages than copper pipes. In 2021, the price of copper in China has climbed to around 70,000 yuan/ton, and the price of copper pipes has naturally risen. In contrast, the unit price of PVC pipes is relatively cheap, suitable for low-end water supply projects.

Installation and maintenance

Copper pipes and PVC pipes are more convenient in installation and maintenance, and they are relatively mature water supply pipes. The difference is that copper pipes can be installed on the ground and underground, but plastic pipes cannot be exposed to the sun, so as not to accelerate the aging of the pipes. The material of copper is soft, so it is easy to bend. Copper water pipes can be installed under some complicated working conditions, but the bending performance of hard copper water pipes will be reduced.

Service life

Under normal circumstances, copper pipes can be used for 50-60 years, while PVC and PP pipes can also reach such a service life.

Health: impact on water quality

Copper pipes can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria, while PVC pipes and PPR pipes will release organic matter to provide nutrients for the growth and creation of bacteria. Therefore, users with high water quality requirements are more inclined to choose copper pipes. The quality of drinking water transported by plastic pipes such as PVC depends to a large extent on the disinfection technology of the water plant. If the water treatment technology of the water plant is excellent, and the water plant is not far from the user, then the use of plastic pipes will not have much impact on the water quality.

In the hot water supply system, since the disinfectant can hardly remain in the hot water, it will decompose quickly. In this case, the plastic pipe will also create an environment for the growth of microorganisms.

The problem with copper pipes is that copper pipes need to be connected with red copper pipes or brass pipes. Brass is an alloy of copper, zinc and lead, and solder is an alloy of lead and tin. If installed improperly, it will also have a bad effect on water quality. .

Water pipe products such as copper pipes and copper pipe fittings supplied by Winland Metal use copper with a purity of over 99.9%. The content of metals such as lead is minimal and belongs to lead-free copper pipes. Take common C12200 copper as an example, its chemical composition content is as follows:

preservative

After the Second World War, in order to make up for the defects of galvanized water pipes, developed countries in the world began to use copper pipes as a substitute in the middle and high-end areas. Compared with galvanized water pipes, copper pipes increase the corrosion resistance of the pipe several times, and the improvement of corrosion resistance means that the loss of customers is reduced. Copper pipes are excellent in corrosion resistance. Combined with the research of experts from various countries, the corrosion of copper pipes has the following points:​​​​​​​

1. Corrosion caused by atmospheric pollution: The patina on the surface of copper water pipes is a compound salt formed on the surface of copper by sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and copper oxides in the atmosphere. Its main component is copper carbonate (CuCO3.Cu(OH)2), which is green . If the ambient air of the copper water pipe is humid, the corrosion of the copper water pipe will be aggravated. The corroded copper tube produces patina on the surface
2. The air and dissolved oxygen in the water cause corrosion: Dissolved oxygen in the water is a major factor in the corrosion of copper pipes. The dissolved oxygen in each liter of water is about 30 ml, which accounts for 3% of the water. Due to the passivation effect of the copper material on the oxidant, the copper pipe will corrode. Air bubbles in water pipes are inevitable, which will also oxidize and corrode copper pipes.
3. The flow rate and flow of water cause corrosion: At the location where the flow rate is fast, the oxidation protection film cannot be formed due to the friction between the water and the inner wall of the copper pipe, causing physical loss, and at the same time, electrochemical corrosion occurs after the anode is formed at the location with high pressure. This is due to the low wear resistance of copper materials. When the water flow is greater than 1.5m/s, corrosion will occur when washed by the water flow. The main factor of corrosion is excessive water flow. The larger the flow, the easier it is to produce corrosion.
4. Low pH water quality causes corrosion: water with low alkalinity and water with high acidity are likely to cause corrosion of copper pipes. The standard of PH value is 6.5, and the water quality with PH value lower than 6.5 can easily cause corrosion of copper pipes.
5. Corrosion of copper pipes caused by soft water: The water is soft, and water with a total soluble solids of less than 300mg/L can easily cause corrosion of copper pipes.
6. Water with high chloride ion content causes corrosion of copper pipes: the higher the chlorine concentration, the deeper the corrosion pit, especially for residual chlorine. From the standpoint of anti-corrosion, the less chlorine content is better.
7. Hot water accelerates the corrosion of copper pipes: in hotels, hospitals, centralized houses with system heating, etc., in buildings where continuous hot water supply equipment is working, corrosion and pitting often occur on the hot water pipes. From the perspective of corrosion protection of copper pipes, the appropriate water temperature is about 50 degrees Celsius.
8. Impure copper materials cause corrosion: there is an oxygen-free copper in pure copper, which has better corrosion resistance than ordinary pure copper.

Thanks to the advancement of technology, PVC pipes are also resistant to corrosion. They are not only resistant to acid and alkali, but are also not affected by moisture and soil alkalinity. Special anti-corrosion treatment is not required when laying pipes.

Anti-bite

The metal material of the copper pipe can effectively prevent rodent erosion, and PVC water pipe is not a source of nutrition, so it is rarely eroded by rodents. Studies have shown that rats will not bite PVC water pipes.

Fire and safety performance

The melting point of copper is 1083.4 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the copper pipe is a non-combustible material, which will not burn or produce dense smoke, and has good safety performance. In people's impression, plastic pipes will burn when exposed to fire, and high temperatures can easily burn and cause safety accidents. However, modern PVC pipes also have a flame-retardant effect. The flame retardant principle of PVC pipe is to add flame retardant to PVC material. At high temperature, the flame retardant will decompose, and part of the decomposition product will be water, thereby effectively preventing combustion. Ordinary PVC pipe has no such effect.

In summary, copper pipes and PVC pipes have their own strengths. Which one would you choose when planning your project?