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Almost every final product of a contracted project requires water. When a project involves water, it almost always requires a drain. For any form of piping or wiring, there are many variations, each with different advantages and disadvantages, specifically for specific situations.

A drain is any pipe used to facilitate the transfer of water from one place to another. The main purpose is to treat wastewater from homes, office buildings or industrial areas. Proper and effective treatment of water can prevent water from accumulating, which can lead to flooding, structural damage, soil erosion and other problems. Therefore, the drain pipe can even be used for work on the job site and the final project. 

The materials and uses of these drainage pipes vary. Some drainage pipes are used to drain water from a specific area (such as a roof), while others are dedicated to transferring water to the ground due to their materials and composition. The type of drainage pipe selected by the contractor is usually based on the drainage condition of the project. Due to the severity of the consequences of failure, choosing based on price alone is usually not enough. The three qualities that the contractor will use to determine the type of drain pipe used are strength, size, and ease of installation. Generally, almost all new drain pipes are plastic to adapt to all weather and ground conditions.

If you live in a house built before the 1960s, your drain pipe is likely to be metal. Although plastic was invented in 1907, it was not widely used or widely used in construction until the second half of the 20th century. Common metal pipes include original cast iron pipes and softer, less corrosive copper pipes. 

Although metal was popular in drainage pipe construction earlier, it is rarely used in new installations. The only time metal pipes are used in the drainage system is to repair the existing metal pipes in the property. Otherwise, if you want to replace the pipes, you will replace them with plastic substitutes. 

The main reason why metal is no longer used is because the material is easy to rust. Being able to withstand weather conditions, especially extreme weather conditions, is a quality that many contractors will consider when choosing a suitable drainage pipe. Even if there is no continuous humid weather, moisture is everywhere—especially underground. The moisture in the air or on the skin is actually enough to start the oxidation process on the surface of the metal pipe. This oxidation inevitably leads to rust, which impairs the durability of the pipe and becomes more fragile. The drainage system creates an extremely humid environment based on the continuous flow of tap water, which is of no avail. 

For metal pipes, there is always an expiration date, because rust and corrosion are not only risks, but also inevitable. When metal pipes are completely rusted, they can crack, form gaps, or in extreme cases completely collapse. The simple choice of plastic pipes circumvents all these risks and eliminates the contractor’s greatest fear: refurbishment and replacement. For the owner, a damaged drain can cause tens of thousands or even millions of dollars in damage and replacement costs. If you can choose a drain pipe, always choose plastic.

The following are different drainage pipes distinguished by material and style. The piping style can be adapted to various plastic drainage pipes and has its specific purpose. Below are the different types of drains available and how and when to best use them.

Polyvinyl chloride pipe is the most commonly used pipe in any drainage project. Due to the ductility of the material, PVC pipes can have almost any size. These types of pipes are very suitable for draining water and the environment where a lot of pressure and weight are exerted. It is also one of the few plastics that can be recycled. Therefore, if you are a contractor for a project where a customer requires a more environmentally friendly approach, PVC may be the ideal choice. The strength, durability, and resistance of PVC to water and certain chemicals make it one of the less flexible types of pipes, especially in plastics. 

Although plastic is the current state of the drainage industry, concrete is usually an inexpensive choice for drainage systems that use heavy or industrial pipes. Although concrete is completely inflexible, it is used in projects and situations that require zero leakage. Concrete pipes can also be used as a free shell for another material drain pipe. In this case, the concrete will protect the weaker or more vulnerable pipes by acting as a shell. 

This is the most flexible type of plastic pipe. The ease of handling of polyethylene makes the installation of these types of pipes very simple. If the project requires pipes and water to be transported multiple times in a small space, polyethylene pipes may be the best choice. 

For unidirectional water transmission with a smooth inner surface, a smooth wall tube will be your best friend. Although they are more difficult to install, they are stronger and stronger than other wound tube styles.

These bellows are generally low cost, flexible and easy to install. The biggest disadvantage is that the corrugated texture of the pipes is easy to block, and compared with ordinary pipes, they usually require a steeper drainage angle.

This is a compromise between smooth walls and single-wall corrugated pipes. It is not as easy to install or flexible as a single-wall corrugated pipe, but it does have a smooth inner wall. This type of integration costs money because these pipelines are usually more expensive. 

Choosing the right type of drain can take a lot of time and effort. Depending on the material and style, you may need to change the drawing or blueprint of the project to fit, and vice versa. Your time should not be used to pass decisions and updates between the field and the office. Construction project management tools like eSUB can connect your team together through cloud-based document sharing, thereby reducing the time you spend on decision-making and increasing the overall productivity of the project.

Subject: Contracting

Drain pipe

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