advanced drainage system - Polypipe

General Properties 3.4
Chemical Resistance
All of the materials’ used in the Polypipe’s thermoplastic structured wall pipe systems have excellent chemical
resistance characteristics, especially when compared with traditional materials such as concrete. For example,
sulphates and sulphuric acid (non fuming) have no measurable effect on polyethylene and polypropylene yet are
severely detrimental to ordinary concrete.
However, under rare conditions there are substances that can have an effect on plastic and rubber materials and
detailed chemical resistance information is available in the following standards:
• CP312:Part 1:1973
Code of practice for plastics pipework (thermoplastics material)
General principles and choice of material
• BS ISO 4433-2:1997 Thermoplastics pipes - Resistance to liquid chemicals - Classification Part 2:
Polyolefin pipes
• BS ISO 4433-3:1997 Thermoplastics pipes - Resistance to liquid chemicals - Classification Part 3:
PVCu
• ISO/TR 10358:1993
• ISO/TR 7620:2005
Plastic pipes and fittings - Combined chemical resistance classification table
Rubber materials - Chemical resistance
A number of statements can be made on the chemical resistance of the Polypipe’s thermoplastic structured wall pipe
system. Under typical installation conditions the system is:
• Unaffected by pH in the range of 0.1 - 14
• Unaffected by inorganic salts in any concentration,
including heavy metals.
• Unaffected by dilute aqueous solutions of organic
chemicals such as detergents.
• Unaffected by low concentrations of hydrocarbons and
oils in normal use, such as run-off from roads and car
parks. Where hydrocarbons are present in higher
quantities, for example a garage forecourt, nitrile seals
should be specified in place of the standard EPDM seals
upstream of the separator.
• Unaffected by any naturally occurring compound in
soils, including humic and fulvic acids found in
peaty soils.
• Unaffected by sulphates in any concentration and
sulphuric acid (non-fuming).
• Affected only by a limited number of industrial
chemicals that are only rarely found in the environment
in sufficient concentration to be detrimental to the
Polypipe’s thermoplastic structured wall pipe systems.
This may only occur in heavily contaminated industrial
sites where concentrations may be high enough to
warrant further investigation. Disposal of industrial
chemicals into drains should not occur due to
environmental regulations. Spillages should be
contained and result in short-term exposure and it
should be noted that any effects may be reversible
and are dependent on concentration, frequency and
duration of exposure.
The current world-wide inventory of industrial
chemicals extends to many millions of compounds
and no definitive list detailing their effect on polymers
exists. For further information or detailed advice,
contact the Technical Department at Polypipe Civils
Limited. The following information is required in
order to evaluate fully the suitability of Polypipe’s
thermoplastic structured wall pipe products for any
given application:
• The chemical(s)
• The concentration of the chemical(s)
• The frequency and duration of exposure
• The maximum temperature of the chemical(s)
• The design life of the pipe system
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