Pipe Issues Blog

Welcome to the Pipe Issues Blog

Welcome to my blog.

North America's underground infrastructure is crumbling at an alarming rate, so smarter, more cost-effective and sustainable practices are needed.

Broader use of PVC pipe would solve this problem and enable municipalities to spend taxpayer dollars more wisely. To do this, local governments and utilities need to modernize outdated procurement practices that ignore corrosion-proof PVC pipe.

Explore our web site and visit my blog to learn about the exceptional performance and environmental attributes of PVC pipe, and why it should be included in every bid for water and wastewater infrastructure. To connect to my blog, bookmark this page or link our Pipe Issues Blog to your RSS feed program.

Industry expert and Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association President & CEO Bruce Hollands shares the facts.

Bruce Hollands

Storm-Drainage Joints: Watertight is the Best Long-Term Design

Posted By Bruce Hollands on Mar 6, 2018

In the storm-drainage industry, there is a confusing array of terminology for joint designs. Concrete, vitrified clay, corrugated polyethylene, polypropylene and metal pipes use three joint types: “soil-tight,” “silt-tight,” and “watertight.”

As the names imply, two of the three allow water leakage. However, the movement of ground water into pipe joints can cause ground settlement that damages highway surfaces, adjacent buried utilities, or other infrastructure components.

PVC pipe joints are all watertight. When long-term costs and sustainability are considered, PVC pipe is the best choice. 

For our Tech Brief on pipe joints used for storm-drainage pipes, click here.