Technical Blog

Welcome to John’s Blog. Answers to frequently asked questions are periodically posted here. The objective is to share information about PVC pipe with readers as well as with utilities, design engineers and pipe installers. The blog provides the latest information on PVC pipe design, installation, and application for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

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John Houle: Senior Technical Consultant, PVC Pipe Industry

John Houle holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He has more than 25 years of experience in the plastic pipe industry in applications engineering, market development, forensic analysis, technical writing, and standards development.

AWWA PVC Pipe Standards Over the Years

Posted By John Houle on Mar 22, 2017

AWWA has recently published the sixth edition of its C900 standard for PVC pipe. This Tech Brief looks at milestones in the progression of the C900 and C905 standards, culminating in the combining of the two standards into AWWA C900-16.

Key steps along the road were the increase in maximum pipe size from 12-inch in 1975 to 36-inch in 1988, 48-inch in 1997, and 60-inch in the current edition. Other notable changes were in the safety factor used for 4- through 12-inch pipe and in the development of design methods for handling occasional surge and recurring surge pressures. For my Tech Brief on the subject, click here.