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.

PVC Pipe in Deep-Bury Applications

Posted By John Houle on May 21, 2025

PVC Pipe in Deep-Bury ApplicationsThe Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association has completed a two-pronged research effort to investigate PVC sewer pipe in deep-bury applications:

  1. One project used finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate the structural behavior of pipes under various loading conditions.
  2. The other used laser profiling to provide detailed data on pipe deflection in an existing PVC sewer interceptor in service for 45 years, installed at depths of up to 28 feet.

From FEA we got the “what should it look like?” and from laser profiling we got the “what does it look like?” The combination of the two gives a compelling view of the stellar performance provided by PVC pipe used for deep-bury sewer lines.

Read the report PVC Pipe in Deep-Bury Applications: FEA Modeling and Field Inspection of PVC Sewer Pipe.