Fusible Polyvinylchloride Pipe in Municipal Applications: A Canadian Perspective

Trenchless pipe installations generally require restrained pipe for municipal potable water and sanitary sewer pipelines in Canada due to the methods by which the pipes are installed. Restrained joint pipe systems may also be required for traditional open cut areas with large axial thrust concerns, inadequate or inferior burial conditions, or a seismically sensitive area such as portions of British Columbia. In these cases, the pipeline systems used with frequency in the trenchless industry, become attractive to the open cut market with their inherently restrained and robust joining methodology. A relative newcomer to these types of pipeline applications is fusible polyvinylchloride pipe (FPVCP). This technology, comprised of otherwise industry standard PVC pipe that can be thermally butt-fused together much like high density polyethylene pipe (HDPE), is an attractive offering for water and wastewater municipalities who are used to working with PVC, but require a pipe joining methodology that dovetails with trenchless installation techniques and delivers a completely restrained joint. PVC has gained popularity in Canada due to its material properties which provide a strong plastic that can hold pressure in water applications and also does not corrode or materially degrade over its long service life -even in the generally colder Canadian climate. FPVCP adoption in Canada is increasing due to the unique features of economy in both trenchless installations and open cut — as well as owner's familiarity of the plastic. This paper will provide an overview of FPVCP technology and present the design, selection, and installation information for two pipe projects in Canada that utilized this material — an open cut installation requiring a restrained system and the other a directional drill (trenchless) installation.