The main water supply pipes were asbestos cement pipes and cast iron pipes in some ancient European cities. As pipe leakages caused water loss by 40% then, since 1980, Germany came to use stainless steel as water supply pipe materials to save water resources.
The popularity of stainless steel pipe and pipe fittings in Germany can be illustrated with two examples. Germany Mapress was a European pipe fitting manufacturer with an annual production capacity of 40 million pipe fittings. In 2001, their sales report showed that the sales volume of stainless steel pipe fittings had come to take the lion’s share (accounting for 51%), with carbon steel and copper pipe fittings accounting for 44%, and only 5% respectively. In 2006, the FIFA World Cup, one of the world's high-profile sporting events, was held in Allianz football stadium, Munich, Germany. Stainless steel pipes were used for most of its water supply systems, because stainless steel demonstrates stable and reliable performance, clean and hygienic, sufficient to meet drinking water requirements of the German construction standards – water supply pipes must have a service life of 50 years at least.
Since 1995, cities in Italy have widely adopted a technique that could replace the main water supply pipeline with stainless steel pipelines without having to trench. Learn from experience that stainless steel pipelines feature good corrosion resistance, high strength, and resistance to ground subsidence and earthquakes, with a service life of 70 years at least. From a long-term perspective, stainless steel pipes are more economical than plastic pipes.
After 10 years of testing in Karlskoga, Sweden, the main pipes made by ductile cast iron and PVC buried underground have been replaced with 316 stainless steel pipes.
British hospitals in Scotland used to use copper pipes, but the soft water quality in Scotland led to corrosion and failure of copper pipes, causing serious water leaks. The government spent huge sums to study the cause and solution of the failure. Later, the hot and cold water pipes were all replaced with stainless steel pipes and joints. After more than ten years of use, the hot and cold water pipes were dismantled to examine the use of stainless steel pipes and joints. The results showed that the stainless steel pipes and joints were in excellent condition without any sign of corrosion.
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CIVMATS produces stainless steel products, such as pipes & fittings, bars. If you are in demand, please contact us:
- Company: CIVMATS CO., LIMITED
- Phone: 86-519-81809659
- Fax: 86-519-81809959
- Email: sales@civmats.com
- Address: 10th Floor, Xin Cheng Nan Du, Wujin District, Jiangsu, China
- Website: www.civmats.com
