Did you know, pipes only comprise 3% of the total cost of a building or a house? And because they are mostly hidden, they sometimes become the most neglected. That is, until a leak happens.
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| a creatively designed "glass" house that unhides all pipes |
These days, climate change and urbanization are affecting the pipeline industry more and more. In the Philippines, typhoons averaging 20 times a year with storm surges causing heavy flooding in thoroughfares are putting undue pressure on water and electrical pipes. In addition, a burgeoning population means environmental wastes passing through sewers at accelerated speeds. Imagine the health risks if wastewater seeps through pipes that deliver water to households!
Outside, the endless road constructions, pipe laying, and repairs that cause heavy traffic have seemingly become part of our daily lives. We also see skyscrapers and more houses being built almost everywhere we look. With all these constructions going on, pipe manufacturing companies are expected to come up with precise state-of-the-art, durable, and reliable products that are 100% leak-free and yet environmentally-friendly and health-safe.
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| different colored pipes for different uses |
According to
Gladys Joy Avila, NELTEX Brand Officer, all of us are affected by flooding, non-revenue water losses, and power interruptions, which can actually be solved "just by using the right piping materials."
This year, Avila shares that NELTEX Development Corporation, known to make the toughest pipes in the industry, is shifting to become a more socially responsible company. "Instead of just offering products, we want to be known as a business entity with a purpose," she explains. "So we're offering sustainable solutions that would solve or address common problems in the Philippines."
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| main water lines should not leak because system losses are passed on to us, consumers! |
For instance, leakage caused by poor jointing and loose gasket results to non-revenue water and system loss that is passed on to consumers of water concessionaires. This kind of leak is often caused by improper pipe fitting due to conventional installation and human error. "We innovated the technology to make our system 100% leak free by offering the PVC NELTEX Pressureline Pipe with machine-installed fixed seal solution that leaves zero gap and no margin for error," describes Avila. She assures that using this pipe system will help avoid frequent digging just to find leaks.
Likewise, major infrastructures built decades ago have pipes that are prone to leaks because they can no longer adapt to climate and environmental changes. Reinforced concrete pipes get corroded by the hydrogen sulfide present in wastewater so they should already be changed to chemically-resistant PVC pipes.
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| pipes where wastewater pass through should be chemically-resistant |
Avila reveals that road constructions are often slowed down due to pipe laying of reinforced concrete pipes, which are only one meter in length, are very heavy, and requires changing every two years due to corrosion. Jointing them is tedious and could be inaccurate thus the improbability of forming long, straight pipes. When concrete pipes are not jointed properly, water will not flow as fast and as smoothly and clogging may occur.
"We are offering a solution with the PVC NELTEX Sewerguard Pipe with Sewerlock Seal. It is flexible, lightweight, and six meters long," says Avila. Unlike concrete pipes that need plastering of cement and requires time to dry, NELTEX's pipes ensure fast installation and less jointing.
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| electrical pipes are colored orange |
With urbanization, it is ideal that electrical cables be installed underground. But, in a flood-prone country, electrical pipes should be highly durable, non-corrosive, water tight, and airtight. NELTEX meets these requirements with its impact modified PVC Powerguard Pipes joined together by means of a fixed seal technology called Powerlock that ensure the pipes to be 100% waterproof and airtight.
This goes for any house. Whether it's pipe for water, electricity, or wastewater, it pays to install high quality, albeit somewhat expensive, products that won't give you headaches in the long run. According to Avila, if you use NELTEX for both the outside and inside of a building, your piping system will not have a problem for at least 50 years.
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| paying attention to pipe installation at the beginning means less leak problems years later |
"We use high grade resin, impact modifier, and calcium carbonate. Some manufacturers use more calcium carbonate, which is a filler, in making their products. Thus, their pipes easily break even you step on them," she points out.
I asked her what stress tests they subjected their pipes to. "The standard is 80-50, ours is 80-55 meaning 80 megapascals and 55 impact. We did a Hataw Challenge last year using a hammer and our pipes were just flattened. They didn't shatter." They also had a vehicle run over the pipes and had the same result. "That's the easiest demonstration to show how tough NELTEX pipes are."
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ideally, storm drains should be separated from sewer lines
because treating storm water would be easier and faster |
Unfortunately, the reality at the moment is that government projects are usually awarded to the lowest bidders and it's us, the taxpayers, who don't get the quality of services that we deserve. "If pipes get repaired over and over, that's cost to end-users. If, from the start, you used pipes guaranteed to last for a long time, the expenses will be much lesser," rationalizes Avila.
One other notable thing about NELTEX pipes that you should know is that they are Heavy Metal Free (HMF) Certified. "Heavy metals, including lead content, can have harmful effects on people," states Avila. "So we eliminated those substances, not only from our water pipes, but also from our sanitary and electrical pipes because we are also protecting the workers who handle them."
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| NELTEX pipes are 100% government standard compliant |
"NELTEX is known to be the benchmark in the industry. By using our pipes, you can be assured that your system is 100% compliant to government standards," she ends.
