# What Kind of PVC is This?



## jeb6294 (Apr 20, 2011)

Our shady (at best) Turkish contractor who is building our wastewater treatment plant was supposed to use Schedule 80 or glavanized steel for the air diffuser piping. Since you can flex the pipe just by squeezing it, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they used a much crappier grade of PVC. Just for the record, this was all put in long before I got here and the PVC in question were below the waterline (they filled the plant with clean water to test the equipment) so we couldn't even see it until they just drained the tanks to fix some cracks in the concrete. What kind of second rate PVC did they install?


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## Supe (Apr 20, 2011)

EN1452 is a standard for UPVC lines for UG/AG drainage and water supply. Not sure about the other markings.


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## Capt Worley PE (Apr 20, 2011)

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/225500028/UPVC.html



> Quick DetailsType: Other Plastic Building Materials SpecificationsResin: UPVC, Unplasticized Polyvinylchloride
> 
> Colour: Gray
> 
> ...


Cavet: Just cuz it is marked that way doesn't necessairly mean that's what it is....


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## jeb6294 (Apr 21, 2011)

Yeah, they're the kings of counterfeit everything here.

We already got a pissy letter from the contractor bitching that we're making them fix it even though the specs spell it out clear as day, but then we went out this morning and they were already starting to dismantle everything to replace the crappy pipe.

Oddly enough, they had a truckload of Schedule 80 pipe out there when we drove by the plant this afternoon...a day and a half after I sent the email. Funny thing is, we have to initial off on any shipment they are bringing on to the base. If I had to guess I'd say the Schedule 80 was here the whole time but they figured they'd put in the cheap stuff and then charge sombody else to use the good stuff on a project somewhere else.

Gotta love working with contractors in Afghanistan...makes the worst ones at home look like geniuses.


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