Water Pipe Material in Hospitals - NHS Scotland

An interesting extract

"Scottish Health Technical Memorandum 04-01:"

The control of Legionella, hygiene, ‘safe’ hot water, cold water and drinking water systems

11.8 The materials generally used for the conveyance of water in healthcare premises are stainless steel or plastics. Copper is only used in exceptional circumstances such as, an extension to existing premises with short life expectancy, or very small stand alone premises. Where this is specified, only lead-free solders should be used.

11.9 Substances leached from materials of construction of pipes, cisterns or other water fittings in contact with water must not adversely affect the quality of water stored or drawn for domestic or food production purposes (Water Byelaws (Scotland) 2000).

11.10 Direct gas-fired water heaters are particularly prone to corrosion and scale formation, and the inside of these heaters should be provided with suitable linings to limit these effects. Steel pipes and fittings

11.12 The character of water in Scotland is such that steel, whether galvanised or not, should not be used at all for domestic hot and cold water installations. Any existing premises with such pipework shall have this scheduled for early replacement.

Stainless steel

11.13 Stainless steel is being increasingly used in hot and cold water service systems. Reference should be made to SHTN 2: ‘Domestic hot and cold water systems for Scottish health care premises’.

Copper pipes and copper/copper alloy fittings

11.14 As described previously, careful consideration will be required if copper pipework and fittings are to be specified for healthcare premises in Scotland. Where this is considered to be acceptable either due to the size of the project or the anticipated lifespan of the facility, the following will apply.

11.15 Copper in general is resistant to corrosion. Unless resistant to dezincification, brass fittings must not be used where water conveyed is capable of dissolving undue amounts of zinc from the fitting. External protection from corrosion for buried pipework may be obtained by using copper tube with a factory-applied polythene sheath.

http://www.hfs.scot.nhs.uk/publications/1265986939-v24%2520SHTM%252004-01%2520Part%2520A.pdf

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Effect Of Galvanized Pipe Upon Water

Zinc coatings on the surface of galvanized iron pipe are attacked and dissolved by some waters almost as energetically as is lead pipe. Zinc is also dissolved to a considerable extent from brass pipes. At Cwmfelin,* in Wales, galvanized iron pipe that conducts water from a spring to the town, a distance of one-half mile, was found to change the character of the water as shown by the following analysis:

At Spring At Delivery

Nitrogen as nitrates..... .8 114

Total residue .... . . 154.3 270

Zinc carbonate .... ... none 91.6

Effect Of Metals On Health

Kind of Pipe Action of Water Effect upon People

Lead pipe..... Dissolves lead Dangerous

Tin or tin lined lead No effect No effect

Galvanized iron .... Dissolves zinc Injurious

Tin lined iron..... No effect No effect

Brass pipe .... Slightly dissolves Objectionable

copper and zinc

Plain iron .... Rusts and dissolves Objectionable

Aluminium No effect No effect

Nickel..... No effect No effect

Benedict nickel .... No effect No effect

The action of water upon galvanized iron pipes is almost as energetic as upon lead pipes, and under suitable conditions will dissolve equal amounts of metal from each. However, the effect of the zinc upon the health is not dangerous but only injurious, because zinc is not a cumulative poison, and so long as the initial dose is not sufficient to cause illness or death, the effect is soon thrown off without apparent injury. Lead, on the contrary, even when taken in small doses, remains in the system until sufficient poison accumulates to cause serious illness or death, or if the initial dose is of sufficient strength the effect may be immediately fatal.

http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/construction/plumbing/Principle-Practice/Effect-Of-Galvanized-Pipe-Upon-Water.html

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Extending the Life of Japanese Apartments

An ‘all-stainless-steel’ piping system aims to extend the life of residential high-rises
By T. Kohga

Nickel Magazine, March 2008 -- The Japanese Stainless Steel Association (JSSA) has entered into a 3-year program designed to expand the use of long-lasting nickel-containing stainless steel in residential high-rise piping systems throughout the country.

The advantage of the all-stainless-steel piping system, as it’s called, is that the plumbing systems in high-rise buildings will last longer and require fewer repairs, thanks to the durability and corrosion-resistance of stainless steel.

With Dr. Kyosuke Sakaue, Professor of Meiji University as a leader of the JSSA team, both the Nickel Institute and the Japan Valve Manufacturers’ Association are participants in the government-subsidized project, which focuses on water supply and drainage pipes, as well as fire-fighting equipment, in collective housing.

JSSA proposed this program in response to a report tabled in May 2007 by the Housing and Land Investigation Committee of the then-governing Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

According to the report, titled 200-Year Housing Vision, the average apartment building in Japan lasts only 30 years, compared with 55 years for American homes and 77 for English ones. The short lifespan is an economic burden for residents as well as a hindrance to conservation efforts.

The report urges the housing industry to adopt, as its goal, an average lifespan for all residential housing (including high-rise buildings) of 200 years. Future high-rises will be characterized by energy conservation, harmony with the surrounding environment, earthquake resistance, and regular and easy maintenance.

Most Japanese housing is multi-unit, consisting of both shared and private spaces. The report suggests that piping systems in shared areas be considered part of the whole “skeleton” of the residential structure. This concept calls for the installation of durable, stainless steel valves, reducing the need for repairs and expanding the life of the entire piping system.

Another advantage to longer-lasting housing will be a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Dismantling and rebuilding structures call for the production and transportation of pipes, valves and other materials, which in turn causes carbon dioxide emissions. The shift toward durable piping, and away from continuous replacement, will inevitably create a reduction in those emissions, as well as in overall energy consumption.

These and other benefits show how the country’s 200-Year Housing project is in keeping with the JSSA’s goal of developing demand for stainless steel products while contributing to environmental sustainability.

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Stainless Steel Piping Survives Earthquake Shocks

Earthquake-resistance tests have shown that stainless steel piping systems (joined by mechanical couplings) exhibit good air tightness and do not leak.

At a full-scale earthquake-testing facility, nicknamed “E-Defense,” the tests were jointly conducted by Japan Stainless Steel Association (JSSA), Building Research Institute, an Incorporated Administrative Agency, and National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention to evaluate the earthquake resistance performance of building materials and components.

The evaluation entailed building a 21-story “skeleton” high-rise. Between the first and fourth floors, a system was built to simulate earthquake shocks on floors 5 to 21. The power of the simulated shocks was based on the strength of earthquakes anticipated to occur in the Tokai and Tonankai regions of Japan.

JSSA is working on the technical development for super durable all stainless piping system, and this development includes a research on earthquake resistance tests for stainless steel piping system for 200-year housing. Accordingly the test results greatly help JSSA to promote a broad 3-year program for expanding the life of Japanese residential high-rises. (See the March issue.)

www.NickelInstitute.org

Nickel, vol. 23, no. 4, october 2008

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