Poly Pipe prices vary but our poly pipe prices guide may be useful for you.

No, Poly Pipe does not require thrust blocking. The only exception to this rule is when poly is being adapted to another material which does require thrust blocking, such as PVC with rubber ring joints.

Yes. Poly pipe is primarily made as all black poly and has the following colours added to the external of the pipe as a stripe, to allow signification of the contents contained within the pipe; blue stripe poly is used for potable water, yellow stripe poly is used for natural gas and LPG, lilac or purple stripe poly is used for recycled or non-potable water, cream stripe is used for pressure sewer, red stripe poly is used for fire mains and green stripe is used for rainwater.

Yes, Poly Pipe is UV resistant and UV stable and will not structurally degrade from UV light. After a lengthy period of direct UV light contact, the external surface of the pipe changes visually to a slightly waxy look, but this does not affect the performance of the pipe and is removed by a rotary pipe scraper prior to electrofusion welding.

For poly pipe, the difference with SDR and PN is as follows. SDR stands for Size Dimension Ratio, whereas PN stands for Pressure Nominal. SDR is used to calculate the wall thickness of a pipes given outside diameter, for instance an 110mm OD pipe with an SDR11 rating, has a wall thickness of 10mm (110÷11=10). PN gives the pressure rating of a pipe or fitting, measured in Bar. For instance a pipe rated PN16 is capable of restraining a pressure of 16 Bar. For poly pipe manufactured from PE100 material, the following SDR’s are commonly used; SDR11=PN16, SDR13.6=PN12.5, SDR17=PN10, SDR21=PN8, SDR26=PN6.3, SDR41=PN4. PIPA are a good source of information on PE pipe installation.

Yes. Poly pipe has excellent chemical resistance properties. For a full list of compatibility to chemicals, please check PIPA’s plastic pipe chemical resistance charts

For a large number of reasons, some of which are as follows; (a) poly pipe is flexible and can withstand ground movement without breaking or leaking at the joints; (b) poly pipe is resistant to all forms of corrosion and can withstand highly saline or toxic soils; (c) does not require thrust blocking in most applications; (d) can be pulled through trenchless boring methods for minimal site disruption.

Poly pipe in Australia is measured in OD (outside diameter in millimetres). DN stands for Diameter Nominal, NB stands for Nominal Bore and OD stands for Outside Diameter. Poly pipe in Australia, when referred to correctly, is not referred to in NB.

Poly pipe is joined by either electrofusion or butt welding and both types of joining require the OD to be constant and consistent for the welding to be successful. Therefore poly pipe is referred to and measured by, it’s Outside Diameter (OD), in millimetres (mm). For more information on OD's and ID's refer to our polypipe sizes chart.

The difference between electrofusion and butt welding is as follows. Poly pipe electrofusion utilises an electric coil built into a socket that when plugged into an electrofusion welder, heats the plastic in both the electrofusion socket and the poly pipe, to the correct temperature for the plastics to melt and fuse (join). Poly pipe butt welding utilises a heater plate machine (butt welding machine) that heats the ends of the pipes to the correct temperature and at the right pressure, for the pipe ends to melt and fuse (join).

Yes, poly pipe can have multiple services buried in a common trench, due to the fact that we can make poly pipe in different colours and also due to the fact that it can withstand ground movement without requiring thrust blocking.

In the early days of poly pipe, the material used to manufacture poly pipe was PE50 and PE80. These materials were correctly referred to as MDPE, or medium density poly-ethylene. This terminology has stuck when poly pipe manufacture has moved to mainly being made from a PE100 raw material, which is correctly referred to as HDPE, or high density poly-ethylene.

Yes, PE100 pipe can be welded to PE80 pipe. With butt welding, you will notice a slight difference in the external beads. You will also need to match the pipe wall thicknesses prior to welding, which can be done by routering an internal mitre. PIPA are a good source of information on PE Pipe

Yes, when the medium contained within poly pipe is higher than 25 degrees, temperature reratings come into play. View the PIPA Temperature Rerating technical guidelines for PE pipes

There are varying factors that will influence the decision on whether to use butt fusion or electrofusion for the joining of Poly pipes. Firstly, accessibility. Electrofusion is particularly suitable where access is tight, such as in trenches or around other pipes. Secondly, Pipe size. Electrofusion is available for poly pipe sizes from 20 mm up to 710 mm diameter, whereas butt fusion is available from 50 mm up to 2000 mm. From a cost effectiveness aspect, in most applications, Electrofusion is more cost effective than butt welding up to approx 160 mm diameter, whereas butt welding is more cost effective thereafter, however, this is not always the case and each installation method has its own merits, depending on the situation. Thirdly, Installation method. If the pipe is to be installed using directional drilling, then electrofusion is not normally used. Finally, experience. If the operators are trained and experienced in butt welding but not in electrofusion, or visa versa, then stick with what they are experienced in, or, invest in training them (most courses can be completed within 1-2 days).

Yes, Butt Fusion and Butt Welding of Poly Pipe are the same thing. Butt Welding utilises a butt welding machine to hold the pipes, align and heat the pipe ends and bring them together under constant pressure to cool, forming two pipe pieces into one. Butt Fusion is a term more used in the United States, however there is no difference between butt fusion and butt welding.

Yes, Poly Pipe is a green solution for today's buildings. It is safe when manufactured, utilised and burnt. It helps conserve both water and electricity, as there is no leakage of water through the joints, reducing pump cycles.

Yes, poly pipe, which is made from PE100 or HDPE, is safe for drinking water applications and contains no harmful toxins or chemicals such as BPA.

The thermal expansion rate of HDPE PE100 Poly Pipe is approx 2.0 mm per metre per 10 degrees Celsius. For example, a straight 100 metre long pipeline, that sits on the or above the ground surface and is installed in 20 degree ambient temperature, will expand by 190 mm longitudinally when ambient temperature becomes 30 degrees. If the same installation above is a buried application, the pipe will maintain a similar temperature to the earth it is buried in and therefore the expansion will be considerable less. The temperature of the medium contained in the pipeline, especially if it is flowing and constant, will also help reduce the overall expansion. Methods for controlling expansion for above surface installations are varied, but include flanged rubber bellows (EPDM expansion joints), snaking of pipe, changes of direction with bends, shading of pipe or you can use white co-extrude poly to reflect heat away.

PE100 is a version of HDPE material, as is also PE80. HDPE stands for High Density Poly Ethylene. In Australia, many plumbers refer to HDPE Drainage pipe as HDPE and Poly Pressure pipe as MDPE, however, that is technically incorrect, as both types of pipe in Australia are actually made from HDPE.