Over the past three decades, since introducing the Energy Policy Act in 1994, the plumbing engineering community has seen higher incidents of drain line blockage and pipe corrosion. To address the issue, cast iron pipe manufacturers have offered epoxy or zinc-phosphate, electro-deposited products to stand up to corrosion. Other manufacturers have promoted existing corrosion-resistant materials to replace cast iron such as thermoplastics polyvinylchloride (PVC) and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). The cause of waste pipe corrosion has been studied and well documented, and this article provides some background and explains the various causes of blockages and corrosion and what is being done about it.
A gradual but steady evolution of the water conservation and sustainability landscape in the United States urged manufacturers of plumbing products to develop new fixtures that consumed less water for operation while the plumbing engineering community continued to keep abreast of the latest code requirements, technologies, and consumer expectations.
