Have questions about plastic part or plastic pipe failure?

If so, how and why did a failure occur? What causes pipe failure? These are important questions you need answered accurately and right away.

Plastic is a more popular alternative to copper, aluminum, steel and other materials when it comes to manufacturing piping, tubing and other fittings. By 2003, an estimated 33% of all US pipe production was made with plastic — and the ubiquity of plastic has risen even higher in recent years with the concern over old lead pipes. In fact, as much as 80 percent of new municipal investment in water pipes could be spent on plastic pipes, according to a water advisory firm interviewed by the New York Times.

But as with any material, plastic isn’t perfect. CPVC, PEX and PVC pipes and components also fail from time to time.

Plastic pipe failure can be caused by any number of reasons: chemical contamination, manufacturing defect, installation defect, ESC, embrittlement, freezing, water hammer, aging, over pressurization, etc. These types of failures can cause extensive water damage and result in huge litigations and remediation costs. Our plastic pipe experts are highly experienced expert witness for litigation support. We also perform borescope inspection of CPVC fire sprinkler piping systems to determine if failures are caused by defective installation.

PLASTIC EXPERT GROUP HAS A DEEP WELL OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE INVESTIGATING PLASTIC PIPE FAILURE, INCLUDING PVC PIPE TESTING ANALYSIS. WE CAN PROVIDE EXPERT FORENSIC FAILURE ANALYSIS IN OUR STATE-OF-THE-ART TESTING LABORATORY.

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Common Pipe Failure Testing Methods

We’re able to quickly and accurately pinpoint the source of plastic failure by using a full range of testing methods:

• ASTM D3895 OIT Testing

• Microstructural Analysis

• Fractography

• Chemical Analysis

• Mechanical Property Analysis

• Chemical Compatibility Testing

• Corrosion Testing

• Accelerated Aging

• Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)

• Fatigue Testing

• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

• ASTM F442 Testing

• Macroscopic Evaluation

• Material Compatibility Testing

• Microscopic Evaluation

• Residue/Contaminant Analysis

• Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS)

• Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

• Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA)

IF NOT PROPERLY ADDRESSED EARLY, PLASTIC PIPE FAILURES CAN LEAD TO EXTENSIVE WATER DAMAGE, MOLD, AND HUNDREDS-OF-THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND REMEDIATION COSTS.

Regardless of which type of plastic pipe you’re working with — PVC, CPVC or PEX — it’s important to proactively test for failures and quickly analyze the root cause when a failure occurs.

Our plastic pipe failure consultants offer a number of A2LA certified tests including ASTM D543. We also offer on-site, non-destructive inspections of piping systems followed by customized remediation plans.  Our state-of-the-art CPVC, PEX and PVC pipe testing laboratory is fully equipped to provide comprehensive root cause analysis.

Need a plastic expert? Contact us to request a quote for our pipe failure testing and analysis services or tell us more about your problem.

Case Studies

Continue reading our case studies to find out how we helped businesses like yours solve their plastic defect problems.