Plastics are used for numerous purposes both in domestic and industrial contexts. Since there are many types, it is important to understand the qualities of the types of plastic you are choosing. This will help you determine if it suits the purpose that you want it to serve in your home. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a type of plastic designed as a general-purpose plastic because of its physical and chemical characteristics. In homes, you can use PVC for piping and construction products such as window frames. The following are a few characteristics of PVC plastics to help you make the right choice when choosing plastics for building applications:

PVC Works With Many Additives 

The chemical qualities of PVC allow it to mix easily with different substances. This means that PVC can be manufactured in different colours and with varying flexibility. For ease of identifying your utility supply lines, you can choose different colours for each line. For instance, white PVC can be used for water plumbing while grey ones are installed for gas supply. If you have a large network of pipes running through the building, it is easy to identify them during maintenance and repairs. Moreover, PVC also works with additives that make it very flexible, facilitating easy installation on bends and around obstructions. This is unlike other types of plastics such as the high-density polyethylene plastics.

PVC is Fire Retardant

PVC plastic is also suitable for your building applications because of its fire retardant attribute. Essentially, a fire retardant material contains a substance or chemical that slows down its rate of burning. PVC is made using hydrogen, carbon and chlorine. The chlorine content helps to put out the fire in case the PVC plastic is ignited. In addition, PVC releases less heat whenever it is ignited, unlike other plastics such as polyethylene. This means that there is lesser risk of the fire spreading to other items that are close to the PVC plastic material. The fire retardant attribute of PVC makes it ideal for building applications in kitchen spaces.

Durability

Strength is another desirable quality of PVC pipes. When setting up pipes, windows and other utilities in the house, the plastic materials used will be exposed to many corrosive elements such as oxidation. Thankfully, PVC plastics are resistant to oxidation, which occurs naturally because of oxygen and moisture present in the atmosphere and underground. This makes PVC ideal for use in open air and beneath the ground because the PVC plastics will not degrade. However, it is important to note that prolonged exposure to ultra-violet rays can accelerate PVC degradation. Therefore, you should avoid PVC plastic fittings on places such as rooftops.   

Share