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For Quiet Pipes, Corzan® CPVC Gives You the Silent Treatment

Noise reduction is an ongoing challenge in buildings where there are multiple occupants, such as hotels, college dormitories, hospitals and apartments. The noise associated with water flow and water hammer (a pressure surge or wave caused when flowing water is forced to stop or change direction suddenly) can disturb or even wake neighbor occupants during a late-night trip to the bathroom or shower.

That’s why building owners and facility managers turn to Corzan® CPVC, the superior material for minimizing water flow and water hammer noise. In fact, tests show that Corzan CPVC is four times quieter than a copper plumbing system.

Third-party noise emission testing on behalf of Lubrizol on 2″ Corzan CPVC pipe joined with solvent cement and 2″ type L copper with soldered joints tells the story. The testing showed that Corzan CPVC pipe had a sound level of 31.7 dBA, and the copper pipe had a sound level of 49.9 dBA. The human ear interprets this difference of 18 dBA as being four times as loud. It was the first time that the noise differential had ever been quantified.

Testing was conducted referencing procedures outlined in ISO-3822(99), “Laboratory Test on Noise Emission from Appliances and Equipment Used in Water Supply Installations,” and modified to allow noise level comparisons of CPVC and copper pipe of equal diameter. With the modification, the 1” diameter galvanized pipe specified by the ISO Standard was replaced with the CPVC or the copper pipe supply lines.

In both cases, an INS (Installation Noise Standard) reference fixture was used as a noise source. The operating conditions were maintained at a nominal 43.5-psi with a flow rate of approximately 4.5 gallons per minute. The noise level (dB) was recorded in 1/3 octave frequencies from 80 Hz to 10,000 Hz over a time interval of one minute.

In addition to Corzan CPVC’s many other benefits—including corrosion resistance, fast and easy installation, and cost reduction—its ability to reduce concerns relative to water flow noise make Corzan CPVC the ideal choice for a wide variety of commercial applications. Learn more.

 

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