PVC Fun Facts

• PVC was invented in 1872, but not patented until 1913. Originally used primarily to make golf balls and boot heels, it has grown to the second most produced plastic in the world. Odds are that your shower curtain is made of the same plastic as the pipes that bring the water to the shower.
  
  

PVC Pipe Durability

• PVC has been tested extensively under multiple conditions, from high temperature to corrosive environments. As long as it is used in environments less than 140F, there is no effect on the function or lifespan, and because it contains UV resistant materials, it can be used outside with little degradation. If painted, PVC pipe suffers virtually no ill effects and since PVC contains no metals, it is impervious to corrosion -- a process which requires electrically conductive materials.
  
  

PVC Pipe Lifespan

• European tests in the 1930s indicated that PVC pipe had the capability to survive more than 100 years. Since then, engineers around the world have utilized PVC pipe in projects where they expect it to last as long as 200 years. This means that for almost every application, PVC pipe will likely outlast the structure in which it is used.