Search

Building a new office block

Pipe Down: Choosing The Best Pipe Materials For Your Rainwater Sprinkler System

25 May 2017

Troy Medina

Any Australia with a green thumb will be well aware of the value of a good sprinkler system to protect their plants and lawns against the brutal heat of the sun -- however, sprinkler systems can also use large, environmentally-damaging amounts of water, so the ecologically-minded gardener will often choose to supply their sprinklers with harvested rainwater.

Installing a rainwater sprinkler system on your grounds can be an effective, guilt-free way to keep your gardens looking beautiful during the hottest months of the year. However, your sprinklers will require extensive piping systems to ensure they are supplied with rainwater, and sprinkler pipes can be made from a wide variety of different materials. These materials each have the own properties along with individual pros and cons, so make sure the piping you choose has the advantages you require before you invest in new sprinkler piping.

Copper piping

A premium plumbing material that is equally as useful both indoors and outdoors, copper piping is renowned for its longevity and total immunity to rust and corrosion. This makes copper piping an attractive long-term investment, as copper sprinkler piping will often last longer than the sprinklers themselves and can easily be reused. Copper is also an ideal material for sections of piping that remain above ground, such as risers and shrub sprinklers, as the green, organic-looking patina it develops blends in well with surrounding foliage. 

Unfortunately, this practicality comes at a price, and copper piping is one of the more expensive sprinkler piping options. In addition, copper piping of all kinds presents an attractive target for scrap metal thieves, so keeping any visible parts of a copper piping system suitably concealed is recommended.

Steel piping

Steel piping is an excellent short-term solution for supplying harvested rainwater to your sprinklers. It is very cheap, extremely strong and easy to fit, and an extensive steel piping system for your sprinklers can be installed in a matter of hours. Steel's strength is particularly useful, as it stands up well to lawn aerators, heavy lawn rollers and other gardening equipment which can damage more fragile piping materials.

However, steel piping has a very limited usable life, primarily due to rust problems that will fatally undermine the strength and structural integrity of your pipes over time. Some steel pipes are pre-treated with rust-resistant surface coatings (such as galvanised or powder coatings), but these coatings add to the cost of steel pipes and will not last forever.

PVC pipes

PVC pipes are made from polyvinyl chloride, an extremely strong and practical thermoplastic ideal for supplying rainwater to your sprinklers. Indeed, PVC piping has durability and load-bearing strength comparable to some metals and can be expected to give good service for many years with little maintenance. PVC piping is naturally immune to rust and corrosion and can withstand relatively high internal water pressures, making it useful for creating more widespread sprinkler systems requiring increased pressurisation.

Despite all of these advantages, PVC does has some drawbacks. Crucially, PVC can be very brittle and does not weather impact damage well, leaving PVC pipes very vulnerable to damage if they are located under flowerbeds, frequently aerated lawns or other areas commonly worked over with garden tools. PVC can also become crumbly and weak as a result of excessive sunlight exposure, so PVC piping should not be used for above-ground sections of pipe.

Click here for more information on choosing plumbing supplies!

Share