Building Services

Plastic piping systems are fundamental to every building project. Applications include hot and cold water supply, heating and cooling including underfloor heating, district heating, ventilation, air conditioning, sprinklers and wastewater from sanitary appliances and rainwater runoff from roofs.

Technical Guidance

   
Guidance Manufacturers and Suppliers - Contact details
Domestic hot & cold water supply and central heating systems v4   BPF Pipes Group members
District heating systems v2 BPF Pipes Group members                                   
Warm water underfloor heating systems BPF Pipes Group members
Air admittance valves for domestic properties v2 BPF Pipes Group members
Managing sound transmission inside buildings    BPF Pipes Group members
Waterless traps BPF Pipes Group members
Discharge to drains from domestic properties  
Sealing gaps around pipes in buildings  
Testing the lifetime of plastic piping systems for domestic applications v2  
Discharge from unvented hot water storage cylinders into plastic sanitary pipework systems v2  

Specification Guidance

 
Specifications for pipes and fittings for hot and cold water applications and heating inside buildings v4 November 2023

Webinars

 
Air Admittance Valves - An introduction | 13th July 2021 
The Right Choice - The role of EPDs in the selection of pipe systems | 2nd September 2021

Environmental Bulletins

A series of six bulletins to introduce Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and how to use them in building design to aid product choice for sustainable plumbing systems. 

Environmental bulletin 1: Introduction
Environmental bulletin 2: Life Cycle Assessment
Environmental bulletin 3: Balancing Environmental Impacts
Environmental bulletin 4: Interpreting Environmental Product Declarations
Environmental bulletin 5: Applying Your Knowledge
Environmental bulletin 6: Asking the Right Questions - making choices

Benefits

Plastic hot and cold plumbing systems offer many benefits. The pipe can be used straight from the coil and cut to length in situ. They are lighter in weight and easier to transport than metal materials. The ability to bend pipes to fit reduces jointing and wastage. Plastic piping systems do not corrode and are resistant to the build-up of limescale. No mechanical noise results in a quieter system and hot pipes are cooler to the touch. Increased demands for energy efficient buildings have led to an increase in the installation of radiant surface heating systems such as underfloor heating and an increase in building insulation within the property. These well insulated buildings therefore also need ventilation and air conditioning. Plastic piping systems are used extensively for these applications, not only in new building but increasingly in renovation projects. Specialised plastic piping systems are also increasingly used in highly aggressive industrial applications.

Plastics have a lower carbon footprint through their life cycle than other materials for pipes. When they reach their end of life, they can be recycled meaning they have an important role to play in contributing to the circular economy.

PVC-U rainwater systems have been in use for decades as gutters, downpipes and fittings in domestic housing throughout the UK. Soil and waste plastic piping systems are light, easy to handle on site and simple to install. Their advantages have made them the common choice in most markets.