Are the joints fused per an AWWA specification as with HDPE?
AWWA C906 for HDPE gives very general guidelines that would not be specific enough or appropriate for actual pipe fusion. AWWA C906 eventually refers to Plastic Pipe Institute Technical Report 33 (PPI-TR33) which in turn specifies temperature and pressure ranges, but eventually acknowledges that other procedures are viable and pipe manufacturers should also be consulted. UGSI would meet these specifications if they were written for PVC. However, UGSI goes a step further by only allowing fusion to be accomplished by technicians that have been trained through a 2-3 day course held by the company. UGSI has the sole patent for PVC fusion and therefore does not require an industry standard to govern proper fusion techniques by potentially unqualified field personnel. UGSI will only license a fusion contractor after contractor personnel have been trained in the techniques of PVC butt-fusion by the company.
