What is the difference in warranty among pipe materials?
The piping materials all have long warranties on workmanship and extrusion quality, etc. Copper institute says 50 years, the polyethylene manufacturer says 25 years, the PVC manufacturer says approximately 10 years. Each manufacturer may be a little different, however, they all have plenty of clauses for installation problems, soil conditions, water conditions, contaminated soils (petroleum), etc. The realistic service life of a service line in good soil, with compatible water quality and on a good base ranges from 10 years to 50 years. Copper pipe is the most proven reliable and in ideal conditions should last at least 25 years, black polyethylene should last at least 25 years (the Natural Gas Design Board rates the expected service life of polyethylene at over 50 years) and PVC should last at least 15 years.
