The transformation of San Diego’s North Embarcadero waterfront into the Portside Pier development was a joint project by the Port of San Diego and its restaurant partner Brigantine. Pacific Building Group (San Diego, California) was selected as the general contractor to oversee construction of the new concrete piles and a concrete pier with a two-story framed structure atop it, housing four dining establishments. For the hot and cold domestic water supply to these restaurants, the plumbing specification called for piping to be below the pier, and for this piping below the pier to be corrosion-resistant CPVC ranging from 3" down to ½".
The reason for CPVC: this piping would be exposed to the bay’s salt water and air. “Corrosion resistance was the primary criterion for pipe selection on a project with so much exposure to salt water,” said Susie Slater, SE, PBG’s project manager for Portside Pier. The reason for Corzan® CPVC: because Corzan is a CPVC compound that is specifically made for commercial plumbing applications.
Corzan® CPVC handles exposure to salt water and air without corrosion concerns.
When exposed to the same chemicals that can degrade and reduce the service life of many metallic materials, a properly installed Corzan Piping System merely handles the exposure as part of its regular duty because its smooth surfaces are resistant to corrosion, inside and outside the pipe walls. It can also accommodate wide swings in pH in the fluids it comes in contact with, never pitting or scaling.
Supplier Support and Training Key to Problem-Free Piping Installation
Working with Corzan Piping Systems, PBG was able to carry out the unusual installation problem free. Due to the below-pier location, work had to be conducted from floating barges and scheduled to coincide with low tide periods. Lubrizol Advanced Materials Territory Representative Jeff Landon met with the installing contractor ahead of time to ensure the availability of all piping and ancillary materials at the job site, to address the proper methods for accommodating pipe expansion and contraction, and to identify the right transition fittings. He also conducted installation training for the plumbing contractor’s crew.
“The reason we did this training is because we want no leaks,” Landon said. He explained that it’s an objective well within reach of any crew that is new to using CPVC for pressurized water installations – as long as the Corzan piping is installed according to simple but very precise solvent welding procedures.
In fact, “when a properly installed solvent cement joint cures, the connection is stronger than the pipe itself and is the strongest part of the domestic water system,” Landon said. This type of joining method eliminates the need for torches and other complicated heat fusion techniques, reducing installation time significantly.
