FlowGuard Gold® Pipe & Fittings: Making the Grade in the Education Market

Building and construction for the education market poses many unique challenges. Budgets continue to tighten at all levels of education from large, state universities to small, private elementary schools, and schools can’t risk having to repipe a building because of material failures. They need cost-effective piping solutions that last.

Scheduling a job is another challenge for schools, as most schools only shut down for holidays and summer breaks, meaning contractors need to get in, get a job done right, and get out before classes resume. Many schools need to update aging structures and outdated plumbing systems, requiring contractors to work in difficult-to-manage environments in short spans of time. As a result, they need plumbing system materials that can be joined easily, safely and quickly.

Contractors also need quality plumbing materials they can rely upon to be durable and in service for decades, minimizing the need for repairs or repipes in the demanding educational environment. For all of these reasons, contractors have been relying on FlowGuard Gold® Pipe & Fittings from The Lubrizol Corporation to address the unique challenges of the education market.

An Intuitive Choice for the Education Market

Specifiers and plumbing experts are installing FlowGuard Gold piping on campuses from coast to coast. The product allows them to reassure school officials that projects can be completed without quality issues, prolonged installation timeframes or elevated costs hindering progress.

Quality

FlowGuard Gold piping systems offer protection from corrosion, leaching, scaling and pitting—all of which gives it a notable advantage over copper piping when it comes to ensuring water quality. The lack of corrosion means no buildup on the inside of FlowGuard Gold piping over time, yielding improved hydraulics and a quieter flow than can be garnered from alternative materials. FlowGuard Gold piping also benefits from the highest cell class rating (as determined by ASTM International standards) of any CPVC piping compound on the market, exhibiting a higher impact strength and heat tolerance than other CPVC piping compounds. This is a key benefit to be considered by installers who may need to run pipe through cement or cinder block walls in an educational facility, and are concerned that pliable copper piping could be damaged and lead to eventual piping failure.

For all of these reasons, FlowGuard Gold piping is proven to last longer than copper and offers peace of mind for contractors wanting to get an education project done right, on time, and without needing to be revisited any time soon.

Such was the case in the Sterling Housing Development project at the University of California – Davis. Because school schedules were fixed and could not accommodate construction delays, Myers Plumbing Contractors made the decision to specify FlowGuard Gold Pipe & Fittings for the campus housing project. T.J. Daley, job superintendent for Myers Plumbing explained, “We could not have used copper— it would have taken at least four times longer for us to put it in. Additionally, the FlowGuard Gold piping system will never pit, scale or corrode regardless of water quality, which greatly reduces the risk of callbacks, premature failures and costly repiping.” Myers Plumbing Contractors recognized what many installers have—the quality of FlowGuard Gold piping makes a difference.

Installation Timing

The joining process of FlowGuard Gold piping gives it a major advantage over other materials for use in the education market. Timing is crucial in school projects as dormitories, classrooms and common living and learning spaces are only occupied for certain spans of time during the year, and any other closures of the space can mean that plumbing contractors lose money for missing their goals, and educational institutions and their students can be majorly inconvenienced. Even in older structures with concrete block walls that are difficult to work around, professional installers can quickly join FlowGuard Gold piping segments with solvent cement. Copper piping requires hazardous torches that may be difficult to maneuver in tight spaces for soldering or expensive tools and fittings for pressed joints, making it less optimal for an install or repipe project. For all of these reasons, plumbing contractors can feel secure knowing that FlowGuard Gold piping will help them get even complicated jobs done in the time span allotted.

Another education facility job where the simple installation of FlowGuard Gold piping played a key role was in a new construction project at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth. The plumbing contractor, NB Kenney Company, Inc., selected FlowGuard Gold piping systems for this job, explaining to the school decision makers that using FlowGuard Gold piping was the only way to meet a tight construction schedule. The project utilized between 80 and 100 union plumbers on the job site, and thanks to their choice of piping material, they completed the project on time and saved nearly $300,000 in material and labor in the process.

Cost Savings

Constant budgetary concerns for many educational institutions mean that initial material cost and the longevity of installed plumbing systems are important to officials in charge of construction contracts, especially in the case of large public schools.

While the education market has historically been widely serviced by copper pipes, FlowGuard Gold Pipe & Fittings are currently significantly less expensive than copper and have almost zero theft value versus the high theft value of copper, making the system an obvious choice from a material cost perspective. Since FlowGuard Gold piping is corrosion-, scaling- and pitting-resistant and copper is not, FlowGuard Gold piping has an advantage when it comes to longevity as well, as it will likely never need to be repiped.

One recent instance where the cost-effectiveness of FlowGuard Gold piping proved to be a benefit was at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the nation’s oldest technological university. Plumbing contractors, Collett Mechanical of Albany, N.Y., were responsible for the decision to change the specifications from traditional copper to corrosion-resistant CPVC. The company specifically chose FlowGuard Gold Pipe & Fittings for the project to offset skyrocketing copper prices and because of its significant performance advantages. Joe Collier, project manager at Collett Mechanical, said, “We found that not only could we save substantially on material costs using the FlowGuard Gold piping system, but we also significantly reduced our labor costs due to the fast and easy installation process.”

The Right Answer for Schools

No matter what type of school—elementary or college; no matter what sort of building—dormitory or recreation center; and no matter what sort of project—new construction or repipe of a 200-year-old building, FlowGuard Gold Pipe & Fittings have a great track record of success in the education market across the country. That is the benefit of being the most widely used CPVC plumbing system in the U.S.

Partnering with an industry leader means you can approach every job knowing you have the very best plumbing products for schools needing cost-effective, long-term solutions. The
next time you have to work a job for an educational institution, remember to rely on a name you already trust.

You can read more about how various contractors have benefitted from installing FlowGuard Gold Pipe & Fittings in educational institutions at lubrizolcpvc.com. You can also learn about the environmental benefits of using FlowGuard Gold Pipe & Fittings in the recent Commercial Building Products magazine spotlight on the LEED Gold Certification of Muskogee Community Hospital in Muskogee, Okla.