CEE Experience with Market Development of Plastics Gravity Pipe Networks and Plastic Chambers

Plastics were well known in plumbing in the middle of 30’s of last century. With development of production technology bigger pipe diameters became available in plastics as well. What was available in Western Europe in 50’s and 60’s was also available in CEE countries one decade later due to licenses or own technology development. Anyhow gravity pipe networks consist not only of pipes but of other elements like chambers, too. Anyone can realize how big market can be of chambers if one installs thousands kilometers of pipes in Europe. How big problem could occur when poor quality chamber is installed everyone can realize, too. First trials with plastics chambers were carried out in late 70’s. These trials were done with GRP / GRE solutions. But the real success has started in next decade. In that time other plastics like PVC were tested, then PE and PP solutions as well. The major success was noticed in small diameter chambers (<500 mm / 20 inch) in Scandinavia and France. In Scandinavia, small inspection chambers were used on laterals as well as on mains because man access to sewer is not recommended because of safety rules. In France, there have been hundreds thousands of chambers used as “around a house” solutions. With such experience European plastics manufacturers entered new CEE countries at the beginning of 90’s when after political break in 1989 most of these countries were opened to new technologies. But it was not easy to promote new technologies where the market was mostly oriented to heavy industry products like concrete, clay, iron. This paper will tread about : - incredible development of plastics penetration on CEE markets in general - change in pipe network scheme building - new range of plastic chambers - new equipment for operating the pipeline.