Keywords
Plumbing, chlorine decay, stagnation, TOC, water quality
Presentation Type
Poster
Research Abstract
Drinking water safety is critical to the health of populations worldwide, and modern plumbing infrastructure can influence drinking water chemical characteristics. Inside residential and commercial buildings however, water use and contact with different plumbing components can vary. For example, water can endure lengthy stagnation periods and residual disinfectant agents like chlorine can decay, leaving the water vulnerable to microbial growth. Plastic cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes have become popular and have shown to influence water quality. While several studies have been carried out on chemical leaching from PEX piping, none were found that examined the role of pipe diameter in relation to chlorine disinfectant decay. The study goal was to better understand chlorine decay in PEX piping associated with stagnation and pipe diameter. Different diameters (3/4”, ½”) of the same brand of PEX pipe were first obtained and cleaned. PEX pipe were filled with a laboratory prepared synthetic water with about 2 mg/L as Cl2 at pH 7.3 and stagnated up to 3 days at 50°C temperature. Chlorine disinfectant level, pH, and total organic carbon concentration were characterized periodically. Results will be compared against water samples that were not exposed to PEX pipe for the same time period.
Session Track
Environment and Sustainability
Recommended Citation
Emerson M. Ringger, Andrew J. Whelton, Tolulope Odimayomi, and Maryam Salehi,
"Indoor Premise Plumbing: The Relationship Between Water Stagnation, Chlorine Decay, and Total Organic Carbon Levels"
(August 2, 2018).
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium.
Paper 39.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/surf/2018/Presentations/39
Indoor Premise Plumbing: The Relationship Between Water Stagnation, Chlorine Decay, and Total Organic Carbon Levels
Drinking water safety is critical to the health of populations worldwide, and modern plumbing infrastructure can influence drinking water chemical characteristics. Inside residential and commercial buildings however, water use and contact with different plumbing components can vary. For example, water can endure lengthy stagnation periods and residual disinfectant agents like chlorine can decay, leaving the water vulnerable to microbial growth. Plastic cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes have become popular and have shown to influence water quality. While several studies have been carried out on chemical leaching from PEX piping, none were found that examined the role of pipe diameter in relation to chlorine disinfectant decay. The study goal was to better understand chlorine decay in PEX piping associated with stagnation and pipe diameter. Different diameters (3/4”, ½”) of the same brand of PEX pipe were first obtained and cleaned. PEX pipe were filled with a laboratory prepared synthetic water with about 2 mg/L as Cl2 at pH 7.3 and stagnated up to 3 days at 50°C temperature. Chlorine disinfectant level, pH, and total organic carbon concentration were characterized periodically. Results will be compared against water samples that were not exposed to PEX pipe for the same time period.