Many cities and municipalities discount the use of stainless steel for water pipes due to the initial cost, however, a full analysis proves that not only is it the best material of choice, but when factoring in the total life of the project it is also a very cost effective solution. Case studies show that stainless steel can reduce leakage in water pipes by up to 100%.
LIFE CYCLE CO
STING CALCULATIONS FOR WATER PIPES
Sassda has used its Life Cycle Costing (LCC) App to confirm the ISSF LCC calculations with actual costs.
Using the assumptions outlined on the right, the following results were ascertained.
- LCC of 316 was much cheaper than other materials.
- Other material’s total cost will be more than four times higher. Economics of using stainless steel will decrease if real interest goes up and/or life span of competing materials increase.
A sensitivity analysis was done over a duration of time with regards to interest rate fluctations. These showed that stainless steel has the cheapest LCC using net present values up to a maximum real interest rate of 11.93%. Furthermore, even if the plastic pipes lasted 50 years, rather than 20, they would still be 1.7 times more expensive than 316 stainless steel.
