PVC sanitary and rainwater pipe (gravity drainage, DWV)

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Rigid PVC pipe per NTC 1087 for sanitary drainage, rainwater and venting by gravity, non-pressure. 7 diameters from 1-1/2″ to 10″ in 6 m lengths, with a Manning hydraulic calculation (n = 0.009), minimum slopes per NTC 1500 and a 60 °C (140 °F) maximum water temperature. No pressure class is assigned.

VT-164726 · PVC sanitary / rainwater pipe · 7 diameters 1-1/2″–10″ · 6 m lengths · price from COP $73,151 + VAT (Jul 2026, confirmed at quotation)

1. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

General specifications

Product	Rigid PVC pipe for sanitary drainage, rainwater and venting — gravity flow, non-pressure
Material	Rigid PVC Type II, Grade 1, per NTC 369 (as declared in the manufacturer's technical manual, Feb 2020 ed.); self-extinguishing thermoplastic compound
Product standard	NTC 1087:2024, Rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) pipes for sanitary, rainwater and venting use (ratified 2024-02-14). Fittings: NTC 1341:2006. Solvent cement: NTC 576
Regulatory framework	Resolution 501 of 2017 (Colombian Ministry of Housing): chemical composition and marking requirements for sanitary and rainwater pipes in Colombia
Service pressure	Not applicable. NTC 1087 assigns no pressure class: this data sheet publishes no working pressure (see section “Why it is not pressure pipe”)
Joint	Bell-and-spigot solvent-cemented joint per NTC 576; for 8″ and 10″ the lot presentation (plain end or bell) is confirmed at quotation
Commercial length	6 m (19.7 ft) lengths (confirmed at quotation)
Quality tests (NTC 1087 / ASTM D2665)	Water absorption ≤ 0.3% by mass · impact resistance ≥ 81 J (60 ft·lbf) at 23 °C (73 °F) (manufacturer-published summary)
Design code	NTC 1500:2023, Hydraulic and sanitary installations (sixth edition, ratified 2023-03-15)

Dimensions by diameter

Nominal diameter	Average OD		Minimum wall thickness		Reference ID		Note
	mm	in	mm	in	mm	in
1-1/2″	48.26	1.900	2.79	0.110	42.7	1.68	—
2″	60.32	2.375	2.92	0.115	54.5	2.14	—
3″	82.56	3.250	3.18	0.125	76.2	3.00	Sanitary-line OD: it does NOT match 3″ pressure pipe (88.9 mm / 3.500 in)
4″	114.30	4.500	3.30	0.130	107.7	4.24	—
6″	168.28	6.625	4.12	0.162	160.0	6.30	—
8″	219.08	8.625	5.34	0.210	208.4	8.21	Large-diameter line, DR 41 · 5.95 kg/m (4.00 lb/ft) · stiffness PS 28 psi
10″	273.05	10.750	6.66	0.262	259.7	10.23	Large-diameter line, DR 41 · 9.27 kg/m (6.23 lb/ft) · stiffness PS 28 psi

Catalog values from Colombian manufacturers under NTC 1087 (OD tolerance ±0.24 mm to ±0.36 mm depending on diameter for 1-1/2″–6″). The ID is a reference value: it varies with the wall-thickness tolerance. Each lot's wall thickness and certified standard appear on its marking (brand, material, standard, diameter, lot and resolution, per Resolution 501 of 2017).

2. DRAINAGE HYDRAULICS CALCULATION (MANNING)

For sanitary pipe the design criterion is not pressure but gravity drainage capacity. NTC 1500 (third update), clause 8.4.1, states it thus: “The slope of the sanitary pipe shall guarantee its capacity to evacuate the design flow, with a velocity between 0.60 m/s and 5 m/s (full-pipe conditions) or a minimum tractive force of 0.15 kg/m²” (see its Annex E: τ = γ·Rh·S). Every value used is declared below:

Q = (1/n) · A · Rh^(2/3) · S^(1/2) — Manning equation

n — Manning coefficient	n = 0.009 for smooth-wall PVC, per the Handbook of PVC Pipe Design and Construction (Uni-Bell), the value declared in Colombian manufacturers' data sheets. NTC 1500 (clause 8.14.3.1) requires adjusting roughness for aging, deposits and corrosion where applicable.
A — flow area	At half section (pipe flowing half full): A = π·D²/8, with D = reference ID. Drains are designed to flow partially full so air can circulate.
Rh — hydraulic radius	At half section Rh = D/4, identical to the full-pipe value; that is why half-section velocity equals full-pipe velocity.
S — slope	In m/m: 1% = 0.01 (1/8 in/ft) and 2% = 0.02 (1/4 in/ft).

Worked example — 4″ at 2%

1. Reference ID: D = 107.7 mm = 0.1077 m → Rh = D/4 = 0.0269 m.
2. Velocity: V = (1/0.009) × 0.0269^(2/3) × 0.02^(1/2) = 111.1 × 0.0898 × 0.1414 = 1.41 m/s (4.6 ft/s) — within the 0.60–5 m/s range of NTC 1500.
3. Half-section area: A = π × 0.1077² / 8 = 0.00456 m².
4. Half-section capacity: Q = 1.41 × 0.00456 = 6.4 L/s ≈ 23.1 m³/h ≈ 102 gal/min.

Half-section capacity and NTC 1500 check, by diameter

Diameter	V at 1% (m/s)	Half-section Q at 1%	V at 2% (m/s)	Half-section Q at 2%	Meets NTC 1500 at 1%?¹
1-1/2″	0.54	0.39 L/s · 6 gal/min	0.76	0.54 L/s · 9 gal/min	No (V < 0.60 and τ = 0.11 < 0.15) → install at 2%
2″	0.63	0.74 L/s · 12 gal/min	0.90	1.04 L/s · 17 gal/min	Borderline (V = 0.63) → practice requires 2%
3″	0.79	1.81 L/s · 29 gal/min	1.12	2.56 L/s · 41 gal/min	Yes (τ = 0.19)
4″	1.00	4.55 L/s · 72 gal/min	1.41	6.43 L/s · 102 gal/min	Yes (τ = 0.27)
6″	1.30	13.1 L/s · 207 gal/min	1.84	18.5 L/s · 293 gal/min	Yes (τ = 0.40)
8″	1.55	26.4 L/s · 419 gal/min	2.19	37.4 L/s · 593 gal/min	Yes (τ = 0.52)
10″	1.80	47.6 L/s · 754 gal/min	2.54	67.3 L/s · 1,066 gal/min	Yes (τ = 0.65)

¹ Checked against both criteria of clause 8.4.1: full-pipe velocity 0.60–5 m/s or tractive force τ = γ·Rh·S ≥ 0.15 kgf/m² (γ = 1,000 kgf/m³, Rh and S at full pipe). No diameter exceeds 5 m/s at these slopes. Theoretical calculation with n = 0.009 and reference ID: formal sizing by drainage fixture units belongs to the designer using the NTC 1500 tables.

3. MINIMUM SLOPE BY DIAMETER (NTC 1500)

Since its third update, NTC 1500 does not set a single slope percentage: it sets a performance criterion (clause 8.4.1: full-pipe velocity 0.60–5 m/s or tractive force ≥ 0.15 kg/m² — see the calculation section). The reference slopes appear in the standard's own tables:

• The maximum-load tables by drainage fixture units are “based on a slope of 21 mm/m” (≈ 2%); for 10 mm/m (1%) the standard says to multiply horizontal fixture units by a 0.8 factor (note 5 of the maximum-load table, NTC 1500 3rd update).
• Table 10.6.1 (maximum trap-to-vent distance) assigns the drain slope by diameter: 2% up to 2″ and 1% for 3″ and 4″.

Table 10.6.1 — assigned slope and maximum trap → vent distance

Trap size	Drain slope	Maximum trap → vent distance
1-1/4″	1/4 in/ft (2%)	1.5 m (5 ft)
1-1/2″	1/4 in/ft (2%)	1.8 m (6 ft)
2″	1/4 in/ft (2%)	2.4 m (8 ft)
3″	1/8 in/ft (1%)	3.6 m (12 ft)
4″	1/8 in/ft (1%)	4.9 m (16 ft)

Derived practical rule (verified in the calculation section)

• Up to 2″: minimum slope 2% (≈ 1/4 in per foot). At 1%, a 1-1/2″ pipe reaches neither the minimum velocity (0.54 m/s) nor the minimum tractive force.
• 3″ to 10″: minimum slope 1%, verifying that the design flow fits at half section (table in the calculation section).
• Maximum: no slope producing more than 5 m/s at full pipe (clause 8.4.1).
• Diameter is never reduced in the direction of flow (clause 8.4.4).

The cited clauses belong to the third update (2017) of NTC 1500; the current version is NTC 1500:2023 (sixth edition): the edition applicable to the project governs.

4. WHY IT IS NOT PRESSURE PIPE

PVC sanitary pipe has no assigned working pressure: it is manufactured under NTC 1087 for gravity drainage, and its wall thickness responds to stiffness and handling, not to a design pressure. That is why this data sheet publishes no service pressure: the product standard does not define one, and using this pipe in pressurized lines is a prohibited use.

Item	Pressure PVC (NTC 382, e.g. DR 21)	Sanitary PVC (NTC 1087)
Wall thickness at 4″	5.44 mm (114.3/21, by definition of the DR series)	3.30 mm minimum
Classification	By DR, with a constant working pressure per series (DR 21 → 200 psi at 23 °C, manufacturer manual)	No pressure class
Standard tests	Sustained pressure and burst (NTC 382)	Absorption, impact and extrusion quality (NTC 1087)
Fittings	NTC 1339	NTC 1341 (shorter bells, sanitary sweep radii)
Use	Pressurized water networks	Sanitary drainage, rainwater and venting by gravity

• Geometry is not certification: the OD/wall ratio of the sanitary line is equivalent to DR ≈ 35–41; although at 8″–10″ it numerically matches DR 41, sanitary pipe is neither tested nor certified for sustained pressure.
• The 3″ does not even match: the 3″ sanitary OD is 82.56 mm versus 88.9 mm for 3″ pressure pipe — fittings are not interchangeable at that diameter. At the other diameters the OD matches the IPS series, but sanitary fittings (NTC 1341) and pressure fittings (NTC 1339) are different products.
• Admissible test: the sanitary network undergoes a water-tightness test per NTC 1500 (test water column), not the hydrostatic pressure test of a water-supply network.

5. DRAINAGE SYSTEM VENTING

Venting keeps the air pressure of the drainage network close to atmospheric. Without it, every discharge creates negative and positive pressure swings that can siphon the water seal out of the traps and let sewer gases into the building. Venting is therefore part of the sanitary system, not an optional accessory, and the product standard NTC 1087 itself includes “venting” in its scope: vent runs may be built with this same pipe (a specific reduced-wall vent line also exists, 1.52–2.11 mm wall for 1-1/2″–4″ per the manufacturer's catalog, quoted as a separate reference).

NTC 1500 rules (third update, chapter 10)

• Connection (10.5.1): every individual, branch or circuit vent must connect to a vertical vent, a vent stack, an air-admittance valve, or be carried to open air.
• Slope (10.5.2): vent pipes must be sloped and connected to the drain so they drain by gravity (a vent holding water stops venting).
• Connection point (10.5.3): every dry vent connected to a horizontal drain must connect above the centerline of the pipe.
• Height (10.5.5): horizontal vent runs must be at least 152 mm (6 in) above the flood-level rim of the fixture served.
• Trap → vent distance (Table 10.6.1): every trap must have a protecting vent within the maximum distance by diameter and slope (table in the slopes section).

6. SANITARY SOLVENT-CEMENTED JOINT (NTC 576)

The system joins by bell-and-spigot with NTC 576 solvent cement and primer (cleaner). The joint is a cold weld: the solvent softens both surfaces and the PVC chemically fuses into a single piece as solid as the pipe. Procedure per the manufacturers' installation manuals:

1. Inspect pipe and fitting: no dents, cracks or fractures.
2. Dry-fit check: the spigot should enter about 3/4 of the bell depth.
3. Cut square (90°) and remove burrs and shavings from the cut.
4. The surfaces to be joined must be completely dry.
5. Apply primer to the spigot exterior and the bell interior: it removes impurities and grease and prepares the surface.
6. Apply solvent cement in a uniform coat to both surfaces, without excess: excess cement weakens the pipe and fitting wall.
7. Insert fully with a 1/4-turn twist to distribute the cement and hold the joint for a few seconds.

• Use NTC 1341:2006 sanitary fittings — not pressure fittings (NTC 1339), even if they “fit” at some diameters.
• Handling and set times depend on diameter, temperature and humidity: they are governed by the NTC 576 cement manufacturer's instructions.
• Before closing up the network: water-tightness test and inspection per the current NTC 1500 (as indicated in the manufacturer's manual); use sanitary test plugs.

7. MAXIMUM DISCHARGE TEMPERATURE

60 °C (140 °F) is the maximum temperature of water that PVC sanitary pipe can convey. The manufacturer's technical manual (Feb 2020 ed.) states it verbatim: “PVC is a thermoplastic material that can be melted by applying heat, so it must never be installed, stored or subjected to a heat source that could deform it. The maximum temperature at which it can convey water is 60 °C”. Consistent with that limit, manufacturers' PVC chemical-resistance tables are published at 23 °C and 60 °C: above that there is no service data.

• Sustained hot water above 60 °C (140 °F) softens the wall, deforms the pipe (it loses its slope: sags form and retain water) and compromises the cemented joints.
• Continuous hot discharges — industrial dishwashers, steam kettles, autoclaves, thermal equipment blowdowns — must be tempered before entering the PVC network, or run in a material rated for the actual discharge temperature.
• The pipe must also not be installed or stored next to heat sources that could deform it (same source).
• Several chemical resistances drop from 23 °C to 60 °C (for example, formic acid or naphtha go from acceptable to not recommended): for industrial discharges verify the chemical and its temperature, not just the chemical.

8. Application notes

9. Technical notice and limitation of liability