Document
IGN 4-21-01 Issue 3 Ductile iron pipes and fittings
This note provided general information and guidance on ductile iron pipes and fittings for use in specific applications. It was prepared to coincide with the publication of two new European standards covering ductile iron pipes, fittings, accessories and their joints for water pipelines (BS EN 545: 1994) and sewerage pipelines (BS EN 598: 1994), which superseded the former British Standard for such products BS 4772: 1988. These new European standards had been developed in consultation with, and approved by, the responsible British Standards Committee PSE/10, the membership of which includes representatives from both the UK Water Industry and the ductile iron pipe manufacturers organisation, DIPA.
Caveats
The WUK Standards Board commissioned a review of IGN 4-21-01 that concluded in March 2023. Based on the review’s findings the Board determined that the document’s status should be changed from ‘current’ to ‘archived since:
- IGN 4-21-01 was written in 1994 and has not been updated since.
- Its aim was to help the industry with the transition from the old BS 4772 to EN 545 and EN 598 which were to be introduced that year. These BS EN standards have been updated twice since then and are now well embedded.
- The subsequent revisions to BS EN 545 and BS EN 598, as well as significant changes to the pipe wall thicknesses, corrosion protection systems and jointing systems available means that IGN 4-21-01 is now out of date rendering much of it incorrect or potentially mis-leading.
- IGN 4-21-01 no longer reflects the ductile iron pipes and fittings range currently available.
IGN 4-21-01, in its current state, therefore needs to be archived. Updating the document would be a significant exercise. There appears to be insufficient appetite from the two main ductile iron pipe manufacturers to fund an update. However, others have suggested it would be useful to have up to date guidance on ductile iron pipe systems, covering areas such as corrosion protection systems and their limitations, anchored jointing systems and their limitations and when internal seal coats should be specified. Another issue is the need for guidance on how to specify iron pipes when clients require a 100-year design life. Producing such guidance would be a significant undertaking requiring support from pipe manufacturers and water companies.
In the event of a consensus on the need for preparation of a new IGN the Standards Board would require the parties involved to form a Task & Finish Group to that end. For further information on how achieve this contact the Board’s Technical Secretary here.
One or more ‘Common Editorial Caveats’ apply – see ‘WIS & IGN Library / Navigation & Caveats’ for details.
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