The heart of any piping system is its service life and, from that, its life-cycle cost. Capital resources are nearly always limited when it comes to infrastructure investment. All too often the selection of a piping material is predicated solely on its initial purchase price without due consideration to its projected life cycle cost. Plastics piping systems with their inherent chemical and corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, ease of installation, and strong, leak-free joints are an extremely attractive alternative to more traditional piping products such as steel, ductile iron, copper or concrete when analysed on a life cycle cost basis.