HDPE Pipe

NSF 60/61 is for potable (drinking) water plumbing pipe and fittings.

HDPE is widely used for water containers and water tanks. I can't easily find a USDA rating. My opinion is if it's translucent (not dyed or filled) it's OK to use.

There's a lot of misinformation (some 40 years old) here: 'Shade Balls' Used to Conserve Water in California

It's mostly to do with the purity of the materials used in construction of the pipe and fittings. Most HDPE stuff now meets NSF 14 requirements with regard to burst strength etc. so the difference now is purity. Here in Australia HDPE potable water pipe and fittings have a blue stripe, sewer has a green stripe, and recycled has a purple stripe.

Thanks for the shade ball link , which brings up another question, does Clorine degrade PEX used in potable water systems ?

Yes, to a point.

" PEX should be manufactured to meet ASTM F876 and F877 which requires that the piping be resistant to oxidative degradation upon exposure to chlorinated water as determined following ASTM F2023. For PEX to meet ASTM F876 and 877, the PEX material must be stabilized by the addition of additives to counteract the degrading effects of chlorinated water on the material"

PEX Pipe Failure - Plastic Failure Labs

Now the decision becomes the expected life of the system.

You might want to ask some local suppliers or plumbers.

Personally, I would be more concerned about the pipe's previous service. And will it be protected from sunlight exposure?

Be careful where you get any used HDPE pipe.

Find out what the HDPE pipe has been used for conveying because black HDPE is more porous and absorbs some chemicals used in industry then releases them when exposed to water.

Black HDPE can also absorb heavy metals.

Be careful where you get any used HDPE pipe.

Very true.

When we would do a "pump around" on one of our sewage lift stations, we would rent the large 6" HDPE piping, have it placed and welded together and then the pipe would transport raw sewage for approx 2 - 3 months or longer.

Without knowing where the pipe was last used and what it transported, I wouldn't use or reuse used HDPE piping!

Most livestock will drink out of fecal contaminated mud holes on the lands. I wouldn't worry about it.

Hey Rob!

(Sorry, got Svengoolie on the brain today, I'm quoting his newest character, Body Cirrel.)

If you were offered two steaks, cooked to perfection, with a delightful grilled-on glaze of A1, that looked identical. Then was told that cow A was given fresh water in a stainless steel trough, while cow B drank 'fecal matter milkshakes' from the muddy puddles in its pen, which steak would you prefer?

You wouldn't want to eat sausage either. Sometimes, ignorance is truly bliss.

Fair enough.

But by marketing the one as 'fed clean water and not muddy poo-puddles,' it creates a sense of a cleaner/superior product in the mind of the consumer.

I'm reminded of that one fishery that was trying to get the white-fleshed salmon it caught accepted by the consumers. "Garunteed not to turn pink in the can." Supposedly, one of his competitors, who caught the pink-fleshed variety of salmon replied with a marketing campaign of "No artifical whiteners used." Both sides were making true statements, neither was directly attacking the other product, but the public perception was being altered by what was NOT said.

Too bad more people don't understand what is not said is usually the most important thing.

Um, what was NOT said in those example, WAS the part the advertisers wanted the people to think about:

"Garunteed not to turn pink in the can!" (Then why does the other Salmon turn pink? Is there something wrong with it?)

"No artificial whiteners used!" (Does that mean the other salmon DOES use artificial whiteners?)

What people need to do is to learn Critical Thinking, then they won't fall for these 'headology⁽¹⁾' attacks. The problem is twofold: 1) Our government pushes for national standards that teach basic skills in school, bot specifically does NOT teach Critical Thinking, instead it teaches submission to authority, and 2) Most 'homeschool' situations do the exact same thing, teaching Submission to Authority instead of Critical Thinking. The only difference between the two is who/what is considered the 'Authority' to be submitted to: Government appointed officers -vs- "Paw" or "Minister/Reverend/Preacher."

Notes:

1. As used in the Terry Pratchet books, primarily by the Witches. One scene in a book had a man approaching Granny Weatherwax's cabin in the woods for some potion to cure his chronic backache. The door opened on its own, and Granny addressed him by name while still in the chair facing the fire, her back squarely to the door. SHE told HIM why he came, and pointed out the potion sitting on the table. She instructed him how to use it, and then asked for help getting up from the chair, as '...[her] old bones get creaky sometimes.' While he tried to help her up, ballances were lost and regained, and somehow he ended up spun around with her knee in his spine and her hands pulling back hard on his arms. He didn't even notice that quiet 'pop' his spine made when she did that. After he left, Granny sat back down and mused on how easy it is to get into the villagers heads with a little 'theatre.' The 'potion' is just a rubbing liniment, which will make him feel like he's doing something magical while his muscles just relax into their normal states over the week following her little chiropractic manipulation. She knew from the gossip around town that he was having back problems, and was likely to come see her. She took a moment to appreciate how a black thread could be strung through the rafters of a gloomy cottage and be completely invisible if you didn't know what to look for, and how a well-ballanced and properly oiled door (barring ONE hinge that is just dry enough to creak ominously) could be pulled open by such a thread. And finally, she knows her window looks out into the woods, where she can clearly see a curve in the path that leads to her house, and could observe anyone approaching long before they reached her door, although she didn't use the window that morning, she has watched his approach in the fire⁽²⁾.
2. The Diskworld Witches KNOW real magic, but they are 'wise women' and know when a more practical solution would work just as well. Doesn't mean they NEVER use magic, they're just conservative about it⁽³⁾.
3. Which contrasts against the Diskworld Wizards who KNOW magic and ACTIVELY refrain from using magic, as they know that the energy required for a spell is the same as the energy required to achieve the same effect without magic. Well, that and the fact that by the time one learns enough magic to summon pretty, scantily-clad ladies at will, one has forgotten what one is supposed to DO with said ladies. So they just hang out in the Universery, have big feasts, and hide from the wizarding students so they don't have to teach a class⁽⁴⁾.
4. The Universary is a satirical take on British institutions of higher learning.
   

I haven't been to a feed lot in a long time, but, pretty sure that the "potable" water used probably has lots of "impurities" in it as well. The way hogs are raised, pretty much the same thing, as goes for most commercially raised animals these days. The only difference is that free range have probably the largest bathroom in the world which allows for some dilution, where as commercial operations confine the waste to a specific area, which just happens to be where feed and water are consumed.

After all, what we eat was developed from feral animals and even those excrete where they drink and eat. It works well to develop their immune system.

They also used the HDPE for pumping the toxic waste from TiMet Corp too. I wouldn't touch that waste with a 20' pole

.

You have convinced me to stay clear of used pipe , thanks

Jazzman,

Sorry if I went off on a tangent but I've seen how and where the HDPE piping is used and it is used and reused in many different applications so what I was saying is if you can get some new HDPE that hasn't been used to pump chemicals or sewage, you should be in good shape.

Someone else pointed out that you can call the manufacturer and ask them if their pipe can be used for potable water for livestock!

Good luck in your endeavor!

Oh, yes. The pipe manufacturer can! If one uses Google to determine the pipe manufacturer, it is often surprising how many telephone numbers will come up. The individual that can answer the question is at the end of one of those numbers.

Ask for "technical support" on getting through to the switchboard.

Lyn is quite correct about HDPE pipe needing to conform NSF Standand 60/61. It should also conform to NSF Standard 14 as well for contact with potable water.

Alternatives to HDPE piping can include PVC piping (namely Sch. 40 or 80) if it meets the aforementioned NSF Standards, as well as PVC water main piping conforming to American Water Works Association (AWWA) C900 which is using in municipal water distribution systems.

http://www.harvel.com/technical-support-center/product-specifications/pvc-pipe-schedule-80

The OP didn't say whether he was pumping the water, or if it was fed by gravity flow.

Thank all of you for the great info