Canvas delivery pipe 2″×30m

Canvas delivery pipes, often referred to as lay-flat hoses, are flexible, collapsible hoses primarily used for temporary water transfer in various applications. They are highly popular in Kenya due to their portability, ease of storage, and durability.

Key Characteristics and Uses:

• Material: While traditionally made of cotton canvas, most modern “canvas” delivery pipes are actually constructed from a synthetic woven fabric (often polyester) with an inner lining, usually PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) or sometimes rubber. This PVC/rubber lining is crucial for making them waterproof and resistant to abrasion and chemicals.
• Flexibility and Lay-Flat Design: This is their most distinctive feature. When not in use, they flatten completely, making them extremely easy to roll up, transport, and store in compact spaces, unlike rigid pipes.
• High Pressure Tolerance: Despite being flexible, they are reinforced (e.g., with woven yarn reinforcement) to withstand significant water pressure (often rated in PN bars, e.g., PN4, PN8, PN10, PN13). This makes them suitable for use with water pumps.
• Durability: They are designed to be resistant to tears, abrasions, UV damage, and often various chemicals. They generally do not rot.
• Lightweight: Compared to rigid pipes of similar capacity, canvas delivery pipes are much lighter, simplifying deployment and retrieval.
• Common Lengths: Typically sold in rolls of 30 meters (M) or 50 meters (M), but longer or custom lengths might be available from some suppliers.
• Common Diameters: Popular sizes include 1.5 inch, 2 inch, and 3 inch, but you can find larger diameters (e.g., 4 inch) for higher flow rates.
• Connection: They often come with threaded connectors (male and female) on the ends, making it easy to join multiple rolls for longer distances.

Primary Applications in Kenya:

• Agricultural Irrigation: This is a major use. They are commonly connected to water pumps (petrol or electric) to deliver water to sprinkler systems, drip lines, or for flood irrigation. Their flexibility allows them to follow terrain easily.
• Construction Sites: Used for dewatering (pumping out water from excavations), supplying water for mixing concrete, dust suppression, or general cleaning.
• Fire Fighting: Heavy-duty canvas hoses (often red) with specific pressure ratings are used as fire hoses to deliver water from hydrants or fire engines to the fire.
• Dewatering/Flood Control: Effective for quickly moving large volumes of water from flooded areas or for drainage projects.
• Industrial Water Supply: For temporary water transfer in various industrial settings.
• Swimming Pool Backwash: Used for draining water from swimming pools during cleaning or maintenance.