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Advantages, disadvantages and scope of application of polypropylene pipes

 All kinds of technologies are constantly developing in the modern world Including those related to the production of various types of materials At the moment, we will not talk about how important it is to choose the right characteristics for plumbing, plumbing, heating and other systems We will only note the fact that today such a material as polypropylene has become increasingly used He did not avoid the sphere we are considering – polypropylene pipes are currently one of the most common Moreover, they are equally successfully used in the installation of systems both in industrial buildings and in residential premises

Classification of polypropylene pipes

Polypropylene pipes are a kind of unique product in their structure Their production is based on a polypropylene copolymer We are talking about polypropylene, which has additional ethylene molecules in its structure This allows you to make the pipes more durable and high-quality These characteristics explain the extensive use of this type of pipe

For the production of polypropylene pipes are used:

• PPH is a propylene homopolymer;
• PPB - copolymer of propylene, ethyl alcohol or block copolymer;
• PPRC-static copolymer with ethyl alcohol or random copolymer (abbreviation-PPR)

 The most common type is pipes made of a third type of copolymer This is due to the fact that this type of pipe is more durable and reliable than the other two In addition, they can be operated even with sharp temperature changes from minus 10 to plus 90 degrees And if the temperature increase is short-term, then pipes of this type can withstand heating even up to 110 degrees And when water freezes pipes of this type will not freeze and their structure will be completely preserved

At the moment, several types of pipes made of polypropylene are being produced

These pipes are mainly used for creating systems

• Hot water supply;
• heatings;
• cold water supply;
• ventilations;
• sewerages

 The scope of application of a particular type of polypropylene pipe depends mainly on the reaction to a sharp increase in temperature

In addition, all pipes are classified into separate types depending on their ability to withstand high pressure:

• 1MPa (PN10 pipe) - used for organizing cold water supply systems (at a water temperature of +20 degrees), creating a heated floor (up to +45 degrees), as well as organizing air conditioning systems
• 1.6 MPa (PN16 pipe) - used much less often than the first type The main application area is laying of cold and hot water supply systems (at water temperatures up to +60 degrees) and Underfloor heating
• 2 MPa (PN20 pipe) - used for laying similar systems with water temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius
• 2.5 MPa (PN25 pipe) - a pipe with the addition of fittings, used mainly for the formation of hot water and heating systems

 All variants of manufactured pipes are characterized by certain characteristics, which include the thickness of the material and the diameter of the pipe itself:

• PN10-material thickness 1,9-10 mm, diameter-20-110 mm;
• PN16 – material thickness of 2.3 – 15.1 mm, diameter 16 – 100 mm;
• PN20 – the thickness of the material 16 is 18.4 mm, diameter 16 – 100 mm;
• PN25-material thickness 4-13.3 mm, outside diameter-21.2-77.9 mm

 At the moment there is a mass production of pipes in various colors In fact, all of them, except for black pipes, have equal characteristics As for black pipes, they are more durable and reliable, since they are used for laying air pipelines In addition, they are reliably protected from UV rays

 Pipes for heating systems

Heating systems have their own characteristics Therefore, only reinforced pipes can be used when laying them They are also divided into several types

• With the addition of fiberglass;
• Reinforced with aluminum foil embedded in the inner part of the pipe Such pipes can be connected without the use of glue or other binding element;
• Reinforced with aluminum on the outside;
• Reinforced from the inside with a composition of several components

 If aluminum is used as a reinforcing element, then regardless of whether it is located inside or outside, these pipes are quite easy to expand However, they are not easy to connect, especially when using fittings or soldering technology As a rule, the ends of such pipes need to be cleaned by welding  Fiberglass, unlike aluminum, will not allow the pipes to expand much, but they are easy to install, without the use of additional equipment

 Advantages and disadvantages

Standard tubes made of polypropylene, have a large coefficient of expansion This can be called their peculiar disadvantage, but if such pipes are reinforced and are used for laying thermal systems, they are considered more resistant to various types of temperature effects As for the advantages of polypropylene pipes, the main one is a long service life Under standard conditions, these pipes can last up to 50 years And if you use them as part of a cold water supply system, this period increases by 2 times At the same time, almost all variants of polypropylene pipes produced today fully meet the quality standards of both national and international

 In addition to the service life, polypropylene pipes have a list of other advantages:

• Reduced time for transportation and installation of pipes This is primarily due to the much lower weight of polypropylene pipes-about 9 times as compared to conventional metal pipes For this reason, polypropylene pipes are easy to transport to any location, and the installation process does not take much time;
• Prevention of corrosion and other adverse processes, due to the special composition of the pipe;
• During the movement of water, the pipes practically do not make noise, due to the high absorption coefficient;
• Resistance to sudden changes in temperature, characteristic of polypropylene of certain types

 The main parameters of choice

If you have decided upon the organization of any system for the use of polypropylene tubes, then when choosing them you should pay special attention to separate parameters

 The most significant criteria are:

• pipe diameter;
• maximum pressure that a particular pipe can withstand;
• linear expansion;
• maximum permissible temperature values at which pipes can be operated

 Polypropylene pipes cost much less than anything else When choosing them, you should be guided, first of all, not even by the parameters recommended by us, but by the recommendations given by the manufacturer This is almost guaranteed to prevent various kinds of negative consequences that may occur during the operation of pipes Special attention should be paid to the choice of pipes for the heating system Since they will interact with very high temperatures, their performance should also be high In particular, such pipes should be reinforced, since they are more stable In General, if the pipes are operated at low pressure and not too sharp temperature changes, they can be almost any (but in any case, they must correspond to the scope of application)

Use of fittings for connecting pipes made of polypropylene

The organization of the heating system requires a special approach to the choice of materials for it The most suitable material is polypropylene reinforced pipes But one pipe is not enough to make a system out of it When connecting branching pipes it is necessary to use elements such as fittings Moreover, they are available separately for polypropylene pipes

All fittings used for connecting polypropylene pipes differ based on their diameter At the same time fittings of small sizes are practically not produced In industrial and main pipelines, you can use very large diameter fittings, but they are not suitable for home use This is explained by the fact that when using reinforced pipes, their wall thickness is too large, so it is not easy to choose fittings for them Install fittings by soldering to the end of the pipe To do this, use a regular soldering iron, heated to a temperature of about 250 degrees

The most common fittings for polypropylene pipes with a diameter of 20 to 40 mm

If shut-off valves are used when connecting the fitting to the pipe, then you must also purchase additional elements, which include flanges

In addition to the size, there is another parameter that distinguishes the types of different fittings It's about their form The most common are fittings of the following shapes

• Coupling;
• Adapter;
• Corner;
• American;
• Tees;
• Collectors;
• Crosses;
• Bypasses

 When connecting a pipe with a fitting, pay attention to the fact that the composition of both elements is the same That is, if the pipes are made of reinforced fiberglass, then the fittings for them must be made of the same material

The only exception to this rule are situations When a polypropylene pipe is connected to a metal one (such situations are quite common) In this case, the fitting can be made of any material, but its mandatory element must be a nut with a thread of the American type (the so-called American)

The choice of fittings is also influenced by the location of the pipes, as well as the way they are connected Depending on this parameter Fittings are of the following types:

• Straight;
• Y-shaped;
• T-shaped

Based on the principle of connection (connection), fittings are also divided into 2 types:

• Compression (crimp);
• Welding

 Fittings of the first type (welded) are made immediately in a complete set For this reason, their installation does not take much time and is quite simple In addition, they do not have to be collected additionally, since you buy the finished product immediately Their main advantages, in comparison with welded structures, are

• The absence of any difficulties in the installation;
• Since the installation is not difficult, almost everyone can handle it;
• Installation of fittings is possible without the use of additional equipment;
• Resistance to negative temperature As a result, crimp fittings can be installed at any time of the year and in any weather

 Welded connecting elements

Coupling is one of the simplest and most commonly used types of fittings Externally, it is a kind of barrel, with a diameter about the same as the pipes themselves Installation of such fittings does not present any difficulties at all The main sphere of their use is heating, hot and cold water supply systems, as well as laying main pipelines

The coupling is an excellent element that can be used to connect both conventional and reinforced polypropylene pipes However, despite its popularity, other types of fittings are often used, among which the most common are tees Collectors and corners

The tee is used when branching the pipe into an additional one A distinctive feature of tees is their ability to withstand high temperatures (up to 95 degrees) They can be used for connecting pipes of the same or different diameters

The collector is one of the most frequently used elements when organizing a cold or hot water supply system, as well as when laying a heated floor Most often it is used to connect a pipe to a heat source Can be used in conjunction with ball valves

Corners are used when connecting pipes When you need to change their direction at right angles They are used in cold and hot water supply systems and allow connecting pipes of different diameters (although this phenomenon is relatively rare when laying a water supply system)

To connect pipes of high quality, you need not only correctly selected fittings The basis of work is welding equipment But in addition to it, you may also need all sorts of additional tools In order not to search for everything in different places, it is much easier to purchase welding kits They are cheaper compared to individual parts, and are suitable for almost any type of work They can be used equally successfully both at home and on an industrial scale

The connection of a polypropylene pipe with a metal one is somewhat separate As already noted, conventional fittings are not suitable for this purpose Instead, you need to use special ones, one of the mandatory elements of which is the thread type " American»

The American is a kind of team clutch At one end of it is a nut With which this fitting is screwed to a metal pipe At the other end is a conventional coupling, which is connected to the polypropylene pipe by welding

American is an indispensable element when laying heating systems, as well as hot and cold water supply, consisting of different materials In addition, it is perfectly suitable for connecting systems consisting of two lines, as well as main pipelines intended for transporting cold water