Polypropylene pipes are gradually becoming the most widespread. There are reasons for this. Polypropylene pipes and fittings are relatively cheap. The connection of the fitting and the pipe does not flow subsequently, it can be called almost eternal, like the pipes themselves. But it is important to understand how to solder polypropylene pipes. Remember that the right technology is the key to success.
Soldering technology
The welding process (soldering) is easy to impossible! Polypropylene becomes elastic with thermal heating - it goes into a state that can be compared with plasticine. When the material cools, its structure hardens sharply. Scientifically, this process is called polyester welding. When you gain sufficient experience in welding polypropylene pipes, then it will seem incredibly easy to you.
Soldering techniques
Now solder in two ways. Coupling is the connection of two pipes using a special coupling or piece of pipe, which has a diameter greater than two elements to be welded. This method is used if the pipes to be welded have a diameter of less than 63 mm.
Direct soldering is simply joining two adjacent pipe faces without any third additional elements. This option is preferable in terms of aesthetics, but more difficult in terms of performance.
To perform this (direct) soldering experience is required. How to solder polypropylene pipes? Both of these options are considered correct, each method has its own nuances and features. You will make the choice yourself, but more often for domestic use they are soldered with the help of couplings.
Soldering iron
For soldering by any of the methods described above, special equipment will be required, and in particular, a special soldering iron. If you understand the design of the soldering iron for polypropylene pipes, then it is a "close relative" of the iron. The main part of the device is a massive heater. The bases for special removable nozzles supplied with the device (metal blanks of various diameters) come out of this heater.
If we are talking about how to solder polypropylene pipes with our own hands, then the soldering iron described above is suitable for us. It is household and suitable for soldering using couplings. If we touch on industrial soldering, then we need a special soldering iron for brazing butt-jointed polypropylene pipes. Structurally, such a soldering iron additionally has a system for centering the elements to be welded.
Soldering irons can also be divided by power. As a rule, power significantly affects the price of the soldering iron, although there are other components in the pricing of the device.
Welding procedure
The main rule: soldering should be carried out while ensuring good ventilation of the room. Polymer melting causes toxic substances, if you inhale them in excess, then significant damage will be done to human health. It is also worth having protective gloves, goggles and a respirator. But, it is worth repeating with the main rule, which should not be neglected. How to solder polypropylene pipes in terms of the safety of your health? With an influx of enough fresh air!
At what temperature should solder polypropylene pipes?
If you use a specialized soldering iron for pipe welding, and other options cannot even be considered, then you should not even have questions about the correct welding temperature. Your soldering iron is always equipped with a green indicator, when it lights up, you can begin to work. If the temperature issue is of interest to you simply for general development, or your soldering iron is equipped with a handle for setting the soldering temperature, then the welding temperature of polypropylene pipes is 260 degrees. Before welding two pipes, they chamfer and these places are degreased.
Soldering time
In matters of how to solder polypropylene pipes, time is an important factor. A short exposure time on a soldering iron will not melt the elements well, which will lead to poor connection. If you overexpose the elements on the soldering iron, then they will begin to deform and change their structure, which also does not guarantee a high-quality connection.
If your welded pipe has a diameter of 20 mm, then you need to stand it on a heated soldering iron for about 8 seconds, the same amount of time will be needed to weld the elements to each other. The cooling rate in this case is considered to be 2 minutes.
If you weld pipes with a diameter of 40 mm, then warm them up for 18 seconds, for high-quality welding you will need to hold adjacent elements for about 20 seconds, the time for complete cooling is 5 minutes in this case.
If your elements to be welded have diameters between 20 mm and 40 mm, then you can independently calculate all the parameters based on the examples given by us.
Pipe welding with reinforcement
Let's consider in detail how to solder reinforced polypropylene pipes. Here the main point is the removal of the protective material. What for? Let’s make it a little clearer. You also need to understand that the foil in the pipe structure (reinforcing layer) requires additional heating.
The peculiarity of soldering such pipes is their increased diameter, as a rule, such pipes are not suitable for household soldering irons. To solve this problem, pipes must be cleaned before the soldering process. You can use a special seamstress (trimming for polypropylene pipes) for this, the principle of its operation is slightly similar to a pencil sharpener. The bead is needed to remove the outer layer from the pipe, the trimmer removes the inner layer of the pipe. The device is selected based on the location of the reinforcing layer on the pipe.
An exception to the above are pipes that are not reinforced with aluminum, but with fiberglass. In this case, everything is standard and without complexity. Now you know how to solder polypropylene pipes for heating, because the reinforcing layer is present only in polypropylene pipes with a purpose for heating.
Common errors when welding pipes
In order to avoid mistakes, there is no need to rush. There are several common mistakes that are made when soldering polypropylene pipes:
- Left grease film on the pipe (forgot to degrease).
- Indirect cutting angle of the elements to be welded (the edges were crookedly cut).
- Weak fit of the end of the pipe inside the fitting (little work experience).
- Insufficient or too long warm-up of soldered parts (little work experience).
- Poor removal of the reinforcing layer from the pipe (carelessness).
- Correction of the location of the parts to be welded after their initial polymer setting (small work experience).
When you know a lot about how to solder polypropylene pipes, this question does not seem complicated to you. Piping made of polypropylene helps you noticeably save not only your money, but also your time. There is one point that confuses many people when choosing polypropylene pipes is their allegedly aesthetic. But, it is worth noting that no pipes look attractive. If possible, it is advisable to do concealed installation of any pipelines.