The Advantages And Disadvantages Of PVC Plumbing Fittings
These days, PVC plumbing fittings are available for both plastic and metal pipes. They also come in a wide variety of types and are available for pretty much every diameter of pipe, making installing PVC plumbing fittings a quick and easy process that doesn’t call for any special fitting skills.
Plastic pipes provide many benefits over copper, bronze or steel pipes, among which the most important is probably the fact that they have a wonderful capacity for corrosion-resistance. This is why PVC pipes and pipe fittings are suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.
When you connect PVC pipes for plumbing, the glue that you use to seal them actually melts the top layer of the two pieces of PVC material, thus causing the molecules of the materials to mix together and resolidify. The process creates a solid, airtight and watertight seam. Once you spread glue on your pipe and the joint, you melt the outside layer of plastic on both the pipe and the joint, so you combine material from both pieces. A permanent bond is formed that cannot be corrected afterwards. This is why it’s essential that you ensure that everything is correctly measured and placed before you glue.
PVC plumbing fittings are used to connect PVC pipes or pipesm made from different materials, such as stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass or bronze. There are a number of fittings including tees, 3 way, 4 way and elbow valves. Tees are fittings in the shape of the letter T. The top of the T is where the continuous pipe runs and the vertical section will be a branch connected to it. If the branch line passes through the T, you have a fitting in the shape of a cross known as a 4 way tee. 4 way tees are similar to the side outlet elbow except that the side outlet runs through the elbow, with an opening of the same size on each end.
There are codes in certain areas prohibiting female PVC fittings for water pipes. A female adapter can crack because the pressure is exerted outwardly. It is instead generally better to use PVC male adapters with metal female fittings. They incorporate a reinforced stainless steel ring and reduce problems related to over-tightening, offering a leak tight seal for plastic to metal transitions.
It is recommended to use PVC glue only on PVC pipes, as there are glues manufactured for a specific plastic. You should also keep in mind, if you’re carrying out your own installation, that polyethylene, nylon or other polyolefins are not compatible with most glues, and do not actually require it anyway.
People have been known to use PVC fittings and pipes for compressed air or gases, but this classes as a singularly silly move on the part of any homeowner or industrialist. You see, air is more compressible than liquids, and can cause explosions that will generate far more force when bursting through a relatively elastic substance such as plastic. Instead, go for bronze fittings, possibly with stainless steel fittings for their superior corrosion resistance at the joints. All that said, PVC plumbing fittings are viable for just about any other kind of application, and are among the most popular plumbing fixtures in use today.
