Types Of Pipe Clamp Fittings – Using Pvc-u To Design Chemical Drainage

By Author: Albert Jakeman
Total Articles: 9
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Chemical drainage systems may demand a specific type of pipe clamp fittings to be used. Normally these are PVC pipe fittings – made from PVC-U, which is extremely chemically resistant and so may safely be used in a number of chemical drainage designs without worry.

It is of course always necessary to check that PVC-U is suited to the drainage requirements of a particular chemical situation. It’s also very important that the system designer be aware of the reactive properties of the gasket or seal he or she will be using to marry the pipe clamp fitting to the pipework.

There are a number of common types of PVC pipe fittings. These include the elbow joint; the T joint; and the coupling joint.

The coupling joint is used to join two bits of PVC pipe together in a straight line. Coupling style pipe clamp fittings may be of uniform diameter – or they may have a graded diameter to allow the designer to fit pipes of different diameters to each other. This may be of use when providing pressure in a system, as well as for simple tasks like marrying taps with small supply connectors to a larger central pipe. ...
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The T joint allows the system designer to fit three lengths of PVC pipe together in a t shape – one pair forming a straight line, with the third coming out of that line at a 90 degree angle. The T joint may also have a reducer function, normally by having two identical diameters on the crossbar, but a smaller one on the t’s leg.

Elbow PVC pipe fittings allow the system designer to run pipework in flowing lines, following the lines of stud walls or desks, for example. The line made by the pipe is technically a single one (as it is when coupling PVC pipe fittings are used) – only with an elbow joint the line wanders through a series of different degrees. Again, reducer elbows may be used to fit pipes of different girth into the same system.

There are a number of considerations the chemical drainage designer must pay attention to when putting together plans for a new system. As with anything to be fitted into a laboratory environment, one of the first considerations is to do with end use. The likely chemicals to be present in the system will dictate not just the kinds of plastic pipe clamp fittings used, but the types of materials that may be used to seal them together.

In many ways it’s the material used in the seal that is the real issue for the chemical drainage system designer. Where rubberised seals are used, two potential problems may occur.

The most common problem for any drainage system designer is that his or her rubber gasket seal is made from a compound that reacts badly with the plastic in the PVC pipe fittings. Types of seal must be considered carefully before completing the design of the chemical drainage system, lest a slow-burning reaction between the pipe and the sealant cause a later leak.

Albert Jakeman has been working in the field of pvc pipe fittings, pipe clamp fittings for twelve year now. In this article he is sharing some valuable information with us on pvc pipe fittings and pipe clamp fittings. For more information to visit http://www.pipekit.co.uk/shop/12_PVC-U