In order not to spoil everything with low-quality pipes when wiring the heating system, it is necessary to choose the "correct" manufacturer and pipes of the corresponding category. There are a lot of manufacturers of polypropylene pipes in the world, but it has not yet been developed one system markings and often products from the same material, with similar characteristics, have a different designation. Nevertheless, some designations are standard, and knowledge of them will facilitate the choice of material with the required technical characteristics.

Characteristics and marking of polypropylene pipes

To navigate the names and understand the difference, let's talk a little about grades of polypropylene... Any of them is designated by two Latin letters: "PP" or in the Russian-language version "PP". Further, there may be numbers or other letters that "mask" types of materials:

It is PPR pipes (PPR in Russian) that are considered the best, safest and most reliable at this stage. PPR, PP-random products can be used in centralized heating systems, as well as individual, if there is a gas or liquid fuel boiler. If a solid fuel boiler with automatic protection against overheating is installed (it works at a coolant temperature of 95 ° C), a special polymer can be used for wiring the heating system, which has increased resistance to temperatures: PPs. It normally tolerates the internal environment at 95 ° C and short overheating up to 110 ° C.

If there is a solid fuel unit in the system without automation, no polypropylene will withstand. Then you will need either copper or steel pipes for wiring. Polypropylene can be used in networks with such a boiler only in the presence of liquid heat accumulators, which smooth out temperature drops, increase the safety of the system and reduce the cost of heating, while increasing its comfort.

The next thing to look out for is pressure... This parameter is marked with the Latin letters PN, and the numbers behind them indicate the nominal water pressure that this pipe can withstand for 50 years at an ambient temperature of 20 ° C. Pipes PN 10, PN 16, PN 20 and PN 25 are produced. Accordingly these products will last 50 years at a pressure of 10, 16, 20 and 25 bar / cm 2 and an ambient temperature of 20 ° C.

When temperature and / or pressure changes, the service life will be significantly reduced. For example, the service life of PN 16 products at 50 ° C is no longer 50 years, but only 7-8 years. You also need to know that the higher the pressure, the thicker the pipe wall, although PN 20 and PN 25 have a layer of reinforcement, which is why their walls and outer diameter are smaller than those of their analogs PN 16.

In principle, brands PN 10, PN 16 can also be used for individual heating. They are suitable for heat carrier temperatures not higher than 70 ° C. Peakovo and for a short time can withstand heating up to 95 ° C. Their service life under such conditions, of course, is not 50 years, but they will work for ten years. As a positive point of such pipes, one can note the lower cost (compared to PN 20 and PN 25). But there is a very significant drawback: a large expansion coefficient. Each meter of a pipe when heated to 70 ° C increases by almost 1 cm. If such pipes are hidden in a wall or in a floor screed without a compensation loop or loop, then after a while they will destroy nearby materials. If they are laid on top (fixed to the wall with clips / holders), then they will noticeably sag. If in the "cold" form such a pipeline looks normal and does not linger on it, then hanging pipes significantly spoil appearance... Therefore, such pipes are used more often for wiring cold or hot water(DHW temperature rarely exceeds 45-50 ° C and thermal expansion is not on such a scale).

Reinforced polypropylene (PPR) pipe

For heating, reinforced polypropylene pipes(marking PN 20 and PN 25). Both types are suitable for both centralized and individual heating. These brands differ in the type of reinforcing material: in PN 20, fiberglass is used, in PN 25 - aluminum (solid sheet or perforated depends on the manufacturer). In spite of different materials reinforcing interlayer, both types have a coefficient of expansion significantly lower than that of pure polymer pipes - by ¾ less. But when using fiberglass, it is 5-7% higher than in foil products.

Most best brands(Wain Ecoplastik, Valtec, Banninger, etc.) have a large number of fakes. In addition to the low price (compared to the original ones), fakes can be identified by eye. A high-quality pipe has even layers. This is the main indicator of quality. If the reinforcement is located in the middle, then both polypropylene layers have exactly the same thickness anywhere, although all of the above manufacturers place the aluminum layer closer to the outer edge.

Another sign by which you can identify a fake: almost all market leaders use butt welding of aluminum. Such pipes are more reliable, although expensive equipment is required for their production. The photo above shows the overlap seam. This is a clear sign of cheap pipes, and of low quality, to put it mildly.

The outer and inner surfaces of the original products are smooth. The inscription is applied clearly, straight along the line, not blurred. In addition, in order to avoid claims in crafts, the name is often slightly distorted: they skip or add an extra letter, replace with another.

One of the EcoPlastik fakes. If you look closely, you will see a spelling error (click to enlarge)

So, just by looking closely at such "little things", you can identify a fake. In general, if you have definitely decided on the brand, do not be lazy to go to the official website and ask how the pipes of the selected brand should look, what the surface should be: matte or smooth, what color, what the logo looks like, which is applied, study the range of products that it produces this firm.

Fiberglass Reinforced Pipes

In PN 20 pipes, fiberglass is used as a reinforcing material. In general, originally, this type was intended for supplying hot water. Of course, they will feel good and in most heating systems... And they will work well. Not 50 years old, but not a year or two. Provided that these are really high-quality pipes, and not a fake. Now we come to important point: how to define quality. Sadly, you need to focus on the price: Europeans produce the most best pipes... You can't argue here: experience. But their prices are high.

Now about the pipes themselves and their use in heating. In this type of product, neither the color of the reinforcing pad, nor the material from which it is made, practically does not play any role. Fiberglass can be orange, red, blue or green. It's just a coloring pigment and doesn't affect anything. If you can focus on color, then only on the longitudinal strip, which is applied to the surface of the pipe: red indicates suitability for hot media, blue - for cold, both together - about versatility.

Now about the features of the use of fiberglass-reinforced pipes specifically for heating. They can be set, but with some reservations. This is due to the second disadvantage of polypropylene (apart from high thermal expansion) - high oxygen permeability. At high temperatures, a large amount of oxygen in the system leads to a fairly active destruction of metal-containing elements. If the system uses really reliable and high-quality, certified aluminum radiators ( required condition- from primary aluminum), then big problems shouldn't be. But if their quality is in doubt, or installed cast iron radiators, then you only need to use pipes with foil, which significantly reduces the amount of oxygen passing through the walls PPR pipes... And one more point: the permeability depends on the wall thickness, but not strongly, but depends on the quality of the material. So again we returned to the fact that in order for heating from polypropylene pipes to work for a long time, quality is required.

But most of the installers advise installing fiberglass pipes for heating. Why? It is faster to mount them. Approximately twice. And all because in order to obtain a high-quality weld in foil pipes, it is required to remove the foil layer and part of the material that is above it. This requires a special device (for each diameter - its own). As usual, a good tool is never cheap, and you don't want to spend money on it at all. In addition, the stripping procedure itself, in total, lengthens the installation procedure of the system by almost two times. And skill in this matter is also needed. Actually, their reasons are clear. But if you make heating for yourself, then they are unlikely to solve something for you. Therefore, read carefully about reinforcement with foil. Here, too, everything is not easy.

Foil Reinforced Pipes

Designate polypropylene pipes reinforced with aluminum as follows: PEX / Al / PEX. There are two types of foil placement: closer to the outer edge and in the middle. There is one nuance of installing reinforced polypropylene pipes: the foil should not be allowed to come into contact with the coolant. Because even if water is used as a heat carrier, it is not chemically neutral (salts are always present even in soft water). By entering into an oxidation reaction with the foil, water destroys it, seeping further and further into the pipe. Sooner or later (rather early) such a pipe will burst. To the descendant, almost all European manufacturers produce pipes with foil located closer to the edge. They require stripping: removing the outer layer of polypropylene and foil. But as a result, during welding, it turns out that the metallized layer is protected from interaction with water by a thick layer of material.

When using pipes in which the foil layer is in the middle, not stripping, but trimming is required. For this, a special device is also used, but of a different plan - it cuts the foil inside the pipe by several millimeters without destroying the polypropylene layers. This procedure is simpler and faster (sellers call such pipes "lazy", understand why?). In principle, if the seam is made correctly and correctly, polypropylene is welded to each other, then such a seam is more or less reliable. But if there is a micropore, then water will penetrate into it and cause pipe delamination. And the presence of micropores is guaranteed with insufficient vertical cut, insufficient experience (incorrect exposure during welding) and incomplete removal of the foil, and it is unrealistic to control how carefully the foil is removed between the polymer layers ... All this is fraught with ruptures, leaks and violation of the integrity of the system. How they are formed is shown in the figure below.

This phenomenon is especially troublesome when your pipes are hidden in the wall or in the floor. The renovation will be long and difficult. In some cases (in winter) it is faster to make a new wiring "on top", leaving the old one in the wall (but draining the water). And micropores in the seams happen very often: it is almost impossible to control the quality of foil removal between the polypropylene layers, which means that it is unrealistic to guarantee the tightness of the seam. And this is in the case of a high-quality pipe, but if a fake comes across, such as the one in the photo above? How to mate such a product? The quality of the seam is out of the question here.

Difference in weld seam after several years of operation (click to enlarge)

This arrangement has one more drawback: only the upper part of the pipe material is welded to the fitting, and not both layers. And this, even if welding without a micro-slot, significantly reduces the reliability of the pipeline. On the other hand, such products (idlers) are much cheaper than their European counterparts. Here everything is explained simply: they are produced by firms that are trying to win in price (Turkish manufacturers and Asian). But how will these savings affect in the future? Most likely, an urgent replacement or repair of a part of the pipeline, or the entire system, will be required.

All of the above is true for a solid sheet of foil as a reinforcing layer. But there is also perforated foil. It is produced by the Turkish company Kalde. The manufacturer claims that due to the presence of perforation, it is not necessary to remove the foil layer: when welding through the pores, adhesion of the materials occurs, which ensures the strength of the connection. As for the strength, this is probably the case. But what about the reaction with the foil with water and oxygen permeability? Surely these indicators are worse than those of pipes with solid foil. Although here the situation is the same as in PPR pipes reinforced with fiberglass: when using high-quality aluminum radiators the system will last long enough.

Outcomes

I don't know about you, but for myself I can draw the following conclusions. If the wiring is hidden, polypropylene pipes reinforced with solid foil are definitely needed. Moreover, the foil should be located closer to the outer edge, and not in the middle. If the pipes are placed "on top", it is quite possible to use high-quality pipes for heating with fiberglass (but not in those systems where there is a solid fuel boiler).

For 180 years, hot water in heating systems has been supplied by steel pipes... However, in recent years, these steel products are rapidly being replaced by metal-plastic ones. Aluminum-reinforced polypropylene pipes for heating - the most common type of these products - give annual production growth and sales of 15–20%. What is the reason for such rapid changes?

Let's try to understand the technical characteristics and advantages, installation and application features, as well as with the manufacturers offering this product.

Characteristics of polypropylene pipes (PPR-AL-PPR) for heating

Manufacturers of polypropylene pipes abroad and in Russia

Manufacturing of polypropylene pipes with aluminum reinforcement engaged in many companies in different countries the world, so making a rational choice when buying is very difficult. If you look for reviews of installers on forums on the Internet, you can make a rating of the popularity of these products.

1. Top of the list of PP pipe manufacturers German firms Banninger and Aquatherm - the best manufacturers... They are followed by Wefatherm and Rehau... German pipes series Stabi, are considered products of the highest quality, therefore their cost is the highest. These products can withstand temperatures of + 130 ° C and pressures up to 20 bar.
2. The second place is taken by products of Czech companies. WAVIN EKOPLASTIK and FV-Plast... Reviews about their quality are no less enthusiastic, but still they are inferior to German ones.
3. In third place are Turkish firms TEBO, Vesbo, Pilsa, Valtek, Kalde, FIRAT and Jakko... They produce their products using German technology, but the quality is inferior to German. So, during their operation, it is not advised to raise the temperature of the coolant above + 95 ° C - their thermal stability is lower than that of German ones. Pilsa and FIRAT pipes are sometimes oval in cross-section, which is why they have to be cleaned again. The prices for these products are correspondingly lower.
4. The fourth place is taken by Chinese manufacturers BLUE OCEAN and Dyzain... BLUE OCEAN products are of fairly high quality, although the outer diameter may vary slightly even within the same batch. The inaccuracy of the external markings is also noted. Dyzain products are not inferior to European ones in quality, but much cheaper, thanks to which they are successfully sold on the Russian market.
5. Fifth most popular among Russian manufacturers RVC, PRO AQUA, Santrade, Heisskraft and Polytec... PRO AQUA products surpass similar Chinese ones in strength by 1.6 times, withstanding pressure up to 79.5 bar, which is why they are considered high-quality products. RVK products are given a low rating due to dimensional instability. Heisskraft pipes produced according to German technology in the Moscow region are considered to be quite good products, although their cost is much lower than German ones. The quality of Politek products is rated as "average", and Santrade's products are still little known.

Russian production of reinforced pipes is just beginning to develop. In the coming years, domestic products should take their rightful place in the Russian and world markets.

Polypropylene (PPR) pipes are most widely used in the installation of water pipes (drinking and technical) and heating. The advantages of a PPR pipeline are resistance to corrosion and sedimentation, low heat loss, ease of installation and ease of construction, and a relatively low price.

However, there is one clear drawback. When exposed to heat, polypropylene expands, and the amount of linear expansion can reach 10%. That is, each meter of the pipe can increase by 10 cm if hot water is run through them.

In the case of an open pipeline, this will spoil the appearance of the room, as the pipes bend in arcs or go in waves. If the pipeline is laid under finishing materials, there are 2 possible outcomes:

• with a shallow laying, the expanded pipes will press on the finish, which will lead to cracks on it or complete destruction;
• if the pipes are deep in the wall and have nowhere to expand, a very strong internal pressure is generated in the product, and as a result it will simply burst, with all the ensuing consequences.

For this reason, conventional polypropylene pipes are used only for cold water supply. The use of PPR pipes is also permissible when installing underfloor heating (up to +45 ° C).

Nevertheless, all other characteristics of polypropylene are so good that manufacturers decided not to abandon this technology, but developed a way to restrain linear expansion. With the help of reinforcement.

Reinforcement of PPR pipes is the reinforcement of polypropylene with aluminum foil or fiberglass. This technology is used primarily to curb linear expansion.

Interesting to know. The thermal expansion of conventional propylene pipes can be up to 10% of the original length. For reinforced products, this indicator does not exceed 1%.

Due to such a low coefficient of expansion, PPR-reinforced pipes are successfully used for hot water supply and in heating systems.

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Features of reinforced polypropylene pipes

Popularity plastic pipes globally growing from year to year. The advantages of plastic pipes are obvious. They are more convenient to install and maintain than other materials. They are used for different purposes. This is a plumbing for cold and hot water, heating systems, etc. Today, polypropylene pipes reinforced with aluminum are especially popular.

Polypropylene pipes have high qualities of durability, resistance to high temperatures and chemicals.

Polypropylene pipes (PPR)

Polypropylene pipes have high qualities of durability, resistance to high temperatures and chemicals, compared to other commonly used materials used for manufacturing products.

Since they are characterized by the absence of rust, corrosive deposits, dirt, rotting, various bacteria (these qualities can be used for drinking water), lime deposits, the diameter of the polypropylene pipe does not decrease in size over time, the inner surface remains smooth, and the throughput the ability does not change while in a stable position.

If we consider polypropylene pipes with conventional plastic pipes, then the coefficient indicating expansion (of conventional structures) is 10 cm by about m, if you increase temperature regime somewhere by 70 degrees. The same coefficient of polypropylene (reinforced) systems is about 1 cm per meter. The difference is obvious.

A regular pipe allows for sagging in winter (when exposed to cold temperatures).

It looks rather unaesthetic. The newly installed heating creates a pleasant impression, but in winter, when it heats up, the eye is not happy, which cannot be said about the use of aluminum-reinforced parts. Their appearance is in perfect condition all year round, even in winter.

4 main types of polypropylene pipes are considered traditional:

Polypropylene pipe PN 25, reinforced with aluminum, suitable for heating systems (can also be used for cold water).

• PN10, used for cold water (use for hot water is excluded);
• PN 20, used for cold and hot water;
• PN 20, fiberglass reinforced, suitable for heating and water supply systems with hot water(use of cold water is possible);
• PN 25, reinforced with aluminum, suitable for heating systems (can also be used for cold water).

Polypropylene products, due to their positive qualities, are successfully used in the construction of a water supply system (using cold and hot water) and heating in the construction industry and others.

If we compare polymer products (for example, polypropylene) with metal ones, we can say with confidence that systems made of polymer materials have higher thermal linear expansion and oxygen permeability.

But this problem is easily solved by reinforcing polypropylene structures with foil (aluminum).

Why are polypropylene pipes reinforced? Reinforcement methods

When performing work on the reinforcement of polypropylene pipes using aluminum foil, its edges are most often attached to the pipes with an overlap.

This technology is used for elements made of polypropylene by a large number of domestic manufacturers, although today laser welding of the edge of the foil butt-end has been sufficiently developed. Overlap foil reinforcement requires stripping of the foil prior to welding to the connecting fittings.

There are two ways to reinforce polypropylene pipes with aluminum foil: the edges are attached end-to-end or overlapped.

• With this design, the coolant does not come into contact with the foil, and the welding of the joint of the fitting and the pipe does not become less qualitative. For systems of the PEX / Al / PEX type, the "butt-joint" method of foil is considered traditional.

At the very beginning of the technological development of reinforcing polypropylene pipes, aluminum foil was used in a solid version. Such reinforcement prevents oxygen from entering the coolant and gives the outer surface of the pipe the property of smoothness. But at the same time, its connection with polypropylene layers becomes difficult.

In connection with these features of the foil, special requirements are imposed on the quality of the glue, as well as to the temperature and humidity conditions during production.

• If technological violations or deviations from the generally accepted quality standards of the raw materials used in the manufacture of pipes reinforced with aluminum are allowed, the following situation becomes possible: moisture penetrates the wall of the polypropylene structure (since this material is hygroscopic), and then, encountering a layer of foil on the way, pass can not. Moisture builds up between the aluminum and polypropylene layers, which contributes to unnecessary blistering of the surface layer.

Delamination of a multilayer pipe may be due to the fact that when welding only the outer layer, water acts on the end part of the pipe and delaminates it over time.

To avoid such situations, polypropylene pipes are currently reinforced with perforated aluminum foil, that is, with round holes evenly spaced over the entire surface of the foil.

This method of manufacturing reinforced polypropylene products ensures strong adhesion of two layers of polypropylene (decorative and base) to each other over the entire surface area.

The guaranteed service life for polypropylene reinforced elements is designated as 25 years when interacting with hot water, 50 years for structures with cold water.

Method of central reinforcement of polypropylene pipes

Polypropylene pipes with overlapping reinforcement (they were mentioned above) have one significant drawback in terms of ease of installation (directly welding). This is the so-called stripping of pipes before welding, during which the top layer of aluminum and the outer decorative layer of polypropylene are removed. To simplify this process, many manufacturers produce products with central reinforcement (PPR / Al / PPR foil).

Scheme of preparing a reinforced polypropylene pipe for soldering

The disadvantages of these pipes include the need for trimming the ends of the structure in order to prevent contact of the foil with the coolant.

If these actions are not carried out (facing) and the pipeline is installed using a conventional nozzle, then the coolant during operation has the opportunity to penetrate into the space formed between aluminum and polypropylene. And this will definitely lead to swelling of the surface.

Such a defect can lead to damage to the pipeline, since the decorative polypropylene layer is very thin, not strong enough and is not able to withstand such loads. Its destruction will inevitably occur, which will lead to leakage of the heat carrier and an emergency.

It can be considered that the procedure involving facing when performing installation works with centrally reinforced pipes, required. But it is impossible to check the quality of the above-described operation in an already installed pipeline. We can only hope for the professionalism and decency of the assembly workers.

But it happens that even professionals, trusting in the false advertising of unscrupulous suppliers or sellers, are themselves confident that such products do not need to be pre-cleaned. By the way, there are special nozzles so that high-quality welding is carried out without facing ends.

When using special nozzles, trimming or cleaning of the pipe ends is not necessary.

The design of the above-mentioned nozzle is as follows.

• The nozzle is designed so that the inner and outer surfaces are heated. If there is no warm-up with inside, the polypropylene layer will cover the aluminum layer.

In order for the nozzle to work successfully, its design provides for a special hole designed to remove air trapped in the space between the pipe itself and the nozzle that is being welded during the heating process. Another function of this hole is visual control behind the heating process.

So, when using special nozzles designed to ensure that the welding is of high quality, trimming or cleaning of the pipe ends is not performed. The advantages of such a nozzle are obvious.

As a disadvantage, one can count the slightly increased time allowed for heating the polypropylene pipe, as well as the exact (permissible deviation from 3 to 5 degrees) positioning the pipe in a horizontal position while in the nozzle at the moment when welding is being carried out.

Types of facing pipes reinforced with aluminum

Mainly assembly technology plumbing system(cold and hot water) or heating systems using reinforced products is the same for everyone. Standard actions:

• cutting parts in accordance with the desired size;
• chamfering;
• heating the system and fitting with a special device;
• alignment (welding) and so on.

But there is also a significant difference. This is the need for an additional procedure designed specifically for aluminum-reinforced systems - stripping. Before performing the actions on heating the structure and joining, it is necessary to clean it of the aluminum layer.

You need to insert a piece of pipe into a special sleeve with knives, make a couple of turns, and the pipe is ready for further action... For centrally reinforced pipes, a slightly more sophisticated tool is used called the "trimmer".

With its help, the inner layer of aluminum located at the end of the pipe can be easily cleaned off. This guarantees a secure connection with the fitting. Accordingly, pipe delamination and destruction of the aluminum layer will not follow.

Products made of polypropylene with metal reinforcement began to be used relatively recently. With all the advantages of polypropylene, it is not devoid of certain disadvantages, in particular, this material expands very significantly when heated. This leads to deformation and even complete rupture of the product. To prevent this from happening, polypropylene is reinforced with a metal or fiberglass (fiberglass) frame.

What is PN25 Reinforced Pipes

This product is a multilayer structure with different outer diameters, in which a layer of aluminum foil with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm is placed between the polymer layers and is attached to them with glue. The strength and reliability of the product depends on chemical composition polypropylene, metal thickness and glue quality. On the cut of the reinforced pipe for heating PN25, a thin layer is visible, casting a metallic sheen. On this basis, it can be unmistakably distinguished from its unreinforced counterpart.

Where PN25 pipes are used

These products withstand a nominal pressure of 25 atmospheres and are widely used:

• for the installation of all kinds of heating systems in private buildings and multi-storey buildings;
• for the device of cold and hot water supply lines;
• in a variety of technological installations.

The laying of pipelines using such products has its own characteristics. Before joining, reinforced PN25 pipes must be cleaned, that is, installation is carried out using a facing tool, a tool that removes the inner layer of metal foil from the end. This ensures reliable welding.

To buy high-quality pipes for heating at the best cost is offered by the TERMA-MSK online store.