In detail: do-it-yourself plastic heating repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
Unfortunately, the equipment and communications of water supply, heating and sewerage can be damaged during operation. Plastic pipes are no exception. This happens as a result of a violation of installation rules or the use of poor quality products due to the desire of the homeowner to save money. Repair of plastic pipes, like other work, requires knowledge and skills, which will be discussed in the article.
Why does these products get damaged? It depends on the following factors:
Improper use of plastic pipes, for example, if a product that is intended for indoor installation is mounted outdoors or underground.
The technical characteristics of the material are not taken into account - a product for cold water is used as a heating pipe.
The use of low-quality products and connection elements, fasteners.
Freezing of water in pipelines due to violations of insulation and location above the freezing point of the soil.
Rigid pipe fastening without taking into account the coefficient of linear expansion at high water temperatures.
Plumbing in places of high mechanical stress without additional protection - under highways, etc.
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Regardless of the type of damage, plastic pipes cannot be repaired with old ones
in a proven way that is used in steel products - the temporary installation of the bandage using pieces of rubber on small holes. In this case, it will be necessary to replace the pipe section by installing additional connections and fittings.
It is also unacceptable to heat the plastic material on an open fire such as a gas burner. Despite the fact that all types of plastics - polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride - melt at temperatures above +140 degrees, joining or sealing a small gust in such an artisanal way will not bring results.
Video (click to play).
The nature of the repair of a plastic pipe depends on the type of damage:
complete rupture or partial damage to the product;
the occurrence of small-sized water leaks;
squeezing due to heavy load;
breakage or leakage at the joints and connections to plumbing devices.
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The technology for repairing plastic pipes consists in replacing damaged elements. Before proceeding with the repair, it is necessary to carefully inspect the entire pipeline and determine the place in which the emergency situation has arisen. On close inspection, defects can often be found in other parts of the structure.
The emergency section of the plastic product must be cut out or the pipe must be completely removed if the connection is made using couplings.
A new product should be installed in place of the damaged pipe.
Repair of plastic heating and water supply pipes must be done with the system turned off, since water will not allow quality repairs to be carried out.
The connection of parts of the pipeline can be done in two ways:
using welding;
using additional couplings and fittings.
To connect products made of polypropylene and polyethylene by welding, it is necessary to cut the pipes evenly and clean the cuts from burrs and irregularities. If the products are of the same diameter, then the butt method can be used. In this case, it is necessary to withstand a certain time, which is determined in the table of the instructions for the welding device, and cool the seam. If it is even and uniform, you should go to the connection of the second part.
It is important that no water, sediment and sand remain inside the pipe, which can make a poor-quality joint. Therefore, before welding, the sections of the products must be thoroughly cleaned, and, if necessary, degreased.
After repairs, the operability of the pipeline should be checked by short-term water connection and again inspected for leaks. Then you can safely enjoy the benefits of civilization.
Repair of plastic water pipes can be done using electrofusion welding. To do this, the sections of the products must also be cleaned of water and dirt, and beveled with a sharp knife.
The products to be connected must be inserted into the sleeve, inside which there is a spiral. When the electric current is turned on, it will heat up and melt the material of the fitting and pipes. After the connection cools down, check the product for operability and the absence of other damage.
When performing this operation, it is very important that no moisture remains inside the products, since when heated it is converted into steam, which will disrupt the quality and reliability of welding.
If the hole in the pipe is small, then you can not change the section of the product, but make repairs using a special reinforcing plastic lining, which must be wrapped around the damage and melt it with a welding machine. The thermal reaction will seal the hole.
Then it is necessary to test the pipeline with water supply and observe the restored section for 5-10 minutes. If there is no leak, then the pipeline must be connected to the water supply system.
If a leak occurs at the point of connection with the fittings or at the point of connection to plumbing fixtures, then it is necessary to carefully inspect the pipe and, if a malfunction is found, disassemble the fitting and tighten the connection again. If the clutch is defective, it should be replaced with a new element. If plastic pipes are damaged, repairs must be done by building them up or installing a connecting fitting of a longer length.
A similar situation may arise at the point where the polyethylene pipe is connected, which is connected to the pumping station. If this unit is not installed correctly, strong vibration will occur, which may damage the coupling or pipe. Therefore, the station must be installed on shock absorbers or a rubber cushion, which will damp the mechanical vibrations of this heavy device.
The main thing when repairing plastic pipes is not to repeat the mistakes that led to the creation of an emergency on the pipeline.
The repair of plastic pipes may often be required if consumables of insufficient quality were used during the installation of the pipeline, or if the installation of the network was carried out unprofessionally.
In any case, it will take some effort to restore the pipeline to work. We will show you with our advice and recommendations how to avoid the same mistakes.
Damaged plastic pipe
Repair must begin with an external examination and diagnosis of the damaged area. The quality, speed and cost of future repairs will directly depend on the type of defect.
There are several main types of damage to plastic pipes:
Full or partial pipe rupture.
Local damage.
Crumpled plastic pipe.
Occurrence of leaks in various pipeline reins.
Consider the features and methods of eliminating each of these types of damage.
Although plastic for the most part surpasses cast iron and steel pipes in technical and operational characteristics, it is still far from the most resistant material in terms of strength to external shock effects.
Like leaks in pipeline nodes, this type of damage occurs most often, while it has the following features:
The occurrence of ruptures is usually associated with careless work carried out near the location of the pipeline route. For example, the outer pipe can be accidentally caught by an excavator while digging a trench nearby, a domestic-type plastic pipe can be damaged by a heavy object falling on it, etc.
The predisposition of pipes to accidents of this type is explained by the lack of measures that would provide for the protection of pipes from external influences.
Repair of plastic pipes in this case includes the following:
The emergency section must be replaced with a section of a whole pipe, the working pressure of which is comparable to the working pressure in the pipeline.
When repairing the pipeline, the section is arranged by means of two electrically welded couplings.
Mechanical fastening couplings can also be used. They are usually used in highly complex installations such as underwater installations.
Plastic pipe repair technology
The use of electro-welded type couplings, as a rule, is cheaper, while the quality and reliability of such a connection is almost always higher.
Local damage is understood as a defective hole in the pipe, the diameter of which does not exceed 50 mm.
Eliminate local damage in the following way:
Prepare the pipe and the place of damage for repair - dehydrate the pipe and clean it.
An electrowelded plug (reinforcing plate) of the appropriate size is prepared, which will be cheaper in comparison with replacing a section of a plastic pipeline or using two electrowelded couplings.
The lining is welded over the damage.
When a plastic pipe collapses, often no special measures are required to eliminate it. Deformation of a pipe is not always an indication of a violation of the integrity of the pipeline.
This is often caused by local mechanical factors, eliminating which and returning the pipe to operation, the plastic pipe will eventually level out under the influence of internal pressure and its own rigidity.
If the collapse is not eliminated on its own and at the same time interferes with the normal flow of the working fluid, the collapsed section of the pipeline will need to be replaced.
Remember that the presence of scratches or cracks on the pipe surface, the depth of which is more than 10% of the total wall thickness, indicates the need to replace the section of the plastic pipe.
Plastic pipes: repair by applying electrofusion to the damaged area
Causes of leaks:
Most often, at the joints of pipes and pipeline nodes made of plastic, it occurs not due to damage to pipes and nodes, but due to violations of the technology for making welded joints.
Typically, a leak is the result of an unsuccessful repair and appears almost immediately during testing (trial commissioning of the pipeline). The reason for this may be, for example, the water supply not completely shut off in the pipe during the welding of electrofusion couplings.
A leak at the junction of the plastic pipe connection indicates that gross mistakes were made during the butt welding process.
In addition, leaks can occur if inappropriate materials were used during the construction of the pipeline, both in quality and in technical characteristics. For example, when inspecting an outdoor pipeline requiring repair, one or more compression fittings may be found buried in the ground, while plastic pipe fittings of this type are designed exclusively for outdoor use.
The method of eliminating a leak in a pipe is to repeat the repair, only in accordance with all the rules and technology.
Welded connection of elements of a household plastic pipeline