Polypropylene welding by hands

Plastic pipes today are increasingly pushing out metal products. For this reason, their welding remains one of the most urgent problems for everyone who decided to replace the pipeline in the house. To assemble a plastic communication system, you can, guided by a certain scheme of action. At the same time, the elements must be connected to each other, supplemented with locking and fastening fittings, and also sealed.

For reference

On sale you can find elements that provide the ability to assemble a pipeline of any complexity and configuration. As the only minus of such pipelines is irreversibility, because the dismantling of the welded joint is impossible. Therefore, with polypropylene pipes, you should work with special care, otherwise you will have to replace them.

Equipment for welding

Among other tools for assembling the system, you will need a device for welding polypropylene pipes. With its help, it is possible to heat the parts and connect them. Fixation of elements must be carried out before the weld is cooled. Strength and tightness will be quite high, so the pipeline will be able to work even at a fairly impressive pressure.

The device for welding polypropylene is simple constructively, it consists of:

• From the handle;
• A heating plate;
• Thermostat.

The plate usually has two holes for fixing welded elements or nozzles. If you become more familiar with the standard set for welding pipes, you can understand that the kit includes four welded nozzles, with which you can solve any problems associated with laying the polypropylene pipeline.

In addition to nozzles

The nozzles for welding polypropylene usually have a diameter ranging from 20 to 40 mm. The intermediate values are 25 and 32 mm. The working surfaces of the nozzles have Teflon sputtering; therefore, welding elements can not be manufactured independently, as the plastic will stick to the unprotected surface.

Welding of pipes

Prepare the pipes can be a method of degreasing the ends. Some home masters ignore this recommendation. The pipes are welded, but the quality of the connection will be lower. Before welding, it is necessary to treat the inner side of the fitting with alcohol.

This also applies to the outer end of the pipe. This will eliminate dust and abrasive particles that can damage the Teflon coating of the nozzles. In order not to damage the equipment for welding polypropylene, the nozzles should be treated with alcohol, which eliminates the sticking of plastic and damage to Teflon.

Landing depth marking

As yet another rather important point is the marking of the depth of the pipe planting in the fitting. The latter may have a different caliber, and therefore, a certain depth of the welded joint. Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to measure with a ruler or caliper. This will eliminate the introduction of the pipe too deep. Ignoring this recommendation, you can cause a narrowing of the hole or provoke the sealing of the pipe.

Marking device

If you will be welding pipes from polypropylene, you can use a special device for marking, which will save time and nerves. It can be made independently from a pipe, the diameter of which is 32 mm. The element is suitable for a 20 mm pipe. For the reason that the depth of planting such a pipe is 15 mm, from the 32 mm piece it is necessary to cut the workpiece, whose width is 15 mm. This device can be used to mark the depth line.

Use the workpiece is very convenient, if it is supposed to weld pipes of the same diameter. The measuring ring can be improved by the method of gluing a cardboard or plastic bottom to it, this will simplify the process of marking. If you weld pipes from polypropylene quite often, then experts recommend making such copper rings for all diameters.

Recommendations for welding

If you weld pipes at their location, then you will need the help of another person who will hold the welding machine. Then, as you can at this time be able to join the pipe and fitting with welded nozzles, and then - with each other. Quite often, some house masters override the heating elements, this leads to a narrowing of the lumen of the pipe. In order to know the time of heating and cooling, it is necessary to use the manufacturer's recommendations.

Before the polypropylene is welded, it is necessary to determine where the pipes will be laid. This will reduce the number of welds by weight. Experts recommend to collect the elements on a flat surface, and then fix them in the system.

To join the pipes, the edges of the elements are heated. The inner wall is in the coupling, and the pipes should be heated from the outside. To do this, they are almost completely put on the nozzle and held for a few seconds. Then the elements need to be connected together. You will only have a couple of seconds to center them. Usually these works are carried out by eye. Scroll items in relation to each other is not worth it.

The width of the seam and the thickness of the plastic will determine the welding time. Welding polypropylene will provide a reliable connection if the material has been heated to the desired temperature. Before welding pipes, the valve on the coupling should be opened, otherwise the air will push it out of the nozzle. A part of the plastic, when connected, leaves, forming an influx on the coupling. If there are problems when putting on, and the plastic is highly deformed, it is recommended to remove the chamfer from the edge.

Methods of work

If you follow German standards, then the sweep should have an angle equal to 15 °, while the depression reaches 3 mm. Russian experts follow other rules, they say that the chamfer bevel is 45 °, while the groove is a third of the thickness. In practice, any chamfer in these limits will work, but its main condition is its uniformity.

When welding polypropylene by oneself, it is necessary to leave the device on a stand, which looks like a special clamp. A temperature of 260 ° C is set on the regulator, however for the speed this parameter can be increased to 280 ° C. If you use a different temperature limit, this can cause a decrease in the reliability of the connection, so when buying the unit, you must choose a model with a thermostat.

On the heating nozzle elements are worn hard, so they must be rotated along the axis. However, pipes can not be inserted until they stop, otherwise they can melt inside. In order to avoid such trouble, it is recommended to make marks with a pencil, however in due course you will feel the necessary depth. Once all the elements have been collected, you can start welding on weight. In this case it is a question of transitions between walls, water supply inputs and connections with batteries.

How to avoid mistakes

Plastic pipes are usually used for a cold water supply system, they do not have to work under pressure. When laying heating systems, polypropylene reinforced pipes should be used. For their welding, it is necessary to remove a part of the reinforcement with the help of a shaver.

At the approach of the pipe to the boiler in these areas there should be no plastic. For this, adapters are used, which allow you to replace the welded joint with a threaded one. Before the new section, a shut-off valve is mandatory, this will make it easier to install a new point or repair it. As soon as the new segment is launched, you will understand whether the soldering process was correct. After opening the shut-off valve, all connections should be checked for leaks.

General Welding Rules

Welding of polypropylene can be carried out in the socket or in the joint. The pieces and apparatus should be cleaned not only from contaminants, but also grease, as well as oils, the latter of which are especially dangerous. Use for degreasing can alcohol, acetone or other solvents. As for the tool, it can be cleaned with alcohol.

It is important to take care that the rag for degreasing does not leave fibers. Pollution should include layers of polymer, destroyed by exposure to ultraviolet and air. They should be removed mechanically. Condensate is removed from the pipe surface, if necessary, and the elements are dried well.

Welding polypropylene should not be accompanied by cooling the seam with water or cold air. In this case, the process will occur too quickly, which will cause tension and reduce the strength of the seam. If welding was carried out at low temperatures, the cooling should be slowed down using a cloth or a heater.

Welding of sheet polypropylene

Welding polypropylene sheet with a hair dryer involves heating the edges and the location between the sheets of polypropylene wire. All three elements must be connected to each other. When choosing a hair dryer, you should prefer one that has quite impressive power. As for the wire, it must be made of the same material that is to be joined, otherwise the elements will melt unevenly.

To begin with, the sheets should be laid on a flat surface and the edges treated with sandpaper. Using a hair dryer for welding polypropylene, you need to operate on a principle that is similar to using a fusible electrode. This indicates that the operator needs to move the equipment along the seam, filling the joint with the meltable material that the bar is made of. After 7 minutes, welded sheets can be used for their intended purpose.

Applying the described technology for welding of polypropylene sheet, it should be remembered that too slow influence can cause strong heating, this will lead to deformation of the seam. Therefore, we should act promptly. Before starting work, you need to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of such welding. Thus, the created seam will have the least strength in comparison with those created using other technologies.

The maximum coefficient of strength at such melting does not reach a value equal to 0.7. This indicates that it is possible to connect details by this method only when they have not too thick edges within 6 mm. For fast melting of thin details, this approach can be the best solution.

Additional recommendations for using a soldering iron

If you decide to weld the polypropylene with a soldering iron, you must first cut off the water supply and dismantle the old pipeline system. Then the equipment is installed on the legs and is well fixed in this position. The heating and cooling times for different pipe diameters will be different.

For example, if the outer diameter is 16 mm, then the heating time of such a pipe should be 5 seconds, connect the elements for 4 seconds, and cool for 2 seconds. The through diameter should be 3/8 of an inch. If the outer diameter increases to 40 mm, the warm-up time and the connection should be 12 and 6 mm, respectively. It is necessary to cool such pipes for 4 seconds. With an increase in the outer diameter of up to 90 mm, the warm-up and connection time will be 40 and 8 seconds, respectively. It is necessary to cool the pipes in this case for 8 seconds.

When using a soldering iron, the heating temperature is usually 260 ° C. It is important to use the described equipment in conjunction with a socket that has a grounding contact. After turning on the soldering iron on the case, press the special button. The green indicator lights up. After the bulb turns red, it is important to wait until it goes out, this will indicate that the desired heating temperature is reached.

Conclusion

Welding polypropylene pipes at home is quite common today. If you have special equipment available, you can do the plumbing yourself. After completing all the work, you need to make sure of the quality and tightness of the connections. For this, a certain section is blown. If the air passes unhindered, then adhesions are not formed.