How to choose good pipe fittings

What are pipe fittings

When doing home decoration, the installation of the water system is an important link that cannot be ignored. In order to ensure the safety and stability of the entire system, choosing the right pipe fittings has become the key. Pipe fittings, a small component that may not be noticed by us in daily life, actually undertakes multiple functions such as connection, control, direction change, diversion, sealing and support, and plays a decisive role in the operating efficiency and safety of the entire pipeline system.

There are many kinds of commonly used PPR pipe connectors, which are mainly connected with water pipes by hot melt welding, as follows

Elbow: divided into right-angle bend (90-degree bend) and 45-degree bend, used when the water pipe needs to turn a corner.

Tee: Connect water pipes in three directions.

Big and small heads: Connectors for connecting two water pipes of different diameters.

Inner thread and outer thread: Used to connect faucets, water meters, and other types of water pipes. Most of the inner thread parts are used in home decoration.

Ball valve: Used to open and close water flow.

Bridge: Used when two water pipes intersect on the same plane but are not connected.

Stop valve: used to open and close the water flow, there are two types: stop valve and double hot melt ball valve.

If pipe fittings of different brands from the pipes are used, quality problems may occur. For example, inferior copper parts are prone to breakage and rust. At the same time, the embedding process is simple, and the copper parts will fall off very easily, causing water leakage in the pipeline. Therefore, in the home water pipe project, try to choose PPR pipes and matching pipe fittings of good quality and the same brand manufacturer.

Precautions for purchasing pipe fittings

In the process of construction and decoration, the selection of pipes and pipe fittings is the key to ensuring the reliability of the water pipe system. A good pipe fitting structure and the degree of matching with the pipe not only affect the convenience of installation, but also guarantee safety and durability in long-term use.

First of all, pipes and pipe fittings of the same brand are usually repeatedly tested and optimized by the manufacturer to ensure that the two can be tightly and seamlessly connected. For example, the reliability of the connection of the Saint Shide pipeline series products is ensured after strict processes and tests. This approach of ensuring quality from the source is incomparable to random matching.

However, if you choose pipes and fittings from different manufacturers, it may cause a series of problems. Products from different manufacturers may have differences in materials, design and manufacturing processes, which may cause the joints to be not tight enough or even leak during use. Take Saint-Seder's products as an example. They are made of Nordic chemical raw materials, which have unique melting points and welding conditions. They may not be compatible with pipes made of other ordinary raw materials. This is especially dangerous in concealed projects and may lead to significant maintenance costs and safety hazards.

In addition, high-quality PPR metal pipes are usually heavier because high-quality copper parts contain more copper and the design includes multiple waterproof leakage grooves, which increases their weight but also greatly improves the safety and durability of the product. Professional copper parts are far superior to ordinary products of the same model on the market in thickness and firmness, thus providing higher safety and longer service life in use.

How to choose the right pipe fittings

When purchasing pipe fittings, first check whether the color and glossiness are uniform, whether the wall thickness of the pipe fittings is uniform, and whether the pipe wall is smooth. For threaded pipe fittings, pay attention to whether the threads are evenly distributed.

Appearance of pipe fittings

The color of PPR pipe fittings and pipes should be basically the same. The inner and outer surfaces of PPR pipe fittings and pipes should be smooth and flat, without dents and other surface defects that affect performance. PPR pipe fittings and pipes should not contain visible impurities, and the surface of PPR pipe fittings should be smooth and flat. No cracks, bubbles, peeling and obvious impurities, severe shrinkage, uneven color, decomposition and discoloration are allowed. PPR pipe fittings and pipes should be opaque.

Pipe diameter and wall thickness of pipe fittings

According to the national standard GB/T18742.2-2017, PPR pipe fittings are divided into five series according to size: S5, S4, S3.2, S2.5, and S2. The specifications of PPR pipe fittings are expressed by pipe series S and nominal inner diameter dn.

Physical mechanical properties and chemical properties

Whether the hydrostatic pressure test, melt mass flow rate, thermal stability test under hydrostatic pressure, and longitudinal shrinkage simply supported beam impact test of PPR pipe fittings meet national standards can be checked in the product test report.

Whether the hygienic performance meets national standards

The hygienic performance of PPR pipe fittings can be checked according to the hygienic performance inspection report of pipe fittings issued by the health inspection department.

Applicability of pipe fittings and pipeline systems

After the PPR pipe is connected, it should be verified by a combination test of 8760 hours of hydrostatic test and 5000 thermal cycles.