Like all modern materials, plastic pipes have both positive and negative qualities.
The "pluses" of metal-plastic pipes include:
- high resistance to rust damage, as their metal is protected by a polymer coating that protects it from the corrosion process;
- possession of the inside of perfect smoothness, prevents the sticking of limestone formations, which often lead to overgrowth of pipes;
- installation of metal-plastic pipes is possible both for plumbing and for the construction of a "warm" floor and heating system;
- thanks to the layer of plastic, the installation of metal-plastic pipes is allowed for various kinds of communications that run inside the wall;
- installation of metal-plastic pipes is carried out without the use of complex tools.
The "cons" of metal-plastic pipes include:
- their limit of flexibility allowsbend them only using a special "pipe bender";
- Because aluminum and plastic expand at different temperatures, this tends to cause them to delaminate. Based on this, it is necessary to buy metal-plastic pipes only of high-quality production.
When choosing metal-plastic pipes, it is worth considering a couple of nuances, namely:
- Aluminum layer: the thinner it is, the lower the reliability and strength of the pipes. The standard is a layer with a thickness of at least 0.3 mm. It is with this thickness of aluminum that the pipes will have the necessary softness and strength.
- The aluminum layer should only be butt welded during manufacture.
- The appearance of the pipes should not have any mechanical damage and signs of delamination.
When installing metal-plastic pipes with your own hands, first of all, you need to draw a diagram of the passage of communication that needs to be replaced. Also on this diagram, in addition to the total length, the connecting places, corners and bends are indicated. This scheme will be needed to purchase the necessary material (pipe, threaded fittings), and only after that the installation of metal-plastic pipes begins. The rules are easy to remember.
The installation of metal-plastic pipes with threaded fittings makes the job much easier, since no threads need to be cut, and the connection is very easy and fast. In order to cut a metal-plastic pipe, it is necessary to use special scissors that ensure evennessedges without damaging the plastic layer. If you do not have such scissors, you can use an ordinary hacksaw, after which you should carefully examine the edge of the cut in order to remove all burrs. The main thing is that the cut is absolutely even, and there are no visible delaminations on it. To seal fittings, only rubber sealing rings should be used and in no case should plastic be used for this purpose. The metal-plastic pipe connection nut must be tightened with moderate force so as not to strip the thread.
Here, in principle, are all the main nuances of working with metal-plastic pipes. As you can see, the installation of these pipes can be done on your own, the main thing is to be careful and extremely attentive.
