In this article we will consider the main issues related to the construction of a water supply system from HDPE pipes. Before you start building a house, you need to consider how you will equip the water supply system. In order to minimize the number of breakdowns, it is necessary to carefully select materials. And the focus should not be on cost, but on quality.
Varieties of water pipes
Metal pipes are highly reliable. But in the plumbing of modern homes, they are becoming less and less common. Metal pipes can be made from the following materials:
- Steel.
- Cast iron.
- Copper.
In recent years, plastic pipes made of polymers have become very popular:
- PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
- Cross-linked polyethylene.
- Polyethylene (including HDPE).
- Polypropylene.
Metal-plastic pipes have the advantages of polymers and metal. Cost atmore than plastic ones. The most reliable and durable copper pipes. But they are very expensive.
Advantage of HDPE pipes
Among the advantages of HDPE pipes for water supply are the following features:
- scale is not collected on the inner surface;
- material is not affected by corrosion;
- high stretch;
- light weight;
- no need for additional insulation;
- installation will not cause difficulties even for beginners;
- plastic does not chemically react with water;
- high resource;
- withstands strong impacts;
- low cost;
- no metallic taste in the water at all.
Material imperfections
But HDPE pipes for plumbing have disadvantages:
- UV radiation has a detrimental effect on the material.
- When laying pipes underground, the degree of soil mobility must be taken into account.
- HDPE pipes in most cases cannot be used for laying hot water.
- Strength is lower than that of metal.
But the cost of the material is very low, so many people choose such pipes for the construction of water pipes.
Varieties of HDPE pipes
According to the classification of pipes can be divided into:
- Non-pressure.
- Pressure.
By purpose, they are divided into the following types:
- Tap.
- Gas pipelines.
- Sewer.
- Heat engineering.
- Technical.
- Pipes used as casing.
The outer sheath of HDPE pipes can be:
- Corrugated - used for hard types of soil. The pipe consists of an inner smooth layer and an outer rough one.
- Smooth, which are used for soft ground types.
Please note that during the construction of water pipes it is necessary to use pressure pipes that are blue marked. Without pressure for these purposes are not suitable. In order to make hot water, pipes marked PE80 and PS100 are suitable.
Selection of water pipes
To determine the quality of a plastic pipe, it is not required to carry out chemical analyzes and lay it under the press. It is necessary to visually assess the condition, a high-quality plastic pipe has the following features:
- material color solid, uniform thickness:
- on the surface there is a marking and code of the manufacturer;
- be sure the pipe must comply with GOST;
- all characteristics must be written on the surface - strength, wall thickness, diameter;
- its cost should not be lower than that of most manufacturers.
Poor-quality plastic pipe can be recognized by the following features:
- There are inclusions.
- The color of the material is not solid.
- Wall thickness varies throughout.
- Missingmarking (its absence is allowed only on technical pipes).
- The material is heterogeneous.
- No specification data on pipe surface.
- The cost of the pipe is many times lower than that of other manufacturers.
Poor quality pipes are made from low grade materials - bottles, plastic cups, etc. Therefore, their resource is very small, it can be 1-2 years.
How to install pipes yourself?
When designing and building water pipes from HDPE pipes, all the features of the material must be taken into account. Installation must be carried out either with the help of special stands, or on open ground. In order to lay plastic pipes, you need to make a small trench. To work, you will need the following tools:
- Tapered knife.
- Adjustable wrench.
- Hacksaw.
Fittings are used for connection. Namely:
- Couplings.
- Couplings.
- Tees.
- Plugs.
- Coupling for the main line.
During installation, you need to connect the pipe to the water source and consumers. Low pressure pipes are flexible, but they cannot be bent; couplings are used for this purpose. If possible, it is better to turn the pipe gradually, in a circle with a large radius. This will increase the reliability of the water supply, as the number of connections will be minimal.
