In the world of construction and the creation of new residential developments, we will have a project to execute?
We know that in each residential development some distribution lines are conformed, mentioning as main ones: electrical wiring, drainage system, drinking water, internet line, pluvial drainage, among others.
Talking especially about the drinking water line, how do we know what kind of pipes we should use? Well, surely in our floor plan is already established a type of pipe to be used, but will it be the right material? For that we must know the main properties of each material.
At present one of the most used pipes for conduction lines and distribution of drinking water is the High Density Polyethylene pipe (HDPE), this has several characteristics that benefit in the installations, compared to other pipes, we have that the HDPE:
- There is no corrosion,
- No incrustations,
- It is flexible compared to PVC pipe,
- It is lighter than steel pipe.
The presentations are in rolls of 100 or 150, this means that the joints will be in smaller quantity, however, we must take into account that this union must be of quality, otherwise, the benefit obtained by minimizing joints, we lose it by having a leak in the joints, to achieve a quality and safe union, we have 3 main methods:
- Union by Thermofusion, consists of heating the ends of the pipe to the melting point and applying a certain pressure according to the diameter and wall thickness, for a certain time, this is a very effective method as long as it is performed with the appropriate equipment and applying the appropriate parameters.
- Electrofusion union is made by means of a HDPE fitting that will be fused to the pipe by means of a resistance through a current processor, this method has a larger fusion area compared to the Thermofusion, using the appropriate tools for the installation of Electrofusion fittings we guarantee the unions.
- And finally the mechanical joint that consists of using a fitting achieving the hermeticity by means of a seal integrated in the body of the fitting, this method is very practical as it is totally mechanical and does not require any source of energy.
By having these joining methods for HDPE pipes we can apply the most suitable to our projects, the mentioned methods can be as efficient as we use them in the situations we are presented with.
Knowing the characteristics of each union gives us the power to make a decision, the work that remains is to have quality fittings, and I emphasize this word that in most occasions is lost "QUALITY", quality is not synonymous of cheap, on the contrary to pay the quality in a fitting costs, at the end that cost will be reflected in the long term in the executed projects.
My advice would be the following: For each type of work there is a specialized expert, rely on HDPE specialists, in INNOVATIONS we offer solutions to join HDPE. More than 14 years of experience behind us.
