How does a machine for welding plastic pipes work? Do-it-yourself welding of plastic pipes: step-by-step instructions. Preparation of pipes and fittings
When it is necessary to replace old water supply or heating pipes, owners most often give preference to modern plastic pipes. Plastic pipes have many advantages, among which the ease of installation deserves special attention - you just need to follow the instructions and remember a few important nuances.
Plumbing and heating installation using plastic pipes can be done by hand. However, before you start carrying out any activities, you need to learn how to weld plastic pipes yourself - you definitely won’t be able to do it without this skill.
Before you get started, check out a few important recommendations and prepare the necessary equipment.
- If you have no experience welding plastic pipes with your own hands, first practice a little. Buy fittings and other wiring elements with a small margin. Having gained experience, you will be able to complete finishing work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
- Before starting work, the joining elements must be properly prepared - cleaned and degreased. Without pre-treatment, count on high-quality welded joint no need to.
- During the wiring process, you will use not only pipes, but also various additional devices - turn signals, tees, couplings, etc. Remember: pipes must be heated from the outside, and all additional elements- With inside. Do not ignore this rule, otherwise the finished connections will be fragile and short-lived.
- When welding plastic pipes with your own hands, especially if small parts are used during the work, make sure that the internal seams do not reduce the permeability of plastic products.
- Typically, this problem occurs when the pipes overheat - too much material builds up inside and the holes become clogged. Therefore, plastic pipes can only be cooked using permissible temperatures(indicated in the instructions for the soldering iron). After completing the work, be sure to check the pipes for permeability. To do this, simply pass water through the product.
- The assembled system can be filled with water no earlier than 1-1.5 hours after welding the components.
Required Tools
Prepare the following equipment:
All necessary tools sold in construction stores. A soldering iron is quite expensive, so if the work of welding plastic pipes is one-time, it will be more profitable to find a company that provides such tools for rent.
Welding Guide
Welding plastic pipes is a simple task that you can do yourself. You just need to go through each step of the guide step by step.
The first stage is preparing parts for welding
Start by preparing the elements to be joined. Cut the pipes according to the requirements of the pre-prepared wiring diagrams. Arrange all the cut elements in the order in which they will be connected using a special soldering iron. This way you will avoid the risk of incorrect connection of elements pipeline system.
Remember: if unsuccessful threaded connections are unscrewed and redone without any problems, then the seams will no longer be able to be disassembled. Products with defective connections will simply have to be thrown away. Therefore, be careful and careful.
The second stage is setting up the welding tool
The design of the soldering iron requires the presence of a temperature regulator. Set the regulator to the limit recommended by the manufacturer in accordance with the attached instructions. You can tell that the soldering iron has heated up to the set temperature when the temperature control light goes out.
The third stage is heating the elements
Before starting welding, everything constituent elements the future pipeline needs to be heated. Information on recommended conditions and optimal duration and preheating is given in the instructions for the soldering iron. Be sure to check it out.
To heat the parts, they must be inserted into the connectors of the welding device. You will also find information on how to do this correctly in the manufacturer's manual for your soldering iron.
The fourth stage - connecting the elements
Correctly heated parts are connected very quickly and smoothly. During the connection process, no distortions or rotations of the elements should be allowed. When connecting two sections of plastic pipe, strictly maintain the cut angle - only in this way will the seam you create be tight and reliable.
Fifth stage - stripping connections
Let the seam cool and carefully sand it down. You can use a file for cleaning.
Thus, there is nothing overly complicated about welding plastic pipes yourself. Use high-quality tools, follow the recommendations received in everything, and very soon you will be able to use your own plumbing or heating system.
Happy work!
Video - Do-it-yourself welding of plastic pipes
In apartments of high-rise buildings of the last century, during the construction of private houses, propylene pipes and components are used to replace or install water supply, drainage, and heating systems. Connections are made threaded and welded. When welding plastic pipes, a heating tool is used; it is not difficult to master. You can install plumbing systems made of polymers yourself, knowing the basics of technology.
Pipes are made from various plastics: PVC, polyethylene, propylene. Metal-plastic pipes additionally reinforced with aluminum, they are mounted with threaded connections. Plastic pipelines with a diameter of 20 to 40 mm are socket welded using household equipment operating from a 220 volt network. For welding PVC pipes large diameter Professional cylindrical soldering irons are more often used.
At independent choice components for the pipeline are guided by the “PN” marking. For heating systems and hot water supply pipelines, choose rolled plastic with the following markings:
- PN20, they are operated at temperatures from +80 to +95˚С;
- PN25, coolant temperature above +95˚С is allowed.
For cold water supply, choose pipes and connecting elements marked PN10 (operating temperature not higher than +40˚С) and PN16 (permissible heating up to +60˚С).
Required equipment and tools
For welding plastic pipes, it is convenient to use sword-shaped soldering irons with removable nozzles. The heating element for pipe welding is a flat platform called an iron, which has holes for attaching heating attachments.
A welding machine for welding plastic pipes must have a temperature regulator and a heating indicator light. In addition to welding equipment, you need tools for cutting workpieces and removing the foil layer. Rolled plastic is cut in any convenient way:
- a pipe cutter similar to wire cutters;
- metal scissors;
- a hacksaw with a narrow blade.
To clean cuts and remove beads, use finely cut files or sandpaper. To cut pipeline elements before welding, you need to prepare a ruler, square, felt-tip pen or marker.
Instructions: how to weld plastic pipes
You need to learn how to socket weld plastic pipelines in practice. Pipe blanks and components for systems are always purchased with a reserve. To acquire skills in operating equipment, plastic elements are cut into small pieces. Technological process consists of several stages, each of them is considered separately.
Preparing pipes for welding
Cut the plastic into fragments in accordance with the wiring diagram. The edges are made at right angles. First they make markings, then they cut into the plastic. Only after this the workpiece is finally cut with a sharp force. The elements are laid out on a clean, flat surface in an order convenient for welding. The necessary connecting elements are placed nearby: fittings, bends, tees, couplings.
Before welding, each joint is cleaned so that no burrs remain and degreased. Pipes with a foil layer must be folded - the metal layer is completely cut off at the joint.
Setting up the welding machine
Nozzles of the required diameter are attached to the soldering iron. The welding tool is firmly placed on a flat surface so that it does not wobble. The heating regulator is moved to the desired position. To weld plastic pipes, the soldering iron is heated from +255 to 280°C, regardless of the thickness of the pipelines. The only thing that changes is the heating time of the parts during welding and the holding interval of the joint before hardening.
Heating of parts
When welding, both elements are heated simultaneously: pipe blanks from the outside (they are inserted into the heating element), fittings from the inside (they are placed on the heater). The parts are advanced with moderate force until it stops – the iron plate. The heating time is counted from the moment of contact; the interval depends on the diameter of the pipe workpiece:
| Workpiece diameter, mm | Heating time, sec | Nozzle depth, mm |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 8 | 14 |
| 25 | 9 | 16 |
| 32 | 10 | 20 |
| 40 | 12 | 21 |
| 50 | 18 | 22,5 |
| 63 | 24 | 24 |
The holding time of the joint is from 4 to 8 seconds. The data given in the special propylene welding tables are approximate. Before installing the pipeline, heating and holding times are established experimentally. The plastic should not be heated to the entire depth of the wall, so that there are no internal sagging. The experimental workpieces are made small so that the inner surface of the socket joint can be seen.
Connecting parts
The polymer pipe and fitting heated on the nozzles must be connected quickly, with force, avoiding distortions. They do this in one movement, without turning. Workpieces for welding with a diameter greater than 50 mm (for a drainage system) are connected using a centering machine; high-quality connections cannot be obtained manually. The blanks are held in your hands until the plastic hardens. After this, the formed unit is left until completely cooled for 3-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the workpieces.
Stripping
Use a file to carefully remove the outer deposits of polymer. They should not be large if properly heated and compressed. There should be no internal sagging on the seams, this is a defect. After installing the water supply, you need to make sure that the seams are secure. Water is supplied to the system no earlier than an hour of exposure. If a leak is detected, the joint is cut out and a new flange connection is made in its place.
Common mistakes when welding plastic pipes
Fittings and pipes are purchased with a reserve in order to practice before welding the pipeline. Polypropylene from different manufacturers varies according to chemical composition, warms up at different temperatures. It is important to check the holding time of the workpieces on the soldering iron; the plastic should not warm up completely, but only 1/3 of the thickness. Do not allow internal flows in the pipeline.
Typical beginner mistakes:
- Poor preparation of connections. The foil layer is removed completely over the entire heated area.
- Only clean pipes need to be boiled. The surface on which the workpieces will lie must be free of dirt and dust. The pipe must be dry, without any remaining water.
- The heated workpieces are connected only coaxially. It takes a few seconds to correct incorrect positioning. When the plastic is deformed, the quality of the seam decreases.
- Inconsistency of fittings and pipes. They must be from the same material. Saving on components is inappropriate. At self-assembly water pipelines, the owner is responsible for the quality of the seams. In case of an accident, it will pay for repairs in the lower apartments.
Welding propylene at home is not difficult. The tool is rented and is easy to learn. It is important to adhere to the welding mode. First make sure that the heating temperature and holding time are selected correctly. The poor-quality seam is cut off and the joint is welded again. If the technology is followed, the pipeline will last a long time.
When replacement or repair is required water pipes in the home, people usually turn to specialists in this field - plumbers - for help. However, due to the fact that modern pipes are now made not only of cast iron, but also of plastic, the process of replacing this element can be done with my own hands.
Of course, as in any other matter, it is necessary to take into account all the subtleties of the process, since improper repairs can lead to poor-quality pipe connections and cause serious leaks.
Advantages
It is best to give preference to pipes made of plastic, since, unlike cast iron, they have a lot of undeniable advantages.
As you can see, plastic is much easier to weld than metal, especially at home when urgent replacement or repair is required.
Types of pipes that are suitable for welding
Pipes made from plastic have some characteristics , and their classification is made according to a number of basic characteristics.
The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing pipes for welding is their color. This type of marking determines the quality in which the product can be used. So, for example, only black plastic pipes are suitable for use as laying on the ground. This is due to the specific composition of the material from which they are made - black plastic pipes are the most resistant to impacts external factors(ultraviolet rays, sudden change temperature conditions etc.), since they contain a component that prevents the destruction of plastic.
What about other colors?, then they are most suitable for installation inside various rooms or for laying under a thick layer of soil. And, accordingly, they are suitable for manual welding.
Several types of pipes according to functional purpose
- For hot water- can withstand up to forty-five degrees, are marked with a special strip of blue color;
- For cold water- able to withstand temperatures up to eighty-five degrees, marked with a bright red flat;
- Universal - can withstand very high and very low temperatures, as a rule, they are marked simultaneously with two stripes of blue and red.
Also models are marked depending on the basic operational parameters of the material from which the products are made.
Having an idea of the types of products and their operational features, you can safely proceed to prepare instruments necessary for further welding.
Materials and tools required for welding
Before starting the welding process, First you need to prepare all the necessary tools. After all, the lack of the necessary equipment can significantly complicate the welding process or make it of poor quality.
All parts and tools that will be needed for the upcoming welding must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and grease, and the joints must be well treated with an alcohol solution, especially in the joint areas.
Welding stages
Do-it-yourself welding of plastic pipes includes several main stages. Nothing complicated about this process no, the main thing is to prepare everything in advance necessary materials and tools, well, then just follow the simple instructions.
If you do everything correctly, the welding process will not cause much trouble, and the work done with your own hands will only bring pleasure.
Before starting welding, There are a few important tips to keep in mind.
If we take into account all the rules described above, then connecting pipes by welding will be of the highest quality and efficiency.
AND experienced builders, and novice craftsmen use plastic pipes when installing water pipes. The most durable and reliable are polypropylene pipes, which are what are used for plumbing systems. Installation of these pipes is very simple, you only need welding machine For polypropylene pipes.
Types of welding machines for polypropylene pipes
A welding unit of any type is a device with the help of which a permanent connection is created by means of high temperatures and partial deformation. It is absolutely clear that between a welding machine for working with polypropylene pipes (plastic) and a machine for metal pipes there are significant differences.
All welding machines for working with polypropylene pipes are divided into two types:
A mechanical-type unit is used for welding polypropylene pipes in the event that combining the joints of the welded pipes requires the use of great force or requires connecting pipes with a sufficiently large diameter.
Unit manual type used for welding polypropylene pipes with their own hands; it copes well with the tasks of installing home plumbing system, since it can be used to weld pipes of any diameter not exceeding 125 mm.
Do not forget that each machine for welding plastic pipes has instructions, which must be carefully studied before you begin to perform any work.
Do-it-yourself welding of plastic pipes: Video instructions
Many people do not want to overpay for the installation of plastic pipes, and rightly so. If you have a tool, this is not so difficult. But some cannot decide to take these actions because they do not know how to weld polypropylene pipes with their own hands. The video lesson below will help you overcome your doubts.
But first, let’s briefly look at the stages of welding:
Preparatory work. To avoid confusion during work, it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation all elements of the “scheme”. You need to measure everything and cut the pipes into the required lengths. It is better to sort the pipes and fittings in the order of installation. This will help avoid the possibility of incorrect pipe connections. This is quite important, because when working with threaded connection dismantling can be carried out, but pipes soldered using a device can no longer be disassembled.
Warming up the device. Each device is equipped with a temperature regulator, which is set to the value recommended in the instructions. When the device heats up to the desired temperature, the warning light on the thermostat turns off.
Melting process. To ensure the connection of the pipeline system, its elements must be heated. The connecting joints are heated, and after that they are joined. The pipes are fused together, which guarantees a reliable and airtight joint. To heat, you need to insert the required elements into the appropriate connectors on the welding machine. Detailed description You can see the process by reading the instructions for this “soldering iron”. Be sure to read the instructions!
Pipe joining. The joining of heated parts should be smooth and quick. Do not rotate parts along the longitudinal axis or warp them. In the case of connecting two sections of pipe, strict adherence to the cut angle will be required, since only in this way can you achieve a reliable and airtight seam.
Processing connections. After soldering is completed, when the structure has cooled, it is necessary to remove excess deposits using sandpaper or another tool.
During the construction and repair of heating systems, hot and cold water supply, they are increasingly changing steel pipes to plastic ones. This is understandable; their installation does not require a highly qualified welder; any person can handle the installation and connection.
The process is clean and fireproof compared to welding metal pipes. Among plastic pipes, polypropylene pipes are the most popular for their consumer properties. For welding such products, special machines are used.
Polypropylene pipes have a low cost, a large range, they sell various connectors and locking devices, which makes it possible to build utility networks of any degree of complexity in the shortest possible time. This allows you to use a special welding machine for plastic pipes.
Some of its types have a high cost, but they are designed mainly for large diameters. For the installation of internal engineering networks of most residential buildings, equipment for welding pipes is available for sale at a very attractive price.
Polypropylene has thermoplasticity. When heated to the melting point, it goes into the liquid phase. After cooling, it hardens, while retaining all its strength characteristics.
If certain areas of polypropylene blanks are heated to the melting temperature, and then pressed against each other with the molten areas, diffusion of the molten layers will occur.
If you fix the parts and wait until they cool, the result will be a new monolithic product. In the cut, it is impossible to see the junction of the parts. These properties of plastic are successfully used in machines for welding polypropylene pipes.
The most common are:
- socket or socket welding machines;
- devices butt welding;
- electrofusion welding equipment.
The last two varieties have a high cost; they are an order of magnitude more expensive than bell-type devices.
Butt joint
The peculiarity of working with a butt welding machine is as follows. Polypropylene products must be the same diameter and thickness. The ends of the pipes must be perfectly cleaned and fit tightly together.
They must be coaxial and be able to move along the axis under the influence of human muscular efforts, electrical or hydraulic forces.
Technology
First, the ends of the polymer pipes to be connected are simultaneously heated to the melting temperature of the plastic, then they are tightly connected.
Molten plastic from different parts interpenetrates each other when compressed. In this position, the pipes are fixed until the molten layer of polypropylene is completely polymerized. The result is a monolithic permanent connection.
The process looks very simple, and it is so when working with small diameter pipes. But when using polypropylene products of medium and large diameter, technological equipment is required.
Only with it can one ensure the required cleanliness and accuracy of the ends, alignment, and the necessary pressure for connecting the joint.
Equipment
The butt welding machine is rarely used in private housing construction, except when laying external utility networks.
Outwardly it looks like a machine. It has guides along which the pipe clamps move. They have a screw or worm gear. For fixing polypropylene pipes different diameters Sectional liners are included with the clamps.
In addition, the equipment set includes an electromechanical trimmer, which is a double-sided circular knife. It simultaneously cleans the ends of the pipes being connected.
The trimmer is usually installed on a hinged hinge, but can also be removable. There are two folding hinges; the second one houses a flat round heater. If there is only one, then there is a device for fastening. The hinges are also installed on the guides.
After the polypropylene pipes have been trimmed, the trimmer is folded back and moved to the side along the guides.
The heater is moved in its place and installed between the joints. The pipes should press tightly against it, but without force. Then the joints are heated to a given temperature.
At the last stage, the compression process occurs. The heater is removed, the products are moved towards each other along guides ensuring their alignment. The required pressure is created mechanically through a worm gear or hydraulic.
Butt welding equipment is expensive and is used in the construction of main plastic pipelines of medium and large diameter.
Electrofusion equipment
Electrofusion welding technology is as follows. In each coupling at the production stage with inner surface a heating element with two leads is placed on its outer surface.
The pipes to be connected are inserted into the coupling. The terminals of the coupling and the welding machine are connected with a special cable. After this, the element located inside the coupling is heated.
Due to this, a section of the polypropylene pipe and coupling melts in the area heating element. When the device is turned off, reverse polymerization of the connected parts of the product occurs. As a result, a monolithic compound is formed.
Can work with products of almost any diameter. They can weld polypropylene pipes, as well as polyethylene products low pressure(PND).
The main element is microprocessor unit with source regulated power supply. It stores the welding protocol to control operation and generates the necessary current to obtain the required heating temperature.
At a given time, depending on the diameter of the product and other conditions, it turns off the device. The device can work on open areas in the temperature range -20…+60 °C.
For example, the Rothenberger ROWELD ROFUSE PRINT device, with its low weight and dimensions (a small box weighing about 20 kg), allows you to connect HDPE and polypropylene pipes with a diameter of up to 1200 mm.
Data on them can be entered manually or read from a barcode installed on the pipe by the manufacturer. The device is easy to use and comes with detailed instructions.
Bell and coupling technologies
The technology of socket or socket welding has become most widespread when fusing small-diameter polypropylene pipes, which are mainly used in residential construction.
The essence of the welding process is to heat the outside of the pipe and the inside of the coupling to the melting temperature and then insert the product into the coupling.
When cooled, polymerization occurs and a permanent connection is obtained. Outside diameter the pipes are slightly larger inner diameter couplings, it is impossible to connect them when cold.
When they are heated to the required temperature, human effort is sufficient. The device turns out to be very simple. It is an electric heater with nozzles and a temperature regulator.
The most widely used devices are those with sword-shaped and cylindrical heaters.. The equipment set usually includes a set of nozzles, cutting tools and a device for installing the heater.
The device has a handle with temperature control and a heating indicator. The network cable is usually connected through a handle. The nozzles are mounted on the cylindrical heater in pairs and can be installed at any angle.
There is a heater in the cylinder, which allows uniform heating of all attachments mounted on it. On the sword-shaped heater, the nozzles are mounted on both sides.
Selecting a welding device
Due to the abundance of equipment offered, the question arises, which welding machine to choose for installing polypropylene pipes?
There is no need to chase power or versatility here. You need to determine for yourself what diameters you will have to work with in the foreseeable future. In the vast majority of cases, these are products from 16 mm to 50 mm.
Based on this, nozzles for welding polypropylene pipes are also selected. The choice of device power is made at the rate of 10 W per 1 mm of pipe diameter; it is enough to have 500-800 W, it will be enough to work with any products used in individual construction.
Sometimes you need to join something made of sheet polymer, such as polyvinyl chloride. In this case, a special one is used, if not, then a regular electric soldering iron.
For welding products complex design and thin-walled pipes of large diameter, hot air guns are used. They are indispensable in hard to reach places where it is impossible to locate traditional pipe welding machines.
