Steel pipes for heating and their features

Despite the presence on the market of various types of modern polymer pipes, steel heat pipes remain relevant. This is due to some special properties of steel, such as strength, heat resistance. In this article we will take a closer look at what features steel pipes have for heating, as well as get acquainted with their types.

General information

With the advent of plastic pipe products, the popularity of steel has significantly decreased, because, unlike the former, they have the following disadvantages:

• Susceptibility to corrosion;
• High price;
• The need for periodic painting.

However, at the same time, iron pipes for heating are able to withstand high pressure and are not afraid of high temperature, unlike plastic. Therefore, in some cases, they are the best option, despite all its flaws.

Types and features

Steel pipes are products of the following several types:

• Black steel;
• Galvanized steel;
• Stainless steel.

Below we take a closer look at their features.

Black steel

These products are ordinary pipes, which in the 70s - 90s were massively used in the installation of heat pipes and water pipes. Most often for these purposes, a water-gas electrofusion pipe was used, corresponding to GOST 3262-75.

This is not to say that this material has left only a positive impression of itself. The fact is that the declared service life of steel pipes for heating is 25 years, in reality, problems arise much earlier.

They consist in the following points:

• According to the operating instructions of the steel pipeline in the heating system, water cannot be drained from it, however, in the summer, to repair valves and equipment, the coolant is often drained, which causes accelerated corrosion.
• Sand, rust, lime deposits, etc., are deposited on the internal walls of such a pipeline, as a result of which the clearance gradually decreases.

Among the advantages of this material can be identified only relatively low cost. Otherwise, it is better to give preference to products from other types of steel.

Galvanized steel

Galvanized water and gas pipes are manufactured in the framework of the same GOST 3262-75. Their feature, as it is not difficult to guess, are layers of zinc, which are applied both to the inner walls and to the outer ones. As a result, neither corrosion nor internal deposits are terrible to the material.

Accordingly, the durability of such pipelines is much higher, though, and their price is also higher. In fact, galvanization is the most durable and resistant material. Therefore, such products can be recommended primarily for centralized heating systems, where the reliability of the material is particularly important.

Note! In addition to the high cost, galvanized pipe products have another drawback - it is very difficult to cut the threads on the pipe with your own hands, and the welded joint breaks the zinc layer, therefore it is less preferable.

Stainless steel

Theoretically, the "stainless steel" can be used for heating systems, and their use will make the pipeline almost eternal. However, due to the high cost of this material and the complexity of processing, it is not a popular solution.

But the corrugated stainless steel pipe is used quite often for heating, as it has several advantages, such as:

• Easy installation - to install the corrugations, you only need a pipe cutter and a pair of gas wrenches.
• Low cost.
• Good performance - withstand a pressure of 12 kgf / cm2 at a temperature of 100 degrees. This option is not available for any kind of plastic products.
• Flexibility - Corrugation is easy to give any shape.

It should also be noted that the installation instructions for these products are quite simple - the connection is made using compression fittings and high-temperature silicone seals. The corrugation is simply inserted into such a fitting, after which the seal is compressed with a tightening nut.

Note! At repeated bends the corrugated stainless pipe breaks.

That's all the main types of steel pipe products used in heating systems.

Application

We have dealt with the types of steel pipes, now we will consider in what cases and for what they are most often used.

So, this material is used in the following cases:

• For the manufacture of heating devices;
• When installing liner to radiators;
• When installing risers;
• When installing elevator nodes and spills.

Now we will analyze each application in more detail.

Heating appliances

Steel pipes can not only transport coolant, but also heat the room. An example of this is the heating registers of steel electric-welded pipes, which are often used for heating garages, greenhouses, production shops and other non-residential premises.

The only drawback of such batteries is their unattractive appearance. However, there are many designer radiators of this type, which can even become an interior decoration. True, the cost of them can scare away many buyers.

Radiator connections

This application is the most traditional. Moreover, for these purposes can be applied any of the above types of materials. But, as mentioned above, the best option is galvanized and corrugated stainless pipe.

The diameter of the liner is usually 20-25 mm or? in.

Risers

For use as risers, corrugated stainless steel is not suitable, but the other two types of material do a good job with the task. As a rule, installation is carried out in a welded manner using a sleeve.

Elevator nodes and heating spills

In the absolute majority of cases, I use an ordinary water-gas pipe for the indicated purposes. Moreover, the use of this material is dictated only by savings.

It should also be noted that this material is also used in the installation of heating mains. Moreover, for these purposes also use products made of black steel with a diameter of from 100 to 1420 mm.

Thus, the scope of the material in question is quite extensive.

Conclusion

Despite the above disadvantages, steel pipes have some unique properties. Therefore, they are still used in heating systems along with plastic.

From the video in this article, you can pick up some additional information on this topic.