PE pipe and PPR pipe are two kinds of pipes. Different from PVC pipe used for drainage, both PE pipe and PPR pipe can be used for water supply. But in real life, the most common one is PPR water pipe, what is the reason for this? It is mainly determined by the following characteristics.
1.Modulus of elasticity: affects pipe stiffness and flexibility
The material of the PPR water pipe is polypropylene, the elastic modulus is 850MPa, the stiffness is good, and the flexibility is insufficient; while the PE water pipe is made of medium density polyethylene, the elastic modulus is only about 550MPa, and the flexibility is good, but the stiffness is insufficient. In the field of municipal water supply, due to the relatively more complex environment, the pipeline needs to have good flexibility to resist impact, so PE pipe is more suitable for the field of municipal water supply. In contrast, PPR water pipes are more suitable for the field of building water supply due to their good stiffness, poor flexibility, and low temperature brittleness.
2.Heat resistance: affecting the safe operation of pipelines
Although PE pipe has good low temperature performance, its high temperature performance is not as good as PPR water pipe. In the field of building water supply, especially home decoration, it is necessary to use hot water pipelines. The heat-resistant temperature of conventional PE pipes is 60°C, and the conventional temperature of household water supply will be around 50°C. Long-term operation at this temperature will cause the PE pipes to age. The speed will be greatly accelerated, not to mention that the advantageous temperature will be much higher than 50 ℃, so the PE pipe is not suitable for the transportation of hot water, which is one of the reasons why it is generally not used for home improvement.
3.Thermal conductivity: affects the thermal insulation performance of pipes
The thermal conductivity of the PPR water pipe is 0.24, and the thermal conductivity of the PE water pipe is 0.42, which is nearly twice as high. The lower the thermal conductivity, the better the thermal insulation performance of the water pipe. If the PE pipe is used in floor heating, it will give full play to its advantages. Good heat dissipation means that the heat radiation effect is also better. However, when used in hot water pipes, it becomes its disadvantage. The temperature is also higher, and it is easy to burn. As a home improvement water supply, obviously PE pipe is not as reasonable as PPR pipe.
4.Welding performance: affecting the difficulty of pipeline construction
In terms of welding performance, the flanging of PPR water pipe is round, while the flanging of PE water pipe is irregular, which is easy to be blocked; in addition, the welding temperature of PE pipe and PPR pipe is different, the PPR water pipe is 260 ℃, and the PE water pipe is 230 ℃. The special welding machine for PPR water pipes on the machine often causes over-welding, resulting in water leakage. Moreover, because the PE material is easy to oxidize, special tools must be used to scrape off the oxide skin on the surface before welding, otherwise, a truly integrated pipeline cannot be formed, and the pipeline is prone to water leakage. It can be seen that although both PPR water pipes and PE water pipes can be welded by heat fusion, they are not at the same level in terms of standardized operation difficulty. PPR water pipes are easier to operate and more convenient to construct.
Combining the above factors, PPR pipe has become the most common pipe material in home improvement. For more information on PPR pipe fittings, please click to follow IFAN.
