Heating pipes - we take into account the advantages and disadvantages
Heating in the house consists of the main units: a boiler room and radiators. Pipes serve as communications between them. Manufacturers produce two main types of pipes: metal and polymer. Metal pipes include copper and stainless steel pipes. Polymer - these are polypropylene, metal-plastic and cross-linked polyethylene pipes. They can all be used in a heating system, but each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Metal pipes
Let's consider each of the types of pipes in more detail. Let's start with metal pipes.
Copper pipes
Copper pipes can be safely used to install a heating system, but they only need to be laid in an open way. The reason is that eddy currents arise in copper pipes, in the places of which drainage fistulas form. When installing copper pipes in a floor or wall, problems can arise.
Lay copper pipes in boiler rooms only in an open way so that you have access to them.
Stainless steel pipes
"Stainless" is a very good material. It is practical and durable, but pipes stainless steel are very expensive. They increase the cost of the heating system by almost three times.
Polymer pipes
Although metal pipes are well suited for heating and water systems, in Europe they have been replaced by polymer pipes because they are cheaper and easier to maintain. For example, in Germany, they abandoned the use of copper pipes for water supply and adopted a law limiting the content of copper in wastewater.
Polypropylene pipes
PP pipes are a good alternative to stainless steel pipes. They are inert and cheap, but they have one drawback: the connection method. The pipes are connected using a special soldering iron. When overheated, polypropylene is wrapped inside the pipe, reducing its diameter. The coolant enters the radiators slowly, which reduces their power. With insufficient heating, the joint joint turns out to be fragile and can leak at any time.
Reinforced-plastic pipes and cross-linked polyethylene pipes
The polymer is presented on the market by two more types of pipes: metal-plastic and cross-linked polyethylene. The reinforced-plastic pipes are covered with an aluminum film from the inside, which protects them from oxygen diffusion. XLPE pipes are coated with high molecular weight alcohols, which perform the same function as aluminum film. If damaged, such a coating loses its protective properties. In addition, such pipes have a strong curvature.
Conduct heating in the house using metal-plastic pipes. They are more durable and cheaper than cross-linked plastic.