There are a few different methods for replacing a broken piece of pipe in your pipe system. They depend on the amount of pipe movement your system will allow, how quickly you would need to get your system up and running again, and at what pressure your system operates at. Read this blog post to understand each method and help you decide which one suits you best.

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Measuring the diameter of a plastic pipe might seem quite straightforward at first – you just measure the diameter of the pipe. However, it's important that you measure the right diameter with the right unit, so you can tell exactly what size it is, and make sure that when you're reordering fittings or more pipe, that you choose the right size.

A union is a three-part fitting. The first part is a section which has a large thread on it and an O-ring inside which makes the seal. On the other side of this first part is a plain socket. The other half of the union consists of two parts: a union nut and a socketed section. The nut slides over the socketed section and, together, they pair up with the threaded section of the union. The O-ring sits against the flat surface of the socketed section to give you a good seal.

Double union ball valves have both advantages and disadvantages – figuring out where you need the valve in your pipe system and what kind of control you want to have over the flow will help you decide whether a double union ball valve is the right choice for you.

A PVC gate valve is quite a complex valve compared to more simple valves, like a ball valve, but is fantastic for fine control of flow. The wheel at the top of the valve has about eight/eight-and-a-half turns from fully shut to fully open, which allows for very small movements in the internal workings of the valve. This gives you fine control of your flow.

We are regularly asked what is the best way to connect metal threads to plastic threads.

There are two main options. Firstly, using a standard threaded fitting and a metal thread, just to thread it straight on. The second option would be to use some special fittings, which are composite unions. With a composite union, there is metal on one side and a plastic socket on the other.

ABS plastic has several characteristics that makes it the material of choice for many specialist applications. ABS has a high ductility, which is the ability to deform and reform to the items original shape. The best known application of this is in the use of ABS for making LEGO bricks.

PVC ventilation systems can be joined by either solvent weld, hot air welding, or using a temporary sealer such as silicone / mastic. PPS system can only be hot air welded.

New videos on our YouTube channel, including a full description of how to cement plastic pipe and fittings together.

Y Strainers are an often overlooked fitting for a PVC pipe system. Strainers should be installed to catch the occasional bit of debris in a system. If you have a water supply which is constantly full of large particles, a larger, more substantial filter system should be installed. If your water source is generally clean has any possibility of being contaminated by biological matter, bits of string, cable ties etc swept from floors or gantries, or even a tool dropped into a sump, the fitting of a strainer in your line can be invaluable. With mesh sizes of 0.9mm in strainers up to 63mm, and 2mm in the strainers over that size, there is very little affect to water flow rates, pressures etc.

Some hints and tips when buying pipe for hydro schemes.

An explanation of how North American plastic pipe specifications differ from those likely to be found in the UK and Europe.

A description of PVC, PVCu and uPVC.

We are often asked how soon a cemented plastic pipe joint can be put back into action - this post will hopefully help you.

A new video about our PVC Paint.

Choosing the right type of pipe system and avoiding over specification can save you a lot of money.

A discussion of the best ways to cut large diameter plastic pipe.

A summary of the process to choose between using PVC and ABS pipe systems.

There are several trains of thought on how much glue / solvent cement a pipe and fitting require. This article gives information on how much solvent cement to use.

What pressure is your system actually running at?

An explanation of how to get the best out of clear PVC pipe and fittings.

PVC pipe glue is designed to weld two closely fitting plastic pipe surfaces together. It should not be used to fill the gap whilst trying to make an imperial pipe fit into a metric socket.

Detailed information on which unions are compatible with each other.

NPT and BSP Threads in Plastic Pipe Systems