ABS Chilled Water Pipework Installation

[yorkspipeman]

Has anyone ever had problems with installing ABS pipework in a chilled water application. We have recently installed varying pipe sizes on a complete installation ranging from 32mm dia to 200mm dia. We have had 5 joint failures (in the 50mm dia pipework only)and one failure which appeared to the naked eye to be a failure on a crack down the longitudinal section of the pipe. Analysis by the manufacturers chemist has stated the failures are due to the prescence of a very small quantity of an unspecified alkyl ester which i understand to be a man made mineral oil. Durapipe's (the manufacturer) technical data makes no reference to this being a potential problem. Can anyone tell me of similar experiences

 

[olj]

Can't help you on ABS but I use PVC sch. 80 with no problems at all. Must follow manufactures install and it works great.

 

[ChasBean1]

That's interesting. Three thoughts:

1. Not all components of your chilled water system are plastic/pvc. What comes to mind is possible protective oil or resin coatings on new steel inside air separators, tanks, evaporators, etc.

2. Could pressure be an issue in your application? How tall is the building?

3. Maybe a bad batch of 50 mm piping.

-CB

 

[yorkspipeman]

Thanks for your reply chas

1) All component manufacturers of items which are not ABS ie pumps, valves, strainers etc have stated alkyl esters are not used during the manufatcure process

2) Woring pressure is only 1.8bar

3) I agree its look ever more likely to be a abd batch of 50mm dia pipe, especially as a quantity of 32mm pipe is installed in the same system which has a wall thickness of nearly half that off the 50mm tube. This 32mm pipe has suffered no failures


Yorkspipeman