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How long can I keep pressure inside pipe for pressure test

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CHK07

Mechanical
Jan 30, 2023
12
Hi
Is it safe for keeping the pressure inside a high pressure PVC pipe for more than one day to test leakage?
Is there any technical issue for that?
 
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Need some numbers here.

Pipe size, design pressure, test pressure, design or material code and why you want to do this.

PVC is a horrible material for pressure pipe as it has a tendency to fragment on failure.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
 
It depends. Is the pressure inside the pipe higher than the normal use pressure? If so, I would suggest reducing the pressure to the normal operating pressure. Otherwise, an unsuspecting user may not be adequately prepared for the excessively high pressure when using the devices attached to the pipe. I typically do not associate PVC pipe with high pressure. What is "high"?
 
You might be interested in looking at ASTM D2837-22, Standard Test Method for Obtaining Hydrostatic Design Basis for Thermoplastic Pipe Materials or Pressure Design Basis for Thermoplastic Pipe Products. Or ASTM D1598 Standard Test Method for Time-to-Failure of Plastic Pipe Under Constant Internal Pressure.

It all depends on what you want with the test. Is it to determine the failure life of the material as the manufacturer, or are you wanting to verify that the piping is installed properly. As a manufacturer, the above ASTM tests are probably appropriate. If you're just wanting to verify the piping is adequately installed, then you'd probably want to use ASTM E1003-13(2018), Standard Practice for Hydrostatic Leak Testing which typically has a short testing time.
 
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