EnergyProfessional
Mechanical
- Jan 20, 2010
- 1,279
I wonder what the general opinion is on if to use bronze or brass instead of steel. On most projects designed by consultants I see that strainers. etc. are just of steel. For chilled or geothermal piping this means it corrodes like hell due to condensation (and strainers need to be accessible, no way to fully insulate vapor-tight permanently items that need frequent access).
For my own projects I typically use bronze strainers, check-valves, isolation valves etc. so nothing will corrode even when it gets wet.
Now I wonder if for heating systems that is overkill as there is no condensation? On the other hand allowing two different types of material will just lead to the contractor, advertently or not, to install steel equipment in cold pipes, unless we have very tight inspections (which we don't always have). So that attempt to save money may cost me more.
I have the feeling bronze is better (and more expensive) than brass. But wonder if brass would be a good compromise?
Our buildings are municipal, so we usually would own the building for 50 or more years (fire stations etc. very rarely get sold...) and we maintain them ourselves. So the very long term benefit outweighs the upfront savings. We have a geothermal systems that is just 3 months old and the steel strainers are already corroded to the point they are hard to open and look like they are from the scrap yard. Even when massive, they may rust through during the life of the system. And there really is no way to fully enclose the strainer with vapor-tight insulation while keeping it accessible.
For my own projects I typically use bronze strainers, check-valves, isolation valves etc. so nothing will corrode even when it gets wet.
Now I wonder if for heating systems that is overkill as there is no condensation? On the other hand allowing two different types of material will just lead to the contractor, advertently or not, to install steel equipment in cold pipes, unless we have very tight inspections (which we don't always have). So that attempt to save money may cost me more.
I have the feeling bronze is better (and more expensive) than brass. But wonder if brass would be a good compromise?
Our buildings are municipal, so we usually would own the building for 50 or more years (fire stations etc. very rarely get sold...) and we maintain them ourselves. So the very long term benefit outweighs the upfront savings. We have a geothermal systems that is just 3 months old and the steel strainers are already corroded to the point they are hard to open and look like they are from the scrap yard. Even when massive, they may rust through during the life of the system. And there really is no way to fully enclose the strainer with vapor-tight insulation while keeping it accessible.
