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Electrofusion Welding

This document discusses best practices for preparing plastic pipes for electrofusion welding. It emphasizes the importance of cleaning, scraping and cutting the pipe ends properly. Key points include always cleaning and drying the pipe inside and out before scraping, using a rotary scraper for consistent results, not touching the scraped area, and clamping the pipe for welding to ensure a proper joint. Proper preparation is critical for the electrofusion welding process to create reliable joints that will last 50 years or more under pressure.

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Rajesh Rade
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404 views4 pages

Electrofusion Welding

This document discusses best practices for preparing plastic pipes for electrofusion welding. It emphasizes the importance of cleaning, scraping and cutting the pipe ends properly. Key points include always cleaning and drying the pipe inside and out before scraping, using a rotary scraper for consistent results, not touching the scraped area, and clamping the pipe for welding to ensure a proper joint. Proper preparation is critical for the electrofusion welding process to create reliable joints that will last 50 years or more under pressure.

Uploaded by

Rajesh Rade
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Pipe Preparation Essentials for Electrofusion Welding

Topic 1: Cutting, cleaning and scraping

Electrofusion welding is one of the most reliable methods of joining plastic


pipe that may be used under considerable pressures. Put simply, the resultant
joint is much stronger than the pipe itself due to the nature of the design of
the fitting which is mostly over-engineered to ensure reliability and durability.
Consider: the fitting manufacturers design and test the pipe and fittings to
have a minimum working life of 50 years continual service, under the most
stressful conditions. The biggest problem therefore is, the installation process,
which must be carried out by a knowledgeable and trained operator,
otherwise all the efforts to produce reliable systems that will last 50 years is just
a waste of time as the joints holding the system together will fail. Simple
analogy but unfortunately this is the reality of electrofusion jointing.

To encourage what we call ‘best practice’ in the UK it is a good idea to pass


on knowledge of how to ensure the electrofusion jointing process is carried
out in detail, allowing the interested parties to fully understand the critical
do’s and don’ts of installing the systems correctly. We at Advance Welding
manufacture an extensive range of electrofusion pipe preparation tooling
and welders that have been designed to meet the UK Gas Industry standards
(GIS), where installers have constantly been telling us over the years, what the
job really needs to make it easier to install, and less prone to operator error
which causes failures. Let’s start with basic site installation practices that must
be followed:

• NEVER attempt to prepare or weld plastic pipe and fittings in the rain.
Use a shelter/tent if you absolutely must weld due to the urgency of the
job if it is a repair.
• NEVER attempt to weld any pipe with fluid or GAS inside (obvious you
may think especially when dealing with GAS, but you would be
surprised!) There are simple methods for water stoppage to create a
pooling effect inside the pipe if the flow is very small (some people use
a loaf of bread to offer a fast-fix inside the pipe which I cannot
condone, but you can see this would work very well for a limited time
and is ‘bio-degradable’ for those who are concerned with what
happens to the loaf afterwards), or you can weld a ‘tapping tee’ to
the underside of the pipe further back to act as a drain, and cap this
off when the intended joint is completed successfully. For gas, you must
always seal off both sides of the pipe if this is a repair, and purge the
pipes of any gas and monitor and check the pipe and trenches for
traces of gas as you go on to prepare the repair area. Less of a
problem for new installations, but still something to consider especially
in wet weather when the new pipe has arrived soaking wet and
possibly full of water, or the pipe has been in the trench overnight.
• ALWAYS take the time to clean both the inside and outside of the pipe
ends before starting the installation process. Pipe scraper blades do not
like embedded grit or dried mud as it can damage or shorten the
expected life of the blades.
• It is not generally recommended to weld in freezing conditions, as other
considerations such as temperature compensation come into play.

Cutting the Pipe to size:

What should be a simple job, is still quite a task, especially with large diameter
pipe in site conditions. The problem with using electric saws and disk cutters is
the plastic melts under considerable friction, clogging the blades and
spraying the operator with hot plastic. In my opinion, the best way to cut pipe
is as follows:

• ALWAYS clamp-down the pipe end in a chain clamp or similar device


to ensure it cannot move. A multi-rerounding alignment clamp is also
useful for this operation.
• USE a hand saw or band saw if available, or pipe secateurs or guillotine
or a rotary blade cutter. The rotary blade cutters have the advantage
of cutting the pipe straight by default so they are preferred, especially
on repair jointing.
• CUT THE PIPE END SQUARE! If you are going to use a rotary pipe scraper
this helps with the operation, and in any case, how else are you going
to ensure the pipe is fully inserted into the fitting to the correct depth on
both sides if the ends are not square?
• ALWAYS de-burr the inside and outside of the cut end and clear away
the debris.

As stated this is not always easily achieved, but nevertheless the process of
electrofusion jointing demands it is done correctly.

Cleaning the Pipe:

Not only is the pipe already oxidised from the moment it is fabricated, but by
the time the pipe arrives to the worksite it has probably been handled
(grease and oil from hands) and been dragged through the dirt and mud on
the site and trench. We have to accept this will be the case so the following
should be observed:

• ALWAYS clean the pipe surface and inside too with a disposable paper
towel or similar throw away item, BEFORE scraping the surface.
• ALWAYS dry off the inside and outside of the pipe.
• NEVER use a re-useable rag as this will become contaminated very
quickly
• Some people use denatured alcohol wipes or similar to clean the pipe.
This is acceptable before scraping the surface, however, once the
surface has been scraped, the surface should not be handled or
contaminated with mud or soil or dust even.
• NEVER touch the surface of the pipe when scraped: if it does become
contaminated , hand scrape the affected area to remove it before
inserting it into the fitting
• ALWAYS leave the fitting plastic bags on the fitting. Slit the end of the
fitting bag only, and insert one end of the prepared pipe, then slit the
other end of the bag and insert the other end of the prepared bag.
You can remove the bag by sliding it off the fitting after insertion only.
• DO NOT attempt the above if it is raining! Use a tent or cover or wait
until the rain stops.

Scraping the Pipe:

Scraping is probably the single most important part of pipe preparation as this
removes oxidation and other contaminants. Interestingly, coloured pipe
degrades faster in daylight than black pipe, which is why you mostly see
black pipe above ground. Using a rotary pipe scraper for the end of the pipe
for fusing couplers is widely regarded as the best method. Hand scraping
works well for saddle fitments as the area to scrape is relatively small, and it is
easy to see if the scraping is effective, but most operators will struggle to
obtain a uniform effect on the circumference of the pipe, and also, when
preparing pipe in a trench, the underside of the pipe cannot be seen and
checked for contamination. There is also the likelihood of ‘flats’ on the
circumference, which does not help the fusion process as the required melt
pressure, built up in the electrofusion welding process, may not evolve
correctly. Observe the following:

• All joints, whether they are saddles or couplers MUST be scraped by


some means to remove the oxidised layer and surface contamination.
• FACT: rotary pipe scrapers offer a consistent and uniformly clean
surface.
• FACT: rotary pipe scrapers scrape to a recommended depth of 0.2mm
only which is sufficient to remove oxidation and any small deformities
and damage.
• FACT: rotary scrapers are simple to use and extremely effective
especially when working in confined spaces.
• Make sure the cut pipe end has been cut square and has been de-
burred inside and out.
• ALWAYS clean the pipe with a paper tissue before fitting the scraper to
the pipe to remove any mud or dirt.
• Rotate the unit in a smooth operation to the end of the pipe as this will
give the most effective finish.
• DO NOT TOUCH the scraped area of the pipe with your hands or
attempt to wipe away dust or other contaminants. Use a hand scraper
to do this in the affected area.
• FOLLOW the manufacturer’s operation instructions for using their rotary
scrapers.

Next topic (2): Why should you always clamp the pipe joint when welding

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