Piping Tools

WrenchesWrenches are of two general types, fixed and adjustable. Fixed wrenches have one size jaw opening; adjustable wrenches open or close to fit nuts and bolts of several sizes. Although adjustable wrenches range from 4" to 2' long, 10" and 12" handle most household repair jobs.Pipe wrenches or Stillson wrenches are usually used to grasp pipes and other curved surfaces. Pipe wrenches in particular have solid housings and hardened steel jaws which provide excellent bite and grip.The primary difference between a pipe and a Stillson is that a Stillson wrench, with separate housing containing an adjusting nut, is subject to distortion and warping. Twelve-inch and 18" Stillson wrenches are the most frequently used sizes.Costing a bit more than an equivalent-sized Stillson wrench, a chain-pipe wrench offers easy handling in close quarters. This wrench consists of a forged steel handle to which is attached a length of heavy sprocket chain.Chain wrenches are used by wrapping the chain around a length of pipe and engaging the sprockets in notches on back of the handle. The teeth on the face of handle bite into pipe while the chain holds the pipe against the teeth to prevent slipping.This wrench turns pipe in either direction and can be used like a ratchet wrench. The handle can be loosened, shifted and turned again without taking the chain from around pipe. It can be used on round, square or irregular shapes without crushing the object.Locking pliers are built like pliers but serve as a wrench. It has compound-lever action which enables them to be adjusted to size and then locked shut with a powerful grip. These tools are available with either straight or curved jaws.Other common plumbing tools used by the average homeowner include:Hex wrench - designed for smooth surfaces such as chrome or highly finished fittings. Provides multisided, nonslip grip on hex or square-nut connections.End wrench - used where pipes are close together, close to walls or against flat surfaces. It has a solid housing which keeps it from breaking or warping under normal use.Strap wrench - recommended for working with brass, aluminum, lead, soft metal or plastic pipe because it grips pipe without teeth and does not damage the surface. A fabric strap, attached to a loop ring which is fastened in the curved head of a straight forged bar or handle, is pulled around the pipe, back through the loop and over the head; when the wrench is pulled tight, the strap grips the pipe.Basin wrench - there are two types. One has fixed jaws opening at right angles to the shaft handle; used to remove supply nuts and hose-coupling nuts on faucet-spray attachments under worktables, sinks and lavatories. The other has spring tension pipe-gripping jaws that are reversible by flip-over on end of driveshaft handle; will grip nipples, odd-sized supply nuts and jam nuts in hard-to-reach spots.Nipple wrenches or extractors - extractors expand inside nipples where pipe wrenches cannot reach and are hex shafted for easy gripping.

Expanding jawed pliers - more commonly called water-pump pliers. Larger sizes can be used as a quick opening pipe wrench, to loosen sink-strainer jam nuts or grip flush-valve jam nuts. All sizes are excellent for bench work, with or without vises.Seat wrench - is a basic tool for plumbing jobs; they have several sizes of square and hex ends to remove faucet seats.Seat dressers - inexpensive ones often have 1/2" and 5/8" cutters. Better reseating tools have tapping attachments for reseating faucets with faulty and battered seat threads.Handle pullers - will remove corroded handles without scarring the chrome. Application of penetrating oil to the part is recommended.Packing-nut socket wrenches - are available in sets and fit nearly all tub, tub and shower and shower valves. They are hex on both ends and hollow core to fit over faucet stem handles. Their importance lies in the fact that faucet-valve packing nuts and stem assemblies are brass; if the workman uses an open-ended or adjustable wrench, strong pressure will warp or break the nut or thimble. These are practically impossible to replace, without tearing out the walls.Spud wrench - features large, flat-sided jaws; good for general-purpose use. Adjustable model is ideal for various sizes of nuts, while fixed model works with large spud nuts under kitchen sinks.Pipe VisesWhen you want to cut, thread or ream pipe, you will need a pipe vise. There are two types’ available-yoke and chain. Both have specially designed jaws or chains for gripping pipe. A yoke vise will hold pipe 1/8" to 6", a chain vise, pipe 1/8" to 8".A yoke vise has V-shaped jaws which grip pipe from above and below. Lower jaw is fixed; upper jaw is raised or lowered by a screw. The pipe is held in the inverted V-shaped yoke, which unlatches on one side and tilts so pipe can be placed into it.A chain vise is smaller with a fixed lower V-shaped jaw with teeth on which the pipe is laid and a bicycle-type chain fastened to one end. When the pipe is inserted, chain is placed over it and locked in a slot on the opposite side.ReamersWhenever a pipe is cut, both the inside and outside edges retain burrs. To remove burrs from the outside of the pipe, use a flat file. Burrs on the inside are removed by reamers.Straight-fluted reamers have straight cutting edges while spiral-fluted reamers have spiral-shaped cutting edges.Spiral reamers cut more easily, save time and work and are often used by sheet-metal workers to enlarge holes in sheet metal, conduit-box outlets, etc., as well as smoothing inside edges of pipe.Reamers are cone shaped, with ratchet handles. Cutting edges can be sharpened, but this is difficult and time consuming and the small replacement cost usually makes it impractical.Spiral-fluted reamers are for hand use only. Straight-fluted reamers can be used by hand or in a pipe rotating on a power-drive unit.Pipe and Tubing CuttersDo-it-yourselfers often use an ordinary hacksaw to cut pipe, even though it is almost impossible to make a clean, straight cut. Pipe cutters make a faster, cleaner cut.

Most pipe cutters have a single cutting wheel and two rollers, which make smooth right-angle cuts. Such cutters are used to cut pipe 1/8" to 6" in diameter.Cutters are sized for pipe 1/8" to 2", 1" to 3", 2" to 4" or 4" to 6" in diameter.Major points of wear are rollers, wheels and pins on which they are mounted. When cutter wheels are worn out, they should be replaced; do-it-yourself sharpening is not advisable.If you plan to cut brass, copper, aluminum or thin-wall conduit tubing, use tubes cutters. Tubing cutters are similar to pipe cutters in that they have cutter wheels and rollers.Some have a triangular blade-type reamer those folds out of the way when not in use. Tubing cutters for plastic and separate cutting wheels for plastic are available. Tubing cutters are sized to cut material with outside diameters ranging from 1/8" through 4-1/2".Pipe ThreadersPipe to be threaded is held either in a pipe vise for hand threading or in the jaws of a chuck for threading on power equipment. When threading up to 2" pipe with power equipment, the die head or pipe threader is stationary and the pipe revolves into the dies. With hand tools, the pipe is placed in a vise and the threader revolves around it. Thread-cutting oil must be used for best results.

Other tools are pipe cutters, plunger, hammer, measuring tape, and wrench, saw.

Types of Pipes:Types of plumbing pipes

Types of household water supply pipes

Copper pipe - Used for decades as the most common water supply pipe. Copper pipe and tubing comes in a variety of sizes and types. Type L - Thick walled hard/soft copperType M - Thin walled hard/soft copperType K - Thick walled hard/soft copper

PVC - Used as a cold water supply pipe in many countries around the world because of the price but lacks long term durability.

CPVC - Used as a hot/cold water supply pipe in many countries around the world because of the price but lacks long term durability.

PEX - Is cross-linked polyethylene tubing and has become the standard in new home construction. PEX comes in a variety of colors and is used for plumbing and heating purposes.

Galvanized pipe - May still be found in many homes but is seldom used anymore because of water discoloration, cost and difficult repairs.

Types of household drainage pipes

ABS - A hard walled black plastic drain pipe used extensively in North America.

PVC - A hard walled white plastic drain pipe used throughout the world.

Cast iron - A very common drain pipe in older homes but is no longer used in residential plumbing.

Galvanized pipe - Common in many older homes and prone to maintenance. Easily discernible by the silver to whitish color and threaded fittings.

Copper DWV - A hard walled copper drain, waste and vent pipe (DWV) that was commonly used in older homes. Still commonly used in commercial and industrial construction, but to pricey for residential.

Water supply is the process of general requirement for supply of water from public water supply system to individual building and subsequent distribution of water to various parts of the building. The water from public water supply system to individual buildings is supplied through pipes. A large proportion of capital is invested on pipes while designing water supply distribution system. The following factors should be considered in selection of pipes. 

 Strength of pipe  Water carrying capacity  Life and durability of pipe  Expenditure on transportation  Jointing process, maintenance and repairs.

Various Types of PipesThe pipes are available in several types and sizes. They may be classified into three groups according to the material used in their manufacturing.   Metallic pipes: the pipes such as CI Pipes, Steel pipes and GI Pipes. Cement Pipes: the pipes such as Cement Pipes, Asbestos cement (AC) pipes, cement concrete pipes.   Plastic Pipes: the pipes such as Un-plasticized PVC (UPVC) pipes, Polythene Pipes (low density)Cast Iron (CI) PipesThese pipes are mostly used in water supply. They are well suited for pressure and can withstand external load because of their thickness. The pipes are easy in manufacturing, layout and joining. These pipes are manufactured by vertical casting in sand molds, horizontal casting in sand molds and centrifugal casting (spun casting pipes).

(This picture is contributed by "Kumar")CI Pipes - Strong and heavy.CI pipes are heavy in weight. Therefore transportation is costlier and they are not suitable for inaccessible places. Due to heavy weight these are generally made in short length. This increases layout and jointing cost. CI vertical casting pipes are not of very good quality and can be replaced by centrifugal casting (spun casting) pipes. 

Steel Pipes

These pipes are extensively used for water supply. They are best suitable for long distance pipe lines of high pressure and provide satisfactory performance during service. These pipes have excellent mechanical properties and are ideally suited for welding. The pipes are made in length more than twice the length of CI pipes; which saves in transport, layout of pipe and joining cost. There is minimum damage to the pipes in transportation. The pipes being light in weight are used for large diameter pipe lines.Cement PipesMain advantage of cement pipes in place of metallic pipes is their corrosion resistance. These pipes are bulky, heavy and require careful transportation and handling. The layout process of these pipes is costlier than steel pipes.   Asbestos Cement (AC) PipesThese pipes are light in weight and easy in transportation and layout. They have smooth internal surface and are not affected by corrosion (rust). The pipes are extensively used for water supply systems. Holes can be drilled in these pipes. These pipes are not costlier.  Un-plasticized PVC (UPVC) PipesThese pipes are rigid PVC pipes. They are light in weight, tough, resistant to chemical attack and large in length. Due to large in length the cost of handling is much whereas transportation and installation cost is less. Smooth internal surface of pipes provide less friction which results in saving of energy. These pipes are not suitable for the area which is very hot.

Pipe is made in many materials including ceramic, fiberglass, many metals, concrete and plastic. In the

past wood and lead (Latin plumbum, from which we get the word plumbing) were commonly used.

Metallic pipes are commonly made from steel or iron; the finish and metal chemistry are peculiar to the

use, fit and form. Typically metallic piping is made of steel or iron, such as unfinished, black (lacquer)

steel, carbon steel, stainless steel or galvanized steel, brass, and ductile iron. Aluminum pipe or tubing

may be utilized where iron is incompatible with the service fluid or where weight is a concern; aluminum is

also used for heat transfer tubing such as in refrigerant systems. Copper tubing is popular for domestic

water (potable) plumbing systems; copper may be used where heat transfer is desirable (i.e. radiators or

heat exchangers). Inconel, chrome moly, and titanium steel alloys are used in high temperature and

pressure piping in process and power facilities. When specifying alloys for new processes, the known

issues of creep and sensitization effect must be taken into account.

Lead piping is still found in old domestic and other water distribution systems, but it is no longer permitted for new potable water piping installations due to its toxicity. Many building codes now require that lead

piping in residential or institutional installations be replaced with non-toxic piping or that the tubes'

interiors be treated with phosphoric acid. According to a senior researcher and lead expert with

the Canadian Environmental Law Association, “...there is no safe level of lead [for human exposure]”.[2]

Plastic tubing is widely used for its light weight, chemical resistance, non-corrosive properties, and ease of making connections. Plastic materials include polyvinyl (PVC),[3] chlorinated polyvinyl

chloride (CPVC), fiber reinforced plastic (FRP),[4] reinforced polymer mortar (RPMP),[4] polypropylene (PP),polyethylene (PE), cross-linked high-density polyethylene (PEX), polybutylene (PB),

and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), for example. In many countries, PVC pipes account for most

pipe materials used in buried municipal applications for drinking water distribution and wastewater mains.[3]

Pipe may be made from concrete or ceramic, usually for low-pressure applications such as gravity flow or

drainage. Pipes for sewage are still predominantly made from concrete or vitrified clay. In other

applications plastic pipes provide better properties and processing options.

Reinforced concrete can be used for large-diameter concrete pipes. This pipe material can be used in

many types of construction, and is often used in the gravity-flow transport of storm water. Usually such

pipe will have a receiving bell or a stepped fitting, with various sealing methods applied at installation

Piping Standards

Piping codes and standards - ASME, ANSI, ASTM, AGA, API, AWWA, BS, ISO, DIN and more.

Some widely used pipe standards are:The API range - now ISO 3183. E.g.: API 5L Grade B - now ISO L245 where the number indicates yield strength in MPaASME SA106 Grade B (Seamless carbon steel pipe for high temperature service)ASTM A312 (Seamless and welded austenitic stainless steel pipe)ASTM C76 (Concrete Pipe)ASTM D3033/3034 (PVC Pipe)ASTM D2239 (Polyethylene Pipe)API 5L was changed in the second half of 2008 to edition 44 from edition 43 to make it identical to ISO 3183. It is important to note that the change has created the requirement that sour service, ERW pipe, pass a hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) test per NACE TM0284 in order to be used for sour service.ACPA [American Concrete Pipe Association]AWWA [American Water Works Association]AWWA M45

Pipe types

Non-seamless pipe is rolled from a flat piece of metal and welded lengthways to form the piping. Seamless pipe is extruded and has no seems and is generally stronger

A check valve, clack valve, non-return valve or one-way valve is a mechanical device, a valve, which normally allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction.A butt weld is where the diameter of the pipes welded together is the same; a socket weld is where a larger diameter pipe is fitted into a smaller one.

In making a butt weld, the pipes (or pipe and fitting) usually have an angle machined or ground into the outside corner, so when they are placed together face-face, there is a circumferential V shaped gap serving as the weld prep.

In a socket weld, the pipe is inserted into the socket, backed off slightly to make a gap between the end of the pipe and the bottom of the socket, and the weld is made around the outside diameter of the socket to the outside diameter of the pipe. The gap at the bottom of the pipe prevents thermal expansion from stressing the joint during or after welding.

Fitting Catalog (Metric) FORGED FITTINGS

OUTLETS PIPE NIPPLES SWAGE NIPPLES

BULL PLUGS FLANGES

Galvanized Iron pipesGI stands for galvanized iron. GI Pipe is black steel pipe which has been hot dip galvanized

Stainless steel Specs

 

Glass Reinforced Epoxy (GRE) materials are alternative to carbon steel pipes especially for corrosive, aggressive and normal duties.

GRE piping is suitable for:

Plant process piping Oil & Gas flowlines, up to 4000 psi pressure Potable water distribution schemes Power plant piping Offshore platform applications Downhole tubing and casing 

Some GRE pipe advantages:   

It is cheaper over the project life because it does not corrode

There is improved flow capacity due to lower pipe friction characteristics

It require little or no maintenance unlike carbon steel

It is suitable for use in swamp (sweet and salt) water environment which is corrosive and aggressive

It weighs far less than carbon steel, which is a major advantage for offshore applications.

It is cheaper and faster to install than carbon steel