Purpose and distinctive properties of pipes for sewage of different colors

When faced with the purchase of sewage pipes for the first time, an inexperienced person, coming to a building materials store, will be confused by the abundance of various options that modern manufacturers offer. It turns out that sewer pipes come in different colors, and this plays a key role in choosing the right name. The color of the pipe depends on its purpose. Moreover, it is not chosen arbitrarily, but strictly according to the standard: pipes with the same purpose from different manufacturers will be of the same color.

General approach to the selection of sewer pipes

Pipes of different colors also have different characteristics:

• strength;
• thermal conductivity;
• resistance to temperature extremes;
• corrosion resistance.

The color of the pipe must be selected depending on the conditions in which it will be used. Of course, you can save money and choose according to the principle, which is cheaper. But such savings will ultimately result in additional costs for dismantling the system, and the house at this time will be without sewage.

What color, where and why is it used

Painting the sewer pipes in the appropriate colors, depending on the purpose, greatly simplifies the process of purchasing materials and laying communications.

Gray

Gray pipes are intended for indoor installation. They are made from polypropylene and have the following characteristics:

• designed for wastewaters with temperatures up to 60-75 ° C, although they can withstand a temperature of 90 ° C for a short time;
• chemically inert: do not corrode and do not emit harmful substances;
• low-strength, wall thickness 2.7 mm, they are deformed even with an effort of 50-75 kgf / m2 (not suitable for underground laying);
• have a low cost.

For indoor use, gray pipes are great. They are laid with a slope in places where they will not be subjected to mechanical stress, the ambient temperature should not be lower than 0 ° C.

Redheads

Orange pipes ("red") are intended for laying the sewer network outside the house. Bright color for them was not chosen by chance: they are clearly visible, which reduces the risk of accidental damage during excavation work. Manufacturing material - polyvinyl chloride. They are more expensive than gray ones, but their quality characteristics are higher:

1. Durable, divided into 3 classes in terms of rigidity: light pipes (class L) - withstand impacts up to 200 kgf / m2, laid at a depth of up to 2 m, not suitable for laying under a highway; medium-rigid pipes (class N) - withstand a load of up to 400 kgf / m2, are laid at a depth of 6 m; rigid pipes (class S) - can withstand loads up to 800 kgf / m2, laying depth - up to 8 m.
2. They have low thermal conductivity due to the porous layer, therefore, the depth of the installation does not depend on the thickness of the soil freezing;
3. They can withstand both high and low temperatures equally well; these differences do not affect the properties of pipes.

Red pipes can be with a smooth outer surface and corrugated. In the second case, they have a large surface area and, due to the redistribution of soil pressure, are more resistant to loads.

PVC pipes have a significant drawback: they can be destroyed by aggressive effluents (acids, oils). In this case, it is better to use multilayer products made of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVCVC), which are absolutely resistant to the effects of any aggressive environment.

When using red pipes for laying external communications, you can count on the fact that the actual service life of the sewage system will be close to the predicted one.

Black

Black pipes are made from high pressure polyethylene and are distinguished by the following features:

• increased strength and resistance to water hammer, which is achieved thanks to corrugated walls on the outside and smooth on the inside, can be laid at great depths (up to 15 meters);
• lack of corrosion when interacting with aggressive substances;
• long service life - up to 50 years;

Black pipes are mainly made of large diameters (250-850 mm, they can be larger), they are used for the construction of urban sewage systems when large volumes of wastewater need to be passed through. The maximum value of the temperature of the passing liquid should not exceed 60 ° C.

Black pipes are often used as protection for cables that are laid at depth.

There is a variety of black pipes that are used for drainage and can be easily recognized by the presence of holes in the walls.

White

White pipes are used for the internal sewer network. They have the same basic characteristics as the grays, but have a more aesthetic appearance. White pipes are used when communications need to be laid openly, in order not to spoil the interior of the room. For example, a white pipe is used in a toilet to drain waste from the toilet.

A feature of white pipes is good noise absorption and low thermal conductivity. They can withstand wastewater temperatures up to 95 ° C. They are produced with a diameter of 32 mm to 150 mm, and the length of a single piece can be from 15 cm to 5 m. For ease of installation, manufacturers place a centimeter scale on the surface of white pipes, by which it is easy to measure the required pipe length.

Green

Green (sometimes blue) is the color of pipes that are used for drainage. They bend easily and withstand the weight of subsiding soil well. They perfectly tolerate temperature fluctuations and its negative values. Green pipes usually have perforations on the walls for better fluid drainage. Some manufacturers are improving their products by equipping them with a geotextile filter.

It is not worth saving on the quality of sewage pipes. Dismantling and replacement will cost more than an initially smart investment in quality materials. If there are doubts about the conditions in which the pipes will be used, it is better to play it safe and take more protected ones. Either way, you will benefit as the drain will last longer.