One of the most effective ways to transport fluids, gases, and other resources is to use pipelines. ERW tubes are great here. They are cost effective and offer fantastic performance. As a result, many people favour using them.
However, you need to think about longevity with the tube. You don’t want the pipes to need a big outlay for regular repairs and maintenance. In addition, you want to ensure the chance of leaks is as small as possible.
One of the key things is to ensure proper installation, particularly when you bury the tube. Get it right and you can maximise the service life of the tubing. But, any issues can shorten it and result in bigger costs. The worst case scenario is there is a problem and you need to shut down a line, remove it, and install new tubes.
What to do?
There are four crucial things you must do with installing ERW tubes in the ground. We want to look at them now so you know what to do.
Analysing the soil
Before you even start, it is important to do thorough soil analysis. The goal is to gather as much information about the conditions as possible. You want to know the pH, moisture content, and even what type of soil you are dealing with. All of this info will help you to determine the corrosive potential. You can then look at measures you can take to either improve the soil conditions or protect the tubing with corrosion resistant materials.
Creating trenches
The best option for installing pipes in the ground is to dig trenches. This may sound like a very simple case of digging holes. However, there is a lot to think about here. You need to ensure each trench will provide enough support for the tubes. If it doesn’t, they could shift and fail. In addition, you need to remove anything that could damage the tube or any protective coatings. That includes sharp rocks and debris.
Aligning the tube
When you move on to installing the ERW tubes, you must ensure you align them all correctly. They should fit together smoothly and be as straight as possible with minimal bending. The goal is to make sure there is no misalignment because it can increase the amount of stress on the tube. That can cause the tubes to fail much sooner than they should.
Be careful with backfilling
The final stage with the installation is to backfill the trenches. Again this isn’t as simple as it may seem at first. You’re not simply pouring material back in to cover the pipes. What you are actually doing is providing the last bit of support to spread out the load and offer protection against stress. What you need to do is choose suitable materials. You then have to make sure there won’t be any voids around the tube.
Talk to us about ERW tubes
Union Steel Tubes has a huge amount of experience and delivers some of the highest quality tubing in the UK. Clients from a variety of industries can rely on us. We can cater for many different applications, sharing our expertise along the way.
So, if you need ERW tubes, feel free to contact us. Ordering is easy and we deliver quickly too, sometimes same day for emergency orders.
