Best practices for solvent welding thermoplastic piping: PVC, CPVC and ABS

摘要

To consistently make good solvent welded joints, the following should be clearly understood and adhered to: 1) The joining surfaces must be softened (dissolved) and made semi-fluid. 2) Sufficient solvent cement must be applied to fill the gap between pipe and fitting. 3) Assembly of pipe and fitting must be made while the surfaces are still wet and fluid. 4) Joint strength develops as the solvent cement dries. In the tight part of the joint, the surfaces will tend to fuse together; in the loose part, the solvent cement will bond to both surfaces. Penetration and dissolving can be achieved by the solvent cement itself, a suitable primer, or by the use of both primer and solvent cement. A suitable primer will penetrate and dissolve the plastic more quickly than solvent cement alone. In cold weather, more time and additional applications are required (see Figure 1).