How to Install Xtru-Coat Piping
Xtru means “extruded polyethylene” and Xtru-coat pipes are steel pipes with a polyethylene coating. They are also called polyethylene coated pipes. They are used to carry natural gas, and as a general rule, new underground gas pipes must be coated with polyethylene or another plastic. Installation procedures for this piping are the same as those used for above-ground steel gas pipes, except that pipe connections must also be Xtru-coated and the connections must be fusion-tool welded.
Step 1
Draw a gas piping system sketch showing the proposed location of the piping, as well as the pipe size of different branches before beginning.
Step 2
Install polyethylene pipe materials and compression couplings for all underground installations. Install factory prefabricated Xtru-coated fittings for all joints. The fitting you will use will vary according to the fitting you want to make.
Step 3
Butt fusion weld all fittings using an electrical fusion tool. Hold the fusion tool against the fitting to be fused following the directions that came with your fusion welder. Electrical fusion tools heat the ends of both pipes to be joined, and pushing the pipes together makes the joint.
Step 4
Hydrostatically pressure test all pipes to at least 150 pounds per square inch of pressure before burial.
References
Writer Bio
Don Davis has been a professional writer since 1977. He has had numerous writing jobs, including writing news and features for the "Metrowest Daily News" and "Los Angeles Herald-Examiner." Davis has a Bachelor of Arts in English and history from Indiana State University.
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