What is kPa, and why is it essential when it comes to your PVC pipes?

29 Aug What is kPa, and why is it essential when it comes to your PVC pipes?

If you’re a plumber, engineer, property developer, architect, or tradesman, then you’ll know that choosing the right kPa is a necessity when it comes to selecting your PVC pipes. This guide will tell you all you need to know about kPa, why it’s essential, and how it can help your plumbing system run more efficiently.

We at Marley Pipe Systems SA know that with hundreds of PVC pipe options currently available on the market, choosing the correct pipe for your project can be an overwhelming task. Depending on the job at hand, selecting the incorrect kPa can have catastrophic consequences that could bring the entire project to a standstill.

Most fluids are transported via circular pipes. This is because pipes with a circular cross-section can endure significant pressure variations between the interior and the exterior without undergoing considerable distortion. The amount of force a pipe can withstand is determined by its kPa.

But what is kPa, and why is it so important? Much like grams and kilograms are used to measure weight, kPa or kilopascal is a metric unit used to measure pressure. More specifically, kPa is 1000 times Pascal (a unit of pressure and stress), and it is essential in ensuring that a pipe is not under too much or too little pressure.

Pipes made of poor quality or with an inferior kPa are likely to break under the force exerted on them. The maximum allowable pressure depends on the size of the pipe; you should also consider the pipe’s thickness and the material it is constructed from. In addition, if you connect two pieces of tubing, they should have matching kPa ratings, and the fitting used to join the two pieces together should also be suitable.

At Marley Pipe Systems SA, we supply 11 diverse, high-quality product ranges which are proudly manufactured locally and a further six brands from abroad that are compatible with a wide variety of fittings and pipe materials for both high and low-pressure environments, all of which are fully accredited and meet the required standards set out by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and The Joint Acceptance Scheme for Water Installation Components (JASWIC)

As a manufacturer and wholesaler, we at Marley Pipe Systems SA pride ourselves on supplying superior products to installers and retailers across the continent.

Need help? Contact Marley Pipe Systems SA for your piping solution on 011 739 8600 or visit their website at www.marleypipesystems.co.za