Careful with your choice of geo pipe!

Ron342 · 01-09-17, 08:19 AM

Just finished a 100 ft geo hole (think showering in cold wet muddy water!) for a window unit extract water heater and learned something that may save you geo folks some $ and knuckles!
The hdpe pipe used in the u bends is not the same outer diameter as the hdpe pipe you buy at Lowes etc! The ubend pipe is generally intended for socket welding (heat the outside last inch of the pipe end at the same time you heat the inside of the elbow or coupling - then insert one into the other and hold til cool for a plastic weld)
So , for ubend pipe and other geo pipe intended for socket welding, the outer diameter is controlled to be the same as you go to different pressure ratings.
But the opposite is true for hdpe pipe intended to be used with interior barb and clamp type fittings - the Lowes Hdepo type - they are controlled to have a constant interior diameter as the pressure ratings change so they mate with the interior barb fittings.
And so the 160 psi pipe I got from Hdepo to connect to my 160 psi ubend pipe were different outside diameters so that the socket weld wouldn't work on the hdepo pipe. Think hours wasted heating, expanding and cooling the hdepo pipe so i could weld it to the ubend pipe at the trench at the top of the hole.
Best thing i came up for the future hole was to buy an extra premade ubend and cut off some of that pipe to weld on for the run in the trench from the hole to the basement. The pipe in the ubends (available locally) was much cheaper than shipping in geo spec scocket weld pipe (not available locally)
Save yourselves a lot of time and $ guys!

01-09-17, 08:19 AM	#1
Ron342 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 120 Thanks: 26 Thanked 12 Times in 8 Posts	Careful with your choice of geo pipe! Just finished a 100 ft geo hole (think showering in cold wet muddy water!) for a window unit extract water heater and learned something that may save you geo folks some $ and knuckles! The hdpe pipe used in the u bends is not the same outer diameter as the hdpe pipe you buy at Lowes etc! The ubend pipe is generally intended for socket welding (heat the outside last inch of the pipe end at the same time you heat the inside of the elbow or coupling - then insert one into the other and hold til cool for a plastic weld) So , for ubend pipe and other geo pipe intended for socket welding, the outer diameter is controlled to be the same as you go to different pressure ratings. But the opposite is true for hdpe pipe intended to be used with interior barb and clamp type fittings - the Lowes Hdepo type - they are controlled to have a constant interior diameter as the pressure ratings change so they mate with the interior barb fittings. And so the 160 psi pipe I got from Hdepo to connect to my 160 psi ubend pipe were different outside diameters so that the socket weld wouldn't work on the hdepo pipe. Think hours wasted heating, expanding and cooling the hdepo pipe so i could weld it to the ubend pipe at the trench at the top of the hole. Best thing i came up for the future hole was to buy an extra premade ubend and cut off some of that pipe to weld on for the run in the trench from the hole to the basement. The pipe in the ubends (available locally) was much cheaper than shipping in geo spec scocket weld pipe (not available locally) Save yourselves a lot of time and $ guys!