Victaulic fittings for steam

Tim_14

Can Victaulic fittings be used for low pressure steam?
Lou

DanHolohan

I asked

and they said no.

doug_10

What is your experience with victaulic fittings on hot water boiler systems? I am getting ready to plumb a large wood chip boiler system which will be my first with victaulic. Although the up-front cost is more the ease of installation seems worth it-Eb

Josh M.

You know I have really mixed feelings. My only advice is if it looks as if there is a possibility it might leak... It will.

Mad Dog

I've done a lot of Vic in my day

on fire line and fire sprinks, but I would not recommend it on any heating system. In fact, I've seen vic blow apart - nothing like screw pipe or even soft soldered joints. I've seen vic tap saddles used on low pressure steam that was holding up over several years and some that were leaking badly. I wouldn't do it. Mad Dog

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Ball Valve

I have also done alot of vic piping. Many fluids can be used in vic piping it all depends on the type of gasket. I work for a mechanical contractor and have seen vic used on heating(hot water), Chilled water, fire lines, glycols, Dynelene, domestic water, varnish (liquid), I'm sure there are others i probably forgot. Vic is a great alternative to welding or threaded pipe but it depends on the application.

pfitter_27

Vic

For at least 10 years or more, grooved piping systems have been the standard, around here, on heating, chilled water, heat pump loops, glycol and just about anything else. No, not steam.

I have never seen an operational failure. You have to choose the proper gasket for the application. I prefer the rigid couplings.

I have seen rubbers that leak because they were cut during instillation. I have also seen an ocasional flange gasket failure. (drips, not floods) Gruvelok has had a problem with flanges lately.

I dont like the "outlet" couplings. Most specs wont allow them. Some specs allow mechanical tees some dont. Before you use them on heating take a look at how the system will expand and contract, I believe thats where the failures come from.


May I suggest you contact your vic rep. they will set up a demenstration for you. Groovlok is a viable alternitive.

We always use grooved pipe on 2 1/2" and above. I have also used it with 2" and on copper. Always with good results.

As a note of intrest, Groovelok once (years ago) rated their "S" gaskets for low pressure steam. We repiped a crawl space in a church with it once, not a single problem. However, shortly after, Groovelok quit offering their product for steam.

p

Tony Conner

One Of...

...the big problems with Vic or Gruvlok is that people don't allow for thermal expansion on heating systems. On long straight runs, like you can easily get in institutional installations, there can be quite a bit of expansion to deal with. There's a little gap between the pipe ends. This is the expansion gap. There are two ways to deal with the expansion. One way is to have enough couplings in the run. The othe way is to pop for an expansion joint. Both add quite a bit of cost to the job, but thermal expansion WILL happen, whether you want it to or not. "Piping Design and Engineering" by Grinnell (my 7th edition is by Grinnell, but that may have changed) has a chapter on Gruvlok where they talk about how to calculate expansion requirements, required hanger spacing, etc.

Mark Eatherton1

I installed 1600 feet

of Vic on the MONSTER snowmelt job I did last year, and have not had ONE problem. I'd do it again. You DO need to take expansion/contraction into consideration though. We used two large loops to compensate. Make sure you ancher the middle between EJ's to make sure it grows where YOU want it to grow, and not where IT wants to grow. But then again, that rule applies to ANY pipe...

ME

flange

vic is quickly becoming the standard for hvac. i have never seen it on steam, but who knows? there isnt a whole lot of low pressure steam going in these days, compared to water loops, especially water source heat pumps. i just started up an old chilled water loop in an old govt facility that we converted to hot water. there must be 2000 feet of pipe, from ten inch on down to two and a half. every joint is vic, 99% of the fittings were the old style ridgid, we replaced only two tees, two ells and three couplings. system has been online this season and working great. as noted before, you should tell your supplier that they are to be used on hvac, as it is a different gasket.

DanHolohan

The manufacturer knows.

I asked about steam and they said that you can't use it for steam. That was good enough for me.