Source: Environmental standards dictate the materials used in pipe joint lubricants Bolts pull pipes and fittings together in mechanical joints. As a result, push-on fittings are favored for connecting underground iron pipes, while mechanical joints are more often found on other fittings, where it may be awkward or impractical to simply press the parts together. While tightening those bolts is straightforward-and can be accomplished with a standard ratchet wrench-aligning these fittings and tightening the bolts requires more labor than push-on joints. However, mechanical joints require the tightening of multiple bolts to fully seal. In mechanical joints, one pipe end inserts into another, using a gasket to form a seal. Installers can connect pipes with push-on joints by pushing one pipe inside the beveled end of another, as shown in the video below: Push-on joints-the most popular type for iron pipe installed underground-feature a rubber gasket placed inside a groove. But often, pipe joint lubricant facilitates the installation of two types of joints: push-on and mechanical. Other pipes simply slide into a short, slightly larger section of pipe and bond using welds or adhesives. Grooved couplings seal two abutted pipes using a metal housing and gaskets. Flanges hold pipes together with perforated discs and bolts. There’s no one right way to join all pipes. It’s typically applied to gaskets-often made from synthetic rubber or plastic-and to pipe ends being pushed or mechanically pulled into those gaskets. These lubricants work with a wide variety of pipe, including copper, steel, plastic, iron, and more. Pipe joint lubricant simplifies the process of joining pipes that connect with specific types of fittings. Pipe joint lubricants work with specific joints and gaskets to connect pipes and fittings with little effort If you’ve stumbled across this article while looking for some pipe joint lubricant, click here to look at our selection. We also look at safety issues surrounding the use of pipe joint lubricant, focusing directly on safety data sheets (SDSs) and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for leading pipe joint lubricants such as Phoenix 27 XL, Phoenix 27 A, and ProSelect.
In this article, we take a close look at pipe joint lubricant-explaining what it does, when it’s used, and how lubricants vary across brands. Pipe joint lubricant is another such innovation. From grooved couplings that remove welding from the pipefitter’s equation to adhesives that chemically join plastic pipes, installers can attach a wider variety of pipes in less and less time. Some innovations have made joining pipes significantly easier. Pipe joint lubricant streamlines the fitting of push-on and mechanical joints