for how long and to what pressure do people pressure test for?

[Dean744PiN5]

i normally rig up a pushfit coupling attached to a female iron and a radiator vent plug.

 

[muggles]

You can't. You need to put a valve on each outlet to purge it

 

[Madrab]

Lol...I love the words - "Joint security can be checked visually and by tugging at joints" .....@ 18Bar..... Pop!! Sheeit!!

 

[PullerGas]

16Bar for an hour is what we normally do. We rarely purge air & I know we should, but I've never had a fitting completely blow off when hydrolic testing pipe work with water.

 

[Fallout]

Thanks I have havent purged air before as I usually use push fit cap ends. Would cost more if had to put a valve on each outlet

 

[nickso]

16Bar for an hour is what we normally do. We rarely purge air & I know we should, but I've never had a fitting completely blow off when hydrolic testing pipe work with water.

Best hope you don't if it's full of air.

We had a chap at my current place who tried to test two test caps screwed together but the threads were incompatible and he hadn't purged the air out them properly. He then also took the pressure up to 1kpsi over the 10kpsi test pressure. When it blew one of the test caps flew through two test bay walls made of railway sleepers, a breezeblock wall, through a shipping container outside and finally came to rest some 70ft later on the yard floor. If it was purged and only had water in it the first sleeper wall would probably have held it. the test cap probably weighed 30-40 kgs.

Pressures are much higher of course but the principal is the same.

 

[Terry lambert]

Thanks I have havent purged air before as I usually use push fit cap ends. Would cost more if had to put a valve on each outlet

As per deans post

 

[Remington]

18 bar thats mental????

I test as per BSEN 8558 its 1.5 times working pressure for 1 hour for metalic pipe and less for elestomeric pipe.

 

[nortonj]

Had a 15mm test rig up to 50 bar before it popped years ago at college. Think it was a compression cap end that flew across room luckily didnt hit anyone. As said above i test to 1.5 working pressure.

 

[Dean744PiN5]

18 bar thats mental????

I test as per BSEN 8558 its 1.5 times working pressure for 1 hour for metalic pipe and less for elestomeric pipe.

you should be testing to the manufacturers instructions if they are different from the regulations. 18 bar is no issue at all pressure testing pipework only.

 

[Madrab]

Yeah, If I remember the regs correctly they define that they are there to give the basics rules but will be superseded when there are MI's to refer to.

I would agree though about testing copper and always test to 1.5 times working for an hour static. Only when copper's mixed with plastic or plastic only, then their MI's kick in.