EPS LF PUSH-FIT

EPS LEAD FREE PUSH-FIT SYSTEM

PUSH- FIT Fittings

EPS LF Push-Fit fittings are manufactured to high standard manufacturing processes. EPS LF Push-Fit fittings are made of Lead Free* DR BRASS which is batch tested and conforms to AS3688. Fitting design includes a high tensile stainless steel grab ring and “O”-ring seal which seats on the outside of the EPS pipe. * All fittings have stamped detail clearly showing Brand, Size, Pressure Rating, Standard and watermark certificate number. EPS LF Push-Fit fittings have been tested and approved in accordance with the Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS2537.2 with watermark certificate WMKA21276.

EPS Push-Fit pex fittings are available in DN16, DN20 & DN25. Refer to the full product listing in this manual.

EPS PIPES

EPS pipes are manufactured from virgin material to exceed the performance requirements of AS/NZS2492. EPS pipe is the preferred choice for hot and cold potable water and recycled water applications.

EPS crosslinked polyethylene is manufactured by changing the polymer which chemically links the molecular structure to form a three dimensional, cross-linked structure. This process increases the durability, temperature and pressure capacity. EPS pipe provides flexibility with improved mechanical, thermal and chemical properties.

EPS pipe benefits

• EPS PEX pipe has a larger internal bore for better flow
• Low water flow noise.
• Reduced water hammer compared to metal pipes.
• Higher resistance to surge pressures.
• Resistant to freezing and has high impact strength.
• Chemical resistance to glycols, latex paints, silicone and most acids and bases.
• Proven long life and durability.
• Light weight and easy to install.
• Light weight and easy to install.
• Colours black, red, lilac & green.
• Coils and Straight lengths available.
• Coils provide faster installation, less joints and cost saving.

EPS pipe is compatible with both – EPS Crimp & EPS Push-Fit fittings.

Black – Suitable for potable hot and cold water in domestic and commercial applications.

Red – Specifically for hot water lines.

Lilac – Specifically for recycled, non-potable water.

Green – Specifically for Rainwater

Maximum Working Pressure

EPS Pipe is manufactured to AS/NZS 2492 and designed to a maximum working pressure of 1600 kPa @20°C

Exposure to heat

Exposer to excessive heat can damage the integrity of the pipe and joint and will significantly reduce the service life of the EPS plumbing system. Be mindful of exposer to radiant heat sources i.e. high wattage lighting and other radiant heat sources. While welding or soldering during construction and maintenance in close proximity to the EPS Plumbing system. Eps Plumbing system exposed to heat emissions must be permanently protected. Never expose EPS plumbing system to a naked flame. Replace all pipe and fittings that have been compromised due to direct or radiant heat. Always follow required installation procedure as per AS/NZS 3500.

Installation Requirements

CARE & HANDLING

EPS pipe and Push-Fit pex fittings must be protected from damage through all stages of the process from transport to storage and installation in accordance with AS/NZS3500. Provision for pipe and fitting protection therefore includes but is not limited to the following:

• Care must be taken to keep the pipe and fittings free of grit, dirt, dust, sand and any foreign matter.
• Pipe must be protected from physical damage. Including cuts, abrasions, dents, kinks, tears, holes, etc.
• Pipes, either black, red, green or lilac, must not be installed in direct sunlight.
• Pipe must be protected from long term or permanent U.V. exposure, by way of lagging, or encasing in a conduit etc.
• Pipe and fittings must be protected from excessive heat or burning, chemical / solvent attack, animal or rodent attack, machinery damage, other external threats, etc.
• Pipe must never be installed where it could be exposed to a naked flame. In accordance with AS/NZS3500, all plastic pipe for water supply must be protected from excessive ambient heat.
• Chemical or corrosive environments pipe must be protected, fittings must be wrapped, sealed, protected this Includes all underground installations for all fittings.

Exposure to UV Rays.

Pipe must be protected from long term or permanent U.V. exposure, by way of lagging, or encasing in a conduit. AS/NZ 3500 outlines installation practices and considerations the installer must abide by.

EPS PEX pipe is specifically designed for the EPS Push-Fit jointing system in conformance with AS/ NZS2492 with watermark certificate WMKA21274. EPS PEX pipe is compatible with all two EPS jointing systems for water including:

• EPS LF Crimp
• EPS LF Push-Fit

* To ensure a leak proof installation the external surface of the EPS pex pipe must be completely free of scratches, indentations and any other surface damage or deformation.

Pipe support and clipping

Pipe support and clipping, both vertically and horizontally is required to ensure conformance for vibration, excessive tension, torsion or compressive stresses on fittings and pipe. Refer to Pipe Specification Chart for spacing.

• Pipe penetrations through timber and steel frames and concrete sections must conform and may require protection using grommets, fire collars, sleeving or wrapping. Holes, notches and cut-outs must be accurately drilled “in-line” to allow movement for expansion and contraction of the pipe and fittings so joints are not exposed to excessive stress. Refer to Pipe Specification Chart for timber frame cut-out limitations
• Pipe expansion and contraction needs to be accommodated during installation to allow for movement due to thermal Linear Expansion. Failure to do so may exceed the torsional pull-out allowances on fittings resulting in leakage. Refer to the Pipe Specification Chart for the Thermal Expansion Co-efficient
• EPS pipe is flexible but requires care when bending to avoid kinks or other permanent deformation that may restrict flow or put undue pressure on joints. If the pipe is kinked or damaged in any way it must be cut-out and replaced. EPS Push-Fit elbows are recommended for tight
  bends. Refer to the Pipe Specification Chart for minimum bending radius and tools for bending.
• In accordance with AS/NZS3500 regions with extreme hot or cold temperatures require appropriate product selection and/or insulation for protection and compliance. Consideration should also be given to insulating the pipe for energy efficiency as well as the prevention of condensation which can occur in hot and cold lines. Hot water lines require insulation / lagging – Refer to AS/ NZS3500.

Underground Installation/Concrete slabs

NOTE: It is a requirement to pressure test the pipe and fittings in accordance with AS/NZS 3500 prior to burying or concealing the EPS Plumbin g System. Underground installation of EPS pipe and fittings must be in accordance with AS/NZ3500 including but not limited to the following:

• Minimum buried depth required by standards.
• Minimum pipe separation distance.
• Wrapping and protection.
• Conduit sleeving through slab penetration.
• Underground Piping installation recommended with no joints.
• Concrete slab piping must be continuous with no Joints.

Important

The design of the EPS Push-Fit pex fitting requires a positive “O-Ring” seal on the external diameter pipe surface. The installation requirements must therefore include the following key points:

• The external pipe seating surface MUST be completely free of any scratches, cuts, indentations, defect or deformity
• The pipe and fitting MUST be free of dirt, grit, sand or other foreign material.
• The fitting must be complete with no damage to the “O-Ring” and grab ring. Never attempt to dismantle a fitting as they are factory sealed and tested.
• The fitting must be pushed on completely in one continuous action – check the insertion marks on the pipe for correct depth insertion!
• DO NOT pull back the fitting unless the fitting has been pushed on completely – check the “insertion depth” marks labelled on pipe. Pull-back prior to complete insertion causes grab-ring bite indentations on the pipe. If this occurs you MUST cut the pipe and start gain.

Ring Mains/Recirculating Hot Water Systems.

Recirculating Hot Water Systems or Ring Mains minimise the time it takes to get hot water to reach an appliance or outlet. It is also known that the continuous flow of water with exposure to high temperatures and high velocity makes this a very extreme and demanding application, whether using copper, Pex, or other piping materials.

To ensure system service life is maximised and to cater for the performance tolerances of heat sources, the following installation and water quality guidelines must be followed on any circulating hot water systems using EPS plumbing system in order to maintain the product warranty.

Maximum pressure within the ring mains / recirculating hot water systems must be limited 500kPa (as per AS/NZ 3500). Maximum water temperature must not exceed 60°C.

The pipe work design and recirculating pumps must be sized to limit the water velocity to the requirement of AS/ NZS 3500 for non-metallic piping. Where copper pipe is part of the installation, the velocity restrictions for this material is extremely critical and must not be exceeded.

A timer controlled recirculation pump must be used with a maximum circulation time of 12 hours per 24-hour period.

All pipe work should be insulated and the recirculating pump must be thermostatically controlled, to further reduce stress on the system and minimise energy consumption. The system layout of pipework and fittings should be designed with long wide sweeping pipe bends with limited use of fittings.

Water quality – Australian city potable water reticulation systems as defined in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

EPS Push-Fit Tools

Key benefits of the EPS Push-Fit system are the minimal tooling requirements. Jointing tools include:

• Pipe cutter
• Deburring Tool / depth gauge
• Disassembly clip tool

ELECTROCUTION WARNING!

The potential threat of electrocution and death must be recognised if an earth line is disconnected by cutting metal pipes. ALWAYS check with a licenced electrician prior to proceeding.

System Testing

Pipe and joint system testing must be carried out in accordance with AS/NZS3500 and any other applicable local authority requirements prior to burying or concealing the EPS Push-Fit Pex Plumbing System.

It is the responsibility of the Licenced Installer to ensure that all joints and fittings are inspected, tested and checked for leaks to ensure safety and compliance.

It is recommended to incorporate a checking procedure to ensure that each joint has been correctly and completely jointed.

Pressure Loss
Pressure loss calculations using the Hazen-Williams equation.
The pressure loss was calculated for both the internal mean
inside diameter of SDR 9 of AS/NZS 2492:2007. To generate
the theoretical calculations, the following assumptions were
applied:

• Friction coefficient of plastic pipe at 15.5°C was taken as 140.
• The internal diameter used for calculation was taken at the theoretical mean diameter as per the manufacturing tolerances featured in Table 3.1 of AS/NZS 2492:2007 for
  SDR 9.

The following is a list of limitations of the Hazen-Williams equations but not limited to:

• Published literature suggests that the Hazen-Williams equation is reliable for water at 15.5°C with velocity flow less than 10 feet/s or 3.048 m/s.
• Changes in water temperature, density and media will alter the pressure loss.
• Installation where pipework which is curved or bent could alter the internal diameter.
• Installation of fitting and valves within pipeline network.
• Variations in manufacturing tolerances of wall thickness and internal diameter of the PEX pipe in each SDR class.
• Variations in the actual internal surface friction coefficient.

When used to calculate the head loss with the International System of Units, the
equation becomes:

Where:
• S = Hydraulic slope
• hf = head loss in meters (water) over the length of pipe
• L = length of pipe in meters
• Q = volumetric flow rate, m3/s (cubic meters per second)
• C = pipe roughness coefficient
• d = inside pipe diameter, m (meters)
Note: pressure drop can be computed from head loss as hf × the unit weight of water
(e.g., 9810 N/m3 at 4 deg C)
Source: Wikipedia

Hazen Williams Equation

Only reliable for water at 15.5 degrees celcius with velocity flow less than 10 feet/s or 3.048 m/s

Warranty

The Elson EPS Crimp Water & Gas Dual Pex Plumbing System carries a 25 year product warranty which covers product manufacturing faults and defects. This warranty only applies under the following requirements:

• The system must have been installed by a licensed Plumber / Gasfitter.
• Proof of installation by a licensed Plumber/Gasfitter is required.
• Proof of purchase is required.
• Installation must be in accordance with AS/NZS 3500 & AS/NZS 5601
• Installation must be in accordance with any other relevant and applicable local authority codes which may take precedence.
• Installation must be in accordance with established installation practices.
• Installation must be in accordance with the jointing procedures included in this manual.
• Installation must only ever involve the use of the same approved EPS Pipe (watermark certificate WMKA 21274) or the approved system of EPS Crimp Gas PEX-AL pipe and fittings with license SMKP 21859 and approved tooling, Elson EPS Crimp Water & Gas Dual fittings (watermark certificate WMKA 21276) and Elson approved tooling.

To make a claim under warranty you must abide by the warranty conditions. Elson Australasia Pty Ltd undertakes to repair or replace product which is found to be faulty or defective in workmanship or manufacture according to the warranty conditions. The benefits provided to the consumer by this warranty are in addition to other rights and remedies available to the consumer under the law. To make a warranty claim you must contact Elson Australasia Pty Ltd immediately after a product issue has been identified. Elson requires an on-site inspection to assess the problem and determine the extent of the issue. Failure to provide notification, access and/or inspection when the problem was first identified will void this warranty. The product, complete with connections, must be supplied to Elson in order to obtain proper identification and carry out inspection, analysis and testing. Photographic proof and evidence must be provided to make a claim. In addition, you must also provide your contact details, proof of purchase, the licenced installer’s details and the job address.

If the product has not been installed please contact the place of purchase and return. If there is a problem returning the product please contact Elson.

Elson Australasia Pty Ltd
ABN: 45 059 613 991
38 Eddie Road, Minchinbury, NSW, 2770.
Ph: 02 9625 7899 Fax: 02 9625 7855
Email: sales@elson.net.au

To the extent of the Law, Elson shall not be liable for any consequential loss or damage of any kind caused by any product fault or defect in workmanship or manufacture.

FAQ