Pipe anchors play an important role in helping expansion joints do their job by absorbing their stress. Therefore, it’s vital that these components last as long as possible. Read below for several tips to extend the life of your expansion joint anchors so that you can get the most performance out of them.
Choose the Right Anchors
One tip for extending the life of your anchors is to make sure you choose the right products from the very beginning. For example, make sure that you use products that consist of strong materials so that your anchors can endure high pressure and pipe impacts.
Additionally, they should feature insulation to protect your anchor from damages that metal-on-metal contact may cause. You should also avoid using anchors that consist of mismatched metals. Unfortunately, this may result in galvanic corrosion that can disintegrate your pipes and increase the rust in your system.
Prepare for Future Repair
Another tip to extend the life of your expansion joint anchors is to ensure that you can repair them in the future. After you determine which areas may experience corrosion, ensure you have enough room to reach those areas later for repair.
For example, this extra space will allow you to remove or adjust anchors easily. Otherwise, you may have difficulty reaching those areas and won’t be able to perform the needed maintenance so that they last longer.
Install Your Anchors Correctly
You can also extend the life of your anchors by ensuring you install them correctly with the right support and spacing. Use a pipe alignment guide to determine how far your anchor and guides should be from your expansion joint.
Proper installation of the guides will allow axial pipe movement while cutting down on lateral and angular movement. Otherwise, the movement may be too destructive, cut down on the life of your anchor, and result in your pipe system sagging.
Triad Bellows is a trusted manufacturer and supplier of expansion joints, pipe guides, and supports. We have the expertise to help you overcome your industrial challenges. To learn more, visit our webpage!
