Aquarium Plumbing, PVC-U Aquarium Plumbing and Pond Plumbing.

How to identify your aquarium plumbing.

We have two types of PVC-U plumbing in the UK. The imperial system which conforms to British Standards and the newer metric system.

Imperial piping is specified by the internal diameter of the pipe of which the wall thickness is then added to this For example 1.5inch pipe will have a minimum internal diameter of 1.5inches but the fixed external diameter will be 48.1mm. The wall thickness will vary depending on the pressure rating so you will in fact have a larger internal diameter than 1.5inches. This type of pipe is mainly used in large industry were flow rates need to be calculated but you will also find it used on aquarium systems.

Metric piping is specified by the external diameter of the pipe. The internal diameter is eroded by the wall thickness so the inside diameter is not guaranteed thus depending on the pipe rating it is hard to work out any flow rates. .

If you already have piping and are trying to find a match. DO NOT take for granted the labelling printed on the side of the pipe as you may have imported pipe which due to Europe will be described in metric even though it may be imperial sized pipe.

The best way to identify any pipe you have is to measure the external diameter and cross reference it with the chart below.

Still not sure, further technical info at Full PDF Data Document or contact us via our Contact Us Page.

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The information provided in our calculations, charts, drawings and pictures was compiled to assist you in setting up your aquarium. We are not responsible for any problems that may arise from following this information.