Advantages Of Tin Lined Copper Tubing for the Fuel Gas and Drinking Water Industries

 

• Lowest overall system cost for fuel gas applications
• Lowest cost material
• Easiest system to install
• Tin Lined Copper Tubing is required by code for Gas with High Sulfides
• Tin Lined Copper Tubing is the only approved tubing for Fuel Gas Systems as per HUD code for Manufactured Housing .
• Tin Lining helps prevent flaking due to corrosion that can clog pressure regulators and other orifices.  
• Tin Lined Copper Tubing is safe and non-toxic.
• Large labor savings over black steel pipe.
• Ideally suited for retro-fit and remodeling applications.
• Cost-effective for both low and high-pressure systems.
• Copper Tubing Material is certified to ASTM standards.
• No special tools or manufacturer-specific training needed - can be installed with the tools and skills the installer already has
• Copper Tubing is backed by technical and field support by the Copper Development Association throughout the United States.
• Semi-rigid material.
• Universal availability throughout North America
• Lighter than black steel pipe.
• Tin Lined Copper Tubing is produced by Techtrix in an ISO 9002 Quality Certified Facility.
• Techtrix has over seventy years of experience in the Metal Finishing and Electroplating Industry.
• Approved by national and international codes - National Fuel Gas Code, and International Mechanical Code and International Plumbing Code.

 

Why use Tin Lined Copper Tubing?

Tin Lined Copper Tubing can be used for gas fired water heaters, furnaces or individual room heaters, cooking ranges, ovens, clothes dryers, gas fireplaces, gas barbecues and decorative lighting.   Tin Lined Copper Tubing is safe, non-hazardous, and prevents flaking due to corrosion that can clog pressure regulators and other orifices.   The tin lining provides a non-toxic corrosion resistant barrier to protect against sulfur bearing natural gas and aggressive drinking water chemicals such as fluorine, chlorine, calcium, and magnesium.

Homeowners, housing developers, builders, installation contractors and gas companies all benefit when Tin Lined Copper Tubing is chosen for the fuel gas or water distribution systems.   Tin Lined Copper Tubing’s main advantages are flexibility (particularly in confined spaces), resistance to corrosion, easy joining, and its availability in long lengths. Lengths in excess of 1000 feet are available .

The use of Tin Lined Copper Tubing allows an easier, cleaner, less time-consuming installation and lower costs. For single-family dwellings, Tin Lined Copper Tubing is often the least expensive installation. In multi-story residences, the installation costs of Tin Lined Copper gas distribution systems are competitive with that of electricity for heating, laundry and cooking applications.

With careful planning and using long lengths of Tin Lined Copper Tube, all the joints usually contained in walls, floors and ceilings may be eliminated.   And, fewer joints mean improved safety.   Long lengths, compact dimensions and ease of joining are particularly important advantages of Tin Lined Copper Tubing for gas distribution systems.   Tin Lined Copper Tube offers maximum ease of installation when you wish to add gas equipment and appliances. Forexample, fuel gas can be supplied to fireplaces located virtually anywhere in a home quickly and economically without the difficulties associated with threaded pipe.

Tin Lined Copper Tubing is the only approved tubing for Fuel Gas Systems for Manufactured Housing per HUD Code 3280.705.   Tin Lined Copper Tubing is also required by code Z223.1-17 for Fuel Gas with High Hydrogen Sulfide content.

      Techtrix Tin Lining process is superior to other processes due to electrolyte control and process control and yields a predictable, dependable, and consistent tin lined coating.   Our process is approved by the National Sanitation Federation for use in the drinking water industry.   The Southern California Gas Company performed an extensive comparative analysis of Tin Lined Copper Tubing versus Bare (uncoated) Copper Tubing.   The Southern California Gas Company concluded that the Tin Lined Copper Tubing clearly outperformed the uncoated copper tubing and showed little if any sign of corrosion products.    

 

Properties and Application Techniques for Tin Lining of Copper Tubing

• Tin is a versatile, low-melting point, non-toxic metal possessing valuable physical properties such as excellent solderability, ductility, softness, corrosion resistance, and tarnish resistance.
• The excellent solderability and corrosion resistant properties of the tin coating are essential for copper conductors in the electronics industry.
• Ductility and corrosion resistance make tin coatings very useful in the bearing break-in process in the automotive industry.
• The food processing industry utilizes tin coatings for it’s corrosion resistant and non-toxic properties.
• Tin provides a barrier layer to protect the copper tubing from attack by sulfur bearing fuel gas or aggressive drinking water chemicals.
• A tin deposit provides sacrificial protection to copper as well as other non-ferrous alloys.
• The need to deposit a thin layer of tin on the inside diameter of copper tubing requires means other than electrodeposition.
• A plating solution requiring no electricity must be used, because an electrolytic cell cannot be employed to plate the inside of copper tubing.
• To obtain a dense tin coating having the following properties:
  • Ductility
  • Corrosion Resistance
  • Tarnish Resistance

             Without the use of electricity; a plating solution using reducing chemistry is utilized.   In order to obtain a superior tin coating, the inside of copper tubing must be chemically clean and free of any soils.   To maintain a dense, pore-free coating of tin, parameters such as time, temperature, flow-rate, and chemical composition must be closely monitored and controlled.   As a result of many experiments and strict process control procedures, our Tin Lining process has proven to be predictable, dependable, and consistent.

• The need for tin coating on the inside of copper tubing is primarily to prevent attack by unscrubbed natural gas.   The copper tubing is attacked readily by moisture, sulfur and it’s compounds which occur naturally in natural gas.   Tin is much more resistant to attack by sulfur compounds and aggressive drinking water chemicals thus extending the corrosion resistance of the copper tubing.
• Flaking and poor adhesion will adversely affect the corrosion resistance and intended function of the tin lining.   Therefore, the cleaning method before tin lining is just as critical as the proper formulation and control of the tin lining chemistry itself.