When you have a project that requires commercial-grade plastic pipe, it's essential to choose the right type of piping system. From PVC and ABS to Pex and CPVC, there are plenty of options to choose from, and they all have different qualities and deficits.
Whether or not your commercial pipes will come into contact with acetone and other chemicals is something worth considering. Acetone is a powerful solvent that can break down, dilute, and dissolve anything it touches, including certain types of plastic pipe. Therefore, it's important to know how commercial CPVC will react when it comes into contact with acetone.
If you're curious and want to know more about the effects of acetone on CPVC, you've come to the right place. This article will examine whether or not CPVC is acetone-resistant, how resistant it is, and the long-term effects acetone can have on CPVC pipes and fittings.
The Relationship Between Acetone and CPVC Pipe
If you're unfamiliar with pipes used for a plumbing system or fire sprinkler system, you're probably wondering why acetone would ever come into contact with CPVC.
Acetone happens to be the main ingredient in most pipe cleaners used in joining CPVC pipes and fittings together. Before making any type of CPVC connection, you first have to clean the outside of the male end of the pipe, as well as the inside of the female fitting that you plan to connect together.
To do this, people typically use a pipe cleaner or primer, followed by glue or cement. Because acetone is the main ingredient in most commercial pipe cleaners, it's important to know how it will react to CPVC, PVC, and ABS pipes.
Is CPVC Resistant to Acetone?
For decades, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and pipe fitters have used acetone cleaners to prime CPVC pipes. Acetone serves as a plasticizer, which means it softens CPVC pipe surfaces and prepares them for receiving glue or cement. However, despite its popularity, acetone was recently added to a list of chemicals that can potentially break down and dissolve CPVC, PVC, and ABS pipes.
The most significant risk that acetone poses to CPVC is when you apply it in freezing temperatures. When used in these temperatures, acetone has the potential to break down the molecular chains that hold CPVC together. After enough chains break down, the CPVC pipe can start to experience environmental stress cracking, which could lead to eventual failure.
Therefore, it's recommended that you only use cleaners containing acetone to prime CPVC pipes when the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Effects of Acetone on CPVC Pipe
To understand why acetone is dangerous to CPVC pipes, it's crucial to know how the two materials react to one another.
Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, aka CPVC pipe, is held together by thousands of molecular bonds that make it strong and resistant to high heat, freezing temperatures, and many other elements. However, as an amorphous polymer, CPVC pipe is incompatible with many chemicals and solvents, including acetone.
In an undiluted state, the properties of acetone are very similar to the properties of CPVC pipe. Therefore, when you add acetone to a CPVC pipe surface, the acetone can cause the CPVC to break down, and here's why.
- Acetone is an organic compound and type of ketone that contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
- In general, ketones are known to be incompatible with plastics, including CPVC.
- When acetone and other ketones come into contact with CPVC, it slowly breaks down and dissolves the molecular chains that hold CPVC together.
- If enough chains break, the CPVC starts to crack and splinter.
- Eventually, the pipe and attached fitting material will break apart enough to cause leaks and holes in the pipe.
While acetone can cause potential problems with CPVC, including pipe failure, these problems aren't instant. It can take years, or even decades, for acetone to break down CPVC enough to cause serious problems.
In many cases, acetone alone isn't enough to be a severe risk. Other factors like improper installation, not using enough pipe hangers, and exposure to the sun can also damage CPVC pipe. Oftentimes, it takes a combination of these problems to cause enough environmental stress cracking to break down CPVC piping systems.
At What Point Is Acetone Dangerous to CPVC Pipe?
In the short term, you won't be able to see the negative effects of acetone on CPVC pipes. It takes time for acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and cleaning alcohols to break down enough CPVC molecular chains to cause any real damage.
Additionally, most of the evidence against using acetone cleaners on CPVC pipes indicates that temperature plays a big role in how detrimental it will be. In most cases, applying acetone at temperatures below 33 degrees F is where most of the potential problems begin.
Why Do Pipe Cleaners Use Acetone if It's Bad For Plastic Pipe?
Despite the emerging evidence that acetone can be dangerous to CPVC pipe, it remains the most commonly used element in pipe cleaners. This creates a bit of a catch-22 for pipe installers because there aren't many suitable pipe cleaner alternatives available.
However, most pipe cleaners mix acetone with other chemicals that negate some of its corrosive potential. Oatey Clear Cleaner, for instance, combines acetone with cyclohexanone, making it less corrosive and damaging. Therefore, as long as you don't use pure acetone instead of a pipe cleaner that CONTAINS acetone, you should be good to go.
How to Use Acetone Safely With CPVC Piping Systems
To avoid the potential issues that acetone can cause to CPVC pipes and coatings, it's important to follow these general instructions.
- Adhere to the manufacturer's instructions for your particular pipe cleaner. The instructions on the can should tell you what materials the cleaner is compatible with, the application temperature, and other important information.
- Use common sense when priming and cleaning CPVC pipes. Don't apply more cleaner than is necessary, as the more cleaner you apply, the higher the concentration of acetone will be.
- Never substitute pure acetone for CPVC pipe cleaner. CPVC pipe cleaners contain additional ingredients that make acetone less volatile than it is in its natural state.
As long as you follow these instructions when joining CPVC pipe and fittings together, the mechanical properties of your CPVC should remain uncompromised.