Hi,

Has anyone heard of Polyethylene Aluminum for the solar heater piping?



What's the reliability and cost of this? Isit better than copper and stainless steel as claimed by the contractor?

Sorry if I'm posting the wrong page or if there is a similar thread, but I could not find one on this.

i checked, looks ok but 1 thing. this type of pipe not many ppl know how to do and i know this photo is from which company

so in case got emergency nd repair, u cant jus get any plumber to do it. Very limited hardware shop selling this pipe and fittings also

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Oct 15 2020, 09:18 AM

Thanks for the feedback. Your looks ok means it has more advantages compared to stainless steel and copper type of material?

I believe this is popular like in the US nowadays if you see house renovation program. The Aluminum PE is under LDPE (low Density Polyethylene). Another one is HDPE for High Density. The LDPE is prone to crack although more flexible. There are many variation of PE like cross link PE or PEX usually used for piping.

If normal LDPE or even HDPE, they are not suitable for outdoor use; unless manufactured for outdoor which UV inhibitor material added. So, need to verify these since the PEX pipe price varies due to these reasons.

You can google to get more info.

Alright, thanks for the information Zot! I will go get more info on that. I wasnt sure of the acronyms before I posted it here.

Hi @Benjy94! I think there is another type of pipe which suitable for solar water heater called PPR, Polypropylene Random Copolymer (Polypropylene Random Copolymer type 3).
It is getting more common for residential piping system and having good track record for shopping mall and commercial building.