5 Most Common Uses for Grooved Piping Systems

Are you preparing to create a piping system? Trying to figure out what type of pipe, fittings, couplings, or pipe joints are best for the application at hand? Have you thought about utilizing groove cut pipe to get the job done? Cut grooving for pipe as it is often referred to, is a process where a groove is cut into the pipe so the wall will be smooth; thereby allowing whatever is being transported to pass without being obstructed. This in combination with grooved end fittings and grooved pipe couplings are used for creating grooved piping systems.

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Common applications that use grooved piping systems.

1. Seismic Applications

Are you working in an area that is prone to earthquake activity? Groove cut piping systems are highly recommended when designing a piping systems in seismic conditions. Why is this? One of the main benefits provided by a grooved piping connection is it’s ability to reduce vibration. When an earthquake occurs, very strong vibrations occur within the ground, which is where many water or oil piping systems reside.

With a typical piping system in which welding or soldering is used, strong vibrations can cause connection points to crack or break. If a grooved piping system is used, vibration can be reduced which then reduces the risk for cracks or breaks that create leaks within your piping system.

2. Fire Protection

Having a fire protection system is a must for commercial or industrial buildings in order to meet fire code regulations. It is important to ensure that these systems, such as overhead sprinklers, are always working in case of an emergency. Groove cut piping systems have become more and more popular in fire protection applications. The fact that grooved fittings or couplings do no need to be connected via welding.  Over time, welded or soldered seams can break down and connections within the piping system can start to fail. To eliminate the risk of failed or broken seams, contractors have faithfully begun to use groove cut piping systems for fire protection applications.

3.Mining

When utilizing grooved cut fittings, couplings, or pipe for mining applications there are many benefits. Compared to other piping materials, selecting groove cut material can reduce your application cost up to 50%. Mining is an industry that brings in millions and millions of dollars across the country. In an industry that large, it is important to avoid or reduce down time as much as possible. With groove piping systems, maintenance and repairs are done much quicker, eliminating the long down time that would be required to re-weld or re-solder other materials. Also, without the need for welding,  groove cut joints are able to expand and contract during temperature changes without breaking seams or welded connections.

For more information, please visit Grooved Pipe Fittings.

Additional reading:
How to Save Money When Buying Multiseal Metric Fitting

4. Ship Building

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Whether used for transporting material across the ocean, or providing a fun filled cruise for families, ships are used everyday. Inside the walls of a ship are tons and tons of piping systems. Some for water, some for fuel, and others for fire protection. These piping systems if not repaired quickly in the event of a broken or burst pipe can cause major problems, some of which can end catastrophically. Short repair time is a necessity to ensure the safety of all people or materials on the ship. How do you know if a pipe in a ship is about to break or burst? You don’t…until it happens. With that being said, groove cut piping systems are important as they provide reduced maintenance times of up to 66%.

5. Power Generation Applications

Power generation applications contain many forms. Furthermore nuclear, gas, or coal are just a few that require durable piping systems to create a safe and efficient transfer of power. Sometimes with power generation you may not be able to create a straight shot piping system. Groove cut piping supplies allow you to create a versatile piping system and maneuver around any obstacles that may come about. Once again, cost is reduced, repair time is reduced, and installation is quicker when using grooved piping systems. All of which, are very important in power generation applications.

Cut Groove Piping Supplier

As you can see there are a number of applications for grooved piping systems with cut groove pipe, grooved cut fittings and couplings etc. The pros at Detroit nipple works can help with questions and put together an order that will fit your particular application.

Also we can supply grooved fittings and couplings that are comparable to Victaulic at a substantially lower price! Finally please Contact us with questions or submit a request for quote online!

Posted In: Grooved Piping

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We previously have introduced different types and combinations of threaded fittings - which have been around for more than a century.

Here we're introducing another common way to join pipe; using grooved fittings. 
An attic sprinkler system using a grooved elbow with couplings.  Use of "mechanical" couplings that could allow faster joining of pipe came to life in by Lieutenant Ernest Tribe. Just a few years later the Victory Pipe Joint Company renamed itself to Victaulic (a combination of "victory" and "hydraulic"), and grew to expand the technology worldwide. 

Today, Victaulic and other manufacturing leaders provide grooved fittings that are often used for pipes in fire sprinkler systems. It is not uncommon for both mains and branch lines to be grooved today.

What are common grooved fittings, and how do they work? Let's introduce them.  An in-rack sprinkler with a branch line using (starting with the sprinkler) a groove x thread reducing elbow
​with a grooved coupling, a grooved piece of pipe, and a grooved tee (connection not shown). PIPE
Let's start with the pipe. In order to give grooved fittings an opportunity to "grip" the pipe and remain in place, they need an opportunity to resist the pressure of the water that is trying to "pull away" the pipe from the fittings which join them together. A grooved coupling about to connect two grooved-end pipes. Note the loose nut and bolt on the right-hand side, allowing the coupling to be expanded and "slip" over the pipe on the left. In order to create a groove in the pipe, steel can either be "roll groove" or "cut groove". Roll groove pipe involves pressing an indentation into the pipe near the end of the pipe. This allows a grooved fitting to slip over the end of the pipe and fit into the groove. Roll groove pipe has the advantage of not reducing the pipe thickness, so it can have more tolerance for corrosion than thinner pipe, similar pipe with threads, or pipe with cut grooves.

Pipe which is cut groove involves cutting into the pipe rather than pressing it. This cutting removes a portion of the pipe wall, making a thinner but smooth interior pipe wall. This thinner wall makes it more susceptible to corrosion, however, for pipe systems with a minor slope, the smooth inside of the pipe does not create a ridge where water can sit and corrode the pipe. Roll Grooved Pipe (top) and Cut Grooved Pipe (bottom). Note the ridge on the inside of the pipe wall for roll groove pipe, and the thinner pipe wall along the cut groove pipe. A tape measure with a "go" or "no-go" measurement to determine if the groove is within manufacturer tolerances. ELBOWS & TEES
Let's start with the basics. Elbows allow bends of 90-degrees (most common), 45-degrees, 22-1/2 degrees, and 11-1/4 degrees.

Why not every possible angle? What if I need to have a 60-degree bend because of my building?

First, it wouldn't be economical to make a fitting of every bend. Second, is that using just two 90-degree elbows back-to-back we're able to create a "swing joint" and make any angle we could want, just by changing the elevation of the pipe that's being joined. Victaulic "FireLock" Grooved Fittings; 
90-Degree Elbow #001 (left), 45-Degree Elbow #003 (center), and Standard Tee #002 (right) One notable specialty with the grooved elbow is a "Drain Elbow", which has the elbow except it includes a drain outlet at the bend of the elbow. This is used all the time with fire department connections which come down a wall and need to be capable of being drained (to avoid having water-charged pipe freeze and burst). This is also called a "Drain-El" or is a Victaulic #10-DR. A wall-mounted fire department connection that is away from the riser, here showing the "Drain Elbow" with a ball drip below. The portion upstream of the check valve is intended to be dry unless the FDC is actively being used in order to avoid freezing water inside. COUPLINGS
Nice sketches, Joe, but that's not how things look in the field!

That's because unlike threaded fittings, the actual pipe joining is by a grooved coupling. The coupling has malleable iron bumps that grip the indent of one groove (pipe/fitting) and connect it to the second groove (the other pipe/fitting).  A grooved coupling (here a Victaulic #009N shown). OTHER FITTINGS
There are a host of other fitting types. Grooved Reducing Tees? Yep. Less common. Less common can equate to more expensive, or at least that's what I hear from contractors familiar with all the pricing nuances.

What other grooved fittings do I often see? 

Reducing fittings, which is a concentric, single-cast piece of metal that has a large groove on one end and tapers down to a smaller groove on another end. One note of caution is using these in the vertical orientation; I've heard it is much better, more stable, and stronger to use a reducing-fitting as opposed to a reducing-coupling when in a vertical orientation. One of my clients goes so far to say to not use reducing couplings at all (where the coupling itself has two different groove sizes). I wouldn't have the expertise to gauge that myself. A flange x groove reducer (left) and a grooved cap (right). There are also reducing adapters, than can accept a flange connection and convert it to a reduced groove connection. 

Crosses are also available, as are caps (like the Victaulic #006 shown above on the right) which can terminate the end of a branch line. These caps even have 1-inch threaded opening options for easy auxiliary drains. 
Many manufacturers have equipment and components with grooved ends that can readily attach to pipe and fittings.