Maintaining Your Heating System

One of the most important things you can do as a homeowner is maintain the heating system in the home. It doesn’t matter if the heat is powered by oil or gas, the system that delivers the heat throughout the home must be maintained in order for it to operate properly and efficiently. If you notice a spike in your utility bills in the winter months you might want to take a long look at the health of the heating system.

The first thing you should do to maintain the system is give it a thorough cleaning either right after its last use or before it fires up for the first time next heating season. Dust and dirt can accumulate in the system, which can lead to clogged areas and a broken down shell and tube heat exchanger. If you don’t know how to properly clean such a system you should have an experienced HVAC professional come perform the task for you.

The heating system should also be inspected each year when it is cleaned. Ask the HVAC professional to ensure that the board is operating properly, that the diode in the water tank is in good shape, and that the pilot light is lit. The diode is an important tool that should be replaced every three to four years. It sits in the hot water tank to prevent rust and other issues from building up on the inside of the tank. You can tell if the diode hasn’t been changed recently if it is completely covered in rust.

If you have baseboards installed throughout the home they should also be inspected each year. Make sure that the connectors are not leaking water and that the grates on the baseboards are not covered in dust or other debris. You can easily clean them by running a vacuum over them to remove the dust.

Advantages of Fluoropolymer Tubing

Fluoropolymer tubing has become an important part of construction, wiring, biopharmaceuticals, aerospace and many other industries. There are various types of this tubing available on the market today and all have different uses. For general purposes, we will discuss the advantages of fluoropolymer tubing in this post.

The Main Advantages

The main advantages of this type of tubing include the following:

●       Tubing system is identical for use in varying atmospheric conditions where plastic tubes cannot be used.

●       The tubing system has a non-moisturizing nature, which means it is easy to clean, making it important to the foodservice industry.

●       The tubing system is very flexible, which makes it easy to install on various applications with little to no discomfort.

Properties of Fluoropolymer Tubing

The major properties of this type of tubing include the following:

●       Superior thermal functionality

●       Non flammable

●       Low permeability

●       Non stick

●       High temperature and chemical resistant

●       FDA compliant

●       Available in formats that include coiled, heat shrinkable and convoluted

●       Developed 100 percent virgin resins

Glass and Plastic Replacement

Fluoropolymer tubing is an excellent replacement for glass and plastic. When it comes to replacing glass, this tubing is able to maintain one percent the weight of glass, but it still transmits 25 percent more light. It is also much less expensive to install compared to glass.

Fire-Resistant

One of the biggest benefits of fluoropolymer tubing if that it is fire-resistant. It has received classification as a Class-1 flame retardant product after it met international standards. This tubing is a good choice for projects that involve highly flammable materials or installation of items in a common area for heat or fire. This is what makes the tubing so popular in the electrical industry.

The next time you go to work on a project, be sure to use fluoropolymer tubing because of all its advantages and benefits. 

The Accerated Growth of Fluropolymers and Fluropolymer Tubing

The acceleration in the use of fluropolymer materials and in particular fluropolymer tubing in modern industry has been staggering since its accidental discovery back in 1938. Fluropolymer’s properties for friction and heat resistance as well as chemical stability has made fluropolymers an optimum choice for industries that demand materials that remain useful and safe in extreme conditions. Conditions such as: extreme heat, acidic environments or transfer of volatile liquids, electrical environments, and even in outer-space as Nasa has used fluropolymers on their shuttles.

Some of the industries commonly cited as the biggest users of fluropolymer tubing are also high growth industries including but not limited to: Medical, Laboratory Research, Pharmaceutical, Food Processing, Automotive, Aeronautic, Textile, Military, Electrical, Chemical, Food & Beverage Processing, 3D Printing, Petrochemical, and Robotics.

In 2010, the fluropolymer industry as a whole had a revenue of $5.8 billion dollars with an estimated growth rate of 6.5%. By 2019 the fluropolymer market is estimated to reach a net worth of $8.8 billion or higher and at least one report from Gran View Research has the fluropolymer market reaching $11.11 Billion by 2022.  These figures are not precise and estimates do vary. As technology advances and more & more technology companies are born, the use of these materials are only primed to increase.

Research into the applications of fluropolymers has also spiked. The American Chemical Society published a study in 2011 that the number of citations regarding fluropolymers in scientific research per year in 1993 was well under 500, but in 2011 had topped 4000.

Fluropolymers and fluropolymer tubing has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives. As industry has become more keenly aware of the benefits and the dynamic range of the uses of fluropolymers, they have continued to apply these materials to products and devices that we use everyday.

Things You Need To Know About Fluoropolymer Tubing

A fluoropolymer is a unique polymer that consists of molecules of fluorine and carbon, which makes for a high-performing plastic material that can withstand high-temperature and harsh chemical environments. It's characterized by a high resistance to solvents, acids and bases, making it the perfect material in a wide variety of industries and applications! With that said, let's dive into some of the key things you need to know about fluoropolymer tubing.

Long History & Background

The use of fluoropolymer tubing dates back to many decades and PTFE tubing if often considered the original 'gold' standard. Since its creation, circa 1938, many different variations of fluoropolymer tubing were developed. Each variation features distinct advantages and some of other forms include:

            PTFE Tubing (the original fluoropolymer tubing)

            FEP Tubing

            PFA Tubing

            ETFE Tubing

            PVDF Tubing

            H2 Tubing

            Heat-Shrink Tubing

Excellent Resistance To Temperatures & Chemicals

Majority of the forms of fluoropolymer tubing is chemically inert, which means the material is not chemically reactive. This is extremely beneficial in all types of applications because if there is fluid transfer or gas transfer involved in the application, the material will maintain its strength and not 'bleed' into the fluid. On top of that, some tubing, like PTFE for instance, can withstand working temperatures up to 680 degrees Fahrenheit for limited periods, but it's mechanical properties remain stable at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, fluoropolymer tubing can withstand cryogenic conditions down to -320 degrees Fahrenheit.

Versatile Applications

Fluoropolymer tubing can be found in various industries from automotive applications (engine hoses, fluid lines, etc.) to aerospace applications (fluoropolymer tubing is extremely lightweight) to use in scientific labs where tubing are needed for equipment like NMR instruments. Additionally, the use of fluoropolymers can be found in general industry applications where heavy equipment needs high-performing materials to withstand corrosive fluids and high temperatures.

These are some of the key things you need to know about fluoropolymers and now that you have an understanding of how well they perform, you can rely on their stability in your own industry applications!