Plastic pipe and plastic tube are both hollow cylinders, but they are not identical. Basically, pipe uses the inside measurement and tube uses the outside measurement. How do we measure our plastic tubing? There is an important but often misunderstood difference between tube and pipe, which we explain in our blog. The main difference is how the profiles are manufactured and measured. At MKM Extrusions we manufacture as well as supply plastic tubing. We make all our extruded profiles in our UK factory and just sell direct, we don’t have any suppliers or distributors.

The standard barbed fitting is used for connecting 16mm LDPE pipe together. The Fittings are made in the EU using UV stabilised plastic. The sharp barbs make sure that the Joint is reliable and once fitted they are rated to 6 bar unlike normal domestic barbed fittings that are rated to pressures between 2.1 and 2.8 bar. The reason for this superior performance is the and number of barbs and their shape. Once fitted they are almost impossible to remove and if a mistake is made in many cases they have to be cut off. This is because of the size and sharpness of the barb and this can only be made with precise tooling and technical expertise found in European factories. Using Barbed Fittings If you are not sure which type of plastic tubing you need then you are welcome to get in touch to request samples which we will post to you using Royal Mail. Plastic tubing shapes Barbed fittings can be pushed straight in to 16 mm outside diameter LDPE pipe. This is however a lot of pushing and can be made much easier by heating the pipe prior to installation. If you are fitting a few fittings then leaving the pipe in a warm place over night or in the sun during the day will ease installation however if you are fitting a lot of them then you should heat the end of the pipe in some very hot water or heat it using a Blow torch. If you are using a blow torch then position the pipe in the flame so that the heat is evenly spread round the pipe. Hold it in the flame for 2 seconds and then remove it from the flame. Now insert the barbed fitting in to the pipe.The difference between Pert-Al- Pert pipe and EVOH Pert pipe and is that PAP can be used in underfloor heating and potable water applications, and is form-stable. PEXb-AL-HDPE pipe is stiffer than a PEXb-AL-HDPE pipe and is not suitable for use in Overfloor heating systems that require tight bends and close pipe spacing.

The layer construction of our 16mm multilayer pipe makes it highly heat-resistant and split-resistant: it can withstand a broad range of temperatures and pressure of up to 10 bar. However, these layers also make it flexible and easy to cut. Bending it into a shape it ‘remembers’ and cutting it to the correct length is simple. This pipe is also corrosion free, with an aluminium core that prevents the ingress of oxygen.

Wunda's thermally dynamic 16mm PEXb-AL-HDPE pipe has an aluminium core that produces a higher heat output than ordinary Pex and Polybutylene pipe and is easy to use. EVOH pert pipe can only be used for underfloor heating and without the metal layer is extremely easy to bend making it physically less taxing on larger projects.

A good way to explain the difference between rigid PVC and flexible PVC is that rigid PVC tubing is more like a ruler whereas flexible PVC tubing is coiled and can be put around your waist like a belt. High temperature resistance- a maximum sustained working temp up to 70°c & maximum transient temperature up to 85°c The 5 layer 16mm pert-al-pert pipe is used in all of our warm water underfloor heating kits and offers unrivalled suitability for underfloor heating by combining the best elements of a plastic and metal pipe into one product.The WRAS approval determines that this product can be used in all UK domestic plumbing applications including drinking water installations – as well as central heating and underfloor heating applications. Very low expansion and contraction, just 5cm in 100 linear metres which is similar to copper (Ordinary plastic pipe has an expansion/contraction rate of approximately 50cm in 100 linear metres) Our range of premium 16mm pert-al-pert pipe is manufactured to ISO9001 European standards ensuring outstanding performance & reliability in all types of warm water underfloor heating systems.