Viega Sanpress pipe 1.4521 for particularly Economic High-Grade Stainless Steel Installations

Viega now presented an innovation that solves an urgent problem for professional planners and installation specialists. The new Sanpress pipe 1.4521 for efficient drinking water installations is made of high-grade stainless steel: the pipe is nickel free and this means it is less dependent on fluctuating raw material prices. For the same high quality standard of material, more efficient margins can be calculated for the new Sanpress pipe 1.4521. With DVGW-certification, it can be used for any drinking water installation. “Mixed installations” are also possible with the well-known Sanpress pipe 1.4401 as well as the Sanpress Inox and gunmetal connectors by Viega.

Over the last two years, the steep rise in raw material prices made it almost impossible to produce a reliable medium-term calculation for piping systems made of high-grade stainless steel. Since 2006, intensive research has been conducted into a new high-grade stainless steel, so that the Viega Sanpress programme could be largely independent of these price developments. At the same time, however, high-quality material qualities, easy processing of the well-known high-grade stainless steel 1.4401 product as well as integration into the Viega system range are to remain unrestricted.

The Sanpress pipe 1.4521 that will be available countrywide from March in dimensions of 12 to 108 mm, fully satisfies these requirements. With DVGW-certification and full hygienic approval, it can be used in all drinking water installations and combined with the system provider’s Sanpress Inox connectors as well as gunmetal moulded parts. In the processing, nothing changes: Sanpress pipe 1.4521 can be shortened, de-burred or pressed, the same as before, with the usual tools. Bending radii from 3.5 x d to a nominal width of 28 mm also continue to be possible.

Tested Quality
For both high-grade stainless steel qualities, as regards durability issues, the same quality standards are to be maintained. In combination with the Viega press connectors made from high-grade stainless steel and gunmetal, the Sanpress pipe 1.4521 is to be used with all drinking water types without restriction and is to last for at least more than 50 years. DVGW guideline W 534 confirms this system certification. According to Section 11 of the drinking water ordinance, unrestricted disinfection is to be possible.

High-grade stainless steel 1.4521 has already proved its excellent quality for all usage areas. In Scandinavia, for instance, heat exchangers and expansion tanks have been produced from this material for many years. In addition, experience of using the new high-grade stainless steel for exhaust systems in motor vehicles, show its extremely high durability. With new production processes, it is now possible to manufacture drinking water pipes from this material in the standard dimensions of 12 to 108 mm.

Viega assumes that the Sanpress pipe 1.4521 is soon already likely to make the high-grade stainless steel pipes currently available totally redundant on the market. The attractive pricing situation for the new Sanpress pipe is likely to be a decisive factor: according to manufacturer specifications, by not using costly nickel that causes price inflation, it will be possible to achieve a markedly lower price than the previous high-grade stainless steel pipe programme.

‘Green’ Identification
For clear identification of the Sanpress pipe 1.4521 from other qualities of high-grade stainless steel pipes, Viega has introduced a uniform and distinctive ‘green’ factor. In addition, these pipes are supplied with green plugs to protect against contamination before the final operation can go ahead. For instance, any confusion with yellow plugs, which are the distinctive feature of the Sanpress Inox pipe, can be reliably ruled out.

According to manufacturer details, the Sanpress pipe 1.4521 can also be used not just for installation of drinking water networks but also in the industrial context, for instance, for set up of compressed air networks or pipelines for demineralised water.