Stainless steel pipe manufacturers create a variety of stainless steel tubing products for uses in many different industries. One form of piping that the manufacturers create is stainless steel pipes used to supply natural gas or propane in an industrial, commercial, or residential environment. One of the options for this kind of piping is Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST), which is a flexible, thin pipe that is coated in an exterior plastic coating.
Since CSST is just one way to pipe natural gas into a building, why should a factory choose it over another material? CSST can actually provide a variety of benefits over other pipe styles. The pipe is more resistant to unsafe leaks than some other materials because fewer connections are required when installing the pipes. The flexibility of the pipe allows for fewer connections because the pipe can bend. Installing this kind of pipe is also a simple process. The flexibility of the pipe makes it easy to install anywhere. The cost of installing the pipe is also less, because it takes less time and effort to install CSST over other, more traditional, gas pipes.
Stainless steel pipe manufacturers place the plastic coating over the metal to help identify the pipes and connections to make it easy for future maintenance. The plastic coating also helps prevent leaks in case of metal corrosion. The small diameter of the pipes make them easy to install under floors, in attics, and between walls of a industrial, commercial, or residential building.
Even though there are many benefits to CSST, there is one drawback. The piping is more expensive than traditional piping, mainly due to the plastic coating and the added alloys that help keep the metal flexible. However, when you consider the reduce labor costs and ease of maintenance, a factory could still save when using the CSST system.
