It is impossible to say unequivocally which pipes are better, since everything depends on the situation and process where the pipes will be used. Initially there was no alternative, and all stainless steel pipes were seamless. But the progress of the metallurgical sphere and the optimization of welding technology have led to the fact that the presence of a welded seam does not make such pipes much worse than seamless pipes.
Main differences
When choosing pipes for engineering systems that will be used in everyday life, and this is a heating and plumbing system, you should be guided by certain standards. These are reliability, resistance to external factors, and long service life. An important factor is the cost of the product itself along with the cost of installation work. The cost of installation work may depend on the configuration of the pipes. By analyzing the listed factors, you can understand which pipes are best to use in a particular situation.
To produce stainless steel products without seams , a blank is used in which a hole is pressed. The process itself is carried out strictly in stages. The stages of creating seamless rolled products include rolling, pressing, forging, and drawing. There is a difference between hot- and cold-formed pipes - the second version of pipes is more durable. There are also seamless products. The main advantage of such pipes is that they are ultra-strong, but this property increases the price tag several times.
Seam or welded stainless steel pipes are made by rolling a steel sheet into a pipe, to put it simply. A mandatory procedure is welding the edges - for this, electric arc welding is used on an industrial scale. Modern technologies make it possible to achieve comparable strength between welded and seamless products. With all this, welded products are much easier and cheaper to produce.
There is a division into straight-seam and spiral-seam pipes. In the first case, the seam is located along the length of the pipe, and in the second case, the seam wraps around the pipe. It is believed that spiral-welded pipes are more durable. Technically, it is possible to obtain a welded pipe of any length, diameter and shape. The scope of application is limited only to the specified areas where the pipe is required to be perfectly sealed. Welded pipes are used in private and multi-storey buildings, commercial buildings, etc.
When is it better to use one type of pipe or another?
If there are no special external factors or conditions, then it is quite possible to get by with affordable seam pipes. To organize a water supply system in a multi-storey building or a heating system in a similar place, galvanized seam pipes are suitable. The reasoning is as follows:
1. Operating pressure parameters in household heating or water supply systems do not exceed 16 atmospheres; for private houses this figure is even less - 3 atmospheres. Conventional seamed pipes provide a safety margin of 160 atmospheres. Seamless pipes provide even greater reliability, as they can withstand a load of 200 atmospheres. Such a safety margin is not required at all when using a pipe in a domestic system. Nobody forbids installing them, but the overpayment will be significant.
2. You should also take into account the specifics of being in a multi-story building. In such houses there is dependence on neighbors. You can install the most reliable system in your apartment, using expensive fittings and seamless pipes. But if the neighbor above uses ordinary pipes, then there will still be a chance of a breakthrough and water entering the apartment. If you need to play it safe, then you should install seamless pipes throughout the house. For obvious reasons, no one will do this.
3. The cost of standard seam pipes is about a third cheaper than a more durable analogue, but the main competitive advantage in household facilities is simply not in demand.
There has long been a debate about whether seamless pipes are much better than the cheaper welded option. Seamless pipes have special requirements for their tightness, so the main area of their use remains industry.