Corrugated pipe is actively used in construction and repair. She found application in a variety of areas, from the arrangement of sewage to the organization of air ducts. Such popularity can be easily explained by excellent performance, convenience and ease of installation, which is quite possible without the help of professionals. Let's find out what kind of corrugation for the hood is, and find out how to choose and install it correctly.
What is a corrugation?
The corrugation consists of metal rings covered with laminated foil in several layers. The links are pressed against each other, and the foil is folded like an accordion. Thanks to this design, the pipe is stretched and become several times longer. Also, the corrugation installed on the hood can be easily bent at any angle, since it does not have a rigid frame. If desired, the pipe is even laid with a "snake". Due to its plasticity, the product is successful when working in difficult and hard-to-reach places. The corrugation is suitable in cases where the installation of the hood is carried out in cramped conditions.
Varieties of corrugations
There are many options for corrugated pipes. First of all, they differ in the material from which they are made. In the ventilation system, two types are most often used:
- aluminum pipes;
- plastic.
The former are used in the construction of air ducts both in production and in standard kitchens. This is due to the fact that aluminum is a more reliable material. It does not burn or melt at high temperatures (operating range from -30 to +250 °C), very durable, does not enter into chemical reactions, and has good aerodynamic properties.
Plastic corrugation looks neater (see photo) and attracts less attention, although both models can be easily hidden.
The advantages of plastic corrugated pipes also include:
- service life up to 50 years;
- light weight;
- resistance to corrosion, resistance to aggressive environments.
The disadvantage of a ribbed PVC duct is a lot of noise compared to an aluminum product.
Corrugated exhaust pipes also vary in length and diameter. Here the choice depends on the characteristics of the place where the products will be installed.
The standard diameters used for the hood are 100, 120, 125, 150 mm. Other sizes are less common, so choosing a corrugation suitable for the required conditions is not difficult. In order not to be mistaken with the diameter of the pipe, study the instructions for the hood, usually they indicate the necessary parameters. The most commonly used sleeves are 100 and 120 mm.
Important Points
There are a number of features that are taken into account when choosing:
- Corrugation installed on hood, elastic, but extra bends reduce the efficiency of its work, increase the load on the fan. Particularly harmful in this regard are turns at an acute angle. If laying a winding path for the air duct is inevitable, then you need to install a fan of greater power so that the hood functions efficiently.
- If you use a pipe of the wrong size, the efficiency of the system will be reduced. It is better to refuse to reduce the diameter through the adapter flange and additional connectors, otherwise it will be difficult for the hood to push air.
- It is advisable to buy a corrugation with a small margin in length, especially if numerous turns are provided.
- It makes no sense to purchase a pipe that is too long, since during installation it is desirable to completely stretch the corrugation in order to reduce its ribbing. The fact is that during the operation of the hood, air passes through the pipes at a fairly high speed, which leads to their swaying. The more ribs, the stronger the vibration and noise during system operation.
Advice.If the purchased pipe turned out to be short, it can be extended. To do this, a piece of the desired size must be connected to another part using metal tape.
- The fewer connecting elements, the more reliable the design. Also, do not forget that each adapter is an additional flow resistance.
- You need to choose the size of a corrugation that will be easy to disguise.
The most convenient option is when the air duct is completely hidden in the cabinet. Also, the pipe successfully hides behind a suspended or stretch ceiling.
Some features of corrugated pipe installation
Installing a corrugated pipe in the kitchen does not require special skills and abilities. All work can be done independently. However, in order for the system to function for a long time and efficiently, several important points must be taken into account during installation.
- If it was not possible to choose the diameter of the corrugation for the hood, a product with a larger size is used, which is connected through a special adapter. For a kitchen hood, this will only be a plus: with an increase in size, the air flow rate decreases, which means noise will decrease.
- Before installing the corrugation, a special platform with a grate, a flange and a check valve is installed on the ventilation hole. It is used in order not to completely block the hood with a pipe. The grate serves for natural ventilation, the flange for forced ventilation. Then the air in the kitchen will be constantly updated, regardless of whether the forced draft is working or not.
- If the kitchen has a second ventilation hole, you can connect the pipe to the flange without a grate.
To fix the corrugations, special fasteners are used - metal or plastic clamps. Do not put the pipe on glue or sealant, this will create unnecessary problems if you need to disassemble the duct for cleaning.
- Each sharp turn reduces system performance by 10%. The installation of the hood must be carried out as close as possible to the ventilation opening.
- Before installing the corrugations, it is advisable to clean the ventilation in the apartment. You also need to check for traction. To do this, a sheet of paper is applied to the hole. If he holds himself, without the help of hands, then there is traction.
Attention! Backdraft can significantly reduce the efficiency of the entire system.
- It is important to choose optimal extraction performancefor kitchen. It is easy to check with an anemometer, which is installed at the base of the pipe.
- The pipe and the exhaust device must match in size and cross section. Otherwise, you will have to use an adapter.
Installation instructions
The order of work will be as follows:
- Stretch the corrugation to its maximum length.
- Put the pipe on the outlet of the exhaust device, secure with a clamp.
- If the distance to the ventilation hole is large, after every meter and a half additionally fix the air duct with clamps to prevent swinging during operation of the system.
- Fasten the grate with flange and non-return valve to the vent.
- Insert the corrugation into the flange, securely fix the connection with a clamp.
Corrugation masking
If the hood is located far from ventilation, it is better to hide the duct behind a stretch ceiling. So you can avoid sharp corners, and the pipe will not be an eyesore to the owners and guests.
In the case when the installation of a stretch ceiling is not planned, there are several ways to hide the corrugation:
- Mount drywall box or plastic.
- Install a false panel on the cabinets of the kitchen set, which will completely cover unaesthetic communications. It is decorated either under the facades of the kitchen, or under the color of the walls.
Important! You need to choose an air duct after purchasing a ventilation device, since the efficiency and quality of the forced exhaust operation depend on the correspondence of the components to each other.
The durability and quality of the ventilation system as a whole depends on how thoughtful the choice of the duct was. Equally important is the correct installation. We hope that the selected material will be useful to readers and will help everyone who wants to install a corrugated duct on their own. If you encounter any difficulties during the work, write, we will try to answer promptly.
