How to Follow Stainless Steel Tubing Specifications
- 1). Choose tubing that has the appropriate inside and outside dimensions and thickness for your application. Measure the interior and exterior dimensions of whatever you are connecting to the tubing. If you are running a water line for a refrigerator water supply, the size of tubing you need is printed in the specifications section of the book that came with the refrigerator. If you don't have the book, simply measure the interior and exterior diameter of the connecting piece.
To avoid seams and additional joining, measure the length of tubing you will need to run from the refrigerator to the water supply. I have found that this is easier to do with a string. Attach the string to the connecting piece of the appliance. Run the string from the appliance to the water supply and either cut or mark the string. Lay the string on the floor and measure the length to get an accurate measurement of the length of tubing you will need for your project. - 2). Select tubing of the appropriate grade for your application. Lines that run heated air, water or gas require a different grade of tubing than lines that run cold air, water or gas. Exterior temperatures, such as below freezing or above 100 degrees F, also require a grade of tubing designed for these temperature extremes. In addition, interior lines can be thinner than exterior lines, which need to be of a higher grade to withstand rain, snow and other environmental conditions.
- 3). Choose the correct wall thickness for pressurized air, water or gas, to prevent the tubing from bursting during use.
- 4). Select the proper finish for your application. For exposed tubing, you may choose to use a finish that accents your décor. Exterior tubing should be smooth to prevent moisture from corroding the tubing. However, for lines that are run indoors, any finish will be fine, and you can base your choice on price or aesthetics.
- 5). Choose tubing of the appropriate chemical composition for your application, based on the potential exposure to the elements and the purpose of the project. A variety of alloys are used to make different types of tubing. Some are more resistant to corrosion than others. If your application requires a higher grade of corrosion resistance, based on what you are running through the line or likely exposure to the elements, make sure the chemical composition can withstand the fluid, pressure or gas you are running through the line.