Regarding the water heater connecting pipe, is it better to use stainless steel bellows or braided hose?

Stainless steel corrugated pipes actually have two forms, one is a ring-shaped corrugated pipe, and the other is a spiral-shaped corrugated pipe.


Spiral bellows
The spiral corrugated pipe is a tubular shell with corrugations arranged in a spiral shape. There is a helix angle between two adjacent corrugations, and all the corrugations can be connected by a helical line.


Ring Bellows
The annular bellows is a tubular shell with closed annular corrugations, and the waves are formed by series of annular corrugations. The annular corrugated pipe is formed from seamless pipe or welded pipe. Restricted by the processing method, the length of the single tube is usually shorter than that of the spiral corrugated pipe. The advantages of the annular corrugated pipe are good elasticity and low rigidity.


In fact, ring-shaped and spiral corrugated pipes have similar functions. Both inside and outside are made of stainless steel, which can be bent and can be connected in short or long distances. The pad, in a seamless and fastened manner, provides us with the transportation needs of hot and cold water, high and low temperature gas.


Because there is only one layer and no inner tube, the stainless steel bellows is not suitable for scenarios with too large torque angle, and because there is no inner tube, the diameter of the tube is larger, which is not suitable for occasions with high water pressure requirements.


The advantage of stainless steel bellows is that it can be used for the transmission of high-temperature liquids and gases, such as hot water inlet pipes and gas delivery pipes. For areas with poor water quality, the connecting pipes of water heaters can be the preferred choice of bellows, because the whole is made of stainless steel. , longer service life.


The main body of the bellows is made of 304 or 316L stainless steel, and the two ends are made of stainless steel joints or carbon steel joints, which ensure good sealing and good corrosion resistance.


What about stainless steel wire braided hose?
The outer wall of the braided hose is braided by stainless steel wire and lined with EPDM hose, so the pipe diameter is smaller. The outer layer is woven from 6-8 strands of 304 stainless steel wire. The flexibility of the whole pipe is relatively good, and the explosion-proof effect is relatively good. It is suitable for places with complex installation environments, usually the water supply connection of kitchen basins, toilet toilets, and bathroom cabinets. The angle of torque is large, because the outer layer is Stainless steel wire braided, so the volume is lighter than the stainless steel corrugated pipe, and the construction is more convenient.