- Corrosion resistant
- The strength of solvent weld joints
- Superior chemical resistance
Solvent welding is a process by which a joint is made by chemically fusing together a pipe and a fitting. A solvent is applied to the surface of a PVC pipe spigot and the inside of a matching bell. In some cases a primer may be used to prepare the surfaces. The solvent dissolves some of the chemical bonds in the PVC material, effectively "melting" the material. Once the two surfaces are pushed together the material from the two surfaces begins to fuse together. As the joint cures the solvent evaporates and the joint becomes stronger, until it essentially becomes a continuous pipe.
Solvent welded joints are able to resist large tensile loads and will not pull apart. In fact, it can be shown that the pipe itself will fail before the joint will.