Lubrizol, a manufacturer of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) resins and compounds, has partnered with Wheeler-Rex and Victaulic to introduce new mechanical joining methods that speed up installation, repair, replacement, and alteration times for Sch. 80 Corzan pipe.

Wheeler-Rex Mfg. developed the 6950 Plastic Cut Groover, which forms standard cut grooves in CPVC by removing material with a specially formed cutting bit. The installer cuts the pipe squarely, sets up the tool using the appropriate-size tool set, then removes material until the tool’s groove head assembly touches the pipe surface and plastic waste ribbon is no longer present.

Just as important are Installation-Ready flexible couplings from Victaulic. Victaulic has developed a grooving tool, as well, which will be available to broader audiences in the coming months.  

“With the introduction of mechanical joining capabilities, Lubrizol and its partners are adding even more value to the product line with increased flexibility, efficiency, and speed,” said Rob Janowiak, Lubrizol’s market manager for North America Commercial Plumbing. “It’s a solution that directly addresses customers’ requests for a portable, fast installation method that reduces system downtime without sacrificing long-term performance.”

Developing mechanical grooving systems for Corzan was a years-long process to ensure methods did not compromise the long-term performance of the pipe and joints. The cut-groove method was evaluated to existing ASTM and UL piping standards.

In more than 50 in-depth surveys, more than 65 percent of contractor respondents indicated that they would use Corzan more frequently on the large projects they install based on the mechanical-joining results they have seen, while more than half indicated that they feel even more comfortable using Corzan now than they did previously.