Anyone who wants to do their best and achieve their goals needs support of some kind—physical support, logistical support, or even just moral and emotional support. Without the right support, you can end up wearing down your physical and mental well-being before the finish line is even in sight. It’s exactly the same for industrial pipe and tube. The right choice of pipe hangers and supports keeps your pipelines running smoothly with minimal failure risks or safety hazards—and in this pipe hanger selection guide, we’ll walk you through what you need to know to make that choice.
Why the Right Pipe Hangers and Supports Make a Difference
Under their normal operating conditions, industrial pipe and tube are often subjected to constant mechanical stresses. Without enough support, sagging and excessive vibration can compound those stresses and put more strain and wear on your pipe and tube. Think of it like exercising without stretching first. You won’t see good results, or might even risk injuries and costly hospital visits.
Choosing pipe hangers for your industrial environment prolongs your pipeline’s longevity, reduces your maintenance costs, and protects your workplace from safety hazards like leaks or catastrophic pipeline collapses that can endanger your personnel.
A Guide to Pipe Hanger and Support Types
Clevis hangers? Rod hangers? Saddle supports? Which is right for your next industrial pipeline fabrication project? The stakes are high when it comes to choosing pipe hangers. Making the right choice ensures longevity, efficiency, and safety in the industrial pipelines your mechanical contracting team builds—which your customers, of course, will be very pleased with.
But with so many types of pipe hangers and supports to choose from, the right choice isn’t always obvious. Let’s start out our pipe hanger selection guide with a look at your choices:
Pipe Hanger Types
- Clevis Hanger: A U-shaped hanger that supports the pipe from below, commonly used for suspending pipes from ceilings or beams.
- Riser Clamp: Used for vertical pipes, these clamps distribute weight by clamping pipes to a wall or structure and preventing downward movement.
- Rod Hanger: A threaded rod and hanger assembly used for supporting pipes at a fixed distance from structural elements like ceilings or beams.
- Split Ring Hanger: A circular hanger that clamps around a pipe and supports it from above, best used for light to medium loads.
- Strap Hanger: For light-duty support, a simple, flexible metal strap looped around the pipe and attached to structural elements will likely be sufficient.
Pipe Support Types
- Saddle Support: For larger pipes that need sturdy horizontal support, these curved supports securely cradle the pipe.
- Spring Support: Some pipes will expand or contract as a response to temperature changes. By incorporating a spring mechanism, these supports accommodate movement due to thermal expansion or contraction.
- Roller Support: Like spring supports, these pipe support types accommodate systems that experience thermal expansion or contraction. However, instead of a spring, they use a rolling mechanism that allows the pipe to move horizontally.
- Base Support (Pipe Shoe): A flat, stable support structure that holds the pipe above ground level to prevent direct contact and provide load distribution.
- Anchor Support: A fixed support that restricts all movement of the pipe to secure it in place and prevent unwanted motion.
Where and When to Use Heavy-Duty Pipe Supports
Some pipe hangers like split ring hangers or strap hangers, are best suited for smaller, lightweight, light-duty pipe and tube—pipelines that don’t operate under high pressures or extreme temperatures.
However, for larger and heavier pipe and tube, look for clevis hangers, riser clamps, rod hangers, or supports made from high-strength materials like reinforced steel and certified to meet the demands of heavy-duty industrial environments. These heavy-duty pipe supports are guaranteed to support your pipe’s weight and minimize risks of excess wear, failure, or safety hazards.
Other Considerations for Pipe Hangers and Supports
Choosing the right pipe hanger types isn’t the only thing to keep in mind when picking pipe hangers and supports for your next mechanical contracting project. Other factors to take into consideration include:
Pipe Hanger Load Calculations
Pay careful attention to how much load your pipeline is expected to carry. Your choice of pipe hangers and supports should meet or, better yet, exceed the maximum load of your pipe and tube. By keeping load calculations for your pipelines in hand, you can match it to a pipe hanger’s load rating.
Pipe Hanger Spacing Codes
To get the most support out of your pipe hangers, you’ll need to put them in the right place. Pipe hanger spacing codes for your industry specify how many hangers you will need and how close together or far apart they should be to adequately prevent sagging, bending, or damage, depending on the size, weight, material composition, and operational environment of your pipeline.
You can find these spacing codes in the plumbing and building codes for your pipeline’s operating environment, which can vary from state to state.
Materials
Make sure the materials your pipe and tube supports are made from are compatible with both your pipe material and the operating environment.
For example, using materials resistant to corrosion or extreme temperatures, like the right grade of stainless steel, can extend the lifespan of your pipeline’s support system and reduce maintenance needs. For pipelines made for food and beverage facilities, food grade steel hangers will be just as easy to keep hygienic as the pipe and tube themselves. This choice ensures that the hangers and supports remain durable and reliable over the course of your project’s lifespan.
Choosing Pipe Hangers is Easy with American Stainless
From myriad pipe hanger types to materials to load calculations, there’s a lot to keep in mind when choosing pipe hangers and supports for your next project. American Stainless is here to take that load off your mind.
We don’t just maintain a vast inventory of pipe hangers and supports to suit whatever your customers need. We also have experts in the US Southeast’s biggest industries on standby to provide advice and help you make the right choice for your project.
Contact us today to get started and give your next project the support it needs.