i) Pipe support. Adjoining pipes are to be suitably supported so that the expansion joints do not carry any significant pipe weight.
ii) Alignment. Expansion joints are not to be used to make up for piping misalignment errors. Misalignment of an expansion joint reduces the rated movements and can induce severe stresses into the joint material, thus causing reduced service life. Alignment is to be within tolerances specified by the expansion joint manufacturer.