moving a laundry room

[pmayer]

I am building an addition and moving washer/dryer and laundry tub into it. I will also be adding another laundry tub for my shop, which will be on just behind a common wall with the new laundry room. I am planning to run the water lines in copper because I was told that DYIers can not run PEX here.

Anyway, a couple of questions:

- when I branch off of my water lines to run out to the new laundry room, can I run 1/2" copper all the way to the new laundry room to feed the washer and two laundry tubs? Or do I need to run 3/4" and then branch off 1/2" for each appliance/fixture?

- can I have one main shut-off on each line (hot and cold) where I branch off from my existing plumbing? Or do I need to have one at each appliance/fixture? Or can/should I do both? The reason that I want one on the main line is that this will just be a rough in for now, and I am not sure when I will finish the laundry room. There is also an outside chance that the new laundry room will remain unheated next winter (in MN) and I don't want the lines to have water in them. But I need to rough them in now before my framing inspection on the addition, so I want to put the shutoffs in to keep everything dry for now.

As always, thanks for the help. I am a slightly less dangerous plumber because of the help that I get here...

[jimbo]

You didn't mention the distance, but 1/2" will work for a WM. If the distance is long, it takes a little longer to fill the machine.

You really want to have a shutoff at the machine. It should always be OFF when the machine is not in use.

You also want to make provisions to drain those lines for the winter. You could have them slightly sloped back to the house, and have a drain cock installed with the inside stop valve.

[pmayer]

You didn't mention the distance, but 1/2" will work for a WM. If the distance is long, it takes a little longer to fill the machine.

You really want to have a shutoff at the machine. It should always be OFF when the machine is not in use.

You also want to make provisions to drain those lines for the winter. You could have them slightly sloped back to the house, and have a drain cock installed with the inside stop valve.

Thanks for your response.

The distance from the 3/4" pipes that I would tap into is about 20' from the farthest of the three fixtures.

Regarding the washing machine shutoff, are you suggesting that I turn it off between uses?

By the time the washer is hooked up out there, the room will be insulated and heated, and will be used year round. My concern over freezing is only during the construction phase, prior to insulation and heating.

[Gary Swart]

All washers should have a shut off where the hoses to the machine connect. The best ones are those with a single lever that shuts off both hot and cold. Reason is, a ruptured hose can flood a home and cause serious damage even if it is only broken for a day before discovered. Imagine what it would be like if you were gone for a week and it broken the day you left! You have to have a valve to connect the hoses anyway, so do it right and then use the valve.

[pmayer]

Great suggestion, thanks!

[Randyj]

I don't have a clue where you're at but even in Alabama it is highly recommended that you avoid running water supply pipes in outside walls. If the supply is feeding more than one fixture you should run it in 3/4 then branch off with 1/2. It will work either way but doing it right will make it more fun and you can sleep better at night.