Posted by Deb on September 28, 2003 at 12:50:05:
In Reply to: Confused about Supply Fixture units and minimum pipe sizes posted by Confused1 on September 27, 2003 at 21:21:01:
: I've unfortunately come to the point in time that I've been trying to put off forever. I live in FLA and have copper pipe in my 13 year old house. Most of the homes (some even newer than mine) have already been repiped, mostly with CPVC.
: Yesterday, I noticed water running out from under the slab step in my my garage onto the the main garage floor. This has me worried that the most likely thing going on is a leak in the slab and not in the wall. Therefore, it won't be a fairly easy punch a hole in the wall and patch job. The only positive is that it is hot water which I can live without temporarily (turning off the heater and turning on only as needed) but can still at least have cold water.
: What I am confused about is this page:
: http://www.terrylove.com/watersize.htm
: The water meter at the street is 3/4" and the supply to my house is also 3/4". According to that page, I shouldn't have enough to supply my two bathroom house, which incidentally has the exact number of units which Terry describes (34). If I'm to believe that chart, I should only have enough water to supply 19 units. If I'm thinking right, I should be okay since the only problem would be if all of those 34 units were turned on at the same time (never happen). But the other wrinkle is what about when the lawn sprinklers are turned on?
: The other thing is the yellow box which states that 1" CPVC is equal to 3/4" copper and 3/4" CPVC=1/2" copper. I trust Terry's info but I was told otherwise at the local Big Box center. I just want to make sure before the dust starts flying. (I'm so dreading this, and I have never worked with CPVC .. only copper).
It would be great if you could replace the run from the meter with 1". For a 2 bath home, I generally run a 1" main, tee off with a 1 x 1 x 3/4 to the water heater, then a 1 x 3/4 x 3/4 tee. The 3/4 branchs will serve a bath, a hose bib and another fixture or 2 (washer, kitchen sink, laundry sink). Run 3/4 to the last 2 fixtures and then use a 3/4 x 1/2 x 1/2 tee. With the water saver fixtures we have now, there is really no benefit to running a 3/4 line to an individual fixture unless it is a tub with a high volume spout. Make sure that you have read all the CPVC installation standards and follow them to the letter. Be sure to secure your pipe as needed to prevent movement. I prefer using regular compression stops (Flowgard Gold okays this) to the CPVC stops. When connecting to metal pipe, use only brass x CPVC male and female adapters (not the all CPVC adapters). CPVC will lay out just like copper--you simply glue instead of solder.
Deb
The Pipewench