A Few Questions for the Pros

[pilot4net2]

The first question is this: Do you use PVC or CPVC for the hot water supply lines? I heard somewhere someone referring to the CPVC as "hot water pipe" and was wondering if I had to use CPVC or if I could use regular PVC. Next...

I was at a friends house the other day and he is thinking of doing some renovations including some plumbing. I looked at the piping in his house and it is some kind of tubing I've never seen before. It was a clearish white pipe/tubing that connected to fitting using a brass ring that looked like it crimped the tubing to the fittings. It really looked like a poor choice of plumbing materials but it may very well be because I haven't the slightest idea what it is. What kind of tubing is this and does it provide reliable and leak free water supply? Also, how do you make connections to this tubing using the "crimp ring"? Is it something a DIY'er can do successfully? Please let me know all you can on this kind of plumbing and how to make connections using this material. Thanks.

 

[Clayton]

CPVC is the material used for hot and cold water lines inside a house. PVC is not allowed for use inside a house and is not rated to withstand high temperatures.


The clearish white pipe you saw was PEX tubing. PEX (cross linked polyethylene) - is also available in red and blue colors. Some manufacturers use a distinct color for their specific brand or a type of PEX tubing designed for specific purposes. While white, red, and blue are most common it is possible to see this type of tubing in practically any color. They also use different connection or crimp methods to join their tubing. There are many different types of PEX tubing for different applications in potable water and heating systems, but they are all manufactured in one of three ways. These three ways catagorized as PEXa, PEXb, and PEXc are not grades of PEX, just different manufacturing processes which does give the pipe different properties. If you do a search here or google it you will find more than plenty reading material on the topic.

Some of the manufacturers of PEX do target the DIYer with special fitting that do not require any tools for assembly. However the major manufacturers target the professional plumber with specialized crimping tools and extended warranties when installed by a professional. Here are some of the brands used by professional plumbers.
www.wirsbo.com

www.rehau-na.com
There are many many others, but I believe these are the most popular in my area. Pex tubing has its place or purpose in the plumbing industry, but it also has allowed less knowledgeable (and knowledgeable) persons to install the product haphazardly because of the simplicity of doing a leak-free installation.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[pilot4net2]

No PVC??

Well that definitely throws a monkey wrench in my plans. I had planned on running pvc for the cold water and cpvc for the hot water supply lines. Now I guess I'll have to re-pipe everything that I piped with PVC that is water supply lines with CPVC. I thought for sure that pvc was OK for cold water but of course I know nothing of the UPC; but I don't have to conform to code where I'm finishing up this home, it just has to work leak free for me. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

 

[hj]

pvc

The code is not always just some arbitrary thing to make life difficult for people. When they disallowed PVC inside a house it was so the homeowner would not have a flood someday. You may not have to conform to the code, but unless you are a gambling man, you might want to.