DIY Network

Plumbing: Piping Options From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-201

Figure A

There are a few common piping options used today for the plumbing system of your new home. They generally breakdown into two categories: metal or plastic. You're probably going to wind up using both because they have their own advantages. Plastic piping tends to cost less than metal and is often easier to install.

Note: Ultimately it's going to be your local coding guidelines that determine what materials you'll use for your plumbing pipes.

Copper (figure A) is a popular option for supply-line piping and is considered to be top quality. In fact, the vast majority of homes today are build using copper water pipes. Copper tubing is sold as either rigid or flexible, and it's also rated by its thickness. You have to check with your local code to figure out which type you need in your area. The other thing that's nice about the flexible copper tubing is that you can make runs much easier than you can with rigid ones.

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Figure B

Fittings used for copper pipe are almost always soldered or "sweated" together, and this is done with a four-step process:

1. Polish the contact surfaces and take care not to touch the cleaned surfaces.

2. Apply a liberal coating of soldering flux to the contact surfaces. This enhances the wetting properties of the solder and helps the solder to flow into the joints and connections.

3. Heat the fitting until it's hot enough to melt the solder.

4. Touch the solder strip to the heated fitting (figure B) and let it flow.

Note: Running a copper piping system takes practice and skill. If you're a confident do-it-yourselfer you may opt to take this on, or you may choose to have your plumbing contractor take care of this for you.

	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Another option for piping material is plastic tubing called CPVC (figure C). The difference between CPVC and copper is that CPVC is glued together and copper is heated and sweated together using solder. CPVC is much more homeowner friendly, and if they have a leak or if you need to add something, the homeowner can cut, install a T, glue it and move on. If copper is being used the system has to be drained, the pipes dried and then a torch must be used to heat the pipe and heat the solder, which can be a bit dangerous.

There's also PVC water pipe (figure D) that is great in many applications. PVC pipe goes together very quickly using solvent and standard fittings. Basically the plastic is melted with a plastic solvent to connect the fitting, and you typically get an extremely strong, watertight connection.

A third option for your piping choice is a flexible plastic tubing called PEX (figure E) (cross-linked, polyethylene tubing). If you're considering installing your plumbing system yourself, this is a great way to go. It's a type of clear plastic piping that is flexible and can be pulled all the way to the bathroom without having any joints in it. When you use PEX tubing there's an option to buy manifolds that have the valves to shut off each of the rooms right in one location.

PEX is a durable tubing that has come a long way and is now something that has been under a long-term, high-pressure, high-temperature testing with a lifespan that's estimated to be more than 100 years. And it's not so labor intensive like copper can be due to soldering. PEX has become a popular plumbing solution due to its ease of installation and versatility in plumbing applications.

Flexible tubing is not only becoming common in plumbing applications but also in more modern conveniences such as hydronic floor heating and whole-house water sprinkling systems.

Constructive Advice: To improve the efficiency of your piping system, insulate the supply lines. This keeps in heat on long hot-water pipe runs and prevents structural damage due to condensation that can form on cold-water pipes.

In the next segment we'll bring the water inside your new home.

GUESTS :

Anthony Grisolia
Building Performance Specialist
IBACOS, Inc.
Website: www.ibacos.com

Dana Bres
Research Engineer
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th St., SW
Washington, DC 20910
Phone: 202-402-5919
E-mail: dana.b.bres@hud.gov

Jack Tucker
Building Wisdom
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