Here are some critical tips for the Do-It-Yourself Plumber! Each tip gives a basic description about a particular type of plumbing process or material. There is abundant info on the different types of plumbing supplies that are available at your local home improvement store to solve your particular problem.
One of the biggest obstacles to a successful DIY Plumbing project is the fact that there are so many different types of pipe and fittings to choose from in many of the typical basic operations. We will help clear the air on those to simplify your decision making process.
After that, all you really need to keep in mind is that water under pressure goes in one end of a pipe and needs to stay in that pipe until it reaches the proper location! Non-pressurized water (i.e. waste water) naturally only flows downhill. You need to enable those processes, not hinder them!
So follow along here for a short but very informative tutorial that will have you feeling confident about tackling your basic plumbing repairs or even plumbing your entire house!
Tip #1 - You Basically Have Three Types Of Plumbing Lines
Essentially, in any kind of home remodel or new construction you are going to encounter and utilize three different types of plumbing lines. Each of these serves a very different purpose and uses different materials to create a safe and effective environment within your house. It is critical that you don't use the wrong material in each situation. Doing so can cause a messy or even dangerous situation.
The three main types of plumbing lines that you will encounter and utilize are;
WATER SUPPLY - Used to bring fresh, consumption safe (PRIMARY) water into the house and distribute it to different points of use. In some situations you may also have SECONDARY WATER supply lines for irrigation and other non-consumption purposes. Secondary water is usually unfiltered and un-treated water pulled directly from a river or lake and therefore should not be consumed.
DRAIN, WASTE, VENT (DWV) - Used to remove contaminated water and waste products from the home and send them to a processing point. Be aware that all of the Drain lines in your house also need to be connected to a Venting system in order to function properly.
GAS SUPPLY - Many homes also require plumbing lines to supply either Natural Gas or Propane (LPG) for heating, cooking or other purposes.
Tip #2 - Types Of Water Supply Lines
In this article we are going to focus on your Water Supply Lines. These are the pipes that carry water under pressure to different points of use both inside and outside of your home.
When you are remodeling an older home there are many different types of water piping that you may encounter. Some of them were the standard practice of the day and may or may not be something that you can directly replace today. Others might have been good in their day, but have become damaged, corroded or worn to the point of needing replacement. Occasionally you will even find things that some very creative homeowner came up with that you really should just remove and replace for your own protection and to prevent future damage to your home.
The three most common types of water supply lines that you will find in most homes are Galvanized Steel Pipe, Hard Copper Pipe and more recently, PEX Flexible Plastic Tubing. The other types that are fairly common are CPVC, PVC and Poly (Polybutylene).
You will also encounter flexible copper, plastic tubing, braided stainless steel and other types of Water Supply Lines for the final connections to faucets, toilets, dishwashers, icemakers, etc.
Most older homes have either Galvanized or Copper water supply lines. Both of these have stood the test of time as acceptable carriers of potable water. However with the new technologies available, there are now much better and simpler alternatives.
The three main drawbacks to Galvanized and Copper are #1 Difficulty of installation and repair, #2 Corrosion and #3 Cost.
Tip #3 - Copper
Copper is still considered by many as the gold standard of water supply lines, however in this author's mind and experience, there may be too much sentimentality and professional pride tied up in that preference. It takes some real expertise to install copper properly versus the simplicity of PEX. Also, Copper is expensive! Both to purchase the material itself and to pay a professional to install it if required.
There are actually two different types of copper for water supply lines, Hard Copper which comes in straight, un-flexible sticks, and Soft Copper, which comes in rolls and must be straightened out for use. Each type of copper uses an entirely different kind of fittings and connectors and the two types have no interchangeability.
Generally speaking, Hard Copper is what is used for the main water supply lines in many older homes. It is a very durable material that is much more corrosion resistant than galvanized steel water pipe.
Its biggest weakness besides cost and difficulty of installation is that it has very little resistance to the pressures created by freezing water. In cold weather climates, hard copper pipes must be completely protected from ever getting to the point of freezing when they contain water. Once they have split, the only effective way to repair them is to cut out the damaged piece and replace it.
Soft copper is generally found in the final supply lines to different fixtures such as sinks, toilets, ice makers, etc., in older homes. However if you need to replace these in a repair or remodel, it is highly recommended that you switch over to the more modern braided stainless steel lines. They are much less expensive, are easier to install correctly and have more resistance to movement sometimes encountered in these situations.
Generally speaking, hard copper requires fittings that are soldered in place with heat from a torch. However with modern technology, the new push fit 'Sharkbite" fittings designed for PEX, also work very well for hard copper. They can either be used to repair damaged copper or to adapt copper to PEX where the situation warrants. While you could create an entirely new plumbing system from copper pipe and 'Sharkbite' fittings, this would be the most expensive option as far as material costs are concerned. Weighing out all of the pros and cons, switching to PEX would probably be a better option under normal circumstances.
Soft copper utilizes a type of fitting called a compression fitting. This consists of a brass nut and a ring called a ferrule that slips over the pipe and then are threaded onto the fitting in such a way that the ferrule is compressed tightly around the copper pipe creating a seal. Most of the time these ferrules are a one-time-use only fitting. They tend to leak if reused. cutting off a short piece of the old pipe with the old ferrule and replacing it with a new one is the only way to repair them. That is compounded by the fact that the copper pipe often swells slightly preventing the new ferrule from fitting over it. It is often better to just replace the whole pipe with new materials.
Tip #4 - Galvanized Steel
The biggest drawback to Galvanized Steel pipe is the corrosion problem. While this also affects copper to some degree, we all have experienced how quickly steel rusts away when exposed to water. Yes, the galvanized coating helps a lot, (that is why you should never use Black Steel pipe for a water supply line. It has no corrosion protection and is intended for gas lines), However rust always eventually gets a foothold and begins to create problems.
Another drawback to both types of hard piping is that they are not flexible and therefore must be run in a straight line and use fittings to turn corners or to go around obstacles. Each fitting adds time, effort, cost, and (what most people don't consider) restriction to flow.
Generally speaking, galvanized pipe utilizes threaded fittings. 'Pipe Threads' are cut at a taper so that they jamb together to create a tight fit. Some other thread types will actually screw together with pipe threads, but be warned, if they do not have the tapered threads, you will never get them to seal properly.
Threaded fittings require a pair of pipe wrenches to tighten them correctly, one to hold the pipe and the other to turn the fitting. The threads must also be sealed with something to prevent leaks. The best solution is to use a 'pipe dope' or 'pipe joint compound' that also contains teflon. Many novices try to get by with just using white teflon tape because it is cheap and simple. Sometimes you get lucky and this works, but not always.
Be safe and do it correctly using pipe dope. You don't want to have a leak somewhere and have to do the job all over again do you?
Plastics
As technology has progressed, some new plastic supply lines have become available. At first there were some problems with different types that only showed up after several years of use. Today most of those problems have been worked out with the introduction of PEX. However you may find that your older home has been plumbed in a time and with a material that it would be wise to replace before it starts leaking rather than after!
Tip #5 - PVC
Some early homes were plumbed with PVC pipe for water supply. While still acceptable for cold water supply, PVC does not work well for hot water supply. It is not stable at high temperatures. Another drawback to PVC is it has a lower resistance to impact than many of the other types of piping. This can cause problems in many different areas where a pipe might be accidentally struck by something or subject to movement (think earthquakes, etc.) If your home is plumbed with PVC, you may want to consider these factors and replace all or part of it when appropriate.
The most common and perfectly acceptable use of PVC today is for supply lines for sprinkler systems. It works very well when used for that purpose.
Tip #6 - Poly
Polybutylene (Poly) pipe has been used extensively in modern homes. However one drawback in particular has caused it to lose popularity for water supply lines inside the house. That is that it is susceptible to damage and weakening by the chemicals commonly used in water treatment in public utility systems. This causes it to break down, eventually resulting in expensive damage from leaks. Polybutylene pipe is usually gray but sometimes white with crimped on fittings like the more modern PEX. Since it is not being manufactured any more, you must adapt it to PEX or something else or completely replace it when doing repairs. You must use a specific adapter when making these connections as the two types of tubing have slightly different dimensions.
Tip #7 - PEX and CPVC
The final two choices are the most modern plastics PEX and CPVC. Apparently CPVC has seen a lot of use in the southern part of the United States and PEX has enjoyed more popularity in the northern states. I suspect that this is because PEX appears to be flexible and less susceptible to extreme cold than CPVC. This may or may not be true, but the public's perception can have a lot of influence. Also CPVC does actually have a higher temperature tolerance than PEX. However PEX remains perfectly functional and safe at any water temperature normally encountered in a home so there is no need to worry about it.
There is some question as to whether each one breaks down when in contact with different chemicals and the answer is that yes, they can be affected. But those chemicals should not be present in our potable water in the first place! If you have chemicals in your drinking water that can degrade your plumbing, then it's a pretty safe bet that you have bigger problems than what kind of pipe to choose!
Tip #8 - Things To Consider
Three main differences exist that can effect your choice of which type of pipe to use.
First, Flexibility. PEX is extremely flexible compared to all other plumbing pipes in normal use. It doesn't require a series of perfectly aligned holes to be drilled through studs and joists to run it from one point to another. It also can be bent into a relatively sharp curve, especially in warmer temperatures, to go around corners, therefore doing away with cost, hassle and restriction of having to install an elbow or other fitting.
CPVC on the other hand while being much more flexible than metal piping, still requires elbows and other fittings to be installed to change directions.
Also, for whatever reason, in my work in a home improvement store, I encounter a lot of customers who are bringing in broken CPVC pipe and fittings trying to find a repair solution for them. I do not see this happening with PEX.
Second, Type of Fittings. PEX is designed to use fittings that are crimped or clamped in place using a metal ring around the outside to apply a mechanical clamping force at each joint. While these crimp rings can be improperly installed and allow some leakage, simply using some care and a little experience can completely prevent this problem. PEX engineers have also recently created a new type of fitting known as a 'push-fit' or "Shark Bite" fitting.
CPVC on the other hand utilizes glue-on fittings much like PVC and ABS. When done properly, you will probably never have a problem with a joint coming apart. However unlike PEX, there is no mechanical clamping force holding the joint together. It is designed to work well in this way and it does so.
Third, Availability. In some areas it is much more difficult to find one or the other type of material to work with. In our area, PEX is readily available in almost any home improvement store, but CPVC is much more difficult to find.
Also a word here on the colors of PEX pipe. PEX is commonly available in its natural white color as well as red and blue. These colors are only designed to be an indicator of which lines are hot water carriers and which are cold. There is no chemical or design difference between the three colors. You can safely run hot or cold water through any of the three colors.
Tip #9 - Final Water Supply Hook Up Lines
A word here about the supply lines that typically run from a shut-off valve at the end of your main water supply system (i.e. galvanized, copper or PEX) to the actual fixture itself, such as a sink, toilet, ice maker, etc.
On older homes you may find several different types of piping utilized for this purpose. The most common ones being soft copper, flexible plastic lines, either solid plastic (usually gray in color) or white plastic with a braided reinforcement built into them, or braided stainless steel lines.
While all of these are acceptable and functional ways to replace an old line, I would always recommend choosing a modern braided stainless line for your new installations and repairs. The cost is not significantly more. They are easily installed, more durable and more attractive than your other options. An added benefit is that because they have a built in rubber seal already installed, they don't require any sealing agent, such as pipe dope or teflon tape to be added to the threads.
Conclusion
So when it comes to which product to use for your plumbing needs, in my humble opinion and based on considerable past experience, PEX wins out hands down. Copper used to be the 'gold standard' and some people still prefer it. However its drawbacks are far over-ruled by the benefits of PEX. In my opinion, the convenience and availability of PEX also outweighs the perceived advantages of CPVC.
So, in my personal opinion as well as that of many professional plumbers, having weighed the options and having worked with all of these different types of piping, especially for the Do-It-Yourself Homeowner, I would choose and recommend PEX as my go to piping for my main water supply lines and braided stainless steel flex lines for my final hookup lines every time!
That's about as simple as I can make it!
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