cpvc plumbing

[clemsonfor]

The other thing about copper is that its going to corrode through eventually and leak.

Cpvc might not be to code some places??

 

[clemsonfor]

In my part of the world (Western BC) I beleive CPVC has been banned for years. It apparently breaks down when exposed to chlorinated water and becomes too brittle. (so I've been told) Had it in a house I bought 5 years ago and had a heck of a time finding transition fittings that would go from CPVC to either PEX or copper.
It's PEX all the way for me!

Your thinking of polybutelyne pipe that grey stuff with the crimps bands that failed. i think it was an early try at a cross bwtween pex and cpvc, The bands let go and ruined many houses. There was a huge class aciton law suit over it. That was the stuff they used in trailers also.

 

[clemsonfor]

View attachment 447644I used (contractor used) all copper with closed cell foam insulation on all the pipe which was ran underground and up thru the slab. The insulation keeps soil and concrete from contact with the pipe plus insulates the hot water line to which I have a recirculating pump attached at the water heater. This may cause a bit of extra electricity to keep the line hot but I have instant hot water which conserves our precious water resource. It sure beats what I had at my previous house where the master bath was at least 60 feet of line away from the heater and took it seemed like forever to get hot water from the faucet. In the photo you can see the water lines protruding from the soil prior to slab being laid.

I hate slabs and for that reason the plumbing is in it!!! That will be a nightmare when those copper pipes corrode through or you need to move drain lines.

 

[clemsonfor]

View attachment 447644I used (contractor used) all copper with closed cell foam insulation on all the pipe which was ran underground and up thru the slab. The insulation keeps soil and concrete from contact with the pipe plus insulates the hot water line to which I have a recirculating pump attached at the water heater. This may cause a bit of extra electricity to keep the line hot but I have instant hot water which conserves our precious water resource. It sure beats what I had at my previous house where the master bath was at least 60 feet of line away from the heater and took it seemed like forever to get hot water from the faucet. In the photo you can see the water lines protruding from the soil prior to slab being laid.

I hate slab construction for that reason. Pipes in the concrete. Imagine the mess and work in volved when those copper pipes corrode through and they will!!!

 

[clemsonfor]

My son's a licensed plumber and says that if you want cheap...PVC is the way to go. Next up would be cpvc but life expectancy is only around 20 yrs. After that is a crap shoot. He's replaced a lot of copper, pvc and cpvc over the yrs and, by far, the best and longest lasting is pex.
Just passing along data.
We built our place before was certified and had to settle for that which the contractor used.
Next time, you betcha, we're using pex.
Not nearly as expensive as copper and much longer lasting.

You cant plumb an entire house with pvc?? That is unless you dont have hot water!! pvc is not rated for hot water and you have to use cpvc.

 

[clemsonfor]

First, mobile homes used Poly Butil until 1996 when the lawsuits crushed that awful product out of existence. Do a read on it, no bueno.

For the aluminum hat wearing group, PEX has only recently been allowed for residential use in Los Angeles and has been slow to be adopted. Copper re-piping is still all the rage. I do not beleive CPVC was ever allowed as code.

The reason for pex being late to the table, though, looks to be a combination of big business and the plumbers unions (this is for the aluminim hat wearers). The rumor is that Copper Producers felt California lead the country in building codes and if the could keep PEX tamped down, they would profit. As well, plumbers take a third of the time to work with PEX and lost revenue is a big factor. You see plumbing trucks in LA always laden with copper even now.

Thats probably some plumber union thing where they worry that inexperienced "handy men" will swoop in and do jobs that professional plumbers need to handle as it wond need to be soldered..thats a skill...not a hard one to learn but still a skill unlike running a pair of crimpers. Oh i just read the rest of your post after i typed this to see you mention the union thing!!

 

[clemsonfor]

have cpvc in the barn with living space upstairs........it does seem to freeze and crack easier then copper and I don't like the plastic threaded connections to the fixtures.....but as a water distribution system it's been fine and it is a breeze to work with for any repairs or changes especially if you're working in a confined space......Jack

you can use glue on fittings that have a copper threaded end

 

[clemsonfor]

didnt realize i would have so much to say i really should of used the multi quote button!!!

 

[the old grind]

Threads in/on poly can be troublesome. Pipe 'dope' is a primarily a lubricant that allows threads to be tightened to where the threads deform/mesh together with no gaps. Try that with either male or female plastic threads and threads may not crush/interlock fully before something bottoms out or splits.

There are pipe 'dopes/sealants' that are plastic-safe and not overpriced. That said, if there's a place where teflon tape shines it's with plastic threads, where a bit of bulk can make up just a tad for iffy part fit on low pressure water (<100 psi, vs other) connections.

OT & btw: The latest price jump for brass is due to the mandated elimination of lead (was <1% anyway) that contributes free-machining properties to that metal. This shouldn't increase tooling costs by more than say 5% or so, but our cost has risen 15% or more in ~a year. tog

 

[Raspy]

Your thinking of polybutelyne pipe that grey stuff with the crimps bands that failed. i think it was an early try at a cross bwtween pex and cpvc, The bands let go and ruined many houses. There was a huge class aciton law suit over it. That was the stuff they used in trailers also.

I guess the polybutylene tube has some problems, but I've never seen any. My use of it was in closed loop radiant systems that are now as much as 35 years old with no tubing problems. It could be that domestic water and it's chemicals were not compatible with poly. The plastic fittings definitely had problems though and I steered clear of them. It wasn't the copper crimp rings, it was the acetal fittings that cracked or melted and weakened. Some crimp rings were aluminum, which could have been a problem in salty conditions.

Copper crimp rings and brass insert barbed fittings and an excellent way of connecting PEX. I've used many hundreds of them with no problems ever. Stainless cinch rings are fine too as far as I can tell.