Since the invention of plumbing, the material used for pipes has been of critical importance. Plumbing technology has changed dramatically since the days of lead and clay pipes. Now, there are many types of plumbing pipes available to suit a wide variety of plumbing systems and budgets.
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Each water pipe material has its pros and cons. The integrity of your home's plumbing plays an important role in your quality of life, so you need to make a well-informed decision when selecting your piping material.
What are plumbing pipes made of? The answers to this question are almost endless. With so many options to choose from, it can be tough to figure out which material you should choose for your home.
We will break down the different types of water supply pipes to help you decide which is the best piping for plumbing in your home.
Copper is a traditional material for plumbing pipes and remains a popular option today. There are two main types of copper pipes that can be used together to outfit a whole plumbing system:
Copper piping comes in different sizes, labeled by the diameter in millimeters, from one outside edge to another. The most popular sizes are 15 mm and 22 mm. You can also get 18 mm piping and many sizes above 22 mm, all the way up to 108 mm.
The other way of measuring rigid copper piping has to do with its thickness. There are three grades of thickness to choose from for use in plumbing:
Copper pipes offer significant benefits that have helped them stand the test of time. These benefits include:
With so many strengths, you may wonder why copper is not used for plumbing in every case. The disadvantages of copper include:
Galvanized piping used to be the material of choice for residential plumbing and it is still what many people picture when they think of plumbing pipes. The material's main benefits include:
Although these pipes are undoubtedly strong, they are rarely used in new installations. You might have them if your plumbing was installed in the s or before &#; if this is the case, you should consider replacing them right away. Here are some of the biggest reasons why:
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is growing in popularity among homeowners. PVC is a thermoplastic polymer, a combination of vinyl and plastic that softens at high temperatures. At normal temperatures, PVC pipes are rigid.
Usually, they are either cream, white, or gray, but you can also find them in almost any color you like. PVC is most often used for transporting highly pressurized water, like what you would find in your home's main water supply line. However, PVC is versatile and useful for a variety of applications, such as draining and potable water transport.
Depending on the application, you can choose a particular thickness and configuration designed to best support that application. If the piping is meant to transport drinking water, look for an "NSF-PW" or "NSF-61" label, which means the material meets the standards laid out by NSF/ANSI 61.
Some of the benefits of PVC pipes include:
While PVC has some marked advantages, it has a couple of disadvantages, too. These include:
Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC) is closely related to PVC. Though both materials contain the same basic elements, the key difference is that CPVC is chlorinated. This chemical difference makes CPVC able to withstand temperature differences in a way that PVC cannot. For this reason, some building codes call for CPVC in place of PVC for transporting hot water.
While PVC typically only uses a sizing system called nominal pipe size (NPS), CPVC uses both NPS and copper tubing size (CTS). As the name suggests, this sizing system is similar to the copper piping size graduations.
CPVC pipes share many of the advantages of PVC, plus one more:
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While CPVC is not always the best choice for some applications, it has relatively few disadvantages. Cons include:
Cross-Linked Polyethylene (PEX) is another plastic material used for piping. Plastic pipes have become a popular choice for new homes. This particular plastic material is relatively new on the plumbing scene and can be used for a variety of plumbing applications. The major difference between PVC and PEX is that PEX pipes are flexible. This means they can be used in long, continuous runs.
In addition to being flexible, PEX is easy to cut and join together. The PEX system is designed to fit together through the combination of barbed fittings and crimping rings or cinch clamps. This method of joining pipes is in lieu of any soldering or gluing. The installation process is quick and easy and the material is made to last. PEX piping can come coiled up in a flexible roll, wrapped in aluminum to keep its shape or in hard lengths.
This material comes with some major advantages for plumbers and homeowners that contribute to its rising popularity. These advantages include:
While PEX has many advantages, there are some drawbacks:
Stainless steel piping is actually more expensive than copper piping. However, its high price point correlates to a high level of quality. Stainless steel pipes are strong and corrosion-resistant. Because of their ability to resist corrosion, stainless steel pipes are the preferable choice in areas that are susceptible to it, such as coastal communities.
Stainless steel piping is available in both flexible and rigid versions and it comes in a variety of sizes. Pipes are fitted together using couplings.
Cast iron used to be a common piping material for drainage systems, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century, and it can still be found in many homes today. Cast iron is extremely strong, durable, and heavy. Cast iron also reduces sound and is heat-resistant.
Despite the advantages of strength and durability, cast iron is susceptible to rust over time. In homes that have cast iron piping, if a pipe rusts all the way through, you can replace it with plastic piping like PVC. Cast iron pipes come in various sizes, with the smallest usually being 4 inches.
Polybutylene (PB) pipes were a popular choice for plumbing from the late s to the mid-s. In fact, as many as 10 million homes built during that timeframe included polybutylene piping of some kind. Polybutylene is a type of plastic resin that was seen as a futuristic material, perfect for replacing copper.
These grey plastic pipes were, and are, inexpensive and easy to work with. However, they fell out of favor because it was determined that PB pipes were prone to leakage at the joints.
High-density polybutylene pipes (HDPE) are one of the most popular choices for underground service lines, though they work in a variety of plumbing applications. This is due to HDPE's durability and ability to resist corrosion.
Some codes call for buried plastic lines to be made from HDPE instead of PVC. HDPE pipes are flexible, so they require minimal joints. Where they do require joints, heat fusion is used, making these pipes mostly leak-proof.
While black iron is not intended for plumbing applications, it is worth mentioning. Black iron pipes were once a popular piping material for water supply, but today, they are only used for conveying natural gas or propane. Black iron is also a popular choice for fire sprinkler systems since it is especially effective at resisting extreme heat.
Whether you need to install a whole new plumbing system in your home or only need a few repairs, you can trust Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Greater Syracuse to provide the best service possible. At Mr. Rooter Plumbing, we offer comprehensive plumbing services, including emergencies. Call us for fast, courteous, and efficient service, no matter the issue.
Throughout the many years that we have provided the Syracuse community with piping and plumbing services, we have demonstrated a strong commitment to excellent customer service. Contact us today for all your piping and plumbing needs!
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