Pipes

            In plumbing, pipes are designed to do one of two things; either to supply or to remove water. Where the previous sentence may appear to be an over simplifactaion, the operations are true for most of the population. Since pipes either supply or remove water in this knowledge base's contents, we'll focus on the different types of pipes and thier advantages and disadvantages. We'll begin with the piping that is dedicated to supplying water to homes and businesses.

Supply Piping:

            Choosing the right piping system for your home or business can be a challenge. Do you choose quick and economical or do you choose secure and rigid? In today's economy, it would be nice to have all four options. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Below is a brief overview of the pros and the cons of the three main piping systems that people choose from. Remember, your home is your biggest investment.

CPVC:

            CPVC: This pipe is the preferred service pipe in the area primarily because of its affordability and durability however it also has its issues. Bob Billa's SHJ Plumbing does provide CPVC pipe for all repiping solutions.

            Pros:

                    • The pipe is ridgid
                    • The pipe largely stands up to the Florida climate
                    • It's affordable
                    • It's easy to install

            Cons:

                    • The pipe gets brittle over time
                    • The pipe easily breaks when brittle (CBR)
                    • The pipe is easy to stress on joints without realizing it thereby causing leaks over time (CBR)
                    • Angle stops have little protection once brittle (CBR)
                    • The damage caused be a broken pipe can cost thousands to repair. (CBR)
                    CBR-Can Be Reduced

Copper:

            This pipe is the most expensive option. It is also the best choice as it solves the brittleness of CPVC, it's structurally sound, and it lasts longer than most other pipes. Bob Billa's SHJ Plumbing does offer this piping solution.

            Pros:

                    • The pipe is ridgid
                    • The pipe is made of an alloy
                    • Installation can be perforned with little to no soldering
                    • Does not get brittle over time

            Cons:

                    • Price
                    • Drywall/ceiling patches are more nemerous during installation
                    • Installation time increases

Pex:

            This particular pipe is not offered by Bob Billa's SHj Plumbing, However, we will highlight its pros and cons.

            Pros:

                    • The pipe is flexible
                    • Can be easily installed
                    • Relatively inexpensive

            Cons:

                    • The pipe is not ridgid
                    • The connection points fail over time
                    • The pipe is easily compromised
                    • Manufactures reduce and/or eliminate warranty if exposed to UV light.

Drain piping

            Drain piping for residential homeowners mainly consists of PVC. Though there are a few exceptions with modular homes consisting of ABS and some older homes still consisting of cast iron, galvanize, and copper. Fortunately, nearly every new home is being built with PVC for its' waste pipe, unfortunately however not every home is being built to the standards set by the state. Furthermore, eventhough cast iron, copper, and galvanize are no longer being used as a drain pipe, they still deserve to be in this discussion. We'll begin with today's practices.

            First, the unfollowed practices by today's builders. Drain pipes only do their job if water is able to flow downhill. For that to happen, a constant gradient must be maintained from start to finish. That is to say that the pipe must start at a specfic depth and finish at a greater depth then that of which it started at. This is called a fall line. This fall line must be achieved by constantly and gradiually lower the pipe over a numerical distance. In mathimatical terms, an ¹⁄₈ of an inch of fall amounts to a 1" drop of the pipe every 8 feet. This fall line is pretty standard however, the code does allow for a ¹⁄₁₆ of an inch per fall but this is unadviseable except in some extreme cases.

            Without this fall line, pockets of bellies can form which act as collection points for a varirty of different types of articles and debris that go down the drain. This is one of the main contributors of stoppages. Sadly, all to often, these pockets are discovered a few short years after the home is built. A lack of understanding when roughing in a drain line is not the only way these pockets form. Another way is through ground shifts and/or ground tampering. As stated abouve, the ¹⁄₁₆ of an inch fall line is not adviseable except in some extreme cases. This is because the gradient is almost level to begin with. Suggesting that any minor shift in the ground could alter the position of the pipe in either direction relatively easily. This is yet another reason why trademen need to be trained regualarly; something as simplily as bedding the pipe correctly as well as properly burying it could elivate so many probleems.

Cast-iron, copper, and galvanize are no longer being used in today's residential building practices, but there still needs to be a short discussion on them as they still reside in several homes.

            Cast-iron and galvanize are often paired together with cast-iron being the main truck lines, i.e. the lines underneath the home and through the walls. Galvanize mainly serves as the waste arms and occsaional vents. The waste arm is known as the pipe that travel from underneath your sinks, into the wall, and over to the vent where it connects to the cast iron. A lot of drain lines that are copper are utilized in the same manner.

            So why the change from cast-iron, galvanize, and copper to PVC? Was it just technological advances or were there other issues? Well, as for cast-iron and galvanize, it was more of a necessity and for copper, more of a price. Copper as anyone can tell you is an expensive alloy. As for cast-iron and galvanize where they are strong metal pipes, they breakdown overtime. These two pipes breakdown differently but the results are the same; complete failure. In cast-iron's case, the metal pipe gets brittle and begins the crack and slowly disinergrate. Galvanize, breaksdown from the inside out eventually rusting out. Both pipes are unable to stand up to the soaps, detergents, greases, excrements, and other chemicals thrown down the drain over the years. For homeowners who have these pipes still in their home, the solution is unsavoring for it demands a complete replacement.

            Today's plumbing piping systems are heavily regulated and designed to work. This does not mean that human interaction cannot inhibit the correct fuctionailty but it does suggest that a piping system that is installed correctly and per code should last for a long time with little to no problems.