501 NE 4th street - Plumbing

 

Drainage

    The first thing I have found strange is the constant requirement for testing at every stage but here with the building being largely wooden it does make sort of sense . A  minor fault in the plumbing could lie undetected otherwise within the walls and only surface once damp damage had become extensive and be very costly to repair . Thus it is required that once the drains have been run throughout the building frame they are filled completely with water to ensure their soundness . I took the wise precaution of making up a screw in fitting with a pressure gauge and an inflation valve to test the pipes with air first as once the system was full of water it would be time consuming and difficult to get the water out and to dry where necessary to effect repairs .

    First things first - all the drainage flows within the house in a trunk and branch layout . The main 4 inch drain had already been tested and laid  under the basement floor . There are tables to show how many fixtures and of what type can be supplied by what size pipes and what vents for air ingress are needed and what length horizontal runs are allowed to give flow and venting .
    The sub floor pipe surfaced with two branches - a 3 inch which supplied the basement kitchen , floor drain and the master bathroom and a 4 inch which drained the basement bathroom the main kitchen the ground floor rest room ( on its own branch ) and the guest bathroom and laundry room .
    Both these exited the roof in the same size pipe that they exited the basement floor in though unlike a tree the venting pipes again joined the main stacks at loft height .

    The basic layout had to be worked out before the basement slab was laid and the roof vents were also put in place before the roof was shingled . The pipes in between followed last . I found the venting the most complex as it was all new to me but with help from the building inspector Mr. Snyder everything went ok . 
    The pipes that I and almost everybody uses is ABS   (acrylonitrite-butadiene-styrene) - is a black colored pipe and used for waste removal, venting, and drains  . It is a rigid plastic pipe that  can be easily cut with standard tools and the joints simply glued together . Some thought was needed to ensure that the structural integrity of the joists etc was maintained but I managed to make the runs and comply with the code without too much intrusion of the pipes into the living areas .  Clean outs had to be designed into the system so as to make rodding possible in the event of problems . The pipes had to be supported to code also and this was especially important as the whole system would be full of water for the inspection and unsupported sections might even fail with disastrous results . Another very different thing here is the traps for baths and shower trays which must be made between the floors as the " tubs " here sit on the floor rather than above it leaving room for the plumbing to be done later . This required measurement and full knowledge of fittings to make sure they were in the right place . As a precaution I went with screw together traps so at least I have some movement for when the fittings go in .
    The drainage took about three weeks and required constant trips to Home depot . Best plan is probably to buy large quantities of the various fittings and keep the receipt till the job is done and then return the excess for a full refund . Home Depot are good about that !
    After a few air tests and small reworking of some faulty joints the final test was carried out by removing the glue on caps from the roof vents and filling up the whole system from the roof with a hosepipe . It took ages . Points to note was that for 3 inch or larger screw fittings ( typically cleanouts ) use PTFE paste instead of tape . Also when using glue in test caps be sure to keep the glue from weakening margin between the pull out section and the rim which I learned the hard way failed if it became degraded by the ABS glue requiring replacement . It is also useful to use rubber screw joints in places so sections of pipe can be removed and refitted . I used these so as to be able to drill holes in the test caps and re connect the pipes so the water flowed out and down the main drain .


Water supply

    Firstly the supply had to be braught underground from the meter at the edge of the property into the basement . A 1 1/2 inch tube had been already laid in the foundation wall for this purpose . I was advised to use 1 inch PVC pipe and struggled to connect this underground into the fitting but would strongly advise the use of 3/4 inch as the meter is already this size and it is easier to work with and the service valves are more reliable .

    There are many types of plumbing pipes used for residential supply . These include PEX Tubing/Piping, Copper Pipes, PVC (Polyvinylchloride) and ABS Pipes. 

    PEX Tubing/Piping - Pex Tubing/Piping is flexible plastic piping which has become the most popular type of piping used in U.S. homes today for some really great reasons. They are cost effective, easy to install, require little maintenance, less chances of leaking, resists buildup and are energy efficient. They can also be used for hot and cold water supply but cannot be used in outdoor applications due to their sensitivity to UV rays.

    Copper Piping - Copper pipes are second best next to PEX piping and can be used for both hot and cold water supply. They are corrosion resistant, durable and lightweight and generally perform well. The down side is that installation is messy as the pipes must be soldered together which also requires numerous fittings. It is also very expensive here - far more so than in the UK - I think they are being had here but all the retailers charge the same so I am guessing some sort of price fixing is going on . It is so bad that there have been thefts of whole copper systems from houses under construction or homes simply left empty .

    PVC (Polyvinlychloride) - These pipes are only for cold water and are used most often to carry water from the main supply to a home. PVC pipes must also be approved for drinking water. This also includes CPVC which has been modified chemically to be useable for hot water applications also .

    I chose to use PEX everywhere except for the blow off emergency piping for the hot water tank where I used the rigid CPVC to take the steam/ boiling water combination outside the home in the event of an overheating event . 

    There are again rules about the pipe sizes required forcing the use of 3/4 pipe for the main supply runs and only allowing the small 3/8 pipe for single outlets . I personally chose to use only 3/4 and 1/2 inch pipe . Although well meaning I found it really annoying to have to use 3/4 pipe for the main hot water pipes as it requires much more hot water to fill them before the heat reaches the taps . With the excellent pressure the flow rate is not a problem and with a single family home I do not believe that it would be an issue in the event of two or more users taking water at the same time . I curse them every time I run hot water for the waste and delay they force me to live with their petty non flexible rules !

    The supply pipes are fitted second as they are much smaller and easier to work around the drainage pipes . The pipes generally all finish in a valve before being connected to the outlet by a braided flexible pipe . An excellent system .

PEX pipes are easily cut with a sharp knife or saw but most usually with a special pair of ratcheted PVC shears

They are joined with clamp rings to specific fittings very simply and quickly though some thought does have to go into how to get the pipe work all clamped up in restricted spaces . There is a general clamp tool which does need room to operate as well as a quite useful and less expensive ( mole grip operated )  accessory which can sometimes clamp where there is no room for the usual tool . Often pre assembly of sections is done first to overcome limited space .

     Where necessary metal plates are nailed to the studs to protect pipes running through them . I used copper fingers to terminate the pipes which are easy to work around when doing the “ sheet rock “ ( plaster board ) These can simply be later cut with a tube cutter and have a valve fitted for the flexible connection later . It took weeks again to do the whole house and all was inspected with mains water under pressure inside before they could be . It worries me a little this clamping system . I would prefer to have used the compression system with plastic and copper pipes as I am used to in the UK but I guess as it is |” approved “ by the state I should not worry about future joint failure within the walls at a later date . It took me weeks to complete the supply pipes ready for inspection and covering .