Hometime: Weekend Home Projects/Hometime: Weekend Home Projects.iso/media/t0809.txt

Text File | 1994-09-08 | 6KB | 102 lines

 0809    PLUMBING MATERIALS

Choosing pipe materials
Whether your plumbing project goes like a dream, or turns into a pipe nightmare, depends
largely on the materials you select - and you have a multitude of choices. That's because piping
materials and the systems used for assembling them have undergone a dramatic evolution in the
past 50-odd years.

Before World War II, most homes had galvanized steel water supply lines, and cast-iron drain-
waste-vent (DWV) systems. After the war, copper became the favored material for supply lines
and sometimes for DWV runs as well. More recently, plastic has appeared on both the supply and
DWV scenes, and no-hub clamps have made cast-iron much easier to deal with.

Which you choose depends partly on the job you want it to do and partly on the materials local
codes do and don't permit. But you needn't be limited by the existing pipes in your home. Special
transition fittings make it easy to interconnect new materials with old. Here's how your options
compare.

Ñ Lightweight and highly durable, copper is the most widely used supply pipe material. Rigid
copper comes in 20-foot, and sometimes shorter lengths. It must be soldered together with
elbows, Tees and other fittings. Flexible copper tubing comes in easily bent 60- and 100-foot
rolls, and you can purchase short lengths, sometimes chrome-plated, for connecting a fixture's
faucet to shut-off valves.

Ñ Plastic is rapidly gaining on copper as the pipe material d'jour in today's homes. Here you have
an alphabet soup of choices. ABS plastic can be used only in DWV applications. PVC pipe can
serve as cold water or DWV lines. It has the same properties as ABS but you can't interchange
these materials or their solvents. Use CPVC plastic for hot and cold water supply lines. It's white,
gray or cream colored and has the same properties as ABS and PVC. Type PE flexible plastic
tubing carries cold water only, and in many communities you can use it only underground - for
wells, sprinkler systems and natural gas - where its flexibility withstands freezing and ground
heaving.

Ñ Cast iron DWV systems are rapidly giving way to ABS and PVC. Old-fashioned cast iron pipes
have hub-type joints packed with oakum and molten lead; newer no-hub cast iron is joined with
special gaskets and clamps.

Ñ Threaded pipe has all but passed from the scene. Galvanized steel is cumbersome to work with
and tends to build up lime deposits that constrict water flow. Black steel pipe rusts easily and has
never been used as a carrier for water. You may find it serving as gas or heating lines, though.


Choosing a toilet
The way toilets work hasn't changed much in the last century or so. What has changed is the
amount of water needed to flush a toilet.

For decades, the typical American toilet used about 7 gallons of water per flush, which accounted
for about 38 percent of all water used indoors. Now most toilets require only about 3 1/2 gallons
per flush, and low-flush units - required by law in some states and localities - drain only 1 1/2
gallons per flush. Low-flush toilets reduce the costs municipalities must pay to supply water and
treat sewage. They also reduce your water bill.

Nearly all toilets are made of vitreous china, which is easily cleaned and lasts indefinitely.
Although the material is the same, the choice of styles and colors is not.

Ñ Integral-tank toilets combine the tank and bowl in one low-to-the-floor piece. Ordinarily their
flushing sound is quieter than standard styles, which have a separate tank bolted to the top of the
bowl. One-piece toilets cost more than other types.

Ñ Bowl shapes are either round or elongated. Round bowls are the most common, but better
toilets have bowls that are 2 inches longer, front to back. Besides being more comfortable, they're
also easier to clean.

Ñ Wall-hung toilets make cleaning even easier, because you don't have to grope around to gain
access to the floor around and behind the base. Wall-hung toilets are more expensive to buy and
install, because the wall must be strengthened.

Ñ Reverse-trap toilets, the most common type, flush through an outlet in the back. Reverse-trap
toilets are efficient and relatively quiet, compared to old-fashioned wash-down toilets, which
ended each flush with a glug.

Ñ Siphon-jet toilets improve on the reverse-trap design. These also flush through the back, but
have larger outlets that drain faster and more efficiently. Siphon-jet toilets are nearly silent, and
cost considerably more than reverse-trap types.


Choosing other fixtures
Though they differ greatly in size and shape, kitchen sinks, bathroom lavatories and bath tubs
are, for the most part, made of the same materials.

Ñ Molded acrylic fixtures feature one-piece construction that incorporates, for example, a counter,
basin and backsplash in a single casting. These wipe clean in a jiffy, with no seams where soap
and other residue can collect. Molded acrylic is costly, and your choice of colors and finishes is
limited.

Ñ Vitreous china lavatories are easy to clean, and it's all but impossible to dull their lustrous
surface. Many china lavatories are wall-hung or mounted atop a pedestal. Prices range from
moderate to high.

Ñ Porcelainized cast iron fixtures are extraordinarily rugged and easy to clean. They are heavy,
however, and need a sturdy support system. Cast iron fixtures are moderately priced and come in
a very broad spectrum of shapes and colors.

Ñ Stainless steel stands up well to household chemicals, but soap and hard water can cause spots
that are all but impossible to remove. Stainless costs somewhat less than cast iron.

Ñ Fiberglass-reinforced plastic can be molded into novel shapes, but it doesn't hold a shine as
well as other surfaces. These fixtures are inexpensive to moderate in cost.

Ñ Enameled steel fixtures don't wear as well as any of the others, because scouring dulls and
eventually wears away the enamel finish. Enameled steel fixtures are inexpensive.