The Work Of Concrete Contractors

Tips To Help With The Maintenance And Repairs For New Plumbing With Plastic Pipe Systems

17 May 2017

Jeffery Hayes

If you are planning on having new plumbing installed in your home, choosing plastic pipes is a good choice for cutting costs and using an alternative to copper. Plastic pipe systems are also a little different than conventional copper or PVC water lines. These systems usually use a manifold design, and have clamp-style connections; making maintenance and repairs easier. Here are some tips to help with the maintenance and repairs that a plastic plumbing installation will need:

1. Connections at Existing Lines and Leaks from Adaptors

When you have a new plastic plumbing system installed in your home for bathroom or other remodeling projects, the old plumbing may still serve some of your home. To connect the new plastic lines, special fittings are used to adapt to the new pipes. This is one of the places where your plumbing will be vulnerable to leaks; especially if the adaptor is a fitting with threads and pipes. Make sure that the fitting is installed correctly and sealed with a commercial pipe adhesive, rather than Teflon tape around the threads of a fitting.

2. Plumbing Manifold and Access to Complete Repairs

One of the benefits of plastic plumbing systems is the plumbing manifolds that they use. The main water lines go into the manifold and each plumbing fixture has its own, individual hot and cold lines. When you need to do repairs, the manifold also makes it easy to shutoff the water supply to one line by turning the valve on the manifold. When you remodel your bathroom, talk with the contractor about installing an access panel and clearly labeling each line for the plumbing in your bathroom.

3. Insulating Lines That Are Vulnerable to Outside Air 

Plastic lines do have the downside of being vulnerable to freezing, and in cold weather they can burst if they are exposed to freezing temperatures. To prevent this problem, make sure that all lines that are exposed to the outside air are well-insulated. All the outside lines should have pipe insulation on them. In addition, the fewer lines on the exterior walls or in attics and crawlspaces, the less likely they will be to freeze. You also want to avoid locating the manifold on exterior walls, and try to find a place for it on an interior wall where it will be protected from winter freezing.

These are some tips that will help with some of the repairs and maintenance jobs your plastic plumbing is going to need. Contact a bathroom remodeling contractor like Velarde Builders Inc. and talk with them about plastic plumbing for your renovations.    

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