A Range Of Materials And Fittings For Every Task

The word plumbing comes from the Latin for lead, and there are still a fair number of lead pipes and fittings around. But today other materials are used in house plumbing—copper, cast iron, steel, brass and plastic.

Several are likely to be combined in a house, for each brings a balance of benefits in economy, durability and convenience for a particular job. And the combination cannot be willy-nilly, for some materials cannot join others without special precautions.

Copper, most popular for supply lines but also used for drain and vent lines, is easy to work with and durable but costly. It is available as rigid pipe in 10- and 20-foot lengths or as flexible tubing in 30-, 60- or 100-foot coils.

Rigid pipe is tougher, but flexible tubing is easier to install, particularly when adding to existing plumbing. Rigid pipe must be soldered; flexible tubing can also be joined mechanically with flare or compression fittings.

Flexible tubing comes in two weights: Type K, the heaviest, mainly for underground lines outdoors, and medium-weight Type L.

Rigid pipe comes in Types K and L, and in lightweight Type M, generally adequate for homes.

Plastic pipe is increasingly popular for drains and, in some areas, supply lines because it is light (1/20 the weight of the same size steel pipe), inexpensive, easy to join and seldom bursts even if the water inside freezes.

Several different plastics are made into pipe, but only CPVC and polybutylene can be used for hot-water supply lines. Other plastics, such as ABS, can be used for drain and vent lines. Like copper tubing, plastic pipe is available in rigid or flexible form. The rigid pipe is joined with solvent and glue. Flexible pipe includes polybutylene, suitable for hot and cold lines, and polyethylene, suitable for cold water only. These materials are joined with insert fittings and metal clamps, or with special crimped-on ring fittings.

Because of its easy installation, polybutylene rivals copper as the plumbers' material of choice in new construction. But the tool needed to secure crimp fittings is too expensive for most homeowners' tool kits. Galvanized steel is the strongest material available for water supply lines and is preferred for piping that will be exposed to damage. It is heavy, and must be joined with threaded fittings. Most plumbing-supply stores will cut the lengths you need and thread them. Cast-iron pipe, the heaviest and most durable of all piping materials, is used only for drains and

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vents. Today it is joined with metal-clamped rubber gaskets called hubless fittings—old pipes have special lead-caulked fittings.

The practical considerations of convenience, cost and durability, however, are not the only factors determining the choice of material. Your local plumbing code forces decisions. Some codes prohibit a material in one part of a plumbing system but not in another, and even dictate the method you may use to join it. Check with your building department before buying any materials.

All piping is sized by inside diameter. When replacing a section, measure with a ruler its inner diameter and get new pipe the same size. If you are adding a supply line, use the pipe size specified by the manufacturer of the fixture. 

In addition to piping, you also need fittings to join it. A fitting is necessary whenever piping branches off, changes diameter, joins another type, or in the case of rigid pipe, whenever direction changes. The shapes are common to all piping—the only difference is the way they are joined. A special precaution must be taken when joining copper pipe to steel: wrap the threads of the copper fitting with plastic joint tape to prevent an electrochemical reaction that occurs between dissimilar metals, eroding the joint.

How much pipe do you need?

To find out how long a piece of pipe you need between two existing fittings, measure the distance between the faces of the two (distance A). Then measure the distance that the new pipe will extend into each fitting (distances B and C), and add both to the first. If only one fitting is in place, mark where the second fitting will be placed and have someone hold it there while you measure.

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