Residential plumbing systems have come a long way from the clay piping used in ancient Greece to supply water for homes and carry sewage and wastewater away. Plumbing supply manufacturers produce pipes from various materials that can provide hot and cold water to every plumbing fixture in your house. Residential plumbing pipes also create a vital drain and vent system for your house. Although there are different types of home plumbing pipes, five of them are used more in homes, which are:
- PEX Home Plumbing Pipes
- PVC Residential Plumbing Pipes
- ABS Pipes
- Copper Plumbing Pipes
- Galvanized Pipes for Home Plumbing
Although all types of home plumbing pipes are practical in specific applications, not every piping is suitable for all situations. Additionally, some of the lines are not up to code. Modern building codes set forth measures your system must adhere to to ensure public safety and protect your home from damage. Now let’s get to the details about these home plumbing pipe types.
PEX Home Plumbing Pipes
PEX or cross-linked polyethylene home plumbing pipes are affordable plastic tubing famous for residential water supply lines since they do not leach traces of corrosion or rust into the water like some other old types of pipes.
Installing cross-linked polyethylene residential plumbing pipes is considerably easy and also, since they are a flexible material, working with PEX tubes is much easier.
One of the best things about these home plumbing pipes is that you can use several connection methods, which allows you to work with different plumbing tools.
PEX home pipes come in three primary colors: blue for cold water, red for hot water, and white for cold or hot water.
PVC Residential Plumbing Pipes
PVC or home plumbing pipes made from polyvinyl chloride are often used for home sewage systems. Professional plumbers use DWV, a type of home plumbing piping used in your house’s drain, waste, and venting systems.
PVC plumbing pipes are suitable for applications with low pressure and low-temperature requirements. With this said, you should use these residential plumbing pipes for the toilet drain line and not for carrying hot water.
ABS Home Plumbing Pipes
Residential plumbing pipes that have a black appearance and are used in a sink, toilet drain, or tubs are generally made from ABS or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene,
ABS home plumbing pipes are another type that you can find in DWV systems, and it functions similarly to PVC piping. Most of these residential plumbing pipes come in the exact sizes as PVC piping. However, ABS is not as popular as it is currently.
ABS home plumbing pipes are more durable than PVC but should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Copper Home Plumbing Pipes
Copper home plumbing pipes have been used in residential plumbing systems for decades. So it is likely to find them around showers, sinks, tubs, and other plumbing fixtures in older and newer houses.
These residential plumbing pipes are the most popular type of water supply lines since copper does not affect drinking water quality.
The biggest drawback of copper home plumbing pipes is that the installation process requires a propane torch that is not DIY-friendly. If you do not apply enough heat to the joints, the solder will not flow into the joint, and you won’t have a proper seal. Moreover, too much heat can inhibit the appropriate sealing of the connection.
Galvanized Pipes for Residential Plumbing Systems
Galvanized pipes are not used in modern constructions and homes. However, it was once used for almost every residential property, so you can find them in older houses.
Galvanized home pipes were perfect when homes had lead pipes since they provided a lead-free alternative. If you have galvanized waste and drain lines, you will find fittings and replacement pipes such as galvanized tees and elbows.
Galvanized home plumbing pipes had a big issue; they tend to rust over time. If your residential plumbing system has galvanized water supply pipes, it would be best to replace them with PEX or Copper residential plumbing pipes to ensure you will have clean and clear drinking water.
If you are sure that you want to retrofit your galvanized piping, using PEX would be the best option since it is flexible, and you can install it inside the walls easily.