How Savvy Are You When it Comes to Choosing a Plumbing System?
Without a doubt, today's homeowners are better educated than ever before. Between online resources and all the 'how to' manuals available at the checkout counters of major home improvement centers, consumers have more information about what goes into their home than ever before. But with all this information comes overload. As a result, people often overlook the choices they have for basic necessities and spend more time focusing on the color of their carpet or style of their kitchen cabinets.
Plumbing is one of those necessities often taken for granted -- probably because it is largely hidden behind walls and below ceilings. Yet, homeowners could avoid a number of problems down the road if they take a few moments to become educated about their plumbing options before making a decision.
Although the plumbing industry was once characterized by limited choices -- galvanized or copper -- today there are many viable alternatives that have proven to perform more reliably and hassle-free than their predecessors. To ensure you select the system that's right for you, start by asking a few basic questions:
How will the system be installed? Even if you don't plan on tackling the project yourself, it's valuable to understand how the pipe will be installed. Copper requires a torch to solder the pipe and fittings together. In recent years, solder torches have been linked to numerous house fires -- and costly damage. The risk of damage is even greater during remodeling projects because a completed home is likely to have more highly flammable materials near the work site than in new construction.
Today's more modern plumbing materials don't require the use of torches. Rather, systems like those made out of specialty chemicals such as chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) employ a solvent cement joining system. The FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing system, for instance, installs quickly and easily via a one-step joining system that eliminates the risk of fire damage.
How long will the system last? It's reasonable to expect your plumbing system to last a long time. However there have been a growing number of reports and newspaper articles documenting instances where highly corrosive water and/or soil have caused metallic plumbing systems to fail repeatedly in only a few years after installation.
FlowGuard Gold CPVC pipe and fittings, in contrast, will never pit or corrode, regardless of water quality. In addition, since a FlowGuard Gold CPVC system will never scale, the system maintains full water carrying capacity throughout its entire service life (unlike copper). This further reduces the need for a costly repipe of the home, which is estimated to be as high as $6,000 for the average home.
What is the system's effect on drinking water quality? Third-party testing and certification labs, like NSF International, document that aggressive water may corrode copper at a rate sufficient to contaminate water beyond state and federal drinking water standards for copper exposure. Because CPVC systems will never pit or corrode, water quality coming into your house will not be compromised.
What about noise? Unlike copper plumbing, FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing systems reduce water flow noise and virtually eliminate the banging sound of water hammer. In fact, a laboratory test confirms that FlowGuard Gold systems are actually four times quieter than copper.
What's the bottom line on costs? Surprisingly, despite all of its advantages, a FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing system is less expensive than copper, not only because it saves on labor costs with its faster installation process, but because copper raw material costs have skyrocketed in recent years.
What if there is already copper plumbing in the home? Since most older homes still predominantly have metallic plumbing, it is not always economically feasible to replumb the entire home, unless ongoing pinhole leaks or scale buildup mandate all new plumbing. But if you already have copper and are either hoping to add a bathroom or laundry room, or you need to replace a section of corroded copper pipe, keep in mind that CPVC transition fittings are available to allow a fast, inexpensive transition from existing copper pipe to CPVC pipe.
Plumbing is one of those necessities often taken for granted -- probably because it is largely hidden behind walls and below ceilings. Yet, homeowners could avoid a number of problems down the road if they take a few moments to become educated about their plumbing options before making a decision.
Although the plumbing industry was once characterized by limited choices -- galvanized or copper -- today there are many viable alternatives that have proven to perform more reliably and hassle-free than their predecessors. To ensure you select the system that's right for you, start by asking a few basic questions:
How will the system be installed? Even if you don't plan on tackling the project yourself, it's valuable to understand how the pipe will be installed. Copper requires a torch to solder the pipe and fittings together. In recent years, solder torches have been linked to numerous house fires -- and costly damage. The risk of damage is even greater during remodeling projects because a completed home is likely to have more highly flammable materials near the work site than in new construction.
Today's more modern plumbing materials don't require the use of torches. Rather, systems like those made out of specialty chemicals such as chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) employ a solvent cement joining system. The FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing system, for instance, installs quickly and easily via a one-step joining system that eliminates the risk of fire damage.
How long will the system last? It's reasonable to expect your plumbing system to last a long time. However there have been a growing number of reports and newspaper articles documenting instances where highly corrosive water and/or soil have caused metallic plumbing systems to fail repeatedly in only a few years after installation.
FlowGuard Gold CPVC pipe and fittings, in contrast, will never pit or corrode, regardless of water quality. In addition, since a FlowGuard Gold CPVC system will never scale, the system maintains full water carrying capacity throughout its entire service life (unlike copper). This further reduces the need for a costly repipe of the home, which is estimated to be as high as $6,000 for the average home.
What is the system's effect on drinking water quality? Third-party testing and certification labs, like NSF International, document that aggressive water may corrode copper at a rate sufficient to contaminate water beyond state and federal drinking water standards for copper exposure. Because CPVC systems will never pit or corrode, water quality coming into your house will not be compromised.
What about noise? Unlike copper plumbing, FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing systems reduce water flow noise and virtually eliminate the banging sound of water hammer. In fact, a laboratory test confirms that FlowGuard Gold systems are actually four times quieter than copper.
What's the bottom line on costs? Surprisingly, despite all of its advantages, a FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing system is less expensive than copper, not only because it saves on labor costs with its faster installation process, but because copper raw material costs have skyrocketed in recent years.
What if there is already copper plumbing in the home? Since most older homes still predominantly have metallic plumbing, it is not always economically feasible to replumb the entire home, unless ongoing pinhole leaks or scale buildup mandate all new plumbing. But if you already have copper and are either hoping to add a bathroom or laundry room, or you need to replace a section of corroded copper pipe, keep in mind that CPVC transition fittings are available to allow a fast, inexpensive transition from existing copper pipe to CPVC pipe.
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