Tag: repiping

10 Types of Piping Found in a Sacramento Home’s Plumbing System

Apr 21, 2022

10 Types of Piping Found in a Sacramento Home’s Plumbing System

  • Plumbing
piping sacramento

As a homeowner, you need to know what’s going on inside your walls and under your floorboards. Knowing is half the battle, as once you know, you can act, making the important repairs and installations that you need to make in order to bring your home up to your standards. Here’s what you need to know about the different types of plumbing piping you’re likely to find in your Sacramento home.

1. PB (Plastic Polybutylene)

Polybutylene, or PB piping, was commonly used from the late 1970’s into the mid 1990’s. These pipes were low cost and easy to install, making them very popular, especially throughout the 1980’s. 

Underground main lines are usually blue, but the pipes can also be black or gray. It’s usually about a half inch or an inch in diameter. The problem with PB is that, after so many years of use, the chlorine in tap water may cause the piping to flake and scale. PB is best replaced before it falls apart, but it does not pose an immediate danger like some other outdated plumbing materials might

2. Plastic Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC)

CPVC is difficult to tell apart from PVC, and in many respects, it is functionally the same material. They are not identical, however. PVC piping will usually start to soften and weaken at the joints above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas CPVC can handle temperatures exceeding 200 degrees with ease. CPVC tends to be more common in commercial building projects. CPVC is a great choice for your home, but note that you generally will not want to connect PVC to CPVC, rather, you will want to choose one or the other.

3. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene, or ABS pipes, can be identified by a dark, almost metallic appearance. They are very similar to PVC in most respects, but they tend to weather the sun poorly, so they are not recommended for outdoor application. They are known to be easier to install than PVC, and are often used as an alternative where metal piping might be considered.

4. High density polyethylene (HDPE)

Also known as alkathene or polythene, HDPE or High Density Polyethylene pipes are popular for their high strength-to-density ratio. This black, plastic piping can be used for potable water, but is more often used to distribute gas, oil, wastewater, and chemicals in industrial settings than it is used in residential housing.

5. Cross linked polyethylene (PEX)

Often used as an alternative to copper, PEX, or cross-linked Polyethylene typing, costs about a third of copper, won’t corrode, and is fast and easy to install. PEX can be identified by its bright blue or red color, and is frequently used to insulate electric wiring.

6. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC, is perhaps the most popular form of piping used for plumbing in residential buildings. It is easily recognized by its white plastic appearance. If your home was built in the last ten, twenty years, then chances are that you’re looking at PVC pipes. A common replacement for metal piping, PVC is incredibly strong for its low cost, durable, and easy to install, with no real downsides to speak of

7. Copper

Copper pipes are still used in some homes. They’re fairly easy to identify: If you’ve seen copper before, imagine pipes made out of it. They do not pose any serious health risks, they tend to be durable and safe, but their inflexibility makes them difficult to install, and they are quite expensive in comparison to plastic, so they tend to be less common in new homes

8. Cast Iron

Cast iron pipes have been popular in the past as an option for distributing wastewater, pressurized gasses, oil and so on. They look just like a cast iron skillet you would use for cooking: Black, heavy, and metallic. If you have any cast iron pipes in your home, you would be advised to replace them as soon as possible. They are prone to corrosion, and, in many instances, impossible to repair and replace.

9. Stainless Steel

Stainless steel tends to have a clean, shiny metallic appearance. It may be your best bet if you insist on metallic pipes, being much more durable, but stainless steel is prone to corrosion, it’s expensive, and it’s difficult to install.

10. Galvanized steel

If you have galvanized steel pipes, have them replaced as soon as possible. Galvanized pipes are steel covered in a layer of zinc. The zinc erodes over the years, causing buildup which can completely clog your pipes. Not to mention, you’re drinking and showering in zinc, and you may wind up drinking lead, as well. Galvanized steel pipes look like normal steel, except with a chalky layer of zinc on the surface. You can identify an eroded galvanized pipe by the rusty color of the water coming out of your tap.

Outdated pipes aren’t always dangerous, but they can be. PB, for instance, may fail at any given moment, but it probably won’t put you in the hospital. If you have galvanized steel pipes, replace them as so your piping in your Sacramento home is always in top shape. 

Call America’s Plumbing Co. today to learn more about piping repairs in Sacramento!

Or check out our stellar Google reviews! 

By admin

10 Warning Signs You Need Repiping Service

Jun 15, 2020

10 Warning Signs You Need Repiping Service

  • Plumbing
repiping by america's plumbing in Sacramento

Many people neglect repiping as a household need. However, there are warning signs to pay attention to that indicate you need repiping.  Repiping services can potentially prevent homeowners from experiencing a terrible disaster while saving them a great deal of time, money, and psychological stress in the long run. Pipes really don’t last forever, and it’s important for homeowners to recognize when their pipes are going to need to be replaced:

1.  Low Water Pressure

When pipes start to fail, they immediately start taking the water pressure with them. You might notice that the water pressure in your shower isn’t as strong as it used to be, or that you are not getting much pressure from the sinks. The means that the pipes may be in the early stages of failing at that point, or they may have already progressed in that direction. 

2.  Corroded Pipes

In most cases, household pipes are hidden from view. However, some pipes are going to be visible outside of the house or in some other locations like the basement. If any of these pipes appear to be rusty, it’s a sign that some of the interior household pipes are just as rusty and in need of replacement.

3.  Murky Water

Tap water does get murky sometimes, which is why using a filter for drinking water is a good idea. However, when the water is consistently murky and the murkiness does not go away even after letting the water run for several seconds, it’s a sign that there might be something wrong with the pipes and you need to call a plumber right away.  

4.  Rusty Spots

Given that pipes run throughout a person’s house, people are sometimes going to see rust spots in odd places throughout their homes if they have old and rusting pipes that need to be replaced. This is more common in older houses.  

5.  Unexplained Cracks and Holes

Pipes run through an entire house, and failing pipes can cause cracks and holes in odd places. Overall, people should note that old and failing pipes can actually cause a lot of tremendous household damage. It’s important for people to recognize these signs and take measures to fix any cracks or holes with professional help.  

6.  Unexplained Dampness

People who are starting to get random water stains on their walls or floors might have old and leaky pipes. Unexplained household leaks are often caused by failing older pipes and not by water coming in from the outside.  

7.  Multiple Leaks

One household leak could have multiple sources. However, if people have several household leaks, and they seem to occur in areas that are heavy on the plumbing, it’s a sign that something is wrong with the internal piping system.

8.  Outdated Piping

Older piping systems do not last as long as many of the newer pipes that people have today. Of course, most people should want to get their polybutylene and especially lead pipes replaced for the sake of health reasons. One way or another,  replacing these these old piping systems will be beneficial.  

9.  Strange Noises

Sometimes, old pipes that really need to be replaced can make funny noises when water runs through them, owing to the fact that their internal flaws will make the water’s path less smooth. Pipes will usually make some noises, however really pronounced and unsettling noises should not be ignored.

10.  Advanced Household Age

The older the pipes, the more likely they are to fail. People don’t often change their pipes, and when people purchase an older home, they may well be dealing with the original pipes of the property. The older the house gets, the more advanced the damage to the pipes is going to be in almost all cases. Older houses should always be suspect in this regard. Houses that were built in 1960 or earlier are particularly susceptible.

Call America’s Plumbing for Repiping 

People often waste money on their water bills as a result of bad pipes, and repiping can fix that. Bad pipes can cause a lot of costly and difficult household damage that people can prevent through repiping services. Bad pipes can affect water quality, and replacing pipes can give people cleaner and healthier water.  Furthermore, replacing pipes will prevent a disaster that may require expensive water damage restoration. Today’s household pipes last longer and are more durable than older pipes, giving homeowners peace of mind knowing they are saving money and improving their health with superior water quality.

By admin