I always thought PVC was for cold water and CPVC was for hot water.
Now I'm seeing CPVC labeled by the manufacturer "for cold water only".
Yet it is intermixed with other CPVC that is not labeled like that.
What is going on?

-Red

On 14 Apr 2007 20:35:37 -0700, "Red" wrote:

I always thought PVC was for cold water and CPVC was for hot water.
Now I'm seeing CPVC labeled by the manufacturer "for cold water only".
Yet it is intermixed with other CPVC that is not labeled like that.
What is going on?

It's political correctness run amok.

-Red

Red,

I always thought PVC was for cold water and CPVC was for hot water.
Now I'm seeing CPVC labeled by the manufacturer "for cold water only".
Yet it is intermixed with other CPVC that is not labeled like that.

As far as I know, standard PVC isn't allowed by code for in-house plumbing.
It can only be used for underground and other situations.

I used CPVC for both my hot and cold supply lines, but none were labeled
"for cold water only". All the CPVC I bought had a 180 degree temperature
rating stamped on the side.

If they have started labeling some CPVC for cold water only, I suspect it
is to comply with the code requirements. It's most likely the same stuff,
just an easier way to identify the hot and cold supply lines.

Anthony

HerHysband,
Did you use CPVC on all of your indoor water lines including pipes &
fittings in walls?

Thanks,
Joey

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
Red,

I always thought PVC was for cold water and CPVC was for hot water.
Now I'm seeing CPVC labeled by the manufacturer "for cold water only".
Yet it is intermixed with other CPVC that is not labeled like that.

As far as I know, standard PVC isn't allowed by code for in-house
plumbing.
It can only be used for underground and other situations.

I used CPVC for both my hot and cold supply lines, but none were labeled
"for cold water only". All the CPVC I bought had a 180 degree temperature
rating stamped on the side.

If they have started labeling some CPVC for cold water only, I suspect it
is to comply with the code requirements. It's most likely the same stuff,
just an easier way to identify the hot and cold supply lines.

Anthony

Hi Joey,

Did you use CPVC on all of your indoor water lines including pipes &
fittings in walls?

Yes, CPVC is approved by code for all supply plumbing, so I used it for all
of my indoor water lines.

However, plastic pipes won't hold up under stress, so I transitioned to
brass drop ear elbows at each fixture, with brass nipples coming through
the wall, to threaded shutoff valves inside the room. I then used flexible
stainless hoses to connect the fixture to the shutoff valve.

The drop ear elbows I used are made for use with CPVC pipe. They have a
CPVC fitting that solvent welds to the pipe, a rubber washer that fits
between the fitting and the brass elbow, and a nut that clamps the two
together. They're fairly expensive (about $5 each), but they accomodate the
different expansion rates of plastic and brass, and the brass elbow can be
securely fastened to the framing.

I used the brass drop ear adapter elbows at all faucets, the shower heads,
etc.

I used a similar straight brass adapter where I needed to transition to
inline fixtures like the shower valves, laundry valves, or water hammer
arrestors.

My incoming water line is standard PVC which I terminated at a shutoff
valve in the crawlspace, from the valve I transitioned to CPVC for the rest
of the interior piping and fittings. I did install a second shutoff valve
above the floor to make it easier to shut off the entire house water in an
emergency, or when going on vacation.

Anthony