Archive for November, 2009
Cpvc Pipe Installation Tips From A Professional Plumber
Lots of people often ask me for advice about installing CPVC pipe. They need new water lines and want to know if CPVC pipe is a good choice. Many want to know if it is really as easy to install CPVC plumbing as it looks. I mean it requires no special tools and is really easy to put it together. You just glue it together what could be easier?
Like most things in life it’s not quite that simple. The truth is CPVC pipe is a perfectly good product and can be an excellent choice for water pipes but you do need to know a few things to do it right. For starters you need to be able to properly size the pipe in your system and you need to be able to design the piping layout efficiently. There are also some things you need to know about CPVC piping installations in particular.
Here are a few tips to help you get a good system.
Strap It Right
Strap CPVC every 4′ horizontally and at least once between the floor and ceiling vertically. Use plastic support hooks and get the kind that hold the pipe a little off of the wood. CPVC expands and contracts like all plastic pipe and if it is fastened too tightly against the framing it can make a lot of popping and squeaking noises as time goes on.
Easy On The Glue
Don’t use too much CPVC cement. Apply glue sparingly in the CPVC fitting. If you get too much glue in the fitting when you push the pipe into the fitting the glue will get pushed into the joint. If there is enough glue pushed in it can actually dissolve the pipe and cause a failure. I have also seen it cause a kind of bubble of glue in the joint which dries and blocks the pipe. That’s real fun to figure out when part of the system doesn’t get water.
Use Brass or Copper Adapters
If you have to use any threaded connectors go ahead and pay the extra couple of dollars and get the kind that have brass or copper threads instead of the all plastic kind. Sioux Chief makes some really good ones. You may have to go to a plumbing supply to get these most DIY stores don’t have them.
Avoid Loose Tub Valves
While you are at it Sioux Chief makes some great other products for adapting CPVC to copper. I recommend using their preformed ells along with sweat type tub/shower valves. Use copper for the tub spout piping and shower head riser and use the Sioux Chief ells for the inlet connections. This allows you to properly secure the tub/shower valves so they don’t wiggle and wobble when you use them.
Securing Hose Faucets
Likewise the Sioux Chief ells work great along with a sweat hosebibb. Hoses get pulled around a lot and this method really lets you secure the hose faucet so it doesn’t get yanked out of the siding or brick.
Stay Away From CPVC Valves
One more tip. You can get shut off valves made entirely of CPVC. Don’t use them especially the gate valves. They are prone to leak. The only ones I would even consider are the Ball Valve type and I have had problems with them. Go ahead and use real brass valves with the necessary adapters. Again check out Sioux Chief. I promise I am not getting a commission from them. They are really good products that work.
Stay Away From Heat Sources
Don’t run CPVC pipes too close to heat sources such as can lights or flue vents. A good rule of thumb is to stay at least 12″ away from these kinds of things.
Check All Products For Compatability
Last of all make sure that any pipe dope or other chemicals that come into contact with any part of the piping system are approved and listed as safe for CPVC. Some chemicals can have a damaging effect on the plastic pipe causing failures months and even years later. That doesn’t mean CPVC is not a good product just pay attention to what you use with it.
These tips should help your next CPVC project be a success!
Copyright 2008 Bryan Stevens
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Bryan Stevens is a Licensed Master Plumber and Certified Green Plumber with a knack for teaching
homeowners how to do their own basic plumbing repairs themselves. He has has created a really helpful minicourse
called “How To Unclog A Toilet And Other DIY Plumbing Tips”. To claim your FREE copy
visit: How To Unclog A Toilet
Concrete Garage Floor Tips
A concrete garage floor is the best choice for a garage. Because of the solid and stable fill it offers the strongest foundation for any type of vehicles from conventional family cars USVs to recreational vehicles RV or motor homes.
Installing a concrete floor may be a practical family or group project. The important things to consider are the requirements for the ground preparation building permits and other local permits the construction mix and materials the tools you need and the technical construction skills needed like measuring mixing forming pouring and finishing.
Like your home flooring you also want your garage floor to be sparking clean every time you pull in with your vehicle after a long trip home. The site of a smooth shiny and dentfree garage floor can lift off your tiredness and complements the look of even a weatherbeaten car.
Concrete flooring is an excellent choice to install in the home whether on the main house or in garage areas. Concrete offers a lot of possibilities for creative floor designs that yield beautiful and highlytexturized visuals on your floor.
n spite of the best efforts done by homeowners to keep their homes and its fixtures problemfree it cannot entirely escape the wrath of time those obnoxious wear and tear marks like cracks dents peels splits and scratches.
If you are not one hundred percent sure you and your folks can handle the physical and technical requirements of installing a concrete garage floor better seek the help of a professional. For more information On Concrete Garage Floor Tips visit the website http://concretegaragefloor.com
About the writer: Freelance Web designer and Artist
Clearance Furniture In Nyc
The financial crisis has one good thing out of it. The crisis has caused a lot of clearance furniture in NYC which are highquality furniture at incredibly low prices. Clearance furniture NYC is also timed perfectly for the current tax season. You can use your tax refunds from Uncle Sam to buy these items. If you buy now you will not need to start paying anything until the next year. This is because clearance furniture in NYC are offered through generous terms via instore credit.
There are lots of choice furniture because clearance furniture in NYC are manufactured by well known makers. These clearance sales are designed to disposed of slowmoving merchandise to make room for new arrivals. However all of them are still contemporary and brand new except that the store owners need to find space for new item arrivals. Clearance furniture in NYC is usually an allyear round affair but most of the big sales are during summer. This is the time when most people move to new houses or firms move to new office locations and usually leave behind their old furniture pieces. They would need new furniture and clearance furniture in NYC are designed to fill this need during the springtime and summer. Out with the old and in with the new. That seems to be the mantra.
Sales of clearance furniture in NYC offer all kinds of home and office furniture. These include casual dining sets formal dining sets cabinets for the home and the office tables such as sofa tables end tables and cocktail tables. You name it and you can be sure to find all these in clearance furniture in NYC warehouse sales. Clearance furniture in NYC have great weekly sales promotions and offer free delivery too. You will also get credit on your next purchase when you successfully refer a friend. These weekly specials offer bigger discounts on a selected item for that week such as a mattresses set when you buy an entire bedroom set. You should avail of these wonderful opportunities to acquire new pieces of furniture at less cost.
Most clearance furniture in NYC are delivered free of charge but up to the doorstep only of your home or the driveway in your office. In most highrise office buildings delivery is only up to the main lobby of the building but there are exceptions such as moving them up to the second floor only. For these clearance furniture in NYC you will need to hire additional help to carry them up higher.
About the writer: For Clearance Furniture in NYC you will need to hire additional help to carry them up higher.