subject: Sydney Plumbing - Building A New Home? Don't Take Plumbing For Granted [print this page] These days, there are alternatives to metallic systems (ARA) - Building a new house means getting choices and making decisions. Therefore if you are planning to build a new home, be prepared to spend an endless quantity of hours considering options and making final selections.
Yet, with regards to something as important as the home's plumbing, most individuals do not ask any questions. They presume they don't have an option. For numerous generations, metal (in the form of galvanized steel or copper) was the only material obtainable. Look in the basement of any home constructed before the Kennedy era and it is improbable you'll find anything but metallic pipes.
Today is a various story as a host of option materials -- numerous of which are plastic -- now garner significant market shares.
Why has plastic gained this kind of recognition? Metal has shown a number of problems through the many years that have been documented by several studies and lawsuits. Pinhole leaks and premature system failures, caused by metal's natural inclination to pit, corrode and scale, have opened the door for more reliable, virtually maintenance-free systems.
Of these, CPVC (post-chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) plumbing systems, which have forty years of proven expertise, are probably the most well-known. CPVC pipe and fittings, like those utilized in FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing systems, offer a quantity of advantages over metallic systems. Mainly, they in no way pit, scale or corrode, which eliminates the danger of premature failures and costly re-piping, as well as possible property damage.
FlowGuard Gold CPVC systems are also extremely power efficient with natural insulating properties that maintain hot water hotter and cold water colder than metallic systems. Furthermore, condensation, which is really a common problem with metallic pipes that can cause drip damage to walls and foundation, is practically eliminated.
As water quality develops into a substantial issue in this country, CPVC piping has acquired high marks for its ability to sustain water quality. There is no leaching or metal contamination into the water supply, so you will find no related health concerns. And without pitting or corrosion, CPVC systems are able to sustain full water carrying capacity all through their entire life.
Through the years, many home owners have come to accept water hammer (or banging pipes) in their houses, which is typical of metallic systems. CPVC systems, however, resist water hammer. They also reduce water flow noise, which has been proven by independent testing laboratories to be four times louder in copper pipes.
Although CPVC systems are most frequently used in new construction, they are also compatible with other plumbing systems used in remodeling projects, the addition of a guest bathroom, or even the replacement of a failed copper system.
