Over time, steel pipes without a corrosion-resistant coating inevitably become overgrown. This is especially true for cold water. Inevitable sand, scale, slag and mineral salt deposits form a solid substance inside the pipe over several years, interfering with the flow of water.
Of course, you can disassemble the plumbing and clean the pipes with a special thin rope. But it will be a half-measure: in a few years the procedure will have to be repeated again.
In addition, since the late eighties, in many typical apartment buildings builders used thin-walled pipes. For reasons of economy, of course. Such water pipes when disassembled after 20-25 years literally crumble in your hands.
Numerous leaks
Seam pipes often begin to water leak at several points along the same seam. At minimal time intervals. After you call a welder for the fifth time – inevitably there will be a desire not to fight the consequences, but to eliminate the problem once and for all.
Appearance
Unkempt steel water pipes with rust stains and years of paint buildup are just ugly. Hiding them in a box means looking for an adventure on your… back. All communications should be accessible – this is the golden rule of an experienced plumber.
At the same time, replacing plumbing pipes with modern ones will make its appearance neat and presentable.
Choice of material
What can the modern market offer us? Let’s look into the nearest store for an overview of popular modern materials.
Steel pipes
Throw away and forget like a bad dream. We change our plumbing precisely because they have not lived up to our expectations.
Steel pipes with a zinc coating
It’s warmer now. Galvanized pipes don’t rust and don’t overgrow. Unlike. The only thing against it is the relatively complicated assembly. If you do not have a welder or lathe, the only way to assemble a galvanized water pipe yourself is to cut the threads by hand and assemble the structure on couplings and angles.
This means that we will have to buy dies and wrenches, which are not cheap. In addition, threading the pipes requires both a certain skill and a lot of physical strength.
Metalplastic
Beautiful appearance. Neat shiny fittings. Not a bad choice for dacha, where minor leaks are not afraid. The use of metal-plastic pipes in the apartment is, perhaps, the only contraindication.
After several cycles of heating and cooling, they often begin to leak in the fittings, and have to tighten the union nut. If you choose metal-plastic – it is especially important to leave the fittings available.
Polypropylene
Among the modern materials for plumbing – a clear champion. The disadvantage is one: the connections are not disassembled. The fact is that the pipes are not connected to each other, but welded with a special soldering iron. However, the procedure is simple, and the soldering iron itself is very inexpensive. If you need to change the configuration of the plumbing – you can always cut it off and weld it again.
Other than that, it’s the perfect material. It doesn’t overgrow internally, it doesn’t rust, and it doesn’t lose its qualities over any reasonable temperature range. Joints never flow and can withstand very substantial mechanical stresses, no different in strength from a solid pipe.
Fittings for any connections and adapters for any threads to buy now no problem. A man puzzled about how to change water pipes, can safely opt for polypropylene.
Installation of water shut-off valves
If the water mains have been standing since the base of the house – most likely, the valves have also fallen into disrepair. And even if they still shut off the water, the old screw valves are better replaced by modern ball valves that shut off the water by turning a flag or handle.
Filters
Regardless of what type of mixer tap you choose, the installation of filters after the valves – a must. scale, slag and sand kill ceramic taps at once, but also with conventional faucets with rubber gaskets clogged filter on the mixer spout will not please you.
Do not be fooled by the seller’s stories about the charms of expensive Italian fittings. Inside the filter, there should be a stainless steel mesh and a small sump, in which the slag accumulates.
Polypropylene connection
The main part of the assembly of the plumbing is not more complicated than assembling a model from a child’s constructor.We choose the soldering iron nozzle, heat on it fitting and the pipe at the same time and insert one into the other.Half a minute – and the connection is ready.In order to fix the pipe on the wall, use special plastic fasteners.
Conclusion
Here in a nutshell and all the tricks of how to replace the plumbing. As you can see, there is nothing complicated. Replacement of water pipes in the apartment with their own hands does not require supernatural skills and expensive tools. You only need a little time and quite a small amount of money.