Folks on YouTube cut, heat, and flatten PVC and then scratch build scale models out of it. This working excavator is rather extraordinary. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qam0DmWq_No&pp=ygUTcHZjIHBpcGU...
Fantastic. Thanks.
Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
141–150 of 163 posts
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you go PEX, I highly recommend going the entire Uponor route and use the expansion tooling (get the powered one). No need to worry about incorrect crimps and it just works.
If only Uponor would flesh out their fitting portfolio for 3/8”. 3/8” PEX is a near-perfect material for hot water distribution to sinks and showers — jurisdictions seem to have settled on the 0-2gpm range for sinks and showers, and 3/8” PEX high velocity at moderate pressure loss at these flows, which is exactly what you want. [0] But Uponor has very limited 3/8” parts, and using their brass fittings in that small s…
> 3/8” is permitted by code, but not by the tables in the UPC
Can you elaborate on this please?
It takes 90 seconds for hot water to flow from my water heater to my kitchen in the winter. I’m not sure if I have 1/2 or 3/8 pex (I’d have to crawl under the house to check). I’ve been thinking of adding a small Bosch water heater under the sink or a recirculation like, but maybe I should reduce the size of the pipe too
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
> We also know from experience that few houses go more than 50 years without a major remodel Well obviously, if we don't build houses to last longer than a few decades. You're describing a symptom not a reason.
People's needs change. Technology marches on. My house was built in 1973, next week i'm throwing away a furnace that is still working like new because it is 60% efficient. I don't know how efficient the air conditioner is, but it is being replaced by a heat pump that will be better. If it wasn't so expensive the windows that are working like new would go as well for something more energy efficient. I'm also consideri…
It's not like these needs can't be anticipated. The wiring problem can be solved by running conduit, or at least making fishing easy. As for the heating, the basic problem of pushing around hot air or hot water just isn't going to change, regardless of the details of how it's accomplished.
My point is that it's possible to build a house with with a lasting structure that can be updated for new technologies as they arise relatively easily, but we don't do that because the home building industry is overrun with corner cutting.
If you visit old houses (pre-war) you can see that the general quality of the construction is just considerably higher than the crackerjack boxes we've been erecting since the '50s. Sure, there is an element of survivorship bias, and some of the legacy stuff is ugly to deal with (lead paint, asbestos, horsehair, and knob and tube, I'm looking at you), but overall they were built to last in a way that new construction today just isn't.
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
People's needs change. Technology marches on. My house was built in 1973, next week i'm throwing away a furnace that is still working like new because it is 60% efficient. I don't know how efficient the air conditioner is, but it is being replaced by a heat pump that will be better. If it wasn't so expensive the windows that are working like new would go as well for something more energy efficient. I'm also consideri…
It's not like these needs can't be anticipated. The wiring problem can be solved by running conduit, or at least making fishing easy. As for the heating, the basic problem of pushing around hot air or hot water just isn't going to change, regardless of the details of how it's accomplished. My point is that it's possible to build a house with with a lasting structure that can be updated for new technologies as they ar…
You obviously have not looked at old houses in detail. They are far worse quality than today. Sure they may have used old growth lumber which was slightly stronger, but they had no concept of what was quality. I've seen 2x4 used for floor joists, no insulation in walls, and many other engineering failures. And of course there is survivorship bias, the worst examples are torn down already.
Sure the old houses looked stronger, and and often were in places where strength is not needed. However they often are lacking in critical areas.
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was wondering about that myself... It also gave me the willies when he was using the table saw cutting those tiny little strips with his fingers so close to the blade!
Realistically, given the tiny size of that table saw and the small parts needed to cut, what other way would there be to use it?
He could have used another piece of pvc instead of his finger
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#146One more: PVC bike rack. I bought a ratcheting PVC cutter and honestly am not sure if I would have been able to complete the project without it. One note: most instructions suggested doing a “dry fit” but I found that the pipes slid into the connectors much farther once they had PVC glue on them. Not a big deal, but everything ended up smaller than planned as a result.
Speaking of bikes I use a PVC pipe to set the crown race on my bike forks. If you get the right size it’s perfect for pounding them on.
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
People's needs change. Technology marches on. My house was built in 1973, next week i'm throwing away a furnace that is still working like new because it is 60% efficient. I don't know how efficient the air conditioner is, but it is being replaced by a heat pump that will be better. If it wasn't so expensive the windows that are working like new would go as well for something more energy efficient. I'm also consideri…
It's not like these needs can't be anticipated. The wiring problem can be solved by running conduit, or at least making fishing easy. As for the heating, the basic problem of pushing around hot air or hot water just isn't going to change, regardless of the details of how it's accomplished. My point is that it's possible to build a house with with a lasting structure that can be updated for new technologies as they ar…
Even the things you mention have changes: what about a ton of conduit runs for POTS lines that now seem quaint? Many of these, even if in conduit, aren't in locations where slapping an Ethernet jack makes sense. Duct work for fossil fuel furnaces is often undersized for heat pumps or AC that needs to flow a certain amount of air to function.
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
> This is also the reason why pvc is super dangerous for compressed air. Back in the day all us kids knew to get the ABS stuff when building our potato cannons. I was terrified of the combustion chamber shattering right next to my face.
I remember hearing the opposite, 20 years ago when I made one–that PVC was preferable to ABS because you couldn’t readily buy ABS with any sort of pressure rating.
It didn’t even occur to me that ABS pipe is pretty much only used for drainage and vents. I think it’s still probably decent to have unrated pipe tear smoothly rather than rated pipe—over pressured—shatter?
I guess the pro move is to either (1) fully characterize the amount of pressure made from a random shot of hairspray, then choose a PVC pipe to accommodate, or (2) put a larger ABS sleeve over the inner PVC combustion chamber to contain the shrapnel.
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
CPVC might be better than PVC, but it's still way worse than copper or pex. Both PVC and CPVC will shatter if stressed beyond it's yield strength. Go hit it with a hammer, and compare that to hitting a copper pipe or pex. This is also the reason why pvc is super dangerous for compressed air.
It's certainly not 'way worse'. CPVC/PVC has its advantages and disadvantages, just like every other piping method. CPVC can become less pliable over time, particularly for hot water, but properly (by code) supported/strapped and glued, it can last for decades. It, like PEX, should be run to a well-secured, copper stub out where it sticks out of the wall in an area where it could be damaged. Copper is not without its…
Press fittings alleviates the need for soldering copper.
Re: Everyday uses for PVC water pipe
#150Interestingly, plumbing your house with PVC water pipe is not a fantastic idea and is not allowed under most plumbing codes. The specific issue is that PVC loses strength at higher temperatures, so performance at household water pressures with household hot water is somewhat marginal. Manufacturers don’t rate their pipe at all above 140 degrees F. Having your pipe burst when you run hot water through it is undesirabl…
Copper is toxic to microbes, plastics are not. Relevant for salmonella for example. This alone would be reason for me to just use copper.
Most pipes get coated with minerals so you’re not really getting much benefit from the copper.