Building Pipe Types & Properties

Water Supply, Drain Piping & other Pipes in Buildings

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Water supply & drain piping:

Building piping installation, inspection, troubleshooting & repair: water supply

piping, drain waste & vent piping, water supply: how to inspect, diagnose, test,
repair water supply & drain piping.

This article defines and describes different types of building supply and drain
piping with an alphabetical list of piping materials and properties. For each
type of building piping material, in addition to giving its description and
properties and use, we include special concerns or possible defects to watch-
out for.

We will also discuss the life expectancy of lead water piping, the life
expectancy of galvanized steel water piping and the life expectancy of copper
and plastic water supply and drain piping

The articles at this website will answer most questions about water supply &
drain piping, wells, & water tanks as well as many other building plumbing
system inspection or defect topics.

We link to in-depth articles on inspecting, testing, and repairing problems with

building plumbing: water supply and drain waste vent piping, plumbing traps,
piping materials, clogged or noisy pipes, and types of pipe hazards or product
defects.

We also provide a MASTER INDEX to this topic, or you can try the page top
or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

Definition & Properties of Types of Building Supply &

Drain Piping Materials
This page describes types of building supply and drain piping
listed alphabetically.

[Click to enarge any image]

ABS Plastic Building Drain Piping

See ABS PLASTIC PIPE FAILURES for details. Excerpts are below.

In widespread use as drain piping, black ABS drain piping, or "All Black -hit,"
defective black ABS plastic waste pipe manufactured in the mid 1980's failed
by cracking - not something that should be a problem with current ABS
products.

Our photo illustrates ABS (black) and PVC (white) drain pipe materials used
together. Currently there are primers and glues that can be used on either
PVC or ABS or on a combination of the two. [Click to enlarge any image]

But watch out for older installations where these plastic drain materials may
be mixed as it may be an indication of amateur work or use of improper glues
that can result in leaks at joints and fittings.

Cast Iron Building Drain Piping

See CAST IRON DRAIN PIPING for details. Excerpts are below.
Cast iron drain piping has been used in buildings for more than 100 years.
This heavy material is available in diameters from 2" and up, with typical main
building drains of 4" to 6" in diameter. A hub system connects pipe sections,
originally using melted lead.

The cast iron pipe hub and stub were wiped with oil to remove water, avoiding
a dangerous steam flash when lead was poured into the fitting. Most modern
cast iron connections are made using rubber or plastic fittings that no longer
require heating and melting lead.

The illustrations (left) show accessing a cast iron drain cleanout and two
methods of emergency, temporary repair of leaks in drain piping.

Cast iron piping used for in-building drain piping as well as sewer lines is
also illustrated at FIND the MAIN BUILDING DRAIN

And atUSE a POWER SNAKE to CLEAR a BLOCKED DRAIN you can see a
common splice-in of ABS plastic drain piping into an existing cast iron sewer
line.
Copper Building Water Supply & Drain Piping

See COPPER PIPING in BUILDINGS for details. Excerpts are below.

Guide to Types of Copper Piping used in buildings

The following summary notes about copper and other types of building piping
are from Carson Dunlop Associates' Home Reference Book, used with
permission:

Copper piping has been used extensively since the early 1950s for supply
lines from the city main to the house as well as for in-building water supply
and drain piping.

Copper water supply piping is typically 1/2 or 3/4 inch diameter. Copper piping
is typically 1/2 or 3/4 inch diameter. Copper piping has soldered connections
and the walls of the pipe are thinner than galvanized steel. Copper piping has
soldered connections and the walls of the pipe are thinner than galvanized
steel.

From 1950 to 1970, 1/2-inch diameter piping was used commonly. After 1970,
3/4-inch diameter copper service piping has been common.

The life expectancy of copper piping is dependent on water conditions. In

many areas, its life expectancy is indefinite. In harsh corrosive water or
corrosive soil conditions, it may fail within 20 years or even less. Occasionally
manufacturing defects also result in early failure of copper building piping.

Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch (left) illustrates three types of copper piping
used in buildings for water supply or drains.
  Type M copper piping is used for general plumbing, above ground.
Type M copper tubing walls are the thinnest used in construction, at
0.026" in wall thickness and thus more vulnerable to leaks if water being
handled is aggressive or corrosive.
 Type L copper piping is also used for general plumbing as well as for
heating system piping. Type L copper tubing walls are thicker, at 0.040".
 Type K copper piping is used for plumbing, heating, gas lines, and
underground, and has a wall thickness of 0.049".
 Flexible copper tubing used as water piping: Flexible copper tubing
can be bent around corners using special tools. This is not common
since it is more expensive and can be awkward to work with in close
quarters. Flexible copper tubing is also used for oil piping

See OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS

and for natural gas piping

See GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS

Galvanized Steel Water Supply Piping in buildings

See GALVANIZED STEEL WATER PIPING for details. Excerpts are below.

Galvanized steel is not commonly used as a service pipe, although galvanized

steel fittings may be found at the point of entry into the house. Where
galvanized service piping is used, it is typically at least 1 1/4-inch diameter.
The word galvanized means zinc-coated.
The coating helps prevent the steel from rusting.

Galvanized steel piping was common until roughly 1950. This piping typically
lasts 40 to 60 years. Some lower-quality pipes do not last as long and there
are some oversized pipes still in use after 60 years. Where it is found today in
single-family homes, it is usually near the end of its life.

Life expectancy of galvanized steel piping: Galvanized steel supply pipes

are typically 1/2-inch diameter. The connections are threaded. When the pipe
corrodes, the rust accumulation inside the pipe chokes down the diameter of
the pipe, resulting in poor water pressure.

Rust also attacks the pipe walls, making the walls thinner. Eventually, the pipe
will rust through, usually at the joints first, resulting in leakage.

Sketch above provided by Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home

inspeciton and report writing and education company, from their - Home
Reference Book, used with permission.

Galvanized Steel Drain Piping in buildings

See GALVANIZED STEEL WATER PIPING

Galvanized "iron" (galvanized steel) pipes were and continue to be used for
both water supply pipes and water drain piping. Our photographs (below)
show galvanized drain piping in use in buildings.
Above our galvanized dain photo shows that the cleanout in a galvanized
drain line has been lost, plugged with who-knows-what, and is an odor and
leak source.

Below our photo shows a Sunday Night Emergency Plumbing Repair: the
rope trying to secure the galvanized drain line to the cast iron sewer piping
confirm a history of leak troubles and improper plumbing connections.

Lead Water Supply & Drain Piping in buildings

See our detailed articles about lead plumbing pipes in buildings at

 LEAD PIPES in BUILDINGS - identification of lead drain or water supply

piping, durability, leaks, health questions
 LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, HOW to REDUCE - Lead water supply
piping as a possible health concern? Leak concern?
 LEAD in WATER, ACTION LEVELS - Guide to testing for lead
contamination caused by water pipes

Portions of the following summary are from Carson Dunlop Associates' Home
Reference Book, used with permission:

Lead piping was used between the street main and the house up until the
1950s. A good deal of lead supply line is still in use, and the health authorities
indicate that as long as it is used regularly, there is no difficulty with it. If the
water has not been run for some time, many recommend that the water be
flowed for several minutes before using it.
Our photographs show a lead water entry main or service pipe (below-left)
and lead plumbing drain piping (below-right).

The life expectancy of lead water supply piping is indefinite in some soils
and in more corrosive soils we have plumbers' opinions that the service life of
buried lead water supply piping is 40 to 50 years.

See LEAD WATER PIPES and LEAD in WATER, ACTION LEVELS for
details.

Also see AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES.

Orangeburg Septic Drainfield Pipes & Area Drainage Pipes

Orangeburg pipes, named not for their color but for the town where the Fibre
Conduit Company, a major pipe manufacturer was located, were used outside
buildings to connect the building drain to septic systems or in some areas to
sewer pipes.