The main water service line to a residential or commercial building is the foundation of that building’s plumbing. All of the water for that building must first pass through it, which makes it vitally important that certain rules are followed when repairing or replacing them. Some obvious, but some, not as much.
In this article, we will be discussing Copper main water lines, the pros and cons of using copper water line, and some rules you want to make sure you follow.
Many older homes still have galvanized water service. The down side to that is that galvanized iron pipe rusts over time. Eventually the zinc coating wears away, and the pipe begins to deteriorate – both inside and out. The more it rusts, the smaller the inside diameter becomes. This will cause obstructions in the flow of the pipe, and in some cases can completely shut off the flow.
Also, since rust is not as structurally strong as the pipe, the pipe wall itself becomes compromised, eventually causing the pipe to spring a leak. This is the main reason to replace galvanized pipes with a material that does not rust.
Copper does not rust. The pipes do erode over time (as all metals do), but the fact that is does not rust, makes it erode at a much slower rate than galvanized. Also, the erosion does not create a byproduct that obstructs the flow of the pipe. Not to mention that fact that you do not have to worry about drinking or cooking with iron oxide (rust).
While, some people may argue that certain forms of plastic pipes do not rust, and is cheaper, copper is much stronger over time than most forms of plastic pipe, and is not subject to problems with the glue failing. The only real exception to that rule is schedule 80 pcv, which can be more expensive than copper water line.
If you are going to replace your water service with copper (or any other material, for that matter) there are some important details that you want to pay close attention to. Here are a few of them, in no particular order:
The final detail, and perhaps the most important is to always use a licensed and bonded profession plumbing company to perform the work for you. A true profession will see to the details above, as well as the others we have not mention here (there are many more), to make sure the final product is a perfectly installed and efficiently functioning copper water main.
We, of course, recommend you call Allstar Plumbing.
