RE-PLUMBING

Having remodeled and re-plumbed their previous home, the new owners decided to remodel and re-plumb this home before moving in 2013. When the old copper pipe was cut out, you could see a significant buildup of mineral deposits in the walls of the pipe. Having lived in three Florida homes which had pinhole leaks in copper pipe, the chosen pipe for the new system would be pex type A, specifically the Uponor brand. Pex pipe can be bent into curves. This means that there are few elbows which can reduce water volume that need to be installed. Besides all the other advantages of pex pipe, pex A pipe has "memory". If you stretch it, it quickly returns to its original shape. Thus, pex A fittings have an inside diameter virtually the same as the pipe. The end of the pipe is stretched using a special tool (included with the house), the fitting is inserted into the stretched opening, and, in ten seconds or so, the pipe returns to its original diameter over the barbed plastic fitting, creating an incredibly strong, water tight fitting that can even be rotated without leaking. For a great explanation of the benefits of Uponor pipe, check out this Youtube video from a premier home builder: Uponor benefits. Click on the thumbnails at left. The first photo shows the new pump house slab with pipes in place for the equipment. PVC pipe with soft water runs to the house next to the A/C compressor where it enters the house in the garage wall (second photo, as seen from the master bathroom side). In the fifth photo you can see the 3/4" cold line above the south master bathroom wall where it tees off down to the new hot water heater before heading off into the attic to feed the 1/2" cold lines. All of these photos are available with captions to explain where they are in the home.