Do-it-yourself plumbing from plastic pipes

Major repairs in the apartment usually starts with replacing the water supply. Do-it-yourself installation of plastic pipes is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. At the same time, one does not even need to have special knowledge and skills, it is enough to simply do everything according to the instructions and be careful and attentive.

Where to start replacing the water supply

Installation of pipes begins with a marking. You can sketch a plan of the apartment on paper and mark where the water supply will go. This will allow you to accurately determine the amount of material, fittings, adapters and tees. You can do even easier: make markup and the necessary calculations directly on the walls. You will not need to constantly look into the drawing, everything will be right before your eyes.

Please note that the eyeliner should be double: hot and cold water. Then you can make additional bends only for cold water, for example: to the toilet or washing machine.

Important! The water supply is replaced immediately in the entire apartment. This will exclude joints of metal-plastic and metal pipes, which will greatly simplify the work done by yourself.

After all measurements are made, it is necessary to prepare the necessary tools. For metal-plastic products, this set is minimal.

You will need:

1. Set of wrenches (including adjustable wrenches), hammer drill and pliers.
2. Get a calibrator. You will need this tool for flaring pipes.
3. Special scissors. Unlike metal, plastic is quite easy to cut with your own hands, you do not even need to make special efforts.

After this, it is necessary to shut off the water supply. If you live in a private house, then there will not be any special problems, just shut off the inlet valves. In apartment buildings will have to block the entire riser. Therefore, you must first warn the neighbors and call the plumbing. By the way, you will need a housing office worker to replace the inlet valves near the apartment. If the installation can be done with your own hands, then the valves should only be changed by a professional. Then, the old water supply system is dismantled in the apartment and you can begin to work.

Installation of plastic pipes

Do-it-yourself water supply installation begins with the installation of coarse and fine filters. Without these devices, any debris, sand and scale from the general water supply will enter the water supply. For plastic pipes this is disastrous. Roughness and scratches will remain on a smooth surface, which will significantly reduce the service life.

Filters are installed immediately after the inlet valves. After they usually put water meters. You can install them yourself, but seal the counters must employee of Vodokanal.

After that, the pipe is cut in accordance with the prepared drawings. For this you need special scissors. Metal-plastic products consist of three layers that are connected by an adhesive layer. Therefore, such products must be handled very carefully. Using scissors you can get the smoothest cut possible. When using a hacksaw or other tools, sharp edges may remain on the cuts, which will damage the rubber seals. During trimming, the products can be deformed, you can return them to their original shape using a calibrator.

The connection of plastic pipes occurs using fittings. Do this as follows:

• The inner surface is leveled using a calibrator.
• Insert the fitting.
• Tighten the crimp clamp and screw on the nut.
• Insert the end of the pipe on the other side of the fitting.
• Tighten the construction with keys.

As you can see, installing a water pipe with your own hands is not particularly difficult. But there are some nuances:

• Tighten fittings with two keys. One holds the fitting, the other screw the nut. This must be done extremely carefully. Fitting connections are quite fragile, with a fair amount of force, the structure can be damaged. Tighten the nut until a characteristic crack appears. Too zealous is also not worth it. Threaded joints are recommended to be treated with silicone or sealant for reliability.

• In any apartment there is a corner where you just need to bend the pipe. Plastic is a fairly flexible and flexible material, but bend the pipe do it yourself will hardly work. Installation of a water supply system can be greatly simplified by using a spring to bend plastic pipes. If the pipes are not visible, bending them will be the best option. Any, even the most expensive fitting, does not exclude possible leaks. At the bend, the pipe remains intact, which prevents leakage in principle.

• Installation of water pipes to the wall can be performed using special plumbing clips. These clips are easily attached to any flat surface, after which the pipe is simply inserted into the clip. Plumbing clips come in different diameters, respectively, they are suitable for any pipes. To ensure that these devices hang on the wall exactly, it is recommended to perform preliminary marking.

At this, the installation of a water pipe with one's own hands can be considered completed. It remains only to supply water to the apartment.

Service

Even metal-plastic pipes have their own service life. It is believed that it is 50 years old. Perhaps this statement is true, but over 50 years it will take at least several times to carry out maintenance of the water supply system. This can be done with one's own hands without disturbing public utilities.

Even if the installation is carried out in accordance with all the rules, leaks may form in the places of the fitting connections over time. There may be several reasons for this:

1. Rubber O-rings quickly break down, especially from hot water, and therefore often need replacing. In this case, the fitting is untwisted, the ring is changed. It is better to put a silicone sealant.
2. Fitting. The adapter itself may burst. In this case, just replace it with a new one.
3. Trumpet. Perhaps during the installation the cut was made unevenly and the sharp ends led to a leak. In this case, the product is re-cut, flared and installed in place. If the pipe itself suddenly bursts, then it is not being repaired, but replaced entirely.

If you are not sure that you can do the installation of pipes yourself, then it is better to contact a qualified plumber. After all, if the leakage from the pipes spoils the repair just done, it is unlikely to give you pleasure. Although, as practice shows, most people successfully cope with the self-installation of plastic pipes.