Plumbing

From the latin for Lead (Plumbus) plumbing refers to the trade of working with pipes for water (and gas). These days the use of Lead pipes has been largly deprecated due to its toxic effects.

Types of Pipe

Types of pipes for different plumbing usage vary even inside a country by local code and customary usage.

Lead

Originally popular due to its high malleabilty

Copper

Most modern domestic piping is now in copper (although plastic is quite common for larger pipes such as waste pipes). Copper is a good material because it is durable, light and easy to work with. Copper pipes are usually joined with the use of compression fittings or soldered (either by hand or using Yorkshire Fittings). Gas pipes usually use soldered fittings to avoid leakage.

Copper pipes usually mate with plastic pipes (e.g. the feed into a power shower) with push fit fittings.

Plastic

High strength plastic piping is used for both mains water and gas feeds, its main strength being its resistence to the corrosive effects of being underground. In domestic plumbing, several types of plastic are used. These include rigid PVC for cold water waster systems, flexible polyethylene for cold water, flexible polybutylene (PB) for hot and cold water. Domestic plastic pipes with hot water feeds of the CPVC type use a special solvent. Rigid ABS and PP plastic are used for parts of the waste system.

Domestic plastic pipes generally glued, called solvent welding; however, threaded, push-fit or speed-fit fixings are sometimes used. Some flexible pipes take compression fittings.

Steel

Commonly used in older houses and for gas lines. Threaded steel pipes are heavy and prone to rusting and leaking, especially in hot water lines.