Repair of plumbing in the apartment

Recommendation points

• Selection of pipes and fittings
• Installing filters
• The sequence of plumbing work

Overhaul of plumbing it cannot be done in an apartment without replacing communications (sewerage, hot and cold water pipes, shut-off valves). During the repair, it is necessary to replace the hot and cold water pipes and, if possible, the sewer riser. In this case, it is necessary to agree on all planned changes with the organization operating the network data..

Selection of pipes and fittings

To repair plumbing networks, you need metal-plastic pipes with an inner diameter of 16 mm for indoor wiring and 20 (26) mm for hot and cold water risers and fittings for their connection. Ball valves on? inches (for hot and cold water input), at? inches for in-house wiring, coarse filters at? inches, cold and hot water meters at? inches, flexible hoses, plastic sewer pipes. The list of the above materials is given as an example only..

Most often, the wiring is performed with metal-plastic pipes, which have shown themselves well when working in various conditions. This type of pipes is designed for a working fluid temperature up to 95 ° C and a maximum pressure up to 10 atmospheres. According to the manufacturing technology of metal-plastic pipes, they can be conditionally divided into seam and seamless pipes, and the type of the latter can be visually determined by looking at the inner surface of the pipe – a seam is visible upon close examination. Installation of pipes can be carried out both openly along the walls using fasteners, and by embedding pipes into walls or floors.

For closed installation, you must use seamless pipes, which greatly reduces the possibility of water leakage and flooding of yours and your neighbors’ apartment. Both types of installation have their own advantages and disadvantages. So the hidden installation looks more accurate, however, it is practically beyond repair, but only complete dismantling and replacement of pipes.

Installing filters

The reliable operation of plumbing fixtures cannot be guaranteed without preliminary water purification from mechanical impurities and contaminants. For this purpose, various coarse and fine filters are used.. Coarse filters placed directly behind the inlet fittings in front of meters for metering hot and cold water. Fine filters it is more expedient to install it in a place where water is used for food needs (for example, a kitchen). It is also necessary to install a check valve in front of the meters, the task of which is to let water pass only in one direction – from the input to the consumer. Before installing the meter, you must carefully read the installation instructions that come with it.

The sequence of plumbing work

First, it is desirable to produce replacement of risers of cold and hot water. It is better to replace the risers, starting from the sunbeds in the basement to the final consumer’s apartment. It is better to use metal-plastic pipes with a diameter of 20 or 26 mm as pipes (a more modern technology, at this time, is the use of ecoplast pipes, however, a special tool is required for their installation, which makes it difficult to install these pipes on our own). At the point of entry into the apartment, a fitting (tee) is placed on which a ball valve is screwed. The inlet ball valve should be chosen especially carefully, since to replace or repair it, you will need to turn off the inlet on the entire riser, which is not always convenient and possible. It is more practical and more reliable to assemble threaded connections using linen fiber (“tow”) together with silicone sealant. Risers made of metal-plastic pipes must be fixed to the walls to avoid rupture of threaded connections during water hammer. Also, to prevent the formation of condensation on the cold and hot water risers, they must be insulated.

Replacing the sewer riser if possible, it is also desirable to make it completely over the entire riser. The old cast-iron sewer pipe is replaced with a plastic one. If a complete replacement is impossible, the technology of replacing a sewer riser within one apartment is as follows: using a grinder (“grinder”), the upper edge of the pipe is cut at a distance of 15 cm from the ceiling, then the remaining part of the pipe is removed to the lower tee. A special adapter is put on the upper part of the pipe – from cast iron to a plastic pipe, into which the upper part of the plastic pipe is inserted, the lower part of this pipe is inserted into the lower cast iron tee.

Internal sewerage system can be done with a plastic pipe with a slight slope towards the riser. When connecting a bath, washbasin, washing machine and other plumbing devices to the sewer network, it is necessary to install a siphon, which will prevent unpleasant odors from entering your apartment from the sewer.