Selection and replacement of plumbing from water pipes to faucets

Recommendation points

• Selection of water pipes
• Steel pipes
• Copper pipes
• Reinforced-plastic pipes
• Polypropylene pipes
• Plumbing installation
• Installing a toilet, sink and bathtub
• Toilet bowl
• Sink
• Bath or shower
• Replacing mixers

Renovation in a bathroom is the beginning of a general renovation in an apartment, the most difficult and most crucial stage. If you make cosmetic repairs every 2-3 years, then the need for a major one will not come very soon. And what to do if, over the years of operation, a huge number of problem areas have accumulated in the bathroom – leaking pipes, dripping faucet, fungus and mold on the walls from constant high humidity and much more. In this situation, it is not enough to repair the ceiling and walls and install a new mixer, you will have to change all the plumbing.

Selection of water pipes

The first and main stage will be the replacement of water pipes. And the first question is which pipes to choose in order to get a durable, high-quality water supply, and, at the same time, save as much as possible?

Generally speaking, today pipes of the following types are used for water supply:

1. Steel pipes.
2. Copper pipes.
3. Reinforced-plastic pipes.
4. Polypropylene pipes.

Steel pipes

Pros:

• low price of pipes and accessories
• high strength

Minuses:

• impossibility of self-installation – as a rule, welding work is required;
• high installation costs;
• not the highest service life – about 20 years;
• difficulty in modifying the finished plumbing system with new points of entry, for example, connecting a washing machine.

Output:if there is a familiar plumber who is inexpensively ready to conduct a water supply system from steel pipes, then it is quite a good option, otherwise the high cost of installation will greatly reduce the family budget.

Copper pipes

Pros:

• high durability – copper water pipelines have been successfully operating for over 200 years;
• very low coefficient of thermal expansion – a change in the linear dimensions of pipes with temperature drops – the reason for the premature failure of the water supply system.

Minuses:

• very high price;
• incompatibility with steel pipes – a center of increased corrosion is formed at the junctions of copper and non-acid-resistant steel;
• the need to use special soldering equipment and skills to work with it – generally speaking, a soldering iron can be rented, but this is still an additional expense.

Output:if the very high price does not bother, then it makes sense to use it in country houses. In apartments, it is necessary to carefully monitor the sequence of connecting copper and steel pipes – steel always at the beginning, copper after, and even such a large resource makes it impractical to use copper pipes in apartment buildings designed for 50-70 years.

Reinforced-plastic pipes

Pros:

• low price for the pipes themselves;
• no need for special tools and skills during installation;
• the finished system can be easily modified by adding new connection points anywhere.

Minuses:

• high price for connectors – fittings;
• low service life of the water supply system – about 10 years, and then when using high-quality, and therefore expensive components;
• low reliability – weak points are the connections of fittings with pipes. It is easily repaired, but requires constant monitoring;
• the inability to hide the laid pipes, for example, put them in a box or walled in a wall, due to the need for constant monitoring.

Output:a budget option available to everyone, both in price and in ease of installation, however, it is more applicable as a temporary.

Polypropylene pipes

Pros:

• lowest price for pipes and lowest price for fittings;
• durability – about 30-40 years;
• high reliability – the finished water supply is monolithic;
• the water supply system is easily modified;
• ease of self-assembly.

Minuses:

• requires a special soldering machine – you can buy it, or you can rent it, but these are additional expenses.

Output:the best option in terms of price / quality ratio.

So, we decided on the pipes. The next question is what components will be needed when replacing pipes.

Plumbing installation

When replacing old pipes with new ones, in addition to the pipes themselves, you will need:

1. Introductory ball valve – one or two, according to the number of risers.
2. Coarse water filter.
3. Water softening system – high calcium content in tap water – the reason for premature failure of plumbing.
4. Flood and Gulf Protection System. So that you never flood your neighbors, secure yourself and their installation of such a system.
5. The system of automatic regulation of pressure in the water supply system – all consumption devices work normally only at a certain operating pressure. Increased pressure leads to their breakage and denial of warranty service.
6. Water meter – also 1 or 2, depending on the number of risers.
7. All necessary fittings-connectors and adapters.

All items are listed in the order of installation during installation, that is, after the riser there is an inlet tap, followed by a coarse filter, then a water softener – this can be either a special filter or, for example, a magnetic softener. After the flood and flood protection system is a ball valve that automatically closes when water enters the leakage sensor installed on the floor. Further, the pressure regulator is a small device that is installed directly on the pipe. At the end, metering devices are counters. Next, the water supply itself will go.

A little more about the fittings-connectors. For the correct selection of fittings required when replacing pipes, it is recommended to draw a connection diagram for all water-consuming devices. As a rule, this is a toilet, a faucet on the sink, a faucet on a bath or shower, a washing machine and, if the water supply in the bathroom is shared with the kitchen, then a faucet in the kitchen and a dishwasher. In addition, all distances must be carefully measured. According to this scheme, in any plumbing store you will find all the necessary components. Here you can also agree on the return of unused fittings – most sellers go for this service.

Installing a toilet, sink and bathtub

After replacing pipes and carrying out the necessary cosmetic repairs to the walls, ceiling and floor, a toilet bowl and a sink are installed. You can, of course, put the old ones, however, if their appearance no longer corresponds to the repairs carried out, then there is a need to buy new ones..

Toilet bowl

How to choose the “right” toilet and what you need to know for this, you can read in the article “How to choose a modern toilet”. The only thing worth adding is that nothing lasts forever under the moon. Sooner or later, your drain fittings will fail and the toilet lid may break, and you will have to change them. Therefore, try to choose a toilet with accessories that, if necessary, can be purchased at the store. It is clear that the probability of breakage is not high for expensive models, but still.

Sink

The sink is much simpler than the toilet. It is not equipped with any additional devices of its own. The siphon that drains water from the sink is an independent object that can be easily replaced entirely in the event of a breakdown. Thus, it is necessary to choose a sink only for aesthetic and design reasons. The shells can be on a leg – a tulip, without a leg – it is attached to the wall and a “moydodyr” – a sink combined with a cabinet. Which one will best fit into your interior is up to you.

Bath or shower

The bathroom is usually not touched during renovation. However, if there is a need for a replacement, then before buying a new one, try to consider an alternative – a shower stall. The main advantage of abandoning a bath in favor of a shower stall will be significant space savings. The types of cabins, as well as some tips for choosing, are in the article “Choosing a shower cubicle in questions and answers.” If you nevertheless decide to install a bathtub, then before buying, read about the types of bathtubs in the article “Which bath to choose: cast iron, steel or acrylic”.

Replacing mixers

The final step to completing the bathroom renovation will be the purchase and installation of faucets. RMNT spoke in detail about the signs of a high-quality mixer. The first thing you’ll see in the store is the price. Knowing what the faucets are from a particular price category, you save yourself and the seller from unnecessary conversations. So, the price ranges for bath faucets:

1. $ 25-50 f. Mixers made of the cheapest materials, silumin or plastic, are of low quality and short service life (1–2 years).
2. 50-80 USD e. Both silumin and brass mixers can be caught. The latter are of higher quality, however, in this price category it is better to stop at Russian-made mixers. They, as a rule, with an unsightly look, are of acceptable quality..
3. 80-120 USD e. Sufficiently high-quality mixers made in China or good mixers made in Eastern Europe. A budget option with good quality. Almost the golden mean, in terms of price / quality ratio.
4. 120 USD e. and above. Mixers from Western European manufacturers, brand models. Generally great faucets, but quite expensive.

After installing the faucets and putting things in order, the renovation in the bathroom ends. The most difficult thing is to replace the plumbing, you did it, and everything else is much easier.