Life expectancy of water pipes?

[bluejets]

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What should I look for? Rust? 

The gal pipes, depending on water quality, will, over time, rust up internally.

Effect is loss of water flow and pressure.

Unscrew a section and take a look.

Chances are you will barely be able to see daylight for the rust buildup.

Mum and Dad had all their gal pipes replaced here in Aus in the late 80's with a black poly pipe.

Not worth a cracker.

Splits in the pipe started to show after maybe 18 months and the whole install had to be replaced once again.

Best ask locals what is best in your area.

[brianthainess]

13 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

The pressure rating , in bar, is stamped on the pipe. Usually 13.5 which for the non technical is about 200 psi. Much more than "mains" water.

 

What they used on your houses I do not know?

Most problems here are caused by incorrectly glued PVC fittings,   Builders don't wait the recommended time for the glue to set before turning on the water which weakens the joint, don't clean pipes or even put enough glue. there are also different thicknesses of pvc available and quicker stronger setting glues (in a tube not a tin) Twist the fitting back and forth also gives a surer coverage. 

[warrima]

Our condo building is about 15 years old now. In the basement carpark you can see all the exposed pvc waste pipes from the 1st/Ground floor condos. About 20% are leaking at joints. Of course they never properly fix them - they just wrap inner tube around it and tie it off. 

 

Since we are a top floor unit i thought we would be immune from any issues. As bad luck would have it we noticed a big wet spot developing on the kitchen ceiling one morning after heavy rain. Upon investigation  we found it was a drain pipe from the condo roof that diverted through the suspended ceiling in our unit. Same thing as id seen in the carpark - water was weeping through the joint on the 90 deg bend. 

 

So while the longevity of the PVC pipes are fine - id say the workmanship is not. When they apply the solvent cement i think they take little care to ensure its fully applied around the full circumference of the pipe. 

[brianthainess]

Here is a photo of 2 different thickness pipes 20mm/ 3/4 about, 1/2 a mm deference. 

[lopburi3]

14 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

The pressure rating , in bar, is stamped on the pipe. Usually 13.5 which for the non technical is about 200 psi. Much more than "mains" water.

 

What they used on your houses I do not know?

Indeed - the issue with blue pipe is not burst, (a high pump pressure here would not be more than about 4 bar), but poor connections (not making them tight/properly glue).  They often would fit to wall by pulling out a bit from connection and just letting adhesive hold together.

[natway09]

Do not believe some of the rubbish on here.

The PVC blue pipes are pressure rated but is suggested (as I have just done a couple,) 

that any critical joints are threaded not just glued.

If transporting hot water use the green pipe available at all big hardware stores.

Take the opportunity to get rid of the galvanized pipes wherever possible.

The apartment block that I have an interest in just got rid of them all from the meter right to 

the tap

[ross163103]

In my experience with galvo pipe it depends on the quality--or lack thereof, of the water. I had galvo elbows rust out at around the fifteen year mark. I would change all steel pipe to PVC pipe/fittings and go with PVC fittings with a brass insert at the faucets/wall fittings. 

[ross163103]

On 5/8/2022 at 8:16 PM, warrima said:

When they apply the solvent cement i think they take little care to ensure its fully applied around the full circumference of the pipe. 

Also, I've never seen a Thai use pvc primer first before gluing. There's a reason they have primer available and recommend using it.

[LarrySR]

Makes me wonder if the plumbing in the ceilings considered common area responsibility?

I’d be more worried about the neighbors above plumbing that is in your ceiling. 
If you mess around with your pipes and they leak into the apartment below, you have real problems. Replacing their ceiling, wood floors, furniture and perhaps footing the bill for their hotel while you get the place back in order. 
Guess it all depends if your flow at your sink and shower is adequate. 
If it works, don’t fix it. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by LarrySR

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, LarrySR said:

Makes me wonder if the plumbing in the ceilings considered common area responsibility?

I’d be more worried about the neighbors above plumbing that is in your ceiling. 
If you mess around with your pipes and they leak into the apartment below, you have real problems. Replacing their ceiling, wood floors, furniture and perhaps footing the bill for their hotel while you get the place back in order. 
Guess it all depends if your flow at your sink and shower is adequate. 
If it works, don’t fix it. 

Thanks

Let me change your last sentence a little:

If it works, and if you can expect that it will work for the next 20 years, then don’t fix it. 

Because I plan to stay in that place for a long time. And if it is foreseeable that it has to be fixed, maybe in a couple of years, then I think it is a lot better to fix it now then wait for it to leak and then fix it.

 

I know that the pipes in my unit and the my waste water pipes under the ceiling in the unit below are my responsibility. If they leak then I have to pay for the repair including the repair of any water damage in the unit below me.

 

All work will be done by professionals and only after confirmation with the building management.

[Yellowtail]

On 5/12/2022 at 1:12 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks

Let me change your last sentence a little:

If it works, and if you can expect that it will work for the next 20 years, then don’t fix it. 

Because I plan to stay in that place for a long time. And if it is foreseeable that it has to be fixed, maybe in a couple of years, then I think it is a lot better to fix it now then wait for it to leak and then fix it.

 

I know that the pipes in my unit and the my waste water pipes under the ceiling in the unit below are my responsibility. If they leak then I have to pay for the repair including the repair of any water damage in the unit below me.

 

All work will be done by professionals and only after confirmation with the building management.

I would be somewhat concerned that in the event of failure in the future, you would be liable for any repairs and or damage. 

[Yellowtail]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:44 PM, ross163103 said:

Also, I've never seen a Thai use pvc primer first before gluing. There's a reason they have primer available and recommend using it.

I think primer is used in the US more because of the environmentally friendly glue the are compelled to use. 

 

In the over twenty years I've been here, I've never used primer, and I've never had a glued PVC joint fail at work or at home. 

[OneMoreFarang]

Just now, Yellowtail said:

I would be somewhat concerned that in the event of failure in the future, you would be liable for any repairs and or damage. 

I have no experience with many buildings. But as far as I know that is the usual situation.

If a pipe in my unit leaks and the water runs into your unit then I have to pay for the damage. That's the situation in my building and I think it makes sense.

 

If a pipe in the common area leaks then the building has to pay.

 

And obviously that is the case with old pipes and new pipes. That's why I want to make sure I do preventive maintenance and exchange those pipes if necessary before they leak.

 

If anybody knows if this responsibility is different in different buildings then I am sure that is interesting for many people here.

 

[Yellowtail]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I have no experience with many buildings. But as far as I know that is the usual situation.

If a pipe in my unit leaks and the water runs into your unit then I have to pay for the damage. That's the situation in my building and I think it makes sense.

 

If a pipe in the common area leaks then the building has to pay.

 

And obviously that is the case with old pipes and new pipes. That's why I want to make sure I do preventive maintenance and exchange those pipes if necessary before they leak.

 

If anybody knows if this responsibility is different in different buildings then I am sure that is interesting for many people here.

 

Sorry, I thought you were referring to the pipes in your ceiling that are supply the unit above you.

 

If your galvanized pipes are not rusting or caked up with hard water deposits they should last another 20 to 40 years. 

[Mark Nothing]

I chose the do nothing route 20 years ago in a now 35 year old highrise condo building after seeing the incredulous look on my contractors face. There have been a few issues which technicians easily handle.  Usually slow dripping at a joint in a rusted pipe or toilets filled with inappropriate objects which causes pipes to rupture and ceiling damaged.  Maybe 5 problems in 20 years.  A nuisance, not major, and resolved relatively easily as there is a ceiling repair technician working fulltime on all the burst pipes in my building.  

 

Having said that, if you had a trusted plumber who knew how to remove and correctly install new pipes, then that would be better.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Sorry, I thought you were referring to the pipes in your ceiling that are supply the unit above you.

There are two 3 kinds of pipes in my ceiling.

a) Freshwater galvanized steel pipes for my unit.

b) Blue waster waster pipes from the unit above me.

c) Sprinkler system pipes 

 

When I see this correct:

a) my responsibility

b) responsibility from the owner of the unit above

c) building's responsibility

[Encid]

On 5/9/2022 at 7:03 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I think I found them here:

https://www.onestockhome.com/en/categories/ppr-pipes/sub_categories/pb-polybutylene-water-pipe

Because of numerous leakage problems and lawsuits against the manufacturers in the US, polybutylene pipe (PB) manufacture was stopped after 1995. It is no longer an approved pipe for water supply or distribution by the building codes, although approval was not immediately rescinded after it was removed from the market.

 

Black PE (polyethylene) pipe is more suitable for cold water and green PPR (Polypropylene Random) for hot water and they have less leaks than PVC due to the welding or heat fusing process used to join them together.