Water Pipes Installation DIY

[Mickeymaus]

I want to put a new washing machine in my storage room. So the following does not have to look nice. There are green and blue water pipes. The green ones are for hot water and the blue ones for cold water. The green ones were put together with heat at the joints (see picture) and the blue ones are glued.

 

Can I glue green water pipes like blue ones? There will be only cold water and I will have to glue blue and green ones together. Any problem with this? 

 

Can I fix them on tiles without a drilling machine? At the moment they are fixed with screws. 

 

[Blue Muton]

You can’t glue polypropylene pipes - the green ones.

[Crossy]

Yeah, the green stuff needs special kit to melt-weld it, can't be glued.

 

You can get push-fit PPR fittings that don't need welding, but I've not used them so no idea how good they really are.

 

It may just be best to find a plumber with the right gear ????

[Encid]

The green piping is PPR (polypropylene) and the blue piping is PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

 

PPR pipe and fittings are welded, whilst PVC pipe and fittings are glued.

 

PPR has a higher heat and chemical resistance than PVC as well as greater wear resistance. PVC also exhibits poor UV resistance compared to PPR. 

However PPR is more expensive than PVC due to the cost of raw material and oil needed for production. PVC can be used in piping systems that require quick installation and reconfiguration, which requires ruggedness and flexibility. 

[degrub]

If you only need cold water, why do you want to connect the hot and cold supply lines together ?

You only need to cut in a repair branch fitting on the cold supply and run a pvc line over to the washer location.  Make sure you cut the line square leaving a gap equal to the branch line id, clean off the burr, clean and prime the line and fitting, then apply the pvc cement to both the fitting and the pipe. You need to give it a quarter turn twist and line up in the correct orientation. If you can’t get a repair fitting, you will need to be able to move the pipe to one side or both the full length of the fitting while gluing. If that is not possible, cut a larger section out and use the branch fitting, a short piece of pvc pipe and a repair coupling.  Glue the repair coupling in place last. 
 

PVC glue joints do not like to be be under stress. The “glue” will creep and the glue joint can fail. 
i assume you will be using a hose to connect to the washer cold supply valve ?
 

What about the plans for the drain line for the washer ?

Most codes require an air break to prevent siphoning from the drain line back into the washer.

[Mickeymaus]

This is very bad news. But good that I asked. I have a problem now. I need to connect blue pipes to a green one. I idiot chose the green pipes also for cold water during installation because they are more durable. Wasn't a good idea... Now no DIY anymore . 

 

In respect of the drain line it should not be a problem. 

[degrub]

One tip - don’t use fast cure pvc cement if possible if this is your first attempt. Make sure the surfaces stay dry inside and out until the glue has fully cured.  Otherwise, you should use glue designed for wet applications. It has a higher THF concentration and you will have to work faster. 
 

Don’t put water pressure on it until fully cured.  

[degrub]

There may be compression union fittings than can join the two materials , but i would avoid if possible as you should only need to run from one or the other type. 

[Mickeymaus]

To be honest, I'm still in shock. My idea was to cut the green main water pipe to my condo and use something like this one shown in the picture and then continue with blue pipes from there. It would have been a disaster. No more water in the whole condo because I would have to turn it off and then look for an emergency repair service.

 

[degrub]

And you have to drain the system too ……

i would find a “recommended” plumber to figure it out. 
is this a standalone condo or part of a larger building ?

[Encid]

26 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Now no DIY anymore

Your condo's management should have the contact number for a local plumber.

Get them to call one to sort out the problem.

He will have all the right tools and be able to supply all the bits'n pieces needed to do the job.

[Mickeymaus]

In respect of standalone condo. It does not really matter because all the pipes are under the ceiling (not in walls) and go from there to all rooms - but then inside the wall. 

 

In respect of a plumber. The condo recommendations are the reason why I wanted to do it myself this time. Very bad experience. Perhaps I will ask a shop where they sell such pipes and maybe they know someone. 

 

But thank you all for your help. You prevented a water disaster. 

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[Blue Muton]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Yeah, the green stuff needs special kit to melt-weld it, can't be glued.

 

You can get push-fit PPR fittings that don't need welding, but I've not used them so no idea how good they really are.

 

It may just be best to find a plumber with the right gear ????

I was a product manager for Wolseley for many years. I remember when these pp systems first arrived in the UK, the first time I saw it there was a guy from a German outfit called Polymelt.

The guy spent several minutes trying but failing to give us a presentation on how to make joints, it was completely embarrassing.

 

We eventually conducted a trial with it but they lacked the resources to make it happen and we returned it.

 

MLCP is the way to go, bu I’ve not seen it here.

[SomchaiDIY]

18 minutes ago, Blue Muton said:

MLCP is the way to go, bu I’ve not seen it here.

pimaflex multi layer pipe available in thailand

 

possible global or thaiwatsadu have some stock 

[sometimewoodworker]

17 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

This is very bad news. But good that I asked. I have a problem now. I need to connect blue pipes to a green one. I idiot chose the green pipes also for cold water during installation because they are more durable. Wasn't a good idea... Now no DIY anymore . 

There is no problem to DIY green (PPR) pipe, I do it. You only need the welder and you are set.

 

as to good idea, I’ve never seen a PPR joint fail, but several PVC ones.

 

there are a variety of screw fittings available for PPR and once fitted you can screw the blue PVC to them

[Mickeymaus]

4 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

There is no problem to DIY green (PPR) pipe, I do it. You only need the welder and you are set.

 

as to good idea, I’ve never seen a PPR joint fail, but several PVC ones.

 

there are a variety of screw fittings available for PPR and once fitted you can screw the blue PVC to them

I don't have the welder and I never used one. I will look for someone doing it and hope the best. I could tell you endless bad stories about handymen... Some are so bad that they are hard to believe. 

[sometimewoodworker]

2 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

I don't have the welder and I never used one. I will look for someone doing it and hope the best. I could tell you endless bad stories about handymen... Some are so bad that they are hard to believe. 

The welder isn’t very expensive (about 3,000 Baht) you may well find a used one for sale, I did, along with the pipe cutter at about 200 Baht 

 

You can easily teach yourself with a length of pipe and a few straight couplers, it will take you all of 10 to 20 minutes and cutting some joints lengthways to prove the joint integrity.

[Mickeymaus]

37 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The welder isn’t very expensive (about 3,000 Baht) you may well find a used one for sale, I did, along with the pipe cutter at about 200 Baht 

 

You can easily teach yourself with a length of pipe and a few straight couplers, it will take you all of 10 to 20 minutes and cutting some joints lengthways to prove the joint integrity.

I would need the welder only 1 time. But I think I will not pay 3000 Baht for the whole job. It can be done in less than an hour...normally... 

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Mickeymaus said:

I would need the welder only 1 time. But I think I will not pay 3000 Baht for the whole job. It can be done in less than an hour...normally... 

if you cut through a joint that has been done by someone (Thai or other) who doesn’t pay attention and actually follow the instructions, you will see why doing it yourself makes sense.

 
However as you haven’t put your location in your profile it’s impossible to suggest someone who can help.

[Mickeymaus]

4 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

if you cut through a joint that has been done by someone (Thai or other) who doesn’t pay attention and actually follow the instructions, you will see why doing it yourself makes sense.

 
However as you haven’t put your location in your profile it’s impossible to suggest someone who can help.

Many Thanks. I will check with the pipe shops here in Pattaya. Then no one in the forum is to blame... ????