Water Pipe System

[Pumpui]

I'm in the process of designing and planning my new house.

I wonder if any of you have any experience with other types of waterpipes available in Thailand

I have found so far,, Galvanised Pipes, Copper Pipes,Blue PVC

Any help Appriciated

Thanks

[chownah]

I have experience with galvanized pipe and copper pipe...but not in Thailand. Did you have a question about how to install these other types. I do have a very very minor experience with copper pipe in Thailand...I bought some and soldered some of it together but then did not install it because I bought the wrong water heater and ended up getting a gas shower which did not require any copper pipe.

[Pumpui]

I have experience with galvanized pipe and copper pipe...but not in Thailand. Did you have a question about how to install these other types. I do have a very very minor experience with copper pipe in Thailand...I bought some and soldered some of it together but then did not install it because I bought the wrong water heater and ended up getting a gas shower which did not require any copper pipe.

Hi chownah

Thank you for your reply.

I'm ok on the installation, it's the products i think is limited in Thailand from what i have found.

And i was wondering if ther was other products out there than the ones i mentioned.

Such as better quality PVC pipes or Stainless steel pipes.

[CGW]

Tanyong? in Pattaya have on display a new system to Thailand, it's a white pipe that uses compression fittings, it looks ok, would guess that it is in its initial marketing stage, for sure it is superior to "blue' pipe.

Cheers

[lopburi3]

Why would it be superior to blue PVC? Because it is white?

You can paint the blue if you like.

PVC blue pipe is available in at least three grades/wall thickness so not really know what the objections to using it are. It seems to be easy to work with and long lasting in my experience. It is not designed for hot water use but most people do not have hot water supply here so that is not a problem for them.

[Pumpui]

Tanyong? in Pattaya have on display a new system to Thailand, it's a white pipe that uses compression fittings, it looks ok, would guess that it is in its initial marketing stage, for sure it is superior to "blue' pipe.

Cheers

Hi CGW

Sounds very interesting could you get me their web page or Phone number.

[CGW]

Sorry - No, can't give you any further info at this time, I'm out of town until the end of the week. I may have the spelling wrong? can't miss the place - opposite water Ski park near Chayapruk, sure someone else can help?

I noticed it as thought "typical" just as I've finished they bring something decent onto the market!

Cheers

[phibunmike]

Now I am curious. Just finished my house with blue PVC pipe. Never used it before in other countries, but it seems ok. What is wrong with it ? Anything I should know about ? (I used metal for hot water).

[CGW]

Now I am curious. Just finished my house with blue PVC pipe. Never used it before in other countries, but it seems ok. What is wrong with it ? Anything I should know about ? (I used metal for hot water).

Humm why would you ask a poignant question like that

The answer is - Nothing

But

Why we would you drive a Merc instead of a CV2 or whatever?

Its probably only the Engineers amongst us that would even bother looking for alternatives

UPVC is just, well - so basic - we can engineer better systems, heat shrunk ABS pipe for example.

Steel pipe for hot water - you could have all sorts of problems in 20\30 years time (assuming the water you use doesn't coat the pipe and both 'protect" it and add to it's thermal qualities

Best get back to redesigning the wheel

Cheers

[backflip]

White PVC pipe is not UV-stabilized, and will become brittle if exposed to the sun. Blue PVC pipe is UV-stabilized. If I was building, and I could afford it, I'd use copper pipe. Stay away from the galvanized pipe.

[Beachcomber]

Just my opinion. I don’t see anything wrong with blue PVC you see it all over the place and it is easy to work with. I think a lot will depend on the available water pressure but if it the joints are glued together it works fine. A lot of rural areas have low pressure so just push fit the joints.

I can give some advice from personal experience, do not use stainless steel, there is some chemical reaction with something I forget now what and they corrode after a few years and leak.

Personally I would use the blue PVC but depends on your particular job. Copper is good if you want to go that way, is seems to be used pretty well universally.

[COBBER]

Copper is the best option if you want less problems in future years.

PVC eventually becomes brittle and can become a nightmare if the pipes are enclosed in concrete.

Gal rusts inside the pipe which over time will clog up the pipes and need total replacement.

The plastic type with snap on fittings have metal springs inside the couplings which eventually rust and cause leaks and all sorts of problems.

I would suggest if you use the blue PVC that you run the pipes on the outside of the walls and have plenty of isolation taps so that if you have to make repairs you can shut the water off to that area instead of having to shut the water off to the whole house.

Edited March 7, 2006 by COBBER

[Gary A]

I love the blue PVC. Easy to work with and will probably last longer than you do. Buy the highest quality and you will be fine. AVOID the economy PVC because it turns VERY brittle within a couple of years.

[Pumpui]

Copper is the best option if you want less problems in future years.

PVC eventually becomes brittle and can become a nightmare if the pipes are enclosed in concrete.

Gal rusts inside the pipe which over time will clog up the pipes and need total replacement.

The plastic type with snap on fittings have metal springs inside the couplings which eventually rust and cause leaks and all sorts of problems.

I would suggest if you use the blue PVC that you run the pipes on the outside of the walls and have plenty of isolation taps so that if you have to make repairs you can shut the water off to that area instead of having to shut the water off to the whole house.

Thank you for your advice.

I'm still a bit concerned about having connection under the concrete, that are glued together.

Isn't there a system like in europe where you get the pipe on a roll of 100 M and then only have connetction at each end, to me that sounds more durable.

Why is the kind of PVC pipe that we have here, not used in europe ?

[lopburi3]

Because you need hot water in Europe? Just a guess.

Black plastic pipe in rolls is used for public water lines so is available in large size. Not sure if it is available in smaller diameters.

As for using "glue" I challenge you to take properly cemented PVC apart without destroying the pipe itself. That said some workers will cut short and not tightly fit connections so that would cause a problem. But if they are tight to start you should not have any problem. I am currently running much higher pressure than most, at about 70 PSI, and have had no failures.

[Pumpui]

Because you need hot water in Europe? Just a guess.

Black plastic pipe in rolls is used for public water lines so is available in large size. Not sure if it is available in smaller diameters.

As for using "glue" I challenge you to take properly cemented PVC apart without destroying the pipe itself. That said some workers will cut short and not tightly fit connections so that would cause a problem. But if they are tight to start you should not have any problem. I am currently running much higher pressure than most, at about 70 PSI, and have had no failures.

Thats exactly what i'm afraid of, because a system is no stronger than the weekest point.

I know that when you glue the blue PVC pipe it's actually melted together, but we still have the problem that the pipe and the fittings break quit easy.

I'm trying to build my new house up to european standard, therefore i will have hot water all around the house.

[Swelters]

Very interesting to hear that there are better grades of blue PVC, good to know. Seems like a good solution to me, easy to work with.

I considered copper for sake of appearance in a remodelled old Thai house, to remind me of my grandmother's kitchen in the 1940s. Had a devil of a time convincing any Thai that I wasn't doing something highly suspicious, they use it for some applications such as aircon stuff, but would need to be taught to make connections and would think you are crazy to spend the money. Hard to find, too, there's a specialty shop in Klong Toei. I put in the PVC, decided that I could upgrade later if I contnued to care that much.

[CGW]

There is some excellent UPVC pipe on the market (not Thai) ABS good for hot & cold, it's even approved for fire systems on ships and joints are heat joined, may be worth importing if you are so inclined?

[Pumpui]

There is some excellent UPVC pipe on the market (not Thai) ABS good for hot & cold, it's even approved for fire systems on ships and joints are heat joined, may be worth importing if you are so inclined?

Yes i know, but it would be much easier for me to buy it here, since i only need pipes for a two story house.

I'm still very interested in the pipe displayed in Pattaya, so if somebody have more info, it would be great.

Because i'm in Phuket and are not planning to go to Pattaya in the near future.

Thanks

[lopburi3]

Having installed both copper and PVC I would have much more confidence in PVC. Getting a good/lasting seal with solder/copper is not easy and I suspect is not something most workers have mastered. But if you require hot water lines it is probably your best bet as at least there is some experience in the air conditioning field with copper pipe. I believe they also have plastic lined steel now that may be ok for hot water but have never checked on it.

[Jai Dee]

We installed PVC for cold water and galvanized steel for the hot water lines. Nobody in our area had any experience with copper.

All of the piping is covered by a grout mix and tiles, so is not likely to come into contact with any corrosive agents.

How do you think that will last?

[CGW]

We installed PVC for cold water and galvanized steel for the hot water lines. Nobody in our area had any experience with copper.

All of the piping is covered by a grout mix and tiles, so is not likely to come into contact with any corrosive agents.

How do you think that will last?

I can accross the same thing, "we never use copper for hot water" convincing them that it was the same as using copper for air con, never happened, they just can't grasp the similarity.

Galvanised?, pipe will rust from the inside, external shouldn't be a concern, pipe tends to go at the threads first, depends on the quality? should be ok?

Dependant on the water, this can react and internally coat the pipe, over time, which in turn will both insulate and protect, you may be lucky

[Carmine6]

We installed PVC for cold water and galvanized steel for the hot water lines. Nobody in our area had any experience with copper.

All of the piping is covered by a grout mix and tiles, so is not likely to come into contact with any corrosive agents.

How do you think that will last?

I can accross the same thing, "we never use copper for hot water" convincing them that it was the same as using copper for air con, never happened, they just can't grasp the similarity.

Galvanised?, pipe will rust from the inside, external shouldn't be a concern, pipe tends to go at the threads first, depends on the quality? should be ok?

Dependant on the water, this can react and internally coat the pipe, over time, which in turn will both insulate and protect, you may be lucky

The galvinized pipe in my parent's house lasted about 20 years before it started rusting through. The buried stuff in the yard went before that since it rusted outside in as well. A condo I owed was about 15 years before the upstairs neighbor's pipes started rusting through, and then it's every 6 months after that. With hard water, it gets a thick coating inside that decreaes the water flow well before it rusts through.

But I don't recall ever seeing a hot water pipe that rusted through. It's always been the cold ones, and then the whole set gets replaced before the hot ones go. My guess is, you'll have decades to worry about pipes bursting.

[lopburi3]

But the steel pipes have another problem and that is the rust inside. Each time you have a loss of pressure (water outage or power failure if using pump) when you turn water on again it breaks pieces off that clogs all your filters; and toilet control valves start to leak. A real pain in the a.

[backflip]

"Isn't there a system like in europe where you get the pipe on a roll of 100 M and then only have connetction at each end, to me that sounds more durable."

I believe that you're referring to "PEX", and it requires special brass fixtures. Expensive, and I'm not sure that it's available in Thailand.

[Gary A]

I had a house in the US that had all copper sweated fittings. It looked great but then the system started getting pin holes in the pipes. Code or not the copper was replaced with PVC. Something in the water ate the copper. I have been afraid to use copper since then.

They sell the black plastic pipe in rolls here. I do know that it is very tough. The village where I live pipes our water in through that plastic. If I were to bury it in concrete I think that's what I would use.

[astral]

White PVC pipe is not UV-stabilized, and will become brittle if exposed to the sun.

Blue PVC pipe is UV-stabilized.

It may say that on the label, but after a couple of years in the sun blue pipe rots!!

The water board uses a Black pipe which seems to me more substantial

but I could not find anyone selling it on a retail level.

Edited March 14, 2006 by astral

[lopburi3]

White PVC pipe is not UV-stabilized, and will become brittle if exposed to the sun.

Blue PVC pipe is UV-stabilized.

It may say that on the label, but after a couple of years in the sun blue pipe rots!!

The water board uses a Black pipe which seems to me more substantial

but I could not find anyone selling it on a retail level.

That may be true of cheap plastic as used on a farm but I have never seen anyone have to replace the feed lines to there water tanks here in Bangkok and they are in direct sun all day, every day.

Now if the city had 75 PSI water pressure I might have second thoughts for normal grade plastic but the higher grades are very thick walled. Most hardware stores will have cutaway samples you can check.

[astral]

The blue pipe they sell in the Chonburi area definitely rots.

The black pipe is available in 15mm size, that is what feeds our house,

up to the meter.

[Dakhar]

My wife and I had a 7 town house complex built. Me not being there, and not knowing what in the world is going on, was not able to dictate what pipe was used.

Blue pipe was used.... it frankly, is horrible. It is very easy to cross thread, and the threads are very weak.

My last vacation, I was spending my time fixing leaky faucets, and poor threaded joints. With a lot of prayers, and plumbers tape, I was able to patch things up.

Now, I read from the above posts that there are different grades of blue pipe, if this is the case, I feel much more confident and using it in the future. I will also tell you that the white pipe used in the states is good quality.

Good luck to you