Building Houses
The correct plumbing of your home is an important process during construction. Most of us have used a plunger to clear a blocked toilet or maybe we have replaced a worn out washer in a faucet. Unless you have lived in a home with plumbing problems, most people take their plumbing system for granted. The plumbing system performs the dual tasks of supplying water to the house and removing liquid waste. It is important to find a good plumber to handle the installation of your plumbing system. Mistakes or oversights can be costly down the road or during construction if leaks develop.
The plumbing that will be installed in your house is made up of the drain waste vent system and the water supply system. The drain waste vent system transports all of the used water from toilets, sinks, and showers to the septic system or sewer. Most new construction uses PVC or ABS plastic pipe that is sealed with glue. Older homes generally use iron pipe. Some newer homes will still use iron piping to avoid the noise of draining water that is present with plastic pipes. The main components used in the drain waste vent system are the soil stack, vent, and trap. The soil stack connects your home to the sewer system. It is a vertical set of pipes that connects to the piping in the home typically in the foundation floor or wall. The top of the stack is your vent. This will extend vertically out through the roof to allow gases to escape outside, plus this wil also aid in draining by allowing air inward. You should periodically make sure the vent is unobstructed. A plugged vent will trap dangerous gases, and without the inward flow of air, could cause sinks to fill while other fixtures drain. A trap should be installed on all drains in the house. This is a U-shaped pipe that is installed below each drain to trap a small amount of water that prevents sewer gases from seeping back up through the drains into your home.
Your home's water supply system can come from two different sources: a private well operated by you or from a public water system operated by your city or county. In a private well system, a pump fills a pressure tank where it is stored for your use. When the tank is depleted, the pump will activate to refill the water. Using a public water system requires a water supply line that is connected to the water main and a water meter. The meter is typically the dividing point between the city-owned line and your home's line. Both systems typically use a 1/2" copper pipe that enters through the foundation floor or wall. Water supply lines are made of copper, CPVC plastic or possibly galvanized steel. Cold water pipes branch out from the main water line, while hot water will originate from your water heater. There are typically several cutoff valves in the system: near the water meter that the city can use to shut service off to the home, before and after the water heater, near the feeds for any outside faucets, under most sinks and toilets, and near most of your water-based appliances like refrigerators, washers and dishwashers. Any of these valves can be shut off in case of an emergency or to conduct repairs in the portion of the system behind the cutoff valve. You'll need to be familiar with your plumbing system if you plan to attempt any repairs yourself.
A small leak in a pipefitting or incorrect holes in the joists or studs can to lead damaged materials and a delay in construction. That is why it is extremely important that the right plumber does the installation of the plumbing in your new home. When looking for a plumber, or talking to your contractor about the plumber they plan on using, you will want a licensed plumber who has experience with the installation of plumbing in a new home. You do not want a standard "family" plumber who specializes in fixing leaks. The plumber you use needs to understand the residential design system and know the current building codes for your area. If you plan on being your own builder, the best source for contacting this type of plumber is an experienced contractor. A contractor will try to use reliable subcontractors, especially when it comes to plumbing. Mistakes, such as a joint left unsoldered, can easily destroy thousands of dollars worth of walls or hardwood floors and complicate construction with insurance claims and lost time. If you plan on using a contractor to build your home, it does not hurt to make sure the plumber meets licensing, workers compensation and liability insurance requirements.
Thoughts about the plumbing system for your future home might not enter your mind while searching through our collection of plans to find your dream home. If they do, they will probably be thoughts of what this fixture or that whirlpool tub should look like. The basics of the system will be handled by your general contractor or by the plumbing subcontractor you hire. Since stock home plans do not show the exact schematic of the plumbing system, both because of local building code requirements and the layout of the lot you are building on, it is important to have a basic understanding of plumbing systems and even more important to find a quality plumber who can implement a trouble-free plumbing system.
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