Any apartment sooner or later needs to replace the plumbing. This is due to the fact that metal water pipes were installed in old houses. This material, under the influence of water, rusts and clogs, respectively, the permeability decreases, and leaks may form. Some homeowners regularly clean the water pipes, but this is only a half measure, after a short period of time the situation will repeat itself. In addition, old-style water pipes have a very unpresentable appearance. You can, of course, hide them in boxes, but experienced plumbers do not recommend doing this. According to generally accepted standards, such communications should be freely available. The best solution is to replace the water pipes in the apartment. This can be done with your own hands, without resorting to the services of specialists.
Choosing a material
Currently, several pipe options are used for the water supply system. To make the right choice, you need to go to the nearest plumbing store and see what the sellers have to offer. Having wandered between the counters, you can see three categories of water pipes:
- Steel. You can safely pass by these products, because it is precisely such a water supply system that you are going to change. Tempted by an attractive price, you will step on the same rake. Galvanized steel pipes look more profitable. This coating is not afraid of corrosion, respectively, the pipes will last for many years. But the installation of such a water supply system is associated with certain difficulties. To cut threads on pipes, not every person can do it.
- Metal-plastic and polypropylene. This is perhaps the best option for home water supply. Such pipes practically do not flow, have a neat appearance and do not cause difficulties in installation. Among the shortcomings, it can be noted that metal-plastic pipes over time, they begin to leak at the joints, so it is recommended to leave the fittings in the public domain. Polypropylene pipes are welded together with a special soldering iron, this eliminates the possibility of leakage. But it turns out a non-separable design, which can cause some inconvenience.
- Copper. Such products have good thermal conductivity and antibacterial properties. If you give preference to this material, then you can forget about problems with plumbing forever. Among the shortcomings can be noted the high cost of copper pipes. In addition, laying copper plumbing with your own hands will not work, you need to call specialists.
Taking into account all the features and disadvantages, it is recommended to give preference to plastic products, as the most practical and durable.
Installation
Having decided on the choice, you can proceed with the installation. To begin with, the entire old water supply system is dismantled in the apartment, up to the shut-off taps, which, by the way, are also better to be replaced. To replace the inlet taps, it is better to invite a plumber, who at the same time will shut off the water throughout the riser. After that, it is recommended to plan how the new pipes will be located. You can install them in place of the dismantled ones or make a completely new wiring. Now you can proceed directly to the installation. The scheme of work is as follows:
- Immediately after the inlet taps, coarse and fine filters are installed. If you do the work yourself, then remember: filters are always installed with a removable tank down. Otherwise, there will be no use from them. Installation is carried out using threaded connections. To avoid leaks, linen thread is wound between the threads.
Advice! Do not trust the words of sellers that it is better to purchase imported fine filters. The design of any product consists of a fine-mesh stainless steel mesh and a garbage sump. Therefore, you should not overpay for an advertised brand.
- Behind the filters water meters installed and check valves. Control devices usually have an arrow that shows the direction of water movement. Consider this nuance at the time of installation. Also remember that the cold water outlet must always be on the right.
- Then, using a special fitting plastic pipe is connected. Your further actions will come down to installing tees and adapters and distributing the water supply system throughout the apartment.
Concealed installation
You can use a more complex plumbing installation system. Considering that plastic products do not rust and can only leak at the joints, the water supply can be hidden in the walls. For this, a strobe is made in the wall in the apartment (according to preliminary marking). Shtroblenie is carried out in such a way that not only the pipe fits in the wall, but there is also room for insulation. It is necessary to wrap the pipes with insulation (merilon). Moreover, this is not done out of fear that the installed pipe may freeze. The fact is that a plastic pipe can lengthen and increase in diameter. This is called the coefficient linear expansion. If you simply close the pipe into the wall, then at the time of expansion it can damage the finish of the room. The connection is made according to the previous scheme. After installation, the strobe is sealed with mortar.
This is how the scheme for replacing the water supply in the apartment with your own hands looks like. It remains only to conduct a test run, eliminate leaks (if any) and put things in order.
