Plumbing Parts Availability Question .. .. ..

["<<<]

The other night, while on vacation in the Chicago area, I got a frantic phone call from home that my basement was rapidly filling with water (house is in SE Tennessee). I got a nearby neighbor to run over to my house and shut off the power to the well pump. Next problem was getting a horde of friends over there to sort & dry things out. Lotsa stuff from power tools, taps & dies, books & magazines, computer parts, all the stuff you might store in a basement. We headed home right away, and when I got there, I found the whole thing was caused by a PVC fitting going from the water main into my water softener snapped, and the pump was running full-force for several hours.

Replaced the fitting (a 3/4" pipe thread to 3/4 PVC glued adapter), and all is well again. ALL of my house is done in copper EXCEPT the incoming piping from the well to the pressure tank .. then to the water softener .. then to the copper house main. I am planning to do everything but the incoming PVC line in copper, and I want to use something flexible to make the vertical connections, to accommodate and movement/stress in the lines, which is what I think caused the original problem. Something along the lines of a hydraulic hose with a swivel on at least one end, BUT I&#39;d like to find something that won&#39;t rust.

Anybody know where to find a suitable item for this application ?? and, is there any reason not to attempt this.

thanx .. .. ..

[dpb]

wrote: ...

I&#39;d just use soft copper and leave some slack...

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[Rudy]

PEX

[Frank]

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0

Not answer to your question but low pressure switch should have turned off your pump. Might want to check it.

[dpb]

Frank wrote: ...

What low pressure???

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[SMS]

Use this:

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[trader4]

I&#39;d be careful with the flex PVC. It is not pressure rated anywhere near rigid PVC and I also wonder if it meets code for domestic water use. There are millions of homes with well pumps plumbed without anything special to handle stress flexing and problems like the OP had are rare.

["<<<]

Looks like a good option if I decide to stay with PVC .. .. and I might do just that if I can&#39;t find suitable fittings in copper. Thanks .. .. ..

[SMS]

Yeah, my mistake.

Maybe use some of the flexible stainless steel water supply lines with

3/4" FIP x 3/4" MIP connectors. They use these on water heaters in earthquake areas. These are not vinyl hoses with braiding.

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" toward the middle of the page.

I have a rental property, a townhouse, where there is a connection from PVC which runs between the meter and the property, to copper. The connection is located outside, under a deck. I think everyone in the complex has had the connection between the copper and PVC break at one time due to ground movement, with the PVC connector cracking on the threaded side. The next time it breaks I may try one of these supply lines.

["<<<]

Yeah .. .. I was reading the specs on their website, and saw that it&#39;s only rated for about 60-70PSI @ 70degF. Not so good for this application after all.

[Stormin Mormon]

The nice thing about copper, you can cut to length and sweat it together. All custom sizing.

I didn&#39;t think PVC was rated for water pressure. CPVC is what&#39;s used.

But, redoing with copper sounds like a good idea.

[Stormin Mormon]

Best idea, yet.

[blueman]

Why not just use regular (rigid) copper pipe? If the pump, water softener, water heater, etc. are all properly mounted/anchored and if the pipes themselves are properly supported, I don&#39;t see why you would have any problems (Also, assuming you have water hammer arresters if needed). Your pipes shouldn&#39;t be shaking no matter what they are made of -- and I haven&#39;t heard of regular copper pipe going bad this way.

Oh, and use the better quality copper pipe - type L (blue writing)

[Nate Nagel]

What size is the line? There are braided hoses made for connecting water heaters that might serve, as long as it&#39;s no larger than 3/4". However you might want to replace it every 15 years or so.

nate

[nefletch]

Replaced the fitting (a 3/4" pipe thread to 3/4 PVC glued adapter), and all is well again. ALL of my house is done in copper EXCEPT the incoming piping from the well to the pressure tank .. then to the water softener .. then to the copper house main. I am planning to do everything but the incoming PVC line in copper, and I want to use something flexible to make the vertical connections, to accommodate and movement/stress in the lines, which is what I think caused the original problem. Something along the lines of a hydraulic hose with a swivel on at least one end, BUT I&#39;d like to find something that won&#39;t rust.

Anybody know where to find a suitable item for this application ?? and, is there any reason not to attempt this.

thanx .. .. ..