Editing Plumbing (section)

==Difference between pipes and tubes==
[[File:Watermain.jpg|thumb|Typical PVC municipal water main being installed in Ontario, Canada]]
[[File:FlexibleRainPipe.JPG|thumb|right|150px|A plastic water pipe being installed. The inner tube is actually transporting the water, while the outer tube only serves as a protective casing.]]

The difference between pipes and tubes is a matter of sizing. For instance, [[Polyvinyl chloride|PVC]] pipe for plumbing applications and galvanized steel pipe are measured in [[iron pipe size]] (IPS). Copper tube, [[CPVC]], [[PEX|PeX]] and other tubing is measured nominally, basically an average diameter. These sizing schemes allow for universal adaptation of transitional fittings. For instance, 1/2" PeX tubing is the same size as 1/2" copper tubing. 1/2" PVC on the other hand is not the same size as 1/2" tubing, and therefore requires either a threaded male or female adapter to connect them.  When used in agricultural irrigation, the singular form "pipe" is often used as a plural.<ref name="etb">{{cite web|title=Difference between Pipes and Tubes|url=http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pipes-tubes-d_347.html|access-date=January 22, 2014}}</ref>

Pipe is available in rigid ''joints'', which come in various lengths depending on the material. Tubing, in particular copper, comes in rigid hard tempered joints or soft tempered (annealed) rolls. PeX and CPVC tubing also comes in rigid joints or flexible rolls. The temper of the copper, whether it is a rigid joint or flexible roll, does not affect the sizing.<ref name="etb" />

The thicknesses of the water pipe and tube walls can vary. Because piping and tubing are commodities, having a greater wall thickness implies higher initial cost. Thicker walled pipe generally implies greater durability and higher pressure tolerances. Pipe wall thickness is denoted by various schedules or for large bore polyethylene pipe in the UK by the [[Standard Dimension Ratio]] (SDR), defined as the ratio of the pipe diameter to its wall thickness. Pipe wall thickness increases with schedule, and is available in schedules 20, 40, 80, and higher in special cases. The schedule is largely determined by the operating pressure of the system, with higher pressures commanding greater thickness. Copper tubing is available in four wall thicknesses: type DWV (thinnest wall; only allowed as drain pipe per UPC), type 'M' (thin; typically only allowed as drain pipe by IPC code), type 'L' (thicker, standard duty for water lines and water service), and type 'K' (thickest, typically used underground between the main and the meter).

Wall thickness does not affect pipe or tubing size.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wall thickness does not affect pipe o|url=http://www.jmeagle.com/pdfs/Technical%20Bulletins/TB10SunlightEffectsonPVC.pdf|access-date=January 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903072809/http://www.jmeagle.com/pdfs/Technical%20Bulletins/TB10SunlightEffectsonPVC.pdf|archive-date=September 3, 2013}}</ref> 1/2" L copper has the same outer diameter as 1/2" K or M copper. The same applies to pipe schedules. As a result, a slight increase in pressure losses is realized due to a decrease in flowpath as wall thickness is increased. In other words, 1 foot of 1/2" L copper has slightly less volume than 1 foot of 1/2 M copper.<ref>{{cite web|title=CTS - Copper Tube Sizes - Dimensions used in Plumbing|url=https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/cts-copper-tubing-sizes-d_2112.html |website=The Engineering Toolbox |access-date=January 5, 2023}}</ref>

=== Materials ===
Water systems of ancient times relied on gravity for the supply of water, using pipes or channels usually made of [[clay]], [[lead]], bamboo, wood, or stone. Hollowed wooden logs wrapped in steel banding were used for plumbing pipes, particularly water mains. Logs were used for water distribution in England close to 500 years ago. US cities began using hollowed logs in the late 1700s through the 1800s.  Today, most plumbing supply pipe is made out of steel, copper, and plastic; most waste (also known as "soil")<ref name="cispi">https://www.cscplates.com/blog/what-is-cast-iron-soil-pipe/ What is cast iron soil pipe</ref> out of steel, copper, plastic, and cast iron.<ref name=cispi />

The straight sections of plumbing systems are called "pipes" or "tubes". A pipe is typically formed via [[casting]] or [[welding]], whereas a tube is made through [[extrusion]]. Pipe normally has thicker walls and may be threaded or welded, while tubing is thinner-walled and requires special joining techniques such as [[brazing]], [[compression fitting]], [[crimp (joining)|crimping]], or for plastics, [[solvent welding]].  These joining techniques are discussed in more detail in the [[piping and plumbing fittings]] article.

==== Steel ====
{{Main|Galvanized pipe}}
[[Galvanized steel]] potable water supply and distribution [[pipe (material)|pipes]] are commonly found with [[nominal pipe size]]s from {{convert|3/8|in|mm}} to {{convert|2|in|mm}}. It is rarely used today for new construction residential plumbing. Steel pipe has [[National Pipe Thread]] (NPT) standard tapered male threads, which connect with female tapered threads on elbows, tees, couplers, [[valve]]s, and other fittings. Galvanized steel (often known simply as "'''galv'''" or "'''iron'''" in the plumbing trade) is relatively expensive, and difficult to work with due to weight and requirement of a [[pipe threader]]. It remains in common use for repair of existing "galv" systems and to satisfy [[building code]] non-combustibility requirements typically found in hotels, apartment buildings and other commercial applications. It is also extremely durable and resistant to mechanical abuse.  Black lacquered steel pipe is the most widely used pipe material for [[fire sprinkler]]s and natural gas.

Most typical single family home systems will not require supply piping larger than {{convert|3/4|in|mm}} due to expense as well as steel piping's tendency to become obstructed from internal rusting and mineral deposits forming on the inside of the pipe over time once the internal galvanizing zinc coating has degraded. In potable water distribution service, galvanized steel pipe has a service life of about 30 to 50 years, although it is not uncommon for it to be less in geographic areas with corrosive water contaminants.

==== Copper ====
{{Main|Copper tubing}}

Copper pipe and tubing was widely used for domestic water systems in the latter half of the twentieth century. Demand for copper products has fallen due to the dramatic increase in the price of copper, resulting in increased demand for alternative products including [[PEX]] and [[stainless steel]].

==== Plastic ====
{{Main|Plastic pipework}}
[[File:SinkPlumbing.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Plastic hot and cold supply piping for a sink]]
Plastic pipe is in wide use for domestic water supply and [[Drain-waste-vent system|drain-waste-vent]] (DWV) pipe. Principal types include:
[[Polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC) was produced experimentally in the 19th century but did not become practical to manufacture until 1926, when [[Waldo Semon]] of BF Goodrich Co. developed a method to plasticize PVC, making it easier to process. PVC pipe began to be manufactured in the 1940s and was in wide use for Drain-Waste-Vent piping during the reconstruction of Germany and Japan following WWII. In the 1950s, plastics manufacturers in Western Europe and Japan began producing [[acrylonitrile butadiene styrene]] (ABS) pipe. The method for producing [[cross-linked polyethylene]] (PEX) was also developed in the 1950s. Plastic supply pipes have become increasingly common, with a variety of materials and fittings employed.
* [[Polyvinyl chloride|PVC]]/[[chlorinated polyvinyl chloride|CPVC]] – rigid plastic pipes similar to PVC drain pipes but with thicker walls to deal with municipal water pressure, introduced around 1970. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, and it has become a common replacement for metal piping. PVC should be used only for cold water, or for venting. CPVC can be used for hot and cold potable water supply. Connections are made with primers and solvent cements as required by code.<ref>{{cite web|title=What's the difference between PVC and CPVC pipe?|url=http://www.commercial-industrial-supply.com/resource-center/whats-the-difference-between-pvc-and-cpvc-pipe/|date=August 15, 2017}}</ref>
* [[Polypropylene|PP]] – The material is used primarily in housewares, [[food packaging]], and clinical equipment,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/polypropylene-properties-and-uses.html|title=Polypropylene Properties and Uses|author=Bidisha Mukherjee|work=Buzzle|access-date=February 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208001734/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/polypropylene-properties-and-uses.html|archive-date=February 8, 2015|url-status=usurped}}</ref> but since the early 1970s has seen increasing use worldwide for both domestic hot and cold water. PP pipes are [[heat fusion|heat fused]], being unsuitable for the use of glues, solvents, or mechanical fittings. PP pipe is often used in [[green building]] projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pmengineer.com/Articles/Green/2010/06/01/Walking-The-Talk|title=Walking The Talk|work=pmengineer.com}}</ref>
* [[Polybutylene terephthalate|PBT]] – flexible (usually gray or black) plastic pipe which is attached to barbed fittings and secured in place with a copper crimp ring. The primary manufacturer of PBT tubing and fittings was driven into bankruptcy by a class-action lawsuit over failures of this system.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} However, PB and PBT tubing has since returned to the market and codes, typically first for "exposed locations" such as risers.
* [[PEX]] – cross-linked polyethylene system with mechanically joined fittings employing barbs, and crimped steel or copper rings.
* Polytanks – plastic polyethylene cisterns, underground water tanks, above ground water tanks, are usually made of linear polyethylene suitable as a potable water storage tank, provided in white, black or green.
* Aqua – known as PEX-Al-PEX, for its PEX/aluminum sandwich, consisting of aluminum pipe sandwiched between layers of PEX, and connected with modified brass compression fittings. In 2005, many of these fittings were recalled.{{Elucidate|date=March 2012}}

Present-day water-supply systems use a network of high-pressure pumps, and pipes in buildings are now made of copper,<ref>''Copper Tube Handbook'', the Copper Development Association, New York, USA, 2006</ref> brass, plastic (particularly [[cross-linked polyethylene]] called PEX, which is estimated to be used in 60% of single-family homes<ref>[http://www.builderonline.com/legislation/californias-pex-battle-continues.aspx California’s PEX Battle Continues]. Builderonline.com</ref>), or other nontoxic material. Due to its [[lead poisoning|toxicity]], most cities moved away from lead water-supply piping by the 1920s in the United States,<ref name=Maceketal2006 /> although lead pipes were approved by national plumbing codes into the 1980s,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rabin|first=Richard|date=March 6, 2017|title=The Lead Industry and Lead Water Pipes "A MODEST CAMPAIGN"|journal=American Journal of Public Health|volume=98|issue=9|pages=1584–1592|doi=10.2105/AJPH.2007.113555|issn=0090-0036|pmc=2509614|pmid=18633098}}</ref> and lead was used in plumbing solder for drinking water until it was banned in 1986.<ref name=Maceketal2006>{{Cite journal | last1 = Macek | first1 = MD | last2 = Matte | first2 = TD | last3 = Sinks | first3 = T | last4 = Malvitz | first4 = DM | title = Blood lead concentrations in children and method of water fluoridation in the United States, 1988–1994 | journal =  Environmental Health Perspectives| volume = 114 | issue = 1 | pages = 130–4 |date=Jan 2006 | doi =  10.1289/ehp.8319 |pmc=1332668 |pmid=16393670| bibcode = 2006EnvHP.114..130M }}</ref> Drain and vent lines are made of plastic, steel, cast iron, or lead.<ref>''Uniform Plumbing Code'', IAPMO</ref><ref>''International Plumbing Code'', ICC</ref>

===Gallery===
<gallery class=center>
Image:Mytischi vodoprovod.jpg|Monument to water pipe in [[Mytishchi]] (Russia)
Image:PressurizedIndoorWaterpipeForUseWithHomeWaterwell.jpg|A specific water pipe made for use with pressure vessels. The pipe can sustain high-pressure water and is relatively small.
Image:Concrete water pipe.jpg|Concrete water pipe
File:Tapping water line in Bentonville, AR.jpg|Connecting to an existing water line (white pipe) with a stainless steel tapping sleeve and valve (red). A concrete thrust block is being formed behind the new connection.
File:-31 waterpipe.jpg|Water pipe connected to the [[septic tank]].
File:Photography by Victor Albert Grigas (1919-2017) 1 of 2 SEDGWICK 1967 and DBLS W.SPRINGS SEDGWICK 00484 SEWER Willow Springs (49275175872).jpg|Sewer pipe
</gallery>