Gray PCV for water supply line - is this OK? - DIY Chatroom

Jim S. · 01-11-2009, 10:58 PM

I recently purchased a rural home built in 1970. I need to splice into the water line from the well to the house to enter the house at a different place and just discovered that most of it is 1" gray PVC. About 50 feet of line on each end of the 400 foot line is normal white PVC but the rest is gray and it is all adequately buried.

So far there is no problem with the line but I am concerned about the type of cement to use to splice in white PVC. Obviously, the previous owner connected gray to white and it has held up. I intend to use regular PVC primer and cement - am I off base?

I am under the impression that gray PVC was for electircal conduit only. Was it ever manufactured for water? So far I have found no markings on it but I have also not exposed it fully for total inspection.

Once the supply line is through the foundation of the house, I will transition to PEX and eventually convert the whole house to PEX as I complete the remodel.

Thanks,
Jim

Bob Mariani · 01-12-2009, 09:06 AM

not for water usage. Electrical only

**thekctermite** · 01-12-2009, 09:55 AM

Or, it is very possible that you have polybutylene supply lines. They're gray in color as well. Do a quick search for PB plumbing and you'll see a lot of failures and subsequent class action suits.

I'm skeptical that anyone would use electrical conuit, but stranger things have happened.

Is there any writing on the pipes that you can read? Are all the fittings glued or are any crimped?

LaHandyman · 01-12-2009, 10:02 AM

Jim Pvc primer and glue will work just fine. The guy who did the job before you, no dought did it wrong. Gray pipe is for elecrtical only. There is a good reason pipes are color coded. Much worse than that is a guy that runs wire in a white pvc pipe. Those kind of guys scare me the most. At this point if you are not going to be digging all the gray up across your yard and changing it to white, which isn't realy cost effective, just make sure that anyone doing work on your property knows the water pipe is gray.

Bob Mariani · 01-12-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekctermite

Or, it is very possible that you have polybutylene supply lines. They're gray in color as well. Do a quick search for PB plumbing and you'll see a lot of failures and subsequent class action suits.

I'm skeptical that anyone would use electrical conuit, but stranger things have happened.

Is there any writing on the pipes that you can read? Are all the fittings glued or are any crimped?

I have seen electrical pipe used although we all know it is used inappropriately. Electrical pipe does not hold water very well. Run a pressure test on the line to see if the quoted post is correct or the most likely posts (electrical pipe)

zosoplumber · 01-12-2009, 07:26 PM

Im in agreement with the polybuteyn line, it was used in the seventies as the precursor of pex, but the joints are not glued they are crimped, so if you can find an end to where it transitions to pvc check for a crimped fitting, if its a bell end on the end of the grey line its conduit, if it has a crimped end with somekind of female or male adaptor its the poly.

Gus · 01-12-2009, 11:09 PM

Schedule 80 PVC is a dark gray and schedule 80 cpvc is gray and is the same color as electrical conduit. When you cut into it if it has a thicker wall thickness then the white pvc then it is probably one of the schedule 80 pipes. Schedule 80 CPVC is used in more of an industrial setting. I have seen schedule 80 pvc as a mainline water supply to a house. If it is schedule 80 pvc then regular pvc primer, glue and fittings will be fine.

Jim S. · 01-17-2009, 10:10 AM

Thanks to all who responded. I think I have sch 80 PVC like Gus suggested. After posting, I found a plumber and plumbing supplier who said the sch 80 PVC they use is gray. I'll verify for sure when I fully expose if for splicing next week.

All existing connections are PVC cement to white (sch 40) PVC - no crimped connections anywhere.

Although he cut corners in many areas, previous owner seems to have got this one right. The sch 80 pipe is laid in the portion of the run that is under the dirt driveway. After it turns off the driveway, it changes to sch 40. A perfectly reasonable approach although with the 18 inch depth, one could conclude that even sch 80 was unnecessary.

Thanks again,
Jim