New Construction Plumbing
New Construction Plumbing
Basement construction plumbing in clay soil poses many Problems. Expansive soil can cause cracking in the foundation, basement walls and floor if proper precautions aren’t taken. Natural movement due to expansive clay soils also need special precautions to be taken when installing basement plumbing. Pipes can burst if plumbing is too stiff. 
Floating walls keep the walls and floors from being damaged as the home moves with the enlargement of clay soil. This allows the walls to move independently from the floor of the basement. The pipes need to be in a position to move upward with the floor but not push against the 1st floor of your home. The drainage pipes under the basement floor need to be able to breathe too.
When you install lavatories, washing room, or a mudroom in the basement you want to make allowance for natural movement of clay soil. Installing flexible growth couplings and enlargement joints on basement plumbing will allow for this movement and keep the pipes from leaking at the joints or cracking.
Your pipes should ideally be new during installation. If you are working with existing pipes make sure not to go from one type of metal to another. If you are using copper stay with copper pipes and the same applies for other metals. Take care to not to change the scale of pipes incidentally. It is possible to go from one size to another but it is not always usually wise idea. You should also begin with new pipes whenever possible. Older pipes can have lead solder break up while you are working with them and you don’t want this to get into your water supply, even if it is for a shower and not drinking water.
Anywhere that you are attaching one length of pipe to another you need to add an enlargement coupling. Expansion couplings are made from a synthetic polymer sleeve that slips over the ends of both pipes. Steel clamps are used to hold the coupling and pipes together. Once applied, the coupling will make allowance for a touch of movement in the pipes. It’s vital to make certain you’ve got the enlargement couplings and not regular couplings as the enlargement couplings are made to breathe with the home and the regular couplings are not made to move.
When installing a shower you may use reverse floating walls to stabilise pipes in the basement and allow movement in the pinnacle of the pipes. You must put as much of the plumbing in the same area as feasible and use the same wet wall. A chase should be included and access can be either along a wall or in the ceiling.
Flex lines are needed for water supply lines. The main water supply line should go into the chase and have flex lines attached in that area to the pipes employed in the basement. The most logical place for the chase access panel is in the use room together with the hot water heater.
As well as having enlargement joints and flexible couplings installed the pipes there should be adequate space between the pipes and the ceiling / floor to keep from having the pipes push into the ceiling as the ground expands with the changes in the moisture in clay soil.
Growth joints will be needed for installation of ground water drainage pipes also. This may be done below the basement floor, above the foundation. Drains can be placed in the basement floor allowing moisture that does enter the basement to run into the drainage system and away from the home. Share and Enjoy:
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