Introduction
CPVC pipe is a common potable water pipe used in homes. While not as common as copper water piper or PEX water pipe, CPVC has many advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of CPVC Pipe
There are many advantages to CPVC pipe such its lightweight, inexpensive cost, easy of construction, rigidity, and heat resistance.
CPVC pipe has the advantages of other plastic pipe such as PEX in that it lightweight and easy to install. It is more rigid than PEX pipe but more flexible than PVC pipe. Similar to PVC, CPVC pipe is glued together with CPVC fittings that harden to form leakproof joints. CPVC is inexpensive in comparison to copper pipe and is heat resistant to 200 °F allowing it to be used for hot water plumbing.
Disadvantages of CPVC Pipe
CPVC is not as flexible as PEX pipe so to make bends, pipe needs to be measured and cut to change direction or avoid obstacles. Also if a mistake is made in gluing together pipe, the fitting cannot be reused unlike the fittings to copper or PEX pipes.
Also, as CPVC is not as common in older homes or in newer construction, installing CPVC to copper or PEX may require special fittings that are not readily available at home improvement or plumbing stores.
Is CPVC Pipe Better or Worse than Other Pipe Materials?
In short, CPVC is not better or worse than other pipe materials. While CPVC can with stand hot water temperatures and is suitable to use in cold and hot water plumbing, CPVC is commonly used for drain tubing from water heater pressure relief valves.
One of the major disadvantages is that CPVC was not as commonly used as copper pipe or galvanized iron pipe so older homes (20+ years) and newer construction uses PEX piping as it is more flexible and easier to install than CPVC. CPVC is useful if used in a limited capacity where rigid pipe is needed but can be used instead of copper.
Further Information
To learn more about CPVC pipe or other plumbing information, checkout our other articles.