Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Installing a New Plumbing System in Auckland
When installing plumbing systems, pipes, and fixtures in your home, you need to be extra cautious of the different details. Aside from the errors and missteps that can happen, the use of wrong apparatuses, and even the lack of vision in designing slopes and shapes, can make problems later.
Fixing such plumbing mistakes will certainly drain your time and your wallet as well. When installing it on your own or getting it done by a local plumber in Auckland, you will need to handle such subtleties of the job to prevent any type of plumbing mistakes that can take place.
Are you building a brand-new home in Auckland? Perhaps you are considering a major renovation project for an older home. Whatever the case, you’d like to take the time to think about the plumbing installation in the home. Placement of drain pipes, sewer, clearwater supply lines, and plumbing vents must be installed in the proper locations with the briefest gaps possible.
If you have a big home, the farther water connections are from the main supply, the lower the pressure. It can be challenging to determine if you have enough water pressure post-renovation or post-construction. It’s a good idea to have a water pressure regulator installed simultaneously.
Apart from having a water pressure regulator set up, here are practical tips and great ideas you’ll wish to integrate into your new plumbing installation for your home.
1. Plan ahead
Understanding plumbing is the most crucial key to installing a well-functioning plumbing system. Keep in mind that a good plumbing system works with efficiency. Nonetheless, at the same time, valves, fittings, and pipes must be easily accessible should maintenance and repairs be needed.
The correct size of the water pipe is vital for an efficient plumbing system. However, even more essential is the pipe’s size that brings waste. If the pipes are too small, draining won’t be efficient and will become congested.
The pipes may also not deliver the needed amount of water. There might be temperature swings in the shower if the toilet is flushed or another faucet is utilized, causing big inconveniences.
Every city has an array of codes that plumbers must adhere to when installing plumbing systems.
2. Pick the correct pipes
Aside from selecting the proper pipe size, you must pick the proper pipe type.
Pipes were made from brass or cast irons. Other older buildings and homes still use PVC or copper, but cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) piping is becoming more popular.
Further, the type of pipe utilized offers water to the home and flushes waste away in the same way. Nonetheless, other types are more susceptible to deterioration and damage. Copper and PEX are good types of pipe utilized in water piping, but PVC must not be utilized inside the home.
CPVC is much fragile and thus not suitable for use inside the home. If freezing is a concern, it’s better to prevent copper in favour of PEX.
3. Add enough shut-off valves in the proper locations
Plumbing problems will be the last thing on your mind when installing a new system. Still, plumbing issues can and do develop over time, such as water leaks. What can you do to make it simpler to fix future plumbing problems? In that case, you’d like to ensure every individual connection has its shut-off valve.
On top of that, a shut-off valve will enable you to shut the water off to the affected area of the system without shutting off the main water. For example, you’ll shut off valves under every sink for both cold and hot water lines. You’ll also like the shut-off valves placed in an easily accessible area for toilets, showers, and bathtubs.
Also, when the plumbing services company or water company is connected to the main water, ensure you have them install the water main shut-off valve in an accessible area. For instance, it will be good to place the main water shut-off inside the garage than in the crawl area, where it can be a challenge to reach during a plumbing emergency.
4. Consider your present and future plumbing requirements
You will like plumbing, drain lines, and sewer installed in your kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom. However, there could be other future needs you may be ignoring.
For example, you’ll like your plumbing to include water softener connections even when you don’t consider installing a water softener currently. An excellent location is in the garage, laundry room, or other accessible areas, accommodating a water softener system.
5. Centralise the plumbing system
When installing a plumbing system, you must install everything in a single place for faster repairs and maintenance. Some of the appliances you must install together are the following:
sump pump
sewage ejector pit
furnace
sewer connection
water heater
water softener
Remember that you can install all those together in the basement as it is the ideal space to put the system without being an eyesore. But what if you don’t have a basement? In that case, you can install them on your home’s main floor, and inside a utility closet, so they are still tucked away.
6. Don’t ignore the outdoor plumbing installation needs
The outdoors is one place of your home that most people ignore when installing a new plumbing system. You’d like to have enough outdoor plumbing faucet connections around your home. You should have a single outdoor faucet connection installed on every side of your home.
Another excellent future plumbing option you might like to install would be the outdoor kitchen connections. Down the road, you might like to enclose the patio or deck and create an outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill.
Finally, do not forget about in-ground water sprinkles and in-ground pools. Such things might not be in your present budget, but you never know if you might need them. Your plumber can also run connections for the water supply, so you’ll be all set later. One great advantage of installing outdoor connections like those is they could be a selling point in the future, should you plan to move.
7. Consider water softeners
Do you have hard water problems? Then installing water softeners would be ideal for your Auckland home. You must also consider installing one even when you don’t have problems now to guarantee you’ll be able to fix this kind of problem in the future.
It will also be difficult to install water softeners in the future, so save yourself from additional payments by installing one while creating your home. Always think from a long-term point of view when installing something for your home. You can save money and prevent stress from installing new appliances for your system by thinking of your future needs.
One More Important Plumbing Installation You Need to Consider
Apart from the above areas, there’s another important plumbing item you need to consider—the type of water heater you like in your home. Further, your accessible options are choosing between tankless and tank-based water heater installation.
You’ll like a tank-based system installed in an accessible location, which can accommodate the water heater’s size. A drain line and drain pan must be installed as a safety precaution. Also, you may need to have the water heater installed close to the furnace, especially when you have a water recirculating heating system.
With a tankless water heater installation, you have more flexibility in the placement of your water heater. You could have individual water heaters set up in every home area where you need hot water. For instance, you could have one heater in every bathroom, another unit in the laundry room, and another in the kitchen.
That kind of setup is perfect in homes that want tankless heaters and consume enough hot water. That setup is also perfect if you wish to run numerous hot water lines simultaneously, such as running the dishwasher while taking a shower.
You will also find another option. Others prefer a tank-based water heater to deal with most hot water needs in their home and a standalone tankless heater for a particular home area. For example, you may wish a standalone tankless water heater in your master bathroom to fill up that Jacuzzi tub for a soothing and great soak after a tiring day at work.
Whatever you prefer for your home’s plumbing system, you need to ensure you have met each of your plumbing needs. Or else, it can be somewhat expensive to have new plumbing lines and drain lines installed later, as the lines are no longer accessible.
Plumbing System in Auckland
Do you need help designing the plumbing system in auckland for your new home in Auckland, together with experienced plumbing installation services? Feel free to contact us at Progress Plumbing. We will take care of all your plumbing installation needs!
Progress Plumbing is a trusted plumbing company for all your residential and commercial plumbing system installation. Our professional team has worked on different properties. We offer well-trained and skilled plumbers in Auckland with many years of experience in the industry.