Plumbing New Water Meters - 1" Poly to 1" CPVC - Question re connecting the two

Plumbing New Water Meters - 1" Poly to 1" CPVC - Question re connecting the two

Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes

Greetings! I have embarked on a bit of journey. My background is in all finance, though I have been remodeling units mostly myself to learn a bit of the building/construction side of things. I've decided I want to put individual water meters on two of my triplexes and have come a decent ways! I laid conduit and intend to push the line through - it's overkill but it will give me some peace of mind that this will last. Starting Monday I am going to push/pull 300' of 1" poly through the 3" PVC sleeve and run the pipes through the crawl spaces. Tuesday I am doing the switch. I called a few plumbers to get some numbers thinking it might be good to have a licensed/insured name behind the union between 1" poly to 1" CPVC; however, the cheapest I could find was $275/unit (ranging up to $600/unit). Were talking 30 minutes max in a not too small crawl space to make a connection. I am not paying a plumber $1,650 for 3 hours of work. I think they are all busy and my job is too small so they basically are saying we'll do it if we can screw you. Just my opinion. Nonetheless, I am going to make the connection myself. I've done a bit of Copper to CPVC and used some shark bites, but I've never connected a main water line under this much pressure. It's pretty low pressure, were somewhere around 35-40 psi. I was going to go to a plumbing store and ask what they suggest for hook-up but I did that last week on a water fix and they were totally wrong, so I was hoping someone here might have a quick answer on what type of fittings I should use for union. Thank You!

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Developer · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 902 votes
11y

My suggestion is to take a piece of each pipe to a legit plumbing supply house and ask them (and buy the supplies there). 

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  • Developer · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 902 votes
    11y

    My suggestion is to take a piece of each pipe to a legit plumbing supply house and ask them (and buy the supplies there). 

  • Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    11y

    I agree with @Troy Sheets.  Get the proper supplies and tools, then find your best hourly/job apprentice-type with experience doing this you can find.  I would not do this by myself. The consequence of missing a seal or having the wrong adhesive or something is too high.

     I, too am a finance geek at heart but have become a fix-all over the years.   Even with that, I would get quality help.  Ask the supply guy for a referral.  Ask the Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, etc plumbing dept guy for a referral.  Look on craigslist (with caution).  Either way, get some help.  Good luck and please keep us posted!

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y

    I love the idea of taking the supplies into a legit plumbing shop with me. Thanks, Troy/Steve! 

  • Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2015 · 377 posts · 200 votes
    11y

    Do you know if adding meters requires a permit?

    If it does require a permit, you may need a licensed plumber to pull a permit.

  • Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    11y

    To pull the poly thru the sleeve , go to a irrigation supplier and buy a chinese pipe grip  get a rope thru first then pull.  To go from poly to cpvc you will be making a male thread connection to a female thread connection .  Use a poly insert fitting and double clamp it over the barbs on the fitting ( closer to the end )  teflon tape on the male threads and teflon paste on the female threads .  It getting the insert fitting in the poly is a bit hard use a torch and very quickly heat the inside of the poly to get the resins soft . 

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Hugh Ayles:

    Do you know if adding meters requires a permit?

    If it does require a permit, you may need a licensed plumber to pull a permit.

     No Permits required, I am good to go with the City. They are doing the hook-up tomorrow. 

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Matthew Paul:

    To pull the poly thru the sleeve , go to a irrigation supplier and buy a chinese pipe grip  get a rope thru first then pull.  To go from poly to cpvc you will be making a male thread connection to a female thread connection .  Use a poly insert fitting and double clamp it over the barbs on the fitting ( closer to the end )  teflon tape on the male threads and teflon paste on the female threads .  It getting the insert fitting in the poly is a bit hard use a torch and very quickly heat the inside of the poly to get the resins soft . 

     Thank You, Matt. Good info! I had my cores drilled through foundation early this morning and ended up buying my 6 300' of 1" poly @ irrigation supply store (all the local plumbing stores were sold out and it was actually $50 cheaper per roll). 

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y

    I should add we have all the lines ran into each of the crawl spaces - that was some work, wow. Hooking up new meters and lines tomorrow!

  • Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    11y

    STOP , do not use the poly pipe from the irrigation supply house , its rated only 100 psi . ITS NOT INTENDED FOR MAINLINES TO HOUSES . Its a thinner walled pipe.

  • Residential Real Estate Broker · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2009 · 477 posts · 304 votes
    11y

    I would say stay away from CPVC, especially in cold climates as it's prone to cracking and bursting... CPVC is a rigid material, therefore, when it freezes it will crack. However, unlike copper or steel, the expansion is not confined to a small area, so the break occurs over a longer section of the pipe.


    We use pex a lot here in Indiana. Love it...

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Matthew Paul:

    STOP , do not use the poly pipe from the irrigation supply house , its rated only 100 psi . ITS NOT INTENDED FOR MAINLINES TO HOUSES . Its a thinner walled pipe.

     I got 300' rolls of 200psi poly, we are good. It's all hooked up!

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Lee Smith:

    I would say stay away from CPVC, especially in cold climates as it's prone to cracking and bursting... CPVC is a rigid material, therefore, when it freezes it will crack. However, unlike copper or steel, the expansion is not confined to a small area, so the break occurs over a longer section of the pipe.


    We use pex a lot here in Indiana. Love it...

     All six units are already plumbed with CPVC and it is way too expensive to re-plumb the entire building(s). Wish they were PEX, I love PEX too!!

  • Investor · Snohomish, WA · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 84 votes
    11y

    Annnnd, the new meters, new plumbing and everything were installed and switched over today. A great success, all looks good! 

  • Chris WoodPro Member
    Contractor · Greenwood, IN · Member since 2014 · 200 posts · 33 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Lee Smith:

    I would say stay away from CPVC, especially in cold climates as it's prone to cracking and bursting... CPVC is a rigid material, therefore, when it freezes it will crack. However, unlike copper or steel, the expansion is not confined to a small area, so the break occurs over a longer section of the pipe.


    We use pex a lot here in Indiana. Love it...

     I do love pex and it is so much easier to work with, compared to copper. 

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