Plumbing The Future — How To Prepare Your New Home For The Long Haul
Posted on: 7 March 2023
Building a custom home means having your say in almost every aspect of its construction. While you'll still need to rely on the advice and judgment of experts, you can make the decisions that will help craft a pile of wood, plumbing, and wiring into a dream home. However, building a forever home means considering more than just immediate gratification.
Although plumbing may not be the most exciting aspect of a house, your new home's pipes are more than just something to put out of sight and out of mind. Your decisions regarding your home's plumbing can help save you substantial money and frustration in the future. These three tips will help put you in the right mindset to futureproof the plumbing supporting your new dream home.
1. Conduct Water Tests
If your new home uses a well for its water supply, you'll likely need to perform some testing to comply with local building codes. However, you may also want to consider testing and research for municipal water. While most municipal water supplies are perfectly safe, some may contain elements that can affect appearance or taste. High mineral content (hard water) may also be an issue.
By testing your water during construction, you can decide if you need to make any alterations to your plumbing for safety, aesthetic, or taste reasons. For example, you may want to install a water softener or go with a whole-home filter. Making these decisions now can help ensure you enjoy the cleanliness and taste of your home's water for many years.
2. Use PEX With a PEX Manifold
You can find numerous materials used in the plumbing for older homes, but new construction almost universally uses some combination of PEX, copper, and PVC. While copper piping is durable and long-lasting, cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) offers numerous advantages. Even better, these advantages can help prepare your home's plumbing for the future.
In addition to being relatively easy to install, PEX requires fewer joints when compared to copper or PVC pipes. With fewer connections, there are fewer locations for trouble to develop, reducing the likelihood of future leaks. A PEX manifold can also provide a quick way to shut off water to any part of your home and an easy, centralized location to connect future plumbing modifications.
3. Install Smart Monitors
Smart plumbing monitors range from simple leak detectors to complex wifi-enabled valves. These high-tech devices can help prevent damage to your home by detecting leaks and alerting you to the problem. When paired with automatic valves, smart monitors can cut water to affected areas when they detect a problem, allowing you to prevent a flood even if you aren't home.
The good news is that these devices are relatively low-cost and much easier to install during early construction phases.
Contact a plumber to learn more.
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