Replacing pipes in an apartment: preparation, selection, installation instructions

Repairing the water supply system is a real challenge for all residents.It is almost impossible to replace pipes in an apartment in one day on your own. It will take at least two to three days to cut out the old water supply and replace the sewer system. Only then can you assemble new wiring in the apartment.

If we take into account that any plumber from the housing office works only until lunch, then the time allotted for preparation for replacing pipes can double.

Where does the replacement of plumbing pipes begin?

The first thing you need to do is assess your capabilities. Replacement can begin with lengthy paperwork, which most residents do not have time for. The second problem is related to the choice of contracting scheme:

1. You can enter into an agreement with a repair and construction organization.
2. Hire a plumber who professionally replaces pipes in apartments or houses.
3. Negotiate informally with the mechanics from the housing office.
4. Do-it-yourself pipe replacement yourself.

Don't get stuck on one option. Most likely, when renovating an apartment or simply replacing pipes, you will have to use all available schemes. For example, you have to negotiate with the housing office mechanics to turn off the water on the riser so that you can replace the apartment's inlet valve.

At some stages of the work you will need to invite a specialist. He must make the most difficult elements of the wiring, eliminate defects or suggest how to do the right thing.

If you plan to install heating equipment or a gas water heater or boiler, then you will need to look for a private enterprise with a license. Before reaching an agreement with a foreman or team, it is worth making inquiries about the quality of work performed from other customers.

As a rule, there are no problems with foremen or mechanics of the Housing Office. Like all plumbers, they have a hard time making full contact, but after clarifying the scope of work and the level of payment, the situation improves.

With a private construction company there may be problems with inadequate quality of work performed. Therefore, if there are no real levers of influence on the company’s management, all requirements need to be spelled out in detail in the contract for replacing pipes in the apartment. At the same time, prepare to personally monitor the stages of the project.

Preparation for repair

Typically, the decision to replace is made in a situation where the condition of water and sewerage communications requires urgent intervention. You will need to submit an application to the housing office to turn off the water in the riser and open the shaft wall.

Usually, for a small fee, a plumber will turn off the water and dismantle the wall to gain access to the tee on the sewer riser. But at the same time they always ask to apply for a job.

The next step is to contact the Gorvodokanal inspector and through him submit an application for temporary removal of the seal from the water meter in the apartment. If you make a complete replacement, the meter must be removed; there is a risk of damage to the seal, so it is better to be on the safe side.

As soon as the water is shut off, the well is opened through the wall of the apartment, you can replace the valve at the inlet. This must be done immediately to enable residents of the remaining apartments in the entrance to use water.

Ask the housing office mechanics to replace the old input valve with a new one. The crane, winding and tools need to be purchased or prepared in advance.

Typically, plumbers are willing to change the valve at the entrance to the apartment for a small surcharge. It is important that this work is carried out by a housing office mechanic. The procedure for replacing a tap on an inlet pipe is risky, even on a new riser. Without experience, you can easily break the inlet pipe. This is an area where only specialists can work.

If you are unlucky with the housing office’s plumbers (the degree of adequacy can be assessed during the first communication), invite a master plumber from outside. In any case, the valve at the entrance to the apartment must be replaced immediately and with the highest quality possible. The same applies to dismantling the adapter from the toilet to the tee of the sewer riser.

Completion of preparation

After replacing the cold water pipe inlet, they proceed to inspecting the sewer riser. It is necessary to examine and assess its condition.

If the sewer riser is rotten and there are traces of sewage leakage, then the housing office or partnership will be forced to change it, quickly and at its own expense. This is an emergency situation - if the communications are not replaced, the drains can flood the apartments in the entrance of the building.

If the condition of the pipe is satisfactory (no rust, paint and caulking at the joints are preserved), then one of three solutions is possible:

1. The vertical sewer trunk is inspected completely. If there are no comments, they are left without replacement.
2. In agreement with the owners of all entrance apartments connected to the same sewer pipe, the Housing Office carries out a complete replacement of the sewer riser.
3. If it is not possible to replace the entire barrel, only the damaged area is replaced.

According to building codes, cast iron risers in residential high-rise buildings must be replaced after 25 years of operation or in the event of a pipe failure. But sometimes, for a number of reasons, a riser with tees, even after 40-50 years of operation, remains in good condition and can continue to be used. Experts advise that if the riser is not damaged, do not replace high-quality cast iron with plastic sewerage.

Risers made of PVC, polyisobutylene, polypropylene must be replaced at the slightest damage to the pipe walls.

To complete the preparatory stage, you need to connect the toilet to the tee on the riser and make a temporary connection to the washbasin. It is important that during the period of pipe replacement, the apartment has the opportunity to use a bathroom and toilet.

Types of pipe routing

Inside the apartment, owners can lay pipes in any way they want. But they bear full responsibility for the re-equipment of communications or incorrect replacement in the event of force majeure.

The only exception is the pipes and risers of the central heating system. They can be patched or replaced with blanks with the same flow area, either metal or plastic.

Prohibited in the apartment change risers and water flow diagram. For example, you cannot install heated floors in rooms with water ducts connected to the riser of the central heating system.

Even if there is a heat meter at the entrance to the apartment. Any changes in the heating scheme may result in a fine being imposed by the city heating network.

In apartments they use three pipe layout diagrams:

• tee - for cold/hot water, sewerage, heating;
• collector - for cold, sometimes for hot water;
• parallel-series - for heating large apartments.

The first option is the simplest - one common water supply branch is laid from the riser, to which all consumers are connected through tees. A sewer drain pipe is laid parallel to the water supply lines.

The collector circuit is used for apartments with complex layouts. An inlet valve, a meter, a filter and a collector are connected to the riser, from which water pipes are laid. In this case, a separate water and sewage line is laid for each consumer in the apartment.

The parallel-series circuit is used in apartments with a large living room or in studios.

When is pipe replacement necessary and at whose expense is it carried out?

According to the law, water, heating and drain lines must be completely replaced during major repairs, and also partially in the event of an accident. The period is determined by the type of multi-story building, heating system and water supply. The higher the load on the pipes, the shorter the turnaround period. But in this case we are talking about external communications. Everything inside the apartment must be replaced at the discretion of the homeowners.

According to the law, the housing maintenance office or the association of tenants-owners of apartments in the building are obliged to maintain, repair, and, if necessary, replace the central water supply and sewer riser of the entrance with a pipe outlet to the inlet valve. For sewerage - up to the tee of the common riser.

Therefore, if there is no debt to pay for housing and communal services to the Partnership or the Housing Office, you need to write an application addressed to the manager demanding the replacement of specific pipes in the entrance.

The application must be:

1. Written in a business style, legally competent, understandable language, with the correct use of technical terms and names.
2. Motivated. It is necessary to explain the approximate scope of replacement work and indicate the reasons why this needs to be done urgently.
3. A legal document that contains all the details of the application, the correct name of the organization, and the applicant’s full name.

The document must indicate the deadline for providing a response. The application is sent by mail, with delivery notification. There are no options with e-mail, leaving a request to the secretary or deputy head of the housing office.

Upon request from citizens, a response must be sent within 2 weeks. Usually this is a reply with the assurance that the application has been accepted and will be included in the plan for the next year (half-year). Only the chief engineer of the housing office, employees of the planning department and mechanics know exactly when it is planned to replace pipes in a particular house.

Therefore, before getting involved in paperwork, it is worth talking with plumbers on this issue. If a replacement needs to be carried out in an emergency, then it makes sense to communicate with management personally and explain the situation.

Perhaps take the engineer (chief engineer) to the apartment and show the condition of the pipes at the inlet. The Housing Office budget includes an item for financing emergency facilities, so there is a chance to replace pipes at the input at the expense of utility funds.

Even if the management refused to replace pipes free of charge, you should not engage in correspondence, try to file claims and waste time.It is possible to force the Housing Office by a court decision to carry out a replacement - you need to submit an application. Otherwise, bureaucratic fuss will only become a useless waste of time and effort.

What material to choose for a successful pipe replacement?

The time when plumbing and heating systems were assembled from steel pipes using welding has finally passed. You can also find separate proposals for the assembly of water supply systems from stainless steel, anodized and galvanized pipes.

But to a greater extent, apartment communications are replaced with plastic or metal-plastic. Because assembly by soldering or using fittings turns out to be simpler and more technologically advanced than welding.

Metal-plastic pipes

The technology for arranging a water supply system involves the assembly/joining of individual pipe blanks mechanically, using fittings. It is impossible to solder, weld, or connect metal-plastic pipes to each other in any other way.

The fitting itself is a coupling that is placed on the end of the pipe and crimped with special pliers. The seal is achieved by a rubber cuff inside the part. There are several dozen models of fittings of different shapes and sizes - tees, couplings, elbows, adapters for pipes made of other materials.

It takes an average of 3-5 minutes to install a part with preparation, so the option of replacing an old steel water supply with metal-plastic is considered the fastest and most technologically advanced. The connection reliability is high. If the fitting is installed correctly, the aluminum layer is reliably isolated from water.

The service life depends on the quality of the material. Leading companies producing metal-plastic and fittings offer to replace even central heating pipes.In certificates you can find a service life in apartment conditions of up to 25 years and even 50 years.

It is known from practice that metal-plastic communications in cold water last up to 15 years. After 2-3 years of operation, drops may appear; you have to periodically crimp the sleeve with pliers. This must be taken into account if you plan a replacement with laying metal-plastic in a groove under the plaster.

It is better not to install metal-plastic pipes for heating or hot water - any sealing rubber bands quickly age under the influence of heat and moisture. If you make a replacement, then use stable PP or metal.

The durability of a metal-plastic water supply system depends on two factors:

1. The amount of sand or fine rust in the water. The suspension acts like an abrasive and quickly damages the inner layer of polyethylene. It is necessary to install a filter at the entrance to the apartment with the possibility of periodic washing or replacement.
2. Proper design of pipe bending. If you bend it a little harder along an arc of smaller radius, then the polyethylene will peel off from the aluminum core, and a fistula will form in this place within 4-5 months after replacement.

If you adhere to assembly technology and do not skimp on fittings, a metal-plastic pipe can last at least 10-15 years before replacement.

Polypropylene pipes

The most popular and affordable. Pipe blanks 32x3 mm can be used to replace cold water supply. The same size, but reinforced with aluminum foil or fiberglass, is used for the heating circuit.

If in an apartment geyser installed or an individual heating boiler, then it is quite possible to save money by using ordinary PP pipes rather than reinforced ones for hot water.The material can withstand heating up to 65 ℃ at pressures up to 3 bar. Despite the fact that in reality, water with a temperature of 50 ℃ is already perceived by the skin of the hand as unbearably hot.

For apartment heating pipes, such experiments are not allowed. For replacement, you need to purchase fiberglass or reinforced with foil. There is more fuss with the PP-RCT/AL/PPR pipe, but it lasts longer.

Polypropylene is simply soldered. To master the process, just rent an electric soldering iron and make a few test joints on scraps of material. Polypropylene can be used to replace the central water riser, bends, and any communications inside the apartment.

Polypropylene pipe sections, with a diameter of 50 mm and 100 mm, are almost always used to replace old cast iron sewer pipes. The sewage system is assembled from sections on rubber cuffs, without soldering.

You need to get rid of cast iron sewerage in your apartment at the first opportunity. A polypropylene pipe is practically not subject to clogging, does not become overgrown with fiber, and any problems with grease plugs can be eliminated by washing with boiling water or simply hot water and detergent.

Copper pipes

They are used only for wiring the heating circuit inside the apartment. It is prohibited to use copper pipes to replace drinking water communications due to sanitary and hygienic standards.

Copper is also not convenient for replacing hot water supply. Due to the high thermal conductivity coefficient, copper pipe intensively dissipates heat. For heating the apartment, this does not matter much, and in the case of hot water supply, the water has time to partially cool down.

After replacement, copper communications have to be hidden in polypropylene foam covers. This is done for two reasons:

1. To avoid heat loss on hot water supply lines.
2. Limit air access to cold water pipes, especially in the bathroom and toilet. Otherwise, water condensation will regularly fall on the copper surface.

Copper pipes are often specially used for wiring the heating circuit. For example, the corner location of an apartment on the first floor of a building is characterized by dampness of “blank” walls due to poor waterproofing and insufficient ventilation of the room.

In this case, communications are laid along the wall at a small height above the floor. This is enough to fix the problem.

Copper communications are joined using soldering. The process is complex and requires high-quality solder and a torch. The quality of the connection is high, and the seam is durable. You can make the connection using brass couplings, but in this case the durability and quality of the joint will be at the level of metal-plastic.

The main advantage of using copper is its durability. If the replacement is carried out correctly and the copper communications are not allowed to come into contact with steel or aluminum fittings, then the pipes can last 50-70 years, depending on the soldering method.

Galvanized steel pipes

Before the advent of polypropylene and metal-plastic water pipelines, pipe blanks with a protective coating based on zinc were considered the simplest and most reliable way to defeat the corrosion of steel communications.

Galvanized steel pipes were used for cold and hot water supply and for wiring heating systems.

The cost of blanks with a protective outer layer of zinc was not much more expensive than conventional ones made of low-carbon steel, so the material was purchased whenever possible with the prospect of replacing all communications in the apartment during the first major renovation.

Today, the popularity of galvanizing has decreased slightly:

• high competition from metal-plastic and polypropylene;
• the flow area becomes overgrown with calcium and magnesium salts and rust, just like conventional steel pipes;
• low quality zinc layer;
• difficulties in assembling galvanized water pipes.

Communications from galvanized pipes can be assembled using bends, tees, angles, or using conventional gas welding. Therefore, to replace an old water supply system, you will have to look for brass valves, galvanized fittings, couplings, and nuts.

The best option is to order the production of all parts to size, assemble the water supply system using tee fittings and, if possible, avoid welding. Moreover, after that you will need to protect the weld seam with galvanizing - this is not the most pleasant procedure. You cannot leave it - the welding area will begin to rust. The point of replacing conventional pipes with galvanized ones is lost.

You cannot cook galvanized steel inside an apartment. When heated by a burner, zinc vapor sublimes. The welder, and at the same time the apartment owners, are seriously poisoned. Therefore, all preparation for replacing pipes and pre-assembly must be done outside the living space.

Only simple assembly work is carried out inside the apartment. If you had to weld galvanized pipes, then the zinc coating should be removed 2-3 cm from the edge, and the rest should be wrapped with a wet rag.

To replace it, you will need to find argon or a semi-automatic device in advance. You cannot weld a high-quality seam with ordinary acetylene or electric welding.

If you manage to buy pipes with a high-quality zinc layer, then the new plumbing or heating system will last 20-25 years until the next replacement. It is better not to buy Chinese galvanized blanks. Their zinc layer is thin, porous, and can often be wiped off with your fingers.

How to replace pipes with your own hands

If the preparation has been carried out successfully, the water supply and sewer risers are in order, the outlets with valves for cold and hot water have been replaced, then you can proceed to assembling the water supply and heating systems of the apartment.

The first is to install and seal hot and cold water meters. The faster the Gorvodokanal inspector seals and gives permission for their work, the less you will have to pay for water supply. Until metering devices are installed in the apartment, payments for consumed water and wastewater are carried out according to the average consumption rate, and this is almost two to three times more than according to the meter.

Replacement of water supply pipes

First, you need to make marks on the walls - wherever you need to cut in a tee for diverting to a flexible liner. Make the markings carefully and as accurately as possible. In this case, the rest of the pipe replacement comes down to cutting blanks and soldering (twisting fittings).

To replace, we cut off the old pipes with a grinder, remove them and clean off traces of rust on the walls of the apartment.

From the meters we solder or assemble two horizontal pipes (hot and cold water) on fittings. We do this to the nearest flexible connection point.

At this point, on each of the branches we solder (screw on) a tee coupling. A piece of pipe blank must be soldered into the central outlet to connect a flexible line. We check the position using the marks made earlier on the wall.

We fix the horizontal pipes and vertical bends from the tees to the wall using clamps. In this way, the position of the initial section of the water pipeline is firmly fixed, which makes it possible to insert subsequent tees without fear of displacement (rotation) of already laid pipes. The replacement process can be continued without the risk of breaking the threaded connection on the water meter.

The only thing you need to pay attention to is the installation of branch pipes from the tees on the main line to the installation points of the bathtub mixer. In this case, you need to prepare in advance two sections of pipe with already soldered (screwed in) threaded fittings for the mixer adapter couplings. Make a circle on one. Both sections are cut with allowance for soldering (installation).

Each workpiece is soldered into the tee of the main pipe, strictly controlling the installation height, otherwise the mixer will stand askew after installation on the thread.

Replacement of sewer pipes

Change the sewer It can be done before or after replacing the water supply, it doesn’t really matter. But in some cases it is easier to start with sewer pipes, for example, if the toilet is directly connected through an adapter to a tee on the sewer riser.

In this case, the replacement will have to start from the sewer. There is no other way to access the riser.

The most difficult stage is considered to be dismantling the cast iron adapter (if the old pipes are made of cast iron) from the toilet to the riser. The compact itself is easy to remove; you just need to carefully clean the sealant between the earthenware pipe and the cast iron socket. After dismantling the toilet, we close the hole with a plug made of tightly twisted and tied rags (so that the vacuum does not suck it inside the riser).

The first step is to hammer the cement around the cast iron adapter so that you can gain access to the caulked joint between the bell of the tee on the riser and the end of the insert. Knock down carefully, with light blows with a hammer and a steel screwdriver.

It will be more difficult to remove a mass of caulking. It is carefully picked out with a screwdriver, without solvents or cleaners. The success of sewer replacement often depends on the condition of the tee bowl on the riser. If you managed to pull out the cast iron adapter without splitting it, then further success is guaranteed.

Next, clean the socket from the remnants of the sealing compound, insert a T-shaped tee (one branch pipe to the toilet, the second to the main sewer line) and assemble the sewer pipe from pre-prepared sections.

Don’t forget to insert tees for the washbasin, bathtub, sink, and shower. The sewerage system should be located with a slope of 5^O. The end of the line is closed with a plug.

Replacing heating pipes

Reworking the heating circuit in an apartment is often complicated by the time it takes to complete the work. The replacement will have to be planned for the summer, when there is no water in the heating system. Usually this is July-August.

The replacement scheme depends on the type of pipe blanks. For example, if it is planned to replace the old wiring in an apartment with galvanized pipes, then the procedure will be as follows:

1. For each section, cut out your own workpiece with an allowance for the threads at the ends. The thread length is equal to twice the diameter.
2. Each workpiece will require a set of two threaded elbows with couplings and one fitting for connection to the heating radiator.
3. We cut off the old pipe at a distance of 250 mm from the heating riser. On the radiator, you need to unscrew it with a coccyx wrench.
4. A pipe thread is cut on a piece welded to the riser.This is usually an inch size.
5. We screw the galvanized fitting into the radiator, screw the couplings onto the workpiece from the side of the riser and the heating radiator.
6. We place the winding on the fitting and the thread on the rest of the pipe on the side of the heating riser.
7. We install a new pipe blank instead of the old one and unscrew the couplings to connect to the radiator and riser.

The process is labor-intensive; cutting threads with hand tools in an apartment is difficult and physically difficult. Therefore, on the side of the riser, you can weld a threaded coupling made of ordinary steel and wrap the pipe blank into it without forcing it. Before this, you will have to prepare the apartment, make room, remove flammable objects, and open the windows.

Replacement of pipes in an apartment can be done with polypropylene or metal-plastic. The working pattern is similar to working with steel. Only instead of bends, soldering with couplings or assembly using fittings will be used.

But in any case, you will have to weld the adapter coupling on the cut end of the riser outlet. Next, a metal-plastic fitting or a “fitting-polypropylene coupling” adapter will be installed.

Replacing drain pipes

The drain pipe is considered to be the upper part of the sewer riser, which is responsible for removing gases and equalizing internal pressure at the time of discharge of waste through the pipe. If a large amount of water is drained, then this entire mass acts like a piston.

A zone of low pressure is formed inside the sewer riser; if the vacuum is not compensated, water will be sucked out of the toilet. And after a few seconds, sewer gases will burst into the apartment. If something like this is observed, then you need to urgently submit an application to the housing office to replace the fan. Only plumbers should make the replacement.

Over time, the term fanovaya “stuck” to the name of the sewer riser, it is more convenient and shorter. It is impossible to replace fan pipes with your own hands from inside an apartment.

To do this, you need to at least open several wells in the apartments. The pipes can only be removed from the mounting by a team of several people. This can be done by replacing the entire riser from cast iron to PVC pipes, or by making an insert.

In the latter case, mechanics on the upper floors pull out the adapters leading from the apartment’s sewer system to the riser, hang the entire upper part of the pipe on cables and fix it to prevent the fan from inadvertently lowering. Next, for replacement, the damaged section of the riser is cut out and thrown away, and new sewer sections are installed.

The operation is risky, since there is a risk of destruction of the tees, but it has to be resorted to in situations where one of the apartment owners does not agree to replace the fan.

How much does it cost to replace pipes?

The cheapest option is to replace the sewer system in an apartment from cast iron to plastic. Dismantling and installation costs from 600 rubles. per m.p. Insertion of additional tees from 800 rub. per point. Cleaning from 300 rub. Replacing a tee will cost the most - 1500-2000 rubles. subject to preparation.

The cost of replacing heating communications is calculated based on prices for cold water supply pipes. Typically, the transition to new materials is made when installing individual heating boilers, so the cost of wiring the circuit is included in the overall equipment installation estimate.

Replacing pipes in an apartment is a troublesome, time-consuming process that requires periodic consultations with specialists.The main problem is that each apartment has its own layout and pipe layout. Therefore, it would be right to consult with a master - this will allow you to avoid difficulties during the work process.

Tell us about your experience - what pipes you used to replace old plumbing, heating and sewerage. What problems did you face? Save the material in your bookmarks so that you can re-read it at any time.