Thread: PVC water lines inside the footprint

I itemized a plumbing system last week that had PVC for the cold water lines. I noted that PVC is not allowed inside the house. It was not leaking and it was a neat job. The house was built in 1989. Seller is hopping mad as the buyer wants it replaced.
But I cannot find a solid resource to cite on my behalf.
It did pass a municipal inspection (sic).
This is North Carolina and I thought I had the appropriate code book but God knows where.

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Originally Posted by Jeffrey L. Mathis

I itemized a plumbing system last week that had PVC for the cold water lines. I noted that PVC is not allowed inside the house. It was not leaking and it was a neat job. The house was built in 1989. Seller is hopping mad as the buyer wants it replaced.
But I cannot find a solid resource to cite on my behalf.
It did pass a municipal inspection (sic).
This is North Carolina and I thought I had the appropriate code book but God knows where.

Do you have any idea what code they may have been under? Maybe you can ask the AHJ and see if they have a record back that far. As for it not being allowed now ,well it is! Certain areas may restrict it,s use ,but as for water distribution piping it isapproved material. I have a 91 UPC and will look at their requirements, not that it helps. Just curious now.

Originally Posted by Jeffrey L. Mathis

It did pass a municipal inspection (sic).
This is North Carolina and I thought I had the appropriate code book but God knows where.

No, I bet it didn't. I would say that the project was never permitted.

I'm pretty sure it was permitted. You could not get electrical hook up without a CO then or now. But I can recount some pretty egregious misses by the municipal inspectors and they were not liable. It would have been easily missed in '89 by a lazy inspector.
jlmathis

North Carolina was under the SBCCI Standard Codes before SBCCI became the ICC with the other model codes, I can't find my 1988 SPC (Standard Plumbing Code), but I do have my 1991 SPC:
- 1210.1.1 Above Ground - Material for water-distribution pipes and tubing shall be brass, copper water tube minimum type M, stainless steel water tube minimum Grade H, cast iron pressure pipe, galvanized steel, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), polybutylene (PB) plastic pipe or tubing, all to be installed with approved fittings; except that changes in direction in copper tube (ASTM B 88) may be made with bends having a radius of not less than four diameters of the tube, providing that such bends are made by use of forming equipment which does not deform or create a loss in cross-sectional area of the tube.

PVC is not included in that list.

There are no 'new' indication markings alongside that code, as such that indicates that the section was unchanged from the previous code (i.e., that the 1988 SPC was the same).

Thanks.

jlm

Here is the table from the NC plumbing code of allowed piping. It seems you are correct.

The table is from the 2009 code. I found a 1980 NC Plumbing Code book and it is was not allowed then either.

Originally Posted by James Duffin

Here is the table from the NC plumbing code of allowed piping. It seems you are correct.

The table is from the 2009 code. I found a 1980 NC Plumbing Code book and it is was not allowed then either.

Good find James. I obviously didn,t have my head in my answer. I meant water service piping. I,ll blame it on the heat!

Last I knew in my county it was not allowed within 10' of the house.

Originally Posted by Rodger McBride

I meant water service piping.

The codes allow PVC for water service piping UP TO the wall of the structure, but not in or through the wall of the structure (which includes a foundation wall/basement wall/crawl space wall).