If you’re just getting accustomed to home repair or wanting to change out something in your house, it’s good to know what you should look out for.
Which kinds of pipes are better and why? Additionally, you may wonder if you can glue different types of PVC together.
Many of your local plumbing codes will prohibit ABS and PVC piping from being connected, not to mention that gluing a pipe is inferior to connecting them with connectors. You could glue black PVC to white PVC in theory, but it depends on which kind of PVC you want to use.
There are several options and some sites will tell you that PVC is safer than other piping, but the real question is which kind of PVC.
There are many kinds of vinyl tubing with varying sizes and flexibility and gluing a pipe is not as safe as using connectors. It would also depend on how you feel about BPA in your water.
Why Use Plastic Pipes?
Plastic pipes are great for indoor and outdoor use.
They’ve become a very popular option for new houses since they were created and perfected. We have many different types of plastic piping options for all kinds of needs.
Unlike metal piping they’re easy to install, they cost less, there’s no need for extra coating on them like painting or finishes, they’re resistant to flaking and corrosion, and they’re simply easier to manufacture.
The downside of non-metallic pipes like PVC is that they are weaker in some aspects. They have a lower heat and cold tolerance and they don’t hold up as well under pressure.
Is Black PVC the Same as White?
PVC
PVC stands for Polyvinyl Chloride. It’s a chemical compound that is plasticized when it’s created. Now, let’s be clear here that there are many kinds of PVC out there such as CPVC and uPVC which will be discussed below.
As far as standard PVC goes, it’s the most universal plastic used for households, gardens, lawns, repairs, etc.
- It’s usually white, although, other colors exist.
It’s a durable plastic that is usually used in the US for indoor plumbing and outdoor projects like gates, but some homeowners would be advised to only use it for drains, wastewater, and electric wire insolation because some types of PVC have been known to contain BPA.
Plumbers prefer it over ABS because it is soundproof which is great for indoor plumbing where it mutes the water noises that other piping will have.
White standard PVC is different from ABS in that it needs to be primed before one can cement-glue two pieces together. ABS only requires cement gluing.
ABS
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is the full name of ABS plastic.
The plastic tubes are used usually for deep underground plumbing. ABS is shock-resistant and resistant to extreme cold.
ABS doesn’t rot, wear out, or decay like other plastics, and it can handle direct sunlight. It’s best used as underground piping, runoff, and wastewater piping.
The downside of ABS is that it’s more widely known to contain BPA or Bisphenol-A.
Bisphenol A is a chemical that gives these vinyls their flexibility and turns them into plastics. BPA is a bit controversial as it has been known to cause harm.
Many European countries have banned plastics that contain BPA including ABS or PVC as it has been known to give off toxic fumes when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Check out this YouTube video fro further information on PVC pipes
Can You Get Black Plastic PVC Pipe?
The answer is yes, but probably not the way that you would think. Black PVC pipe comes in different lengths, flexibility, and durability to serve in a variety of functions.
Black PVC for yard and garden
There is black PVC that, unlike ABS, is flexible and can be coiled up like a water hose for sale, and uncoiled and cut so that you can add it wherever you need.
It works just like regular PVC in that it can be used for pools, gardens, hot tubs, lawn care, or for any other outdoor purpose where rigid piping would not be appropriate or desirable.
Black PVC for furniture
There is another type of black PVC that’s made for furniture use, such as shelving, chairs, or supports, but that wouldn’t be appropriate for running water through, but this kind of PVC is rigid and durable for home use.
What is uPVC?
UPVC (Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride) is similar to PVC.
It is hard but it’s known to be safer because it doesn’t contain the same phthalates as PVC. Because of this many households have demanded uPVC pipes in their homes, but manufacturers have been finding safer substitutes for the phthalates found in PVC.
Another thing that uPVC is more commonly used for is plastic paneling for covering houses and doors and garden fixtures. It’s also able to be recycled to create new plastics.
Can you Glue uPVC to a PVC Pipe?
The pipes should not ever be glued together if they can be connected with a connecter. There are some circumstances where a person might have no choice but to glue the two ends together, but that is not advisable if you want your connection to hold long-term.
PVC is glued together with cement, or a special chemical compound that softens the surface of the PVC which allows it to adhere to the glue and connect to another piece of PVC.
Unfortunately, uPVC is a different kind of plastic. It needs to be glued together differently. The kind of glue for uPVC would be something called a UV Curable adhesive which will bind to the uPVC’s surface.
Although you probably won’t have much success gluing the two plastics together, you could conceivably connect them if they are the right size with a PVC connector.
It’s another piece of plastic that’s thicker and more durable than the pipes. They will slide into the connector perfectly if you have the right size and you won’t need to worry about leaks or the pipes slipping apart like you would with glue.
If you’re unsure of the right sizes or which pipe you have, the kind and size of pipe will be labeled on the outside for the length of the pipe so that you know what you’re working with. It’s important to know the two sizes first.
