Within the last few months, we had our old jet pump replaced with a submersible. Our pressures shot up, and everything has been good. The current issue is we have a plumbing nightmare. Mismatched lines (1/2" main to 3/8 on hot line) and we lose pressure since everything is basically shared with 1/2" copper mains. We also will be adding a 2nd bathroom upstairs, so our plumbing will not support the usage. My plan initially was to remove all of the old copper, keep all the stubs at the fixtures and put in PEX. Currently the line after the pressure tank is 3/4" PEX. I initially wanted to do 1" main for a trunk then go 1/2" off the main for each fixture, but then I saw inline manifolds and a home run system. If I'm thinking right, even if a 3/4 PEX line entered a manifold, I still would see pressure loss if 2 or more fixtures were being used correct? I did a rough drawing of the downstairs of our home (it's a very old Victorian) to show the layout and where the water heater, pressure tank and water softener sit in the basement. At this point, I'm not sure what would be the best layout and size for our home. The 2nd bathroom would go above the den in the photo. I'm not afraid to do the plumbing (I've done 90 percent of the remodels here), but I'm not sure what would be the most efficient layout for usage (family of 5). Any help would be appreciated!
Plumbing layout/PEX questions
- Thread starter laynes69
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3/4" will work for a one bath home run in copper. PEX is a little smaller diameter. Normally I will run up to two fixtures on 1/2", that would be like a tub and a lav.
I would bump to 1" off you main before breaking things down., 1" will work for up to three bathrooms, kitchen, washer and hosebibs.
I would bump to 1" off you main before breaking things down., 1" will work for up to three bathrooms, kitchen, washer and hosebibs.
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So my next question. A homerun system sounds good, but running mulitport tees off a main would still produce the same results correct, or a manifold inline, as long as the supply still remains sufficient enough? We can shower and run the washer now, however I want a system that allows everything to operate as planned. Everything now is copper, and I feel like I would go backwards with PEX, however doing research says otherwise. And the 1" you are talking about is PEX right?
For the upstairs bathroom you want at least dedicated 1/2" lines.
I would give the washer it's own 1/2" line.
I would give the washer it's own 1/2" line.
So after much debate in my head, I decided to repipe (repair) the plumbing in copper. Since the 3/4 pex they put in after the water main tied to 1/2 copper, then reduced to 3/8 for the hot main, I'm putting in a 3/4 copper main and branching 1/2 for individual fixtures. I'm part way done, and I've noticed an improvement at the kitchen when the washer is running, but now my water will not clear up. If I can guess, is the increased flow causing the resin in the softener to loosen? I'm regenerating now and the water coming out looks like coffee.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
With the original, quite small line, your water velocity and volume may not have been able to backflush the softener very well. My guess is that what you're seeing is years of accumulated crud that is now being flushed out with the new, larger lines with higher flow and less pressure drop.
I'm regenerating the softener now. I do think it should've ran through the rinse cycle longer initially, but I dont know enough about softeners to get too specific on settings. I figured what you said would about be the case, but I wasnt sure. I did notice initially the kitchen sink and tub were much lower however when the softener went into bypass mode during regen, the pressures picked back up. It's been quite a rollercoaster since we've upgraded the pump and now plumbing. Many, many years of stuff to remove.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Let us know if things improve. Note also that the pipes themselves can accumulate a coating over the years. You will tend to notice that more after you have turned the water off and drained the lines. That rush of water back into them dislodges some of that crud. This is one reason why most water utilities periodically go out and open fire hydrants...to flush the lines out of accumulated crud. Their high capacity causes the water to flow faster than normal, and flushes out that crud. A side benefit is that the pumping losses are reduced (very slightly) since there's less friction for awhile before it builds back up.
Well, after a long day, I'm done! I turned on the tub, flushed the toilet and turned on the vanity and no changes in pressure. It costs me around 400 total. I also have alot of old soft copper to scrap. I ran about 80' in 3/4 copper. Still I cant believe the difference.
