Preferred service connection?

[TheGewp]

I am getting ready to repipe my house (currently 45 y/o galvanized) with pex. The service line from the meter to the house was replaced sometime before i bought the house and they used 3/4in PVC. I was wondering if there was a preferred way to connect the pex with a shutoff valve between them. I was hoping to use a union on the PVC side so i dont have to cut it again if something changes or needs repair, but looks like that's against code? I'd like to use brass for the valve, can i use a PVC MIP to FIP brass ball valve? Or is there a PVC-brass go between i would need? Thanks for any help.

 

[Terry]

The ball valve will be FIP, which works well with MIP plastic.
A one bath home gets by with 3/4" but not a two bath. The cost difference between 3/4" and 1" was almost nothing.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[TheGewp]

My house has 2 full baths. I plan on using 1" pex for my trunk with 1/2" to fixtures and 3/4" to the outside bibs. Do you mean i should consider replacing the 3/4" PVC from the meter that the water company put in?

 

[Terry]

Do you mean i should consider replacing the 3/4" PVC from the meter that the water company put in?

You can get by, but it isn't code. By get by, I mean you will still have water, maybe not for everything to be used at once, which is what the recent codes are good for. If you were to replace, then yes, it should be larger. An expansion tank on the system helps a lot to buffer things.
For a bathroom, I run 3/4" on cold and 1/2" for a single bath on hot.
1/2" won't do both bathrooms on hot.
https://terrylove.com/watersize.htm

 

[TheGewp]

Well that's a bummer. I was hoping the volume issue was the crusty old pipes. The current galvanized is a 3/4" trunk with 1/2" branch lines. So safe to say i can replace the galvanized and still function, then at some point replace the service line for a volume boost?

 

[Terry]

I would size according to the charts on the link. At some future time, you can change the service if needed. But any new stuff should be current code.
It's also about friction loss. Small pipes slow things down a lot.

 

[TheGewp]

I always do things to code. I'll be pulling a permit for this and having it inspected. Thanks for the help!

 

[TheGewp]

One more question: I bought a pressure gauge and tested my lines and i'm getting around 80 PSI, does that change anything on your pipe sizing page? I saw that was for 40-60 PSI. Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

Next, try the pressure gauge while drawing water at various places.

Then move the pressure gauge, and take more readings. You can try a laundry tap, an outside spigot, and the drain line on the WH. With the results of your test, you can make some inferences as to where your restrictions are.

With 80 PSI, that should be able to overcome some restriction.

 

[TheGewp]

My outside spigot is about 3ft from the service entrance. I'm mainly just checking to see what i'm getting from the street as i'm going to replace everything. Current restrictions shouldn't exist after the repipe i would assume.

 

[Reach4]

I'm mainly just checking to see what i'm getting from the street

So what do you get from the street when you run the tub and sinks full blast?

 

[TheGewp]

About 45 PSI with hot and cold running on the tub, one sink, the washer and a toilet flush. I left the gauge on the spigot to see what the morning routine reveals.