Uponor pipe inside PVC or conduit

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David S

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Hello! Simple question but wanted y’all’s thoughts. I have a 1” uponor pipe running to my Texas coastal stilt home. It’s going to run up a piling to the home that is 12 ft in the air. I don’t want to leave it exposed to elements, pipe wrap will break down in the sun so I was thinking of running it through PVC (white) or PVC conduit to protect it and keep it out of sight. Thoughts?
 

JoeJee

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Fine to run it in pvc conduit. 1” will be a pain to run if you have any bends to go through unless you are using a big pvc pipe. Inspector is likely to require grey pvc for anything above ground or in concrete but check with your local people first.
 

David S

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Fine to run it in pvc conduit. 1” will be a pain to run if you have any bends to go through unless you are using a big pvc pipe. Inspector is likely to require grey pvc for anything above ground or in concrete but check with your local people first.
Thank you sir! It’s a straight drop down and thought of using pvc conduit with one long 90 at the bottom to run towards meter. Appreciate the reply!
 

Jeff H Young

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I pretty sure Ca plumbing code or UPC has some code that says you must use a conduit approved for potable water
 

JoeJee

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Go for 2" electrical conduit with a decent radius sweep where you need a 90. And label it as not electrical. : -)

Cheers, Wayne

2” works great for 3/4 pex. That is what I have. Might be a bit of a workout with 1” pex and a long sweep 90. Test it out first if you can.
 

Breplum

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Jeff H Young is correct that UPC requires PEX to be run in pipe that is approved for potable water. So, that leaves Sch 40 but you are better off in Sch 80 in that harsh location.
 

wwhitney

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Jeff H Young is correct that UPC requires PEX to be run in pipe that is approved for potable water. So, that leaves Sch 40 but you are better off in Sch 80 in that harsh location.
That is a California amendment to the UPC, note 3 to Table 604.1, which reads:

"When PEX tubing is placed in soil and is used in potable water systems intended to supply drinking water to fixtures or appliances, the tubing or piping shall be sleeved with a material approved for potable water use in soil or other material that is impermeable to solvents or petroleum products."

Cheers, Wayne
 

Brandon Weiss

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I just did this on my build a few days ago! We did a 1" PEX A (Uponor) line sleeved in 1-1/2" schedule 40 PVC, but we also didn’t have any bends.

I’d highly recommend buying some different sized PVC and fittings and experimenting first. Maybe two 45° bends in 1-1/2" will work, or maybe one 90° bend in 2" will do it. Then you can return what you don’t need.

If you have to go bigger on the pipe, depending on the distance you might be able to save some money by transitioning to bigger pipe and fittings just through the bend.

Also check your local code—I had to run blue tracer wire along the pipe so it can be located later. That’s probably a good idea even if your code doesn’t require it.
 
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