No bro. SS is better. Copper not only cannot take too acidic but also too alkaline. the water acidity level exceeds either side of 6.5 to 8.5 pH should not be used. You can see some blue/green residue. ss can take much higher acid and alkaline level.

ss is harder and copper is expensive.

Since copper is one of the best heat conductor you lose heat easily from you hot water and it means waste of energy thru out the years. See if your copper pipe is connected to the hot tank, at night the copper is "taking" conduct away the heat and heat lost accelerated as compare to ss. On top of that the copper pipe is thicker mean more heat is transfer and lost.

The advantage of copper is it can be bend quite easily and make it flexible for small curve and adjustment. for example when your pipe coming down straight and you find that it is a little to the right, you can bend anywhere along the pipe to be a little to the left.

Of course there are many advantages of copper but here is just comparing to ss.

I am renovating my house and changing all inlet water pipings.

Initial thought was all using poly pipe. My contractor now HIGHLY recommend to use ABS (blue). I have open a topic yesterday and just found this.

According to him, termites will attack poly pipe, that happended to his house (he sounded very real) but not ABS. Any comment? This is my first time hearing this "fact"

I asked a sample blue pipe from him and found that it is not of BBB nor PALING, thinking a way to turn down his "suggestion"...

The reason using poly aginst any other pipes is because you can have one long pipe without connection. It is the connection/joints that usually give you problems, leak and no properly seal with sufficinet glue or strenght. Poly also allow you to turn corner in this long distant length.

I cannot comment on termite attacking poly pipe. I thought termite eat only wood? Terminte might use the pipe channel between the pipe and the wall getting to your house when it is not compact enough due to some movement of the pipe when during concrete curing time like someone kick the pipe or move the pipe.

Ya, termites attack poly pipe, asked a few friends and no one heard of it. Anyhow, this will not be the draw back to choose poly material.

I prefer poly pipe simply because it is flexible (than rigid abs), bend-able (to certain extend) and most importantly it does not rely on gum to seal but thread. I think above reasons make me feel more comfortable to conceal it in the wall, since wall/ground does "move a little bit" from time to time. Is my "theory" correct? Should i "hold tight" on these points and insist using poly pipe for my house?

On the other hands, i hope to copy ozak's way in doing backup supply for kitchen, i.e. bypassing from tank to tank's inlet. But can someone tell me how is the piping size like should be for the whole house?

@Ozak: You did mentioned "the check valve and the rest of the pipe are 1 1/2". This means ALL FOR THE BYPASS SYSTEM, is it? And the check valve near meter should be 3/4" (follow main)?

So far after reading from page 1, what i could understand is: The main (meter-tank) should be 3/4", then tank to kitchen and baths should be 1/2". If higher flow is desired for bath, then tank to kitchen use 1/2" but use 3/4" or 1" for bath. Someone please advise if I got the info correct.

I guess the best is use poly pipe from meter all the way to the kicthen pipe. Than T out from the wall to the tank. This is the most secure from leaking cause by ground movement and impact. No joint at the ground and pressure not drop due to joint. The rest for bathroom and etc, can use PVC. Don't use ABS or PVC for the ground. The glue joint just unsecure enough.

The main pipe is 1" all the way till the tank. The rest I guess is 3/4" or 1/2". This is the original pipe size when brought the house. I didn't modify it beside adding the backup line. For backup line pipe size, I follow what is the main pipe size.

I find back the water supply plan. You can modify it to suit your house. This is an old 14yrs plan.
 House_Main_Water_Supply.pdf ( 25.1k ) Number of downloads: 978


1 item you need to modify from the plan is the "water tank inlet tap" to the water tank. Change it to ball valve. You probably don't need the bypass valve and the water filter for the tank. Skip that 1. Add a tap there for tank maintainance. All this is 1" pipe.

guys, on tank which one is better, fiberglass or those stainless steel?

According to some contractors....

Stainless Steel can last like "forever" ...if it is installed under the roof in a covered area..not sure how true..but the cost is also massive compared to the cheaper black ones...

Nobody use fiberglass anymore. For better cost, poly tank.

SS too expensive. Unless you don't mind.

Ozak, just out of curiousity...if SS is installed between the roof trust and roof tiles...can the trust take the weight? since SS is heavier?

oh poly now coz my over 20 years house the contractor says is fiber...

SS so tall how can be under the roof? I usually see outside and I think its unsightly...wonder how they clean inside the SS.

oh bro...got some can fit in the roof one...there are a few types of SS shapes I noticed :-

1) Round like space ship
2) vertical standing
3 Horizontal
4) Custom made ..sure very ex

If wood trust, better don't try.

Why you need a SS tank? It is overkill. You not using the water for drink.

The poly tank already last me 14yrs till now. And abuse from sun and rain. No problem.

agree la....10 years also cukup la...thanks guys...

Save the money and belanja me teh tarik.

teh tarik is small matter la..wait until my reno siap...meantime might still seek guidance in this great forum....

This post has been edited by mywii: Apr 20 2012, 11:04 AM

thank you for the drawings.

1. According to my plumber, my house reno but never involve front portion of the house, i.e. living hall. Therefore, i have to lay main straight to tank. Correct?

2. He will use poly 1" pipe. for above.

3. From main (on the roof, before tank), branch out to kitchen and bathrooms (ya, all 3 bathrooms). He will install a check valve here so that when no water from main, water from tank flow to kitchen and bath. Correct? Should add a check valve at main after meter/outdoor filter to protect it from back flow?

4. He proposed to use blue ABS 1" though my initial plan was using poly 1/2". I like to have that 1" pipe for all kitchen and bathroom cause i hope to get higher water flow. But material wise...

@ozak: from your reply, can see you prefer pvc over abs. any particular reason? To me they are just the same. Both rely on glue for sealing, rigid etc. For household use, i seriously do not think there will be a need to prevent acid or chemical attacks. So till now, my question is unanswered.

5. Now i re-think, during water cut only we will use tank water. This means water that we use that time is "not fresh". So we treat it as "back up/emergency use for kitchen only"?

too much questions but still hope you guys would advise

Just follow my plan. Can your plumber understand the plan?

Lay the poly 1" pipe from the meter to the tank. Than T out at the wall to the kitchen before to the tank (kicthen side). Another T out at the tank side for the backup line. The pipe to the kicthen and the tank consider as a main pipe. So it is poly 1" pipe. The poly pipe as main pipe cause flexible and no joint at the ground. Save from any chemical too.

Than all the bathroom can use PVC either 3/4" or 1/2" (no problem if you prefer bigger pipe). PVC or ABS depend which 1 cheaper. The bathroom all using the water from the tank. The pipe conceal in the wall have much stable and won't move. So pipe joint glue should be ok.

If your bathroom also using main water, your tank water will be dead. All the bathroom use tank water and just the kitchen from the main.

i am thinking 2 pipe to each bathroom. one to toilet bowl and one to basin + shower. Reason - no need to wait after flushed toilet to take shower. Correct ar?

can also...

but your running pipe ontop the ceiling should be big 1" or more..

Normally and logically this is pipe sizing for home in malaysia.

1. The incoming pipe from water work before meter is 3/4 inch.
2. Going into the meter is half inch size with a lenght of approximately 1 foot in length.
3. Due to high pressure 3/4 inch pipe before meter it is logically to have 3/4 inch pipe from meter into the house than to use half inch pipe so that the pressure is not affected. It serve no purpose to have bigger size pipe than 3/4 as it is not going to help increasing the in coming pressure neither will 3/4 inch pipe reduces the water pressure even when it branches to kitchen and up to tank. But having bigger than 3/4 size pipe does no harm.
4. From the tank to the bathroom is a different story. Depending on how many per outlet from the tank serves the pipe from tank has to be at least 3/4 size pipe per bathroom as it is place flat.
5. Then as it come down to the bathroom with the help of gravity the rush of water the pressure increases so reduced to size of pipe to half inch is ideal. It is not necessary using biger size like 3/4 inch pipe. By doing so you got the extra unncessary work to have pipe reducer from 3/4 inch to half inch as the tap and outlets accepts only half inch pipe. More so when it is concealed you dont want to hack bigger than necessary channel for the pipe.