Dear sifus,

Sorry for the long post, may I get advise on piping, water tank, water pump and water filter for my home reno.
It’s a sub-sale house which is currently non-tenanted, double semi-D about 4000sf built up with 6 bathrooms, 1 powder room, separate wet kitchen and dry kitchen
Major reno done by previous owner in 2002. I was thinking of re-piping (concealed) my whole house and hot water piping to all showers. Reno would also include rewiring (KIV), retile, built-in, plaster ceiling, repainting whole house, change roof tiles, windows/doors.
This home is for own family long term stay >=20 yrs (likely till the end of my life). 3 adults, 3 primary school going children.

The questions marks that has been bugging me :
1. How do I determine if I need to change all piping, both inlet (cold and hot) and outlet?
Current inlet piping (at least the 2-3 pipes I saw on the roof) is uPVC class 6, and copper piping for hot water.
for the existing uPVC : it's labelled KKK UPVC PIPE BS3505 20mm Class 6
- is uPVC and PVC the same thing? I read it’s different, but in Malaysia context seems to be similar)pic below


2. If I do go ahead and change the piping, what types of pipe should I go with for inlet piping?
Option 1: cold : PVC class 6 or 7 + hot water = PPR or copper or others?
Option 2: full PPR for both cold and hot (it’s about 2-3x the price compared to option 1: PVC + PPR?)
Option 3: HDPE polypipe for whole house? (sounds extremely expensive)
Option 4: Buteline for whole house? (sounds extremely expensive)
Option 5: any suggestions? I cant afford to budget the most “expensive” or” best” piping available, but I’m ok with something better than average and not having to worry about frequent leaking problems and end up hacking the tiles/walls every 1-2 years to fix it.

3. Outlet piping – not much local info I could find, should I be particular about what kind of outlet piping I should go with? Same concept as inlet piping?

4. Which type of fitting/joint should I go with? I read from many sifus here that the joints and fittings are really crucial as it’s the highest chance of leak if poor quality/poor workmanship (even more crucial than the pipes itself if at least PVC class 6 pipes is used).
Should I go with SS? Copper? or others?

5. What is the big white pipe?



6. I read on LY forum about auto back-up piping (cant seem to find this post anymore, what is this is for?) and non-return valve at water inlet (to prevent dry burn if I install storage heater or solar heater) : I should have my plumber installs this as well in my water system right?

7. Water tank – I saw 7 water tanks in at the roof top

- is this overkill?
- how do I determine if it’s still usable?
- if I want to replace it, should I go with poly or SS? I think I’ll need at least 1500-2000L

8. Keep or replace this 7 year old Grundfos? Seem to be working, based on the sound I hear while in the roof and also 1-2 sinks I turned on had high pressure
(please refer next post - restriction of pics I can post due to my newbie LY status)

9. water filter : I’m planning to get :
Outdoor “sand” filter x 1 (something like this tinyurl.com/wpjva9f8 or should I invest in expensive branded ones like GE?)
+ undersink 3M waterfilter for wet kitchen (3M)
+ dry kitchen (3M)
+ LG puricare (LG puricare)
With the dry kitchen 3M model above + LG puricare, should be safe to drink directly even for children right?
Is this adequate?
Any other brands/model recommended?

TQ very very much for any input!

existing 7 year old grundfos - replace? or keep till broken?

May want to see if you can relocate the 13A SSO for the pump to a higher mounting spot (away and above from the water pipe, where reasonably practical, if possible), coz putting anything below water pipe is also risky if it leaks - as you won't be climbing up everyday to inspect.

Just curious, why do you want to change all piping if there is no leaking and fully usable?
The same goes for the pump.... and for pump, it is even easier to replace.. so might as well continue to use it.
As for the water tank, if you are in Selangor area, keep it, it is never overkill, you don't know when the next water disruption. Just clean and wash the tank up will do. By the way, you might also want to know how the water tank and pipe is being routed. Does the pump get water from all the tank or some is left idle?

Item 1 to 8 ...... leave it alone.

Btw, is never easy to remove or add water storage tanks in between roof and ceiling. If you intend to replace the wooden roof truss to steel and change all roof tiles, then go ahead and include piping change.

Concerned about "lifespan" and wear/tear of PVC pipe and poly tank.
How to determine:
1. Leaking : gotta get a plumber to check? or recommended DIY method? worried that it's a big area 4000sf, I would not be doing a good job at checking.
2. Fully usable :
- inlet : just have to turn on each tap right?
- outlet: overflow/keep water running to the outlet to see if it clogs?

Noted on the pipe routing, will check. thanks!

Poly tanks generally will be very long lasting if is not store under direct sunlight .... same as pvc piping.

Leaking of pvc piping normally happens at joint areas .... elbows or connectors if is not secured properly with pvc or metal clips. During high pressure water movement, those loose piping will tend to vibrate and overtime it leaks. Seldom do wall conceal pvc piping leaks unless there is ground movement.

Honestly, there is nothing to check unless there is a leak. A plumber will normally advise to change if owner is worried.

A new setup wont guarantee no leak if is poor workmanship.

The lifespan of pipe and tanks are way longer as mentioned by other forumers as well, no worries

It is very easy to determine is there is leak in your water pipe for those that have pump
First you need to ensure all your piping route, if they all get the water from pump, then easy peasy. Just on your pump and check the water pressure gauge if it drops rapidly or the pump keeps running even all the tap is close. If the water pressure can hold and the pump is not running when all tap is close... then there is no leak. Thus no changes required

Yes... spend some money to get a plumber to check and draw out the full piping route for you. The pump, the non-return valve... the hot water piping... the pipe size and material, even to the kitchen and garden pipe which usually contacts directly to the main.

For usable, turn on the tap, check the water pressure, check the mixer, hot and cold water funtioning...
For overflow, just press the floating ball valve and see that if the tank is full, can the water overflow successfully.... as you have 7 tanks, you need to know how the tank is routed, are then link or operate individually and check them one by one... again, get the plumber to do the test from you while he is checking the full house routing.
Besides, that, also check the emergency release valve is operation by letting water flow out from the bottom of the tank....

Basically that's it. Once you have the full route of your piping, then you can share and more information or guidance can be provided.

very useful info. TQVM for your advise! mini orchard cdspins

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This post has been edited by mini orchard: May 12 2021, 06:10 AM