off-grid Mud building
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Connecting PVC Water Pipes and Taps
A Total Beginners' Guide to PVC Push-Fittings and Taps
Right, before we start, if you’re a handy person you can stop reading now. This isn’t for you. This is for the whole cohort of us non-handy folk – people who’ve never been shown the basics – who are tired of scrolling through Youtube videos that appear to be training plumbers in quantum pipe theory, rather than just showing us some simple how-to. This is a survival plumbing post for off-grid folk in remote areas, not designer plumbing with copper pipes for your nice urban home.
Fitting PVC pipe joints is a five minute job. It’s not something you should normally need to get a plumber out for. It’s probably going to take a lot longer for them to arrive than for you to do it yourself. So here you go, how to do it:
Right, before we start, if you’re a handy person you can stop reading now. This isn’t for you. This is for the whole cohort of us non-handy folk – people who’ve never been shown the basics – who are tired of scrolling through Youtube videos that appear to be training plumbers in quantum pipe theory, rather than just showing us some simple how-to. This is a survival plumbing post for off-grid folk in remote areas, not designer plumbing with copper pipes for your nice urban home.
Fitting PVC pipe joints is a five minute job. It’s not something you should normally need to get a plumber out for. It’s probably going to take a lot longer for them to arrive than for you to do it yourself. So here you go, how to do it:
Not the prettiest tap, but it does the job. And that's what you need when you're off-grid.
Which size pipe?
Most external water pipes that I’ve seen in both Turkey and Europe are PVC. And the two most common pipe sizes you’ll be dealing with if this is a non-industrial garden type job are 20mm (1/2 inch) and 25mm (3/4 inch). You can choose which size. Obviously the larger size is less prone to blockage. But for the record, I’ve got a 20mm pipe running through my land, and it’s ample for my needs.
Most external water pipes that I’ve seen in both Turkey and Europe are PVC. And the two most common pipe sizes you’ll be dealing with if this is a non-industrial garden type job are 20mm (1/2 inch) and 25mm (3/4 inch). You can choose which size. Obviously the larger size is less prone to blockage. But for the record, I’ve got a 20mm pipe running through my land, and it’s ample for my needs.
How to connect a push fit pipe joint
So you have a single pipe, and you want to make it two pipes. Or three. Or you want to fix a tap onto the end of a pipe. What you need in all these cases is a push-fit connection. You can get T joint connections (three exits) or cross joint connections (four exits), but the fitting works the same. And I made those names up because I'm not a plumber.
Whatever your pipe size, that’s the size joint or tap joint you are going to need. So, if you have a 20mm (1/2 inch) pipe, don’t buy a 25mm joint. It’s not going to work. How do you know your pipe size if it’s already installed? It’s usually written on the side of the pipe (see above photo of 20mm pipe).
So you have a single pipe, and you want to make it two pipes. Or three. Or you want to fix a tap onto the end of a pipe. What you need in all these cases is a push-fit connection. You can get T joint connections (three exits) or cross joint connections (four exits), but the fitting works the same. And I made those names up because I'm not a plumber.
Whatever your pipe size, that’s the size joint or tap joint you are going to need. So, if you have a 20mm (1/2 inch) pipe, don’t buy a 25mm joint. It’s not going to work. How do you know your pipe size if it’s already installed? It’s usually written on the side of the pipe (see above photo of 20mm pipe).
A PVC push-fit T joint
A two-way push-fit joint to connect two pipes together.
Tap joints work in exactly the same way. Some are curved. Some are straight. Some have brackets that you can nail into walls, but the defining characteristic of a tap joint is that it has a thread to screw the tap into.
A PVC push fit tap joint
How to Fix a PVC Push-Fit Connection
1. Turn the water off (unless you need a quick shower, which hey if you're off-grid and still on pipework, you may).
2. All push-fit joints work the same way. You unscrew one end of the joint, shove the end of pipe in, screw it up, and away you go...well that's the theory, isn't it? But having had the same issue twice now, and spending a good twenty minutes trying to work out why the damn joint is leaking like crazy, I will tell you what no Youtube video will.
2. All push-fit joints work the same way. You unscrew one end of the joint, shove the end of pipe in, screw it up, and away you go...well that's the theory, isn't it? But having had the same issue twice now, and spending a good twenty minutes trying to work out why the damn joint is leaking like crazy, I will tell you what no Youtube video will.
It should be a case of unscrewing the joint, ramming the PVC pipe in to the end and screwing it back up...
Inside that joint there is a rubbery washer, a plastic ring fitting, and a pipe bracket (shown left to right in the photo below)
To prevent leaking, all three of those things need to be outside your pipe like this:
4. Now you can screw it on and it will work just fine. Boom! You have connected a push-fit joint. Cool huh?
How to Fit a Tap into a PVC Joint
One end of the tap joint has that washer and plastic fitting malarkey where you attach the pipe into. The other has a thread in one end that the tap screws into. So once you've attached the pipe into one end of that joint, just screw the tap in the other end. So easy.
How to Fit a Tap into a PVC Joint
One end of the tap joint has that washer and plastic fitting malarkey where you attach the pipe into. The other has a thread in one end that the tap screws into. So once you've attached the pipe into one end of that joint, just screw the tap in the other end. So easy.
Once you've attached your tap to your pipe via the push-fit connection, you are ready for the higher risk pursuit. You can insert that bit of pipe into a T joint. And then insert the T joint into your main water pipe.
Cutting PVC pipe
Officially, there are special pipe cutters. Me? I sawed mine, because that’s what I had to hand. Seemed to work OK:) But of course that may be why I had to fiddle with the fittings a bit more. But I'm guessing I'm not the only one who isn't going to waste money and time purchasing pipe cutters just to add a garden tap. Others have mentioned that pocket knives and hacksaws do the job well, and create a cleaner cut (thanks Ardhan:))
Cutting PVC pipe
Officially, there are special pipe cutters. Me? I sawed mine, because that’s what I had to hand. Seemed to work OK:) But of course that may be why I had to fiddle with the fittings a bit more. But I'm guessing I'm not the only one who isn't going to waste money and time purchasing pipe cutters just to add a garden tap. Others have mentioned that pocket knives and hacksaws do the job well, and create a cleaner cut (thanks Ardhan:))
How to Stop the Tap Leaking
OK now the test. Go and turn on your water. You’ll probably see some leaking from the tap. It’s very easy to solve that. Turn off the water again. Unscrew the tap. Take some Teflon tape, and wind it around the thread of the tap. Then screw it back in. Bob’s yer uncle.
OK now the test. Go and turn on your water. You’ll probably see some leaking from the tap. It’s very easy to solve that. Turn off the water again. Unscrew the tap. Take some Teflon tape, and wind it around the thread of the tap. Then screw it back in. Bob’s yer uncle.
So hopefully now you too can fix broken pipes, join pipes together, and add taps wherever you like. Life is good!
Are you building or planning to build?
If this is you, consider joining The Mud Home Facebook Group. It will no doubt save you a bunch of money, as many have already commented. You also have the chance to connect with some amazing natural builders and off-gridders. The numbers for that group will be limited to 100 so that I can give the proper attention to each project.
The Mud Home is expensive and time-consuming to run. If you benefit from these articles and would like them to continue, please join our club of supporters on Patreon. For only $2 a month you can follow my one-woman build in Spain as it happens, and enjoy email priority.
If this is you, consider joining The Mud Home Facebook Group. It will no doubt save you a bunch of money, as many have already commented. You also have the chance to connect with some amazing natural builders and off-gridders. The numbers for that group will be limited to 100 so that I can give the proper attention to each project.
The Mud Home is expensive and time-consuming to run. If you benefit from these articles and would like them to continue, please join our club of supporters on Patreon. For only $2 a month you can follow my one-woman build in Spain as it happens, and enjoy email priority.
