Sunday, September 17, 2006
Plumbers switching to plastic pipes as cost of copper skyrockets
It's not just stampers being effected by the high price of copper. Here's an article about plumbers switching to the new plastic pipe - which by the way, is excellent. I recently was involved in a renovation of a beauty spa. Almost all the plumbing was done with plastic pipe, even the hot water pipes, and it worked great.
Electrical work has fewer options - copper is the only good option with aluminum a second choice for low duty, low power use only - but you keep reading about copper being stolen from job sites. I just had some minor electrical work done in our factory, and the electrician was telling me the price of BX cable has quadrupled in the last 2 years.
The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK
“Copper has tripled in price and its life expectancy is 40 years,” Jay Benge said.
The new plastics have longer life expectancies, can stand up to stress levels, such as cold temperatures, and allow for more flexibility, which Gearhart pointed out in an upstairs bath. They cost less, also.
And, that cost also translates into labor savings. The flex in a durable plastic pipe can save for suturing and other fitting tasks, Gearhart said.
“It’s a commodity shortage,” he said about why builders are looking at other alternative materials for copper.
Electrical work has fewer options - copper is the only good option with aluminum a second choice for low duty, low power use only - but you keep reading about copper being stolen from job sites. I just had some minor electrical work done in our factory, and the electrician was telling me the price of BX cable has quadrupled in the last 2 years.
The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK
“Copper has tripled in price and its life expectancy is 40 years,” Jay Benge said.
The new plastics have longer life expectancies, can stand up to stress levels, such as cold temperatures, and allow for more flexibility, which Gearhart pointed out in an upstairs bath. They cost less, also.
And, that cost also translates into labor savings. The flex in a durable plastic pipe can save for suturing and other fitting tasks, Gearhart said.
“It’s a commodity shortage,” he said about why builders are looking at other alternative materials for copper.
Labels: Copper
