If you are weighing out the pros and cons
of all the plumbing material options available to you, then you should consider
copper plumbing as the forerunner. For
over seventy years, copper plumbing has been the gold standard, installed in
over eighty percent of today’s homes, and for good reason. Here are five benefits of copper plumbing:
Reliability. Copper is a naturally
occurring material – not a synthetic material; therefore, it does not break
down over time the way synthetics do.
This means that it is not unusual for copper plumbing to actually
outlast the building it is installed in. What’s more is that copper will not begin to
sag over time, as alternative plumbing materials do, and copper plumbing joints
are tight, resistant to corrosion, and
most likely never to leak water over the lifetime of the plumbing.
Clean
and drinkable water supply. Copper is manufactured without lead, so there
is no risk of lead poisoning from water that travels through copper piping (as
opposed to galvanized piping). Copper
has a biostatic property, meaning it does not enable the growth of
bacteria. It maintains a healthy pH
level (perfect for circumstances in which the water supply may be too acid),
and is resistant to corrosion and ultraviolet light.
Ease
of installation.
Copper is naturally a flexible material, which means it can bend, making
it easy for installers to fit it into awkwardly shaped areas. Copper piping is also thin, which means it
can handle a lot of water flow even at a relatively narrow size, making it
ideal for installation in tight and narrow spaces.
Cost. To begin with, copper plumbing
is competitively priced in comparison with the alternatives. Additionally, the fact that it is bendable
means that you don’t have to pay extra for things like connectors, fasteners,
and joints; this has a two-fold advantage of costing less for the hardware, and
requiring fewer installation hours (thus costing less for installation).