How to replace the water risers in the apartment: a step-by-step guide

In houses of the old construction, the failure of the water supply system is a frequent occurrence. And the installation of an in-house pipeline made of modern materials or the acquisition of new plumbing fixtures does not solve the problem.

Only the complete replacement of the risers in the apartment helps. If you have already encountered a similar problem and do not know where to start, we will help you figure it out. The article will discuss what requirements should be observed when performing the replacement of risers, what steps the installation involves connecting the system, and what materials will be needed for this.

Replacing the riser: legal aspect

The water riser is a vertical section of the pipeline, equipped at the base with a shut-off valve. It is a common property.

Therefore, its replacement should be carried out by the managing organization (housing department or housing office) without additional payment from the employer or owner.

The owner of the apartment only needs to write a statement addressed to the manager of the HOA, indicating in it a problem that needs to be solved. The exception is only if the house is not the property of the housing department. In this situation, the repair of common property is carried out at the expense of the residents.

Among the common property is everything that is located on the site from the riser to the first stop valve. If the locking device is not provided before the mixer itself, then this section inclusively belongs to the number of common property.

The risers are equipped with taps, with which they increase or completely shut off the water supply; they are replaced with the replacement of the pipeline

If the owner of the apartment plans to carry out major repairs and at the same time make concealed pipingor he decided in connection with the redevelopment to transfer the riser to a new place - all work will be done at his expense.

Any redevelopment associated with the use of house property, including apartment risers, must be agreed with the management organizations. Only by handing in hand the appropriate written permission can he invite the installers of the managing organization or private company to carry out the work.

For their own money, the tenant or the owner of the apartment must repair and replace only what is located after the shut-off valve.

Reasons to install a new riser

The need to replace a vertical pipeline arises in two cases: after the expiration of the metalwork and when performing a complete repair of the bathroom.

Depending on the conditions, its replacement is performed in one of two modes:

• planned - with deterioration of water pipes;
• emergency - in case of malfunction and leakage.

In the houses of the old construction, “native” apartment risers are made of galvanized or cast-iron pipes. Metal structures are subject to corrosion, and therefore require replacement.

Corrosion is the main enemy of cast iron and steel pipelines; it “corrodes” faster corrodes risers with hot water supply than with cold

It is noticed that the pipes wear out most in the interfloor ceilings. Therefore, the connection of the new pipe with the old one should be done outside the ceiling: in the bathroom of the neighbors living on the floor below or above.

For metal pipes, service life is about a quarter of a century. In reality, they last much longer. But after forty years of service, they are in disrepair.

The use of metal pipes after the warranty period is not recommended for the reason that they can break through at the most unexpected moment.

Even if the pipes look whole after the end of the operating period, it is recommended that they be replaced anyway. This is due to the fact that a pipe worn out over time can burst at any time, which will lead to great material damage both to the owners of the apartment and to the neighbors who have suffered from flooding.

In the planned mode, it is recommended to replace the pipes at the stage of major repairs. When arranging modern interiors, it is customary to “hide” the pipeline into the wall, and therefore it will not be easy to get to it in the event of an emergency.

If you dream of installing a new jacuzzi or acquiring auxiliary equipment for a bathroom, then transferring a vertical pipeline cannot be avoided

Cast iron pipes are usually change to polypropylene analogues. And such a choice is fully justified by a number of undeniable advantages that the polymer has.

These include:

• resistance to corrosion and aggressive influences;
• the smoothness of the inner walls, preventing the accumulation of limescale on the inner surface of the pipeline;
• high strength;
• environmental Safety.

For piping with cold water, conventional metal-plastic and polypropylene pipes appropriate diameter, and for hot pipes designed for heating systems. They are characterized by higher strength and increased resistance to deformation.

Manufacturers of polypropylene pipes claim that the service life of products is about 50 years, and used to supply cold water - in the region of 100 years.

The inner surface of polypropylene pipes in contact with drinking water meets all sanitary standards, and the inner diameter of the products does not change during operation

Compared to metal structures, installation of polypropylene pipes takes much less time. The use of welding technology allows with minimal effort to obtain a strong and reliable connection.

Water riser replacement technology

The risers are located in the bathrooms, placing them at a slight distance from the wall. The riser is necessarily equipped with a shut-off valve, with the help of which the water supply to the apartment is shut off.

Ideally, you need to change the entire span. But in practice this does not always work. As a last resort, the area from the floor to the ceiling should be replaced. In this case, it is unacceptable to update only a short piece of pipe exposed to rust.

One riser accounts for a whole group of water intake devices, including a washbasin with a bath or shower, a toilet and a bidet

If the replacement of the riser occurs in an apartment building, the neighbors should be warned in advance about the time for repair work. With neighbors living in apartments located directly above your top and bottom, you should agree on the possibility of performing work on their territory. After all, new pipes will pass through the floors.

If consent cannot be obtained, pipe connections will have to be performed within your bathroom: above the floor and under the ceiling. In this case, it is mandatory to provide access to those places where the pipes will be docked, so that if a leak occurs, it can be quickly eliminated.

Stage # 1 - material selection

Having settled all the issues with the neighbors and the managing organization, we can begin to draw up a scheme. Its preparation will determine the wiring of the bathroom pipeline and calculate the amount of consumables.

To carry out the work, it is necessary to prepare:

• polypropylene pipes D110mm;
• fittings of the appropriate diameter;
• metal clamps;
• silicone sealant.

Pipes for mounting a vertical pipeline should choose a diameter that is equal to the size of the cross-section of the dismantled elements.

To connect the sections of the riser to be replaced with the adjacent ones, use D110mm couplings and compensators. To connect plastic pipe to steel use transitional cuffs.

At the same time, the finish finish of the riser is thought out: the need for noise and heat insulation, the construction and design of the box.

Of the tools required:

• Bulgarian;
• 3-4 cutting discs D125mm;
• thread-cutting tool;
• adjustable wrench and gas wrench;
• building level;
• a simple pencil;
• Screwdriver Set;
• chisel;
• hammer;
• roulette;
• scrap (for use as a lever).

It is necessary to prepare protective equipment in advance: a hat, a respirator, goggles and heat-protective gloves.

In case of displacement or alignment of the vertical pipeline, a pair of pieces of plastic bends with an angle of 45 ° C having a diameter of 100 mm are additionally purchased

For welding polypropylene pipes You need to purchase or rent a soldering iron equipped with Teflon nozzles of different sizes.

The implementation of work on the replacement of the riser utilities are appointed on weekdays in the time interval from 10 to 15 hours, when many residents are at work. This minimizes temporary inconvenience regarding limiting system operation.

Disabling the existing pipeline is carried out with the involvement of specialists, but not by itself. On average, 30 to 60 minutes are spent on repair work. But in order not to miss important details, you should not rush too much.

To simplify the process of dismantling cast-iron pipes, the use of a pipe cutter, a tool equipped with cutting rollers or rollers, will help to obtain an even cut with smooth edges at the cut points

Stage # 2 - dismantling old pipes

The dismantling of a vertical pipeline made of a water-gas steel pipe is among the plumbing works of increased complexity. For their implementation, you must have sufficient experience working with an electric tool and strict adherence to safety regulations.

It is important to understand that the quality of installation of a new pipeline largely depends on how correctly the old one was dismantled.

First of all, they shut off the system and release water from it. This work must be done by a representative community service. Break the rule is not worth it - otherwise get an administrative penalty.

Using a grinder or armed with a pipe cutter, cut out old pipes. For this, two horizontal cuts are made at a distance of 10-15 cm, converging to the edge of the pipe located against the wall. So that the upper part of the pipe does not sag, it is better not to do the cuts first.

To separate and remove the cut ring, you can drive wedges on the sides of the horizontal cuts, or you can make vertical cuts

The upper piece of pipe is cut to a design height equal to the length of the shaped part, which will be press on during installation. The task of the master is to make the notch plane perpendicular to the axis of the pipe itself.

To simplify this task, a masking tape strip is used as a guide. It is glued around the circumference so that the end is precisely superimposed on the beginning.

To remove the lower portion of the riser, the pipe is carefully loosened, being careful not to damage the bell. The solution at the junction is hollowed out around the perimeter. Cut pieces of pipe are removed using a wedge or crowbar.

In the old days, the connection of cast-iron pipes was carried out in one of two ways:

• by minting seams with cement-sand mortar;
• by filling the junction with gray.

To remove the hardened cement mortar, the upper layer of the seam is cracked with a screwdriver. The easiest way to burn sulfur is to heat the elements of the pipeline with a blowtorch. To regulate the draft in the riser, a metal or asbestos-cement shield is laid on top of the pipe. After heating the structure, it is not difficult to disassemble the joints.

The cut elements with a screwdriver are gently pulled from the floor slabs, the stuck pieces are knocked out with a hammer. On the cleaned area mark the places for the placement of the clips necessary for fixing the pipes in the wall at the points of the wiring.

Stage # 3 - installing a new pipeline

Using a hacksaw or scissors for polypropylene new pipes are cut into elements of the required length. On the connected sections of the elements make notes indicating to which point the connection will be made.

If the neighbors still have metal risers, it is necessary to assess the state of the metal structure, determining whether it is possible to perform threading at its end. To simplify the cutting procedure, the end of the pipe is lubricated with machine oil.

The pipe section along the entire perimeter is trimmed and the conical bevel is removed using a grinder equipped with a grinding disc

If a metal pipe does not inspire confidence and there is a suspicion that it may burst at the time of loading when threading, it is worthwhile to do it easier by welding a finished thread of 5-7 turns, or by making a connection using a collet coupling.

It will already be possible to connect a threaded adapter to it for mounting a plastic pipeline.

Dock metal with plastic through a threaded connection using a sleeve. Tightening during installation should take place with a slight gain. To achieve this effect, the joints are sealed with linen winding and coated with investment paste. Before putting the adapter on the cast-iron pipe, the joints should be sealed.

Joining plastic elements is much easier. Spike sites are cleaned and treated with an alcohol compound.

The welding of polypropylene elements is carried out using a welding iron equipped with a Teflon nozzle; heating temperature should leave about 250 ° C

At the same time, the fitting and the end of the pipe are put on a heated device. Both elements are screwed to the entire depth of the nozzles.After waiting for the elements to warm up, both workpieces are carefully removed from the nozzle and connected to each other.

Features of connecting to the wiring

In the place where the vertical pipeline will be connected with the wiring in the apartment, a 32/20/32 tee is installed. To facilitate the installation of the tee, its end is lubricated with liquid soap. Elements are fixed by soldering.

When planning to install a heated towel rail in the bathroom, two additional tees are being installed on the pipeline

An important point: when installing tees, it is preferable not to have a sleeve, but a soldered connection.

By installing a shut-off valve, check for leaks. If there is none, fix the assembled structure to the wall.

To do this, using a building level in the wall, preliminary points are drawn for making holes for installing clips. Fasteners are placed every 100-150 cm.

From the moment of the last connection, it is possible to fill the installed network section with water no earlier than in an hour. To ensure a sufficient level of moisture resistance and sound absorption, the places where pipes pass through the floors are concreted throughout the thickness. These and other finishing measures are carried out only after design testing.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The sequence of actions when replacing a steel pipeline with polypropylene:

How to digest risers:

There is nothing complicated about replacing the apartment riser water supply. The main thing is to get permission in the Housing Office and obtain the consent of the neighbors about the implementation of the tie-in. Observing the installation technology and using high-quality material in your work, you will be able to build a system on your own that will serve for more than a dozen years.

If you have any questions while familiarizing yourself with the information or if you have experience replacing the risers and want to share them with our readers, please leave your comments in the box below.