This may seem like a simple statement, but it is startling to look around some pump rooms and see how much plumbing, especially smaller branches where it can be easily overlooked, may not be adequately supported for the amount of weight it has to bear when the system is full of water. Lately we have seen an uptick in cases where customers are having fittings that split or crack, causing major leaks due to excessive weight. Some instances of this can happen in just a week, some may even take a year before the failure.
Any time you have plumbing that is coming in or out of a major piece of equipment, you should always look for a way to secure the pipe within 48 inches for PVC per the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), but 36 inches for CPVC and other types to help keep that weight off. Not only will this help the life span of the plumbing but also whatever connection that the affected system may be using that could possibly be built in and now you’ve got thousands of dollars in repairs/replacement for a UV, chlorine generator, main circulation pump, or other system.
Sometimes you may have to be creative in order to secure your plumbing. You may need to build a strut wall bolted to the floor. You may need to trapeze something from overhead to help take the weight off. You may even need some type of bracket that is screwed into your wall. These may require some out of the box thinking. If you aren’t sure where or how to put supports in for your system, don’t just let it go. It is in your best interest, even if you have to pay to bring in a professional, to make sure all of your systems are not at risk of cracking or flooding/sprayings.
If you aren’t sure if there is section of your plumbing that is adequately supported or not, let us know and we can help take a look around and at pictures or video chat. Broken pipes don’t help anyone and we should do everything we can to prevent it, so you don’t inadvertently flood your pump room, or short out some piece of equipment. Let’s support your system.
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