I have a condo unit in a high rise building that has CPVC piping and most of the supply pipes are CPVC.

The main shutoff for the unit is located in a small closet, where the bottom is the water heater, and above that the HVAC air handler, as shown below.



Everything works for now, but I am a bit worried about CPVC pipes. The water heater. a 30G Rheem electrical WH, is original 2007 so it's almost 20 years and by today's standard, past it's life expectancy so I want to be ready when it needs to be replaced. As you can see, the cold and hot connections are hard piped, I know many codes prohibit having plastic tubing connected to the WH within 24" to 36". So one thing I want to do is to change this hard piped cold and hot to terminate with two 3/4" male adapters, and use flexible corrugated connectors either copper or stainless steel, so that when it comes time to replace the WH it will be an easy swap.



Since these pipes are a bit crowded, I annotated some of these pipes in the image below. If you look at the main shutoff valve, it looks like two CPVC ball valves, but there is a tee in between if you look closer.



Actually the left valve is the main shutoff to the unit, downstream of it is a tee that loops the 3/4" feed back into the wall, and downstream of that is the cold inlet valve to the WH.



A top view shows what's going on much better.



The issue here is these two valves are VERY difficult to operate. The plastic handles do not turn easy, and when I apply brute force to turn it close it feels like I could break something. I REALLY would like to find a way to replace them with 3/4" full port brass ball valves that are easy to open and close.

Finally, where the pipe comes out of the wall, just before the main shutoff valve, I am not sure what I am looking at, there are some copper fittings connected to CPVC fitting. Is that a copper male adapter threaded into a CPVC female adapter? Or is that a copper bushing? I am not sure.



So basically, I am looking to reconfigure this thing and hopefully:

(1) change the two lines to the WH from hard piping to 3/4" male adapter so flex corrugated connectors can be used.
(2) replace the two CPVC ball valves with brass ball valves.
(3) fix the metal male threaded into CPVC female IF that's what's going on there.

The challenge is the back to back valves with that tee that loops back to the wall. Any suggestions?

Sum, I think that's a CPVC x brass male adapter fitting. I would cut the CPVC branch at the tee and replace the rest with copper/brass. Glue on a CPVC x brass adapter for reconnection of the branch.

steve, I agree. I think the 3/4 copper from the wall ends with a female adapter, and into it is the copper male adapter X CPVC fitting like the one below.





So I am thinking on the cold side, I could remove all CPVC and start from the copper female adapter and out and go all copper. I don't want to cut the tee because I want to replace both shutoff valves with brass ball valves.

On the hot side I will transition from CPVC at the wall to copper with a male adapter I think.

Cut the CPVC branch and copper the rest.

steve, some new info.

Looking at this connection below again where it transitions to CPVC. My thought was once water is shut off I will just use a blow torch to heat up the joint and remove that female adapter on the left of it, and solder on new copper/fittings all the way to the WH connection, I could do most of this in copper and only need to go back to CPVC at the wall stub out where the hot side CPVC feeds.



Now I am thinking may be I have to keep that female adapter, and connect to it with a male adapter instead.

The reason is I spoke to the building super about needing to change out the shutoff valve into the unit, #418. He said he can not shut off #418 he has to shut off the feed to #118, #218, #318, #418, #518 and #618. There is nothing on his side he can shut off just #418...so the line runs vertical and goes to all the units ending with 18. He has a valve at the ground floor utility room.

So my thinking is if he shuts that off, there is water from #518 and #618 above me, much of that needs to evacuate before my connection will stop dripping for me to solder, and if the two units above me opens a faucet to check, more water would come down in an unpredictable manner. So I can't count on being able to solder that joint. I need to presolder whatever I need from there all the way to the new brass valve, and the starting point must be a male adapter. Once I unthread that CPVC adapter out, I thread in my contraption, and ask to pressurize, if it doesn't leak, I can keep the new valve OFF and solder in the rest later.

Does that make sense or you think soldering at that connection is not going to be a problem?

With this new information. I would unscrew the cpvc adapter and install a short brass nipple and threaded ball valve. You can then get the building water turned back on right away and take your time with the rest of the piping replacement.

steve, I agree a threaded connection for the new valve would be my best bet.

If there are two apartments above me, and when they turn water off, the moment I unthread or cut the existing connection out, how much water should I expect to be dumped out of it? Normally in a regular home or apartment I turn main valve off and open 1 faucet and let it run until stop. Usually I do not get more than 1 gallon or so from disconnecting.

Now if the super turns off water to all apartments ending 18, I should expect water coming out to include some water from the units above me. I have no idea how much to expect once I open one faucet in my unit and it stops. Should I expect a lot, is my usual 2 gallon bucket going to be enough?

Without closing the main valve open a faucet and let it run until it stops. I wouldn't expect it to take more than 5 minutes or so.



Edited 1 times.

It depends on the piping arrangement of the upper units. Drain down through your faucets. Have your new nipple taped/doped and screwed into the new ball valve(with valve turned off) before cutting out the cpvc. Turn off your old main valve, cut out tee and w/h valve, unscrew the old main and quickly screw in the new one.

Someone opening a faucet in an apartment above yours usually does not cause issues.The super will leave the drain valve open in the basement so that any water coming down the riser will flow straight down the riser pipe to the basement and drain out. It will not take a detour into the T feeding your apartment. Stuff some white bread for extra measure.
All that said, since the FPT is already soldered on, a nipple and valve, as Steve suggests, is the easiest route to take.



Edited 1 times.

I am going to get all the parts ready to go.

The building super told me there is a minimum 2 hours, in other words, even if it takes me 3 minutes to put on the valve they will tell the affected residents 2 hours, like 10-12, 12-2 etc...so I got some time.

So the plan is I will buy all the fittings plan A, B, C, D and ready to go.

Once they turn off water, I will leave the main valve to my unit open like the others, I will open a nearby faucet to let water drain, which I expect to take a bit longer if there is water coming down from units above into my line. Once that faucet stop running, and hopefully it will stop running, I can cut the CPVC, and hopefully once it's cut there will not be too much water coming out of that, especially if what george said is true that the super will open a drain port below (I will ask him if this is something that is possible). My big fear is suddenly a stream of water comes out because someone above opens a faucet to check if water is still off and resulting in water trapped to dump out excessively on my end.