# ABS or PVC?



## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Now I practicably cut my teeth on PVC, and furthermore I could swear when I took my masters test there was something in there about not using ABS. Now I could be wrong, because I had to take an 8 hour test. My master plumbing, my class "B" contractor test, and a building test. 

I guess the big question is: Which do you use?
Me, PVC.


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

I use PVC, not sure if you can really buy much for ABS here


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

No ABS around here.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

I use ABS because it's the plastic pipe that you encounter 99% of the time around here but I prefer PVC. If I'm doing a sewer replacement, I'll use PVC because it's actually straight.


We did almost everything in PVC when I lived in Colorado. It does seem to be a regional thing but I don't know where the line is.


Paul


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

Very little ABS around here either anymore.


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

ABS is the Devils Dong. If we can't use cast, at least use PVC.:thumbsup:


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

Very little ABS was ever used around here. Dat's some crooked sh*t. PVC or Cast iron baby. :thumbup:


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

Pipe Rat said:


> Very little ABS was ever used around here. Dat's some crooked sh*t. PVC or Cast iron baby. :thumbup:


 I can proudly say that I don't even know what kind of glue to use on that ****.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

It was some kind of black crap it must have been like that to hide the trailer trash pipe joints


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I use cast iron or mostly PVC. I saw ABS in houses in New York, but none down here in FL. In fact I have never seen ABS here in FL, ever.


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## 1234mg (Nov 13, 2010)

Kinda funny, PVC still looks weird to me when I see pictures. PVC for storm drains only for me, cast or ABS for sewer


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

PVC here. If you see ABS some handy hack put it in.


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## markb (Jun 11, 2009)

I'm not sure what everyone is talking about. ABS is wonderful! Easy to cut. Easy to glue. Looks good. I love working with it in residential. PVC Sys. 15 is great for commercial as well.


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

markb said:


> I'm not sure what everyone is talking about. ABS is wonderful! Easy to cut. Easy to glue. Looks good. I love working with it in residential. PVC Sys. 15 is great for commercial as well.


 Expose it to UV rays for few days, or minutes, depending on the climate. unstable s-h-i-t..


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## beachplumber (Feb 7, 2010)

PVC here
I run into a lot of ABS though. Can still get some fittings, but nobody carries the pipe anymore.


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## AllAces777 (Nov 23, 2010)

The residential here is a bit more than 50% abs, based on where I worked and who I worked for. The good things about ABS is its more user friendly as far as joints, the glue works great and adheres very strong. More like liquid ABS. The bad thing is every pipe is bowed and takes some work to install straight. We did get alot of compliments from inspectors though for taking the time to install it right and straight.

PVC is tempermental and more demanding requiring more labor to install. In the end, if you kept the joints clean a way better looking system. Just didn't like the fact of having to use primer and glue, requires a bit more labor to install.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

I bet you could draw an invisible line on this one, like maybe the Mason Dixion. PVC in the south and ABS up north. 

Not sure about this one just a guess.

I am sure you will let me know.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

I'll take the extra step of using primer on pvc over dealing with crooked azz ABS anyday. :yes:


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## sNApple (Jan 19, 2010)

abs or cast for sanitary, pvc for storm


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## Everflow (Feb 1, 2010)

ABS here never done a house in PVC. If you strap the pipe straight on your truck and take if off as you need it, no problems with crocked pipe.

Around here the ABS pipe and PVC pipe are about the same price. But the PVC fittings are almost double the price of ABS fittings .


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

PVC here...

If I run into ABS which I rarely do it is a PITA because nobody sells that shiot...

I like the way it sags between hangers, splits down the length of it, and cracks at the cemented joints....
A sign of quality material....:laughing:

I usually cut it out and put in PVC with a banded coupling to join it...


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

Wierd how things are different for other parts of the country. :blink: When you guy's gonna realize St. Louis got it right? Gotta get with the flow Brothers.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

AllAces777 said:


> The residential here is a bit more than 50% abs, based on where I worked and who I worked for. The good things about ABS is its more user friendly as far as joints, the glue works great and adheres very strong. More like liquid ABS. The bad thing is every pipe is bowed and takes some work to install straight. We did get alot of compliments from inspectors though for taking the time to install it right and straight.
> 
> PVC is tempermental and more demanding requiring more labor to install. In the end, if you kept the joints clean a way better looking system. Just didn't like the fact of having to use primer and glue, requires a bit more labor to install.


Not trying to pick a fight or start anything, but if you think installing PVC with primer and cement is labor intensive, what would you say about cast iron installs? Just getting it to the site is a workout, then it has to be cut with either a snap cutters or a ratchet cutters, now that is labor intensive. And never mind if you had to pour lead joints....then you have to transport all the lead as well.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

Redwood said:


> I like the way it sags between hangers, splits down the length of it, and cracks at the cemented joints....
> A sign of quality material....:laughing:


Nonsense.  I've used ABS all my plumbing life (when I wasn't running cast iron or DWV copper). It's good stuff.

It only sags between hangers if you're putting your hangers way too far apart - should be every 48" max (more like 32" on hot kitchen lines). I've never seen it split lengthwise - you see that often? :blink: I've never seen it crack at a joint either, unless it was under some kind of stress.

Yes, it warps in the sun. So keep it out of the sun.  If I'm doing an underground out in the sun I'll keep the unused lengths either in the van or under cover nearby. In the ground I just cover it with a bit of sand if it's already bedded, or throw some boards or plywood or cardboard over it till it's ready to cover. Only takes a little care to keep it from warping - you get used to dealing with it - minor detail.


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

ABS, cast for multi unit (fire rated) ABS cel core (full of air bubbles) when left in the sun turns into a banana and when it burns it apparently puts out some pretty nasty toxic fumes. Real ABS for under driveways etc. Easy to work with, much easier than PVC- one glue, no primer. If I were building my house, I would use cast. I think ABS is a northern thing.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

DIZ said:


> ABS cel core (full of air bubbles) when left in the sun turns into a banana


Cell core ABS warps exactly the same as solid ABS.



> and when it burns it apparently puts out some pretty nasty toxic fumes.


Not half so nasty and poisonous as the fumes from burning PVC - that stuff is ridiculously poisonous anytime it's not in its stable pipe (solid) form.


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

futz said:


> Cell core ABS warps exactly the same as solid ABS.
> 
> Not half so nasty and poisonous as the fumes from burning PVC - that stuff is ridiculously poisonous anytime it's not in its stable pipe (solid) form.


Not that I have seen, but I could be mistaken. Canucks just tied it up


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

DIZ said:


> Not that I have seen, but I could be mistaken.


Cell core just warps faster, so it seems worse. I've run many many miles of both kinds. They warp the same.



> Canucks just tied it up


Sorry, I don't pay any attention to hockey. If it doesn't have a motor I don't watch it.


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

DIZ said:


> I think ABS is a northern thing.


You spelled California wrong.:no: I heard it explained why the difference in usage and frankly forgot it all. ABS is easier is some aspects to use, is some ways it's a PITA to deal with. Whatever is cheaper for the builder to use is what I'll see.


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## PlumberDave (Jan 4, 2009)

I do not know what you folks have against ABS. I have never had a problem with it. PVC on the other hand has been a problem too brittle for 12" joist bays, that freaking primer purple all over the place, fittings cost more, labor involved vs. ABS. No Thanks.
It does however look better when installed with care.


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

futz said:


> Cell core just warps faster, so it seems worse. I've run many many miles of both kinds. They warp the same.
> 
> 
> Sorry, I don't pay any attention to hockey. If it doesn't have a motor I don't watch it.


If I told you it was still General Motors Place, would you?

I guess I just get my undergrounds done lightning fast and never get a chance to see it:laughing:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

futz said:


> Nonsense.  I've used ABS all my plumbing life (when I wasn't running cast iron or DWV copper). It's good stuff.
> 
> It only sags between hangers if you're putting your hangers way too far apart - should be every 48" max (more like 32" on hot kitchen lines). I've never seen it split lengthwise - you see that often? :blink: I've never seen it crack at a joint either, unless it was under some kind of stress.
> 
> Yes, it warps in the sun. So keep it out of the sun.  If I'm doing an underground out in the sun I'll keep the unused lengths either in the van or under cover nearby. In the ground I just cover it with a bit of sand if it's already bedded, or throw some boards or plywood or cardboard over it till it's ready to cover. Only takes a little care to keep it from warping - you get used to dealing with it - minor detail.


I guess you must get better stuff north of the border.

The stuff I see here is shiot!

I can't complain though...
Me and my sawzall have made some good money from it...:laughing:

I know that they had a suit in California a while back and they say that is where most of the bad stuff was sold but I see the same thing a lot all the way over here on the other side of the country... :whistling2:


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## AllAces777 (Nov 23, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> Not trying to pick a fight or start anything, but if you think installing PVC with primer and cement is labor intensive, what would you say about cast iron installs? Just getting it to the site is a workout, then it has to be cut with either a snap cutters or a ratchet cutters, now that is labor intensive. And never mind if you had to pour lead joints....then you have to transport all the lead as well.


No hard feelings! Here no one uses cast for residential. I've put plenty of it in for the commercial jobs but all the companies use PVC or ABS for residential and some of the smaller commercial jobs. :jester:


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

I use abs I LUV IT


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

PVC here. Only see ABS in trailer parks...


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

I used ABS (awful black shiot) for the first time last week. Customer insisted on it, as the rest of the house was abs. I did not like it. The pipe was shaped like a banana off the rack, the black glue was like using roofing tar. The fittings just feel and sound cheap. Really lightweight and flimsy feeling.


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## john_mccormack (Feb 27, 2010)

*Pvc*

We just don't see much ABS used around here. I've never used it so I may be a little jaded toward PVC; it seems to be more solid (read:more expensive?) than ABS.

With a little experience I'm sure that it would become as easy to use as I think PVC is. Brittle is right, I hate dropping a length of PVC in the freezing weather. It's like watching the cash burst from your wallet and scatter to the four winds...


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Bill said:


> Now I practicably cut my teeth on PVC. <snip>





Bill said:


> I guess the big question is: Which do you use?
> 
> 
> In my days of doing new work and a member of National Line. We used to buy this stuff by the 1/4 trailer load.
> ...


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

I'll be glad when fernco starts making pipe....:whistling2:


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

My personal experience has been that ABS has many benefits, all for the installer. It has many drawbacks, all for the user.


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

It's a non issue around these parts. You would have to custom order it and the fittings. No supply houses carry it.


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