Five Reasons Home Builders and Plumbers Trust FlowGuard Gold® CPVC

It doesn’t take long for plumbers and homebuilders to become fans of FlowGuard Gold CPVC once they start using the material. That’s because CPVC enables builders to develop better homes for their customers and reduce the risk of premature plumbing failure. Plumbers using CPVC enjoy lower material costs, fast and easy installation, and the classic design that results in a clean, professional appearance. Here’s more on what we hear from builders and plumbers about CPVC.  

1. FlowGuard Gold CPVC is compatible with local water conditions 

CPVC was developed specifically for North American water systems and is made from a chlorinated compound, making it immune to damage from the chlorine-based disinfectants added to drinking water to keep it safe. As a result, FlowGuard Gold and Corzan CPVC are the only plumbing pipe and fitting systems promoted as immune to damage from chlorine-based disinfectants, including chlorine, chloramines and chlorine dioxide.  

That immunity eliminates one of the leading causes of failure for other residential plumbing systems, which can be eroded or corroded by drinking water that meets EPA standards for safety. Those failures can be “really frustrating,” according to Janine Jackson, whose family’s home experienced repeated leaks in PEX pipes that were just over ten years old. After Waterways Plumbing repiped the home with FlowGuard Gold CPVC, the PEX piping that was removed was analyzed and found to have systemic degradation and weakness across the hot water distribution system. 

CPVC’s immunity to chlorinated drinking water also takes a major “wild card” off the table for builders. When municipalities change their treatment practices, it can make the water even more aggressive to other plumbing systems, accelerating degradation and corrosion in already installed systems. “We don’t have control over our water system, but we know that the way water is treated is frequently changing,” Brent Dunham from top builder Homes by WestBay told us. “FlowGuard Gold CPVC is the only plumbing system that has been able to handle these changes.”  

2. CPVC is proven durable over decades 

In 1959, the National Association of Home Builders Research House program began using CPVC in proof-of-concept homes. The material passed the test with flying colors and FlowGuard Gold CPVC has become the most specified and installed residential plumbing system brand in the years since those NAHB homes were built.  

The track record established over that time is important to builders and plumbers. Tim Lear of Atlas Plumbing told us: “As a mature product that’s been tested for decades, I know I’m getting a good product when I use FlowGuard Gold CPVC.” Brent Dunham from Homes by WestBay agrees, highlighting some of the risks associated with other systems: “As people become more educated on the warranty issues and lawsuits surrounding other plumbing systems, it will become apparent that FlowGuard Gold CPVC is the best choice.”  

Several factors contribute to CPVC’s durability. First, of course, is its compatibility with local drinking water conditions – no matter how aggressive. Another factor is the solvent weld process used to join CPVC pipes and fittings. That process chemically fuses the fitting and pipe into a single piece of CPVC that is stronger than the pipe and fitting individually. The third factor is that CPVC’s pressure-bearing capability actually increases with age as the pipe becomes more rigid. This increased rigidity is why plumbers should always use C-style cutters when servicing aged CPVC.

So, how durable is CPVC? While we couldn’t connect with the current owner of the first NAHB home, the FlowGuard Gold team has confirmed that the original CPVC piping installed in the second NAHB home was still in service more than 55 years later. 

3. CPVC fittings protect water pressure 

Poor water pressure at fixtures can be frustrating for homeowners and the insert fittings used by alternative plastic plumbing systems create a much larger pressure drop than the socket-style fittings used by copper and CPVC. With CPVC fittings, builders and plumbers can deliver better pressure to fixtures without expensive oversizing.

For example, luxury showers that include body sprayers require at least eight fittings in the loops that balance flow and pressure across fixtures. Because CPVC fittings create such a small drop in pressure, there is typically no need to upsize the piping. PEX systems that use crimp or expansion style insert fittings typically require that the loop piping and the branch line be upsized by one or two sizes to deliver adequate pressure to fixtures, increasing system costs.  

4. CPVC installs fast

Builders and plumbers alike both want fast installation that doesn’t compromise system quality. CPVC plumbing systems are similar to copper in their design, but CPVC is much easier to work with than copper and the solvent weld process used to bond CPVC pipes and fittings is simple, easy to learn, and does not require any special tools. Independent research studies that measured installation times for CPVC and PEX systems found that CPVC trunk-and-branch systems install up to 17% faster than comparable PEX trunk-and-branch systems.

“We started to use PEX when the economy went down,” Mike Burke of Powerhouse Plumbing told us. “After doing more research on cost and efficiency though, I became more interested in switching to FlowGuard Gold CPVC. The PEX piping was more time-consuming to install, and the fittings were more expensive.” Atlas Plumbing had a similar experience. “There’s really no difference in installation speed between PEX and CPVC, and when you look at the total cost of a job, FlowGuard Gold plumbing systems are best for the bottom line,” Tim Lear of Atlas told us.  

In addition, the design of the system enables plumbers to showcase their skills through clean, professional installation. Alpine Plumbing’s Rob Wage told us the clean workmanship of a CPVC installation helps reinforce their reputation for quality. “Anybody can ‘pull’ pipe,” Rob said, summarizing the feeling of a lot of FlowGuard Gold CPVC users. “A true plumber uses FlowGuard Gold CPVC.” 

5. FlowGuard Gold CPVC delivers consistent quality

While CPVC has many advantages compared to PEX, there are also significant differences between FlowGuard Gold CPVC and generic CPVC.

Those differences start with consistent quality and dependable supply. All FlowGuard Gold pipes and fittings sold in the United States are made from resins and compounds produced at our Louisville, Kentucky, facility. This centralized, domestic production allows for strict quality control. Our American and Canadian manufacturing partners represent the best of the best in terms of high-quality manufacturing capabilities. 

Premier home builder Kings Way Homes looks for that kind of quality in the building products the company selects. “The homes we’re building are often our customers’ dream homes,” Christopher Moll of Kings Way told us. “When you’re building these homes, you’re promoting a lot of your building materials to the homeowner. They’ve done their research. They’re spending a lot of time and money, so they want all the details, and they want it to be just right. We use [FlowGuard Gold CPVC] because we think it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the right product for nearly every home we build. 

FlowGuard Gold CPVC also delivers measurable performance benefits compared to generic CPVC. Compared to generics, FlowGuard Gold CPVC provides: 

• Fittings that have a burst strength 10% or higher
• Up to 92% higher sustained pressure resistance at elevated temperatures
• 33-80% higher impact strength

FlowGuard Gold CPVC is backed by a network of highly trained technical experts and is supported by the FBC System Compatible Program, which makes it easy to identify chemical compatibility and incompatibility with ancillary construction products. 

Switch to the Plumbing System Leading Builders and Plumbers Trust 

Many plumbers and builders have switched to FlowGuard Gold CPVC because of problems with other plumbing systems that included premature failure, higher costs and inconsistent quality. Once they made the switch, they stuck with FlowGuard Gold CPVC because it delivers the water compatibility, durability, quality and cost savings that build business success and customer satisfaction. Still not convinced? Listen to master plumber and industry advocate Roger Wakefield explain why he uses FlowGuard Gold CPVC.