Just realized how much commercial pipe materials changed since the 90s

I was talking to an older plumber named Dave last week while we swapped out a rusted galvanized line at a strip mall in Akron, and he said he used to install cast iron like it was the only option around. He told me he can count on his hands the number of times he's seen PVC in a commercial building back then, and now it's basically everywhere. Does anyone else feel like the shift to plastic was way faster than people give it credit for, or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lisa1mo ago

Had a buddy who worked maintenance at a big box store in the early 2000s... he said they'd find these weird stacks of cast iron pipe left behind in the ceiling from the original build in the 90s. Told me the old timers on his crew would refuse to touch the new PVC fittings because they swore it'd crack under the pressure... ended up using both for years until the cast iron guys retired out.

jade8851mo ago

Wait, is the shift actually that recent or did PVC just take longer to get code approval for commercial stuff than residential? I remember reading something about fire codes being a huge roadblock for plastic in multi-story buildings back then. Curious if Dave mentioned anything about inspectors fighting the change or if it was more about what the supply houses were pushing.