How To Look At A House

McGarry and Madsen's home inspection blog for buyers of  

site-built, mobile/manufactured and modular homes

Why is some PVC pipe black?

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

The “black PVC” is actually a different chemical composition of plastic pipe called ABS, which stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. To learn more about it, see our blog post What is the difference between PVC and ABS plumbing pipe?

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about PLUMBING PIPES:

Is black iron gas pipe code approved for exterior (outdoor) installation?

How can I protect my pipes to keep them from bursting during a hard winter freeze in North Florida?

Can galvanized steel pipe still be used for new water lines in a house? 

How can I tell if I have cast iron pipes in my house? 

Is it alright to have a shut-off valve on both the hot and cold water pipes at a water heater?

Why can't a sanitary tee be used for a horizontal-to-horizontal drain pipe connection? 

Is a washing machine drain hose required to be secured at the standpipe?

What are the abandoned pipes sticking out of the wall in my house?  

Why is it a problem when a trap under a sink is installed backwards? 

What are the code requirements for plumbing vent terminations?

What are the code requirements for layout of drain piping under sinks?

What causes a gurgling sound when a bathtub or sink drains? 

How can I tell the difference between Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST) and a Flexible Appliance Connector (FAC)?

What is a "combination waste and vent" in a plumbing system? 

Does a "QEST" brand mark on pipe mean that it is polbutylene (PB)?

What is a building trap?  

What is a galvanized nipple?

What are the pipes sticking out near my water valves?

Can PEX pipe be installed outside?  

How do you accurately find a broken water pipe leak under the floor slab?

What is the difference between water pipe and sewage (waste) pipe? 

What is the average life expectancy of PEX pipe? 

What type water supply and drain (DWV) pipes were commonly used for 1990s residential plumbing?

What is the average life expectancy of galvanized steel pipe? 

What is the average life expectancy of cast iron pipe?

What type water supply and drain (DWV) pipes were commonly used for 1970s residential plumbing?  

What type water supply and drain (DWV) pipes were commonly used for 1960s residential plumbing? 

What type water supply and drain (DWV) pipes were commonly used for 1950s residential plumbing?

Are plastic pipes (PVC, CPVC, and PEX) safe for drinking water? 

What do the ABS, PVC, CPVC, PB, and PEX plumbing pipe names mean?

Is a hot water faucet handle required to be on the left? 

Why is sunlight exposure bad for PVC pipe?

What is the average life expectancy of PVC pipe? 

Why can't PVC be used for water pipe inside a house?

What is the average life expectancy of copper pipe? 

What is a dielectric union? 

What's that powdery crust on the pipe connections at the water heater? 

What are the black metal things marked GMX800 that are clamped around the hot and cold pipes above the water heater?

Can I make a trap under the sink from straight pipe and 90º elbows?  

What type of white plastic pipe has the marking CP-112-P in red letters? 

If all the plumbing drains have water in them and you can still smell sewer gas, what's causing the problem?  

How can I tell what type of plumbing pipe I have?

Why is there a flexible accordion pipe under the sink? 

What is the difference between water service pipe and water supply pipe? 

What are the pipes on my roof? 

What is an "S-Trap" under my sink? Why is it a problem? 

    Visit our PLUMBING page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.

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