I know I should prolly ask stupid question on rv net but not a member there.

Wanting to run a water line from back of trailer to front underneath trailer. I have 55 gallon tank in back (already has a pump w/ hose etc) and would like to plumb into measly 19 gallon tank in the cabin. Easiest routing seems to be under trailer anchored to frame, question is what type of pipe should I use, copper or pvc? freeze not really an issue here in Phoenix but will put a valve on to drain if needed. Concern is road debris damage. Any issues of copper touching aluminum frame similar to that of steel touching aluminum? Had a suggestion of cpvc but cant seem to locate here in town.

Thanks for the replies

 

i would use pex, you can find it in any home improvement store ,like lowes, home depot, ace hardware... the even rent the tool you need to make connections

 

I will second that! PEX is wonderful!
I love those reusable connectors and the flexibility of the tubing... Plus you can color code the pipes Red White and Blue! And Yellow...

I want to know if you can use Pex for Propane? I know they have a Pex-Aluminum-Pex that is a replacement for copper but I can't find anywhere it says NOT to use it....
OG

 

no! pex is for water only. a water leak is not too bad .... but propane?

 

I am a plumbing contractor ic corsicana, tx. Pex is wonderful, durable, and very easy to work with.( we ahve used it in $700,000 housing)And for god's sake(and ur familie's) don't use pex for propane distribution>my 2cents

 

I am not talking about using Pex for propane... I am talking about the aluminum tubing that is laminated in pex.... as in Pex-Al-Pex... You have the rigidity and the flexibility of copper with out the cost(.38 per foot vs. getting a bank loan for a copper run)... What I am thinking of doing is running a line from my propane tank at the house to the grill on my back patio... it is a 120' run that will be buried 18"-24" and possibly run in a plastic pipe shroud to protect it from future project that might require digging... The advertisement says that it is a direct replacement for copper pipe and copper is used for running propane lines so that is why I asked...
Also.... Copper is not all that good at resisting nicks and cracks from expansion or foundation movment...

 

they make a plastic gas pipe called yellow poly. I talked to sum of my suppliers and unamiously daidDO NOT USE PEX OR PEX AL PEX ON GAS PIPING ANY WHAT SO EVER!!!! Check on the yellow poly It is almast as cheap as pex

 

for the water line in your camper - i build houses in oregon, we used pex for 3 years. we found that the metal strap wheres through the plastic pipe, the pipe expandes and the metal strap doesent. mostly hot side but some cold sides aswell. we now use worsbow. i think PVC would be ok if you could rought it up high and tight to the frame.

asfor the gas line why not black iron, there is a tape you rap it in and bary it.
its a tipe of membrian (tar), protects it from rust and rot. im not shur of the price but might be cheeper. good luck

 

PEX is great and is what travel trailers are plumbed with. It should not be strapped with metal straps. Just tie it up with tie wraps and/or plastic plumbers tape. The best fittings are the copper ring compression style with a brass barb insert. They will adapt to thread or sweat connections. For extremely tight turns use a copper PEX 90 fitting. To pass through a hole on the frame or to make a smooth 90* turn, push the tubing through a 3/4 inch PVC conduit 90.

PVC is good too. It's more rigid and less likely to get damaged by vibrating against a sharp edge or road debris. Or you can use 3/4 inch PVC as a chase to slide the pex through for long straight runs.

John

 

And there are specific grades of Copper you must use for Under ground burial of GAS, Type G or Type K comes to mind. Again use the Poly gas line, I had a local supplier build me a 150 foot line with risers for 210 dollars, it had the magnesium blocks and wire built right in for locating companies to use.

 

Mule skinner, if you want to use copper and are worried about corrosion, you can always slip some split loom over it or even the split foam insulation.

 

Thanks for the input, seems as if pvc or pex is the way to go.