Practical advice on pipes, tiles, tanks and sanitaryware — to help you specify and buy the right materials for your home or project.
Use CPVC for any line that can ever see hot water, such as geyser outlets, solar heater lines and concealed bathroom piping, and UPVC for lines that stay cold, such as tank-to-tap and borewell delivery.
Read guideFor a typical house with local plumbers, CPVC (SDR 11) is the practical choice because solvent-cement jointing needs no machine.
Read guideBuy SS 316L for buildings meant to run 40 to 50 years without a repipe: hospitals, 4 or 5-star hotels, high-rise hot-water loops and premium villas you plan to keep.
Read guideFor most Indian homes use a 25 mm line from the overhead tank, 20 mm into each bathroom and kitchen, and 15 mm only for the last metre or two to a single tap, shower or cistern.
Read guideWork out the highest pressure your system can ever see, from tank height or pump shut-off pressure, add a margin for surges and hot water, then buy the next rating above it.
Read guideThe three biggest preventable pipe problems in Indian homes are rushed solvent-cement joints, hard-water scaling in old metal pipes and unprotected rooftop plastic lines.
Read guideAn SWR system works on gravity, the correct slope and a few centimetres of water standing in each trap to stop smell.
Read guideChoose HDPE for long, buried, leak-critical lines and rough terrain, because fused joints and long coils mean far fewer leak points.
Read guideDWC pipe is double-wall corrugated HDPE pipe for gravity sewers, stormwater drains, small culverts and cable ducts up to about 1,000 mm.
Read guideUse butt fusion for long, new pipelines in open ground, where hundreds of joints make its lack of fitting cost decisive and where diameters reach 200 mm and above.
Read guideEvery home needs a full-bore forged brass ball valve on the main inlet, about 20 mm, and on each bathroom and kitchen branch, CP angle valves at every geyser, basin and cistern, a brass float valve in the tank, and a spring or swing check valve on the pump delivery line.
Read guideUse CI sluice valves (IS 14846) to isolate mains, a non-return valve to protect the pump after delivery, air valves at pipeline high points and a foot valve to hold prime on suction lines.
Read guideUse ceramic tiles on walls and vitrified (porcelain) tiles on floors, then pick the vitrified type by traffic: soluble salt or GVT for bedrooms, double charge or PGVT for living areas, and full body or heavy-duty matt for balconies, parking and shops.
Read guideChoose shiny PGVT for dry, low-traffic show areas such as living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, and matt GVT for kitchens, bathrooms, balconies and any floor that gets wet or works hard.
Read guideEvery surface where water falls, including bathroom floors, balconies, terraces, staircases and the wash area, needs anti-skid tiles.
Read guideUse glossy, light-coloured 300x600 mm wall tiles, small 300x300 mm anti-skid floor tiles rated R10 to R11, and epoxy grout in wet zones.
Read guideUse large smooth tiles where you walk and sit, small rough tiles where water falls, and small thick tiles where cars park.
Read guideTiles needed equal your area divided by tile or box coverage, plus wastage, rounded up to full boxes.
Read guideOrder the whole project quantity plus 3 to 5% spares from a single batch, reserved in writing.
Read guideChoose wall-hung if you are building or fully renovating and value easy cleaning and looks, because the frame and concealed cistern can be planned before tiling.
Read guideBuy a two-piece toilet for value and easy repairs, one-piece for looks and easy cleaning, but measure your trap distance first because it matters more than either.
Read guideChoose the basin type that matches your counter situation and floor space first, then the shape and brand.
Read guideBuy branded ceramic-cartridge taps for the points you touch every day, meaning basin, shower and kitchen, and economise on utility points such as the wash area.
Read guideAllow about 150 litres per person for every day you must last between refills.
Read guideFor most Indian homes on municipal or intermittent supply, the answer is both: a large underground sump to receive water and a modest overhead tank to serve the taps.
Read guideClean and disinfect a household water tank at least every six months, and sooner if the water smells musty, looks cloudy or yellow-brown, shows green or black slime, or after the monsoon when municipal turbidity rises.
Read guideSize the septic tank by the number of people in the house, always pair it with a soak pit, and have it emptied by a vacuum tanker every two to three years.
Read guideBuy light-duty FRP or SFRC for gardens and footpaths, at least a medium-duty cover (B125 or MD-10) for a car driveway, and heavy-duty SFRC (HD-20) or certified D400 FRP for any road that trucks can enter.
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