Plumbing to hose bibs using PVC

Question

Is it acceptable to use PVC pipe (like schedule 40) under the house to plumb from the main water supply to hose bibs that punch through to the exterior? I have an unfinished cellar space, and I'm in California in a climate that gets a few freezing days in the winter.

The reason for this is that I want to have essentially 3 sets of (cold) water distribution lines under the house:

1. Filtered water for drinking, going to the kitchen and bathroom faucets.
2. Unfiltered water for all other interior use.
3. Irrigation water for exterior uses, that I can shut off and drain for winterization.

For this last set, I'd want a single shutoff and drainage point, but I don't want to run a separate set of fat and expensive copper lines to each hose bib around the house. Everything inside the house and in the cellar does not need to be drained or winterized, only pipes that penetrate to the outside.

Answer 1

Why not use frost free bibs so you don't have to winterize? They're pretty much the standard now.

If you must use regular bibs, I'd use pex as it tolerates freezing more, is more versatile, and still relatively inexpensive. While you can use PVC for drain, vent, etc, it's not approved for [hot] water distribution.

Lastly, and most importantly, I'd avoid separating out distribution in the home. Better to centralize your supply and avoid "filtered" and "unfiltered" water inside the home. Someone will come along down the road and borrow a branch from the unfiltered line and hook it up to a fridge, sink, etc. Keep it simple: cold potable water and hot potable water. Leave "unfiltered" irrigation style distribution to outside the home only (city watering systems, etc)