Case Study: Preference Trade-Offs toward Home Plumbing Attributes and Materials

Abstract

In the United States, about 90% of drinking water home plumbing systems use copper pipes. Pinhole leaks in copper plumbing pipes have become a concern for the homeowners because such leaks have resulted in property damage, lowered property values, and the possibility of losing their insurance coverage. Homeowners would benefit from tools enabling them to decide on whether to continue to repair or replace their plumbing system, the factors to be considered in a replacement decision, and the type of material to use for replacement. Multiple attributes including price, corrosion resistance, fire retardance, health effects, longevity, resale value of home, and taste and odor are considered in choice of plumbing materials. We formalized “choosing alternative plumbing materials” within the framework of the analytic hierarchy process. Empirical surveys were administered to 135 students of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Survey results show that health effects, taste and odor, longevity, and corrosion resistance are the influential factors when choosing alternative plumbing materials. Health effects and taste and odor of drinking water are surrogates for the purity of water that dominates preferences for a plumbing material. Research results will assist homeowners in making better informed decision regarding their plumbing systems.