FYI: Home Depot no longer stocks metal pipe or fittings

[Bill Dufour]

Home depots near me no longer stock iron pipe or iron pipe fittings. They have to be ordered online. I am doing a gas dryer install and I have to wait a few days for a simple 1/2" NPT elbow! At least it is free shipping to home or store.
Lowes website shows they still stock iron pipe stuff.
Bill D

[glenn bradley]

Brick and mortar retailers are being driven to stock only those items that are sure to move at a predictable rate. The shopping malls have gone the way of the dodo bird. I wonder if warehouse-style home centers are next?

[Tom M King]

I found it cheaper at dedicated plumbing suppliers anyway. The one good thing about HD and black iron pipe was that they would thread a cut piece for you. I'm sorry to see that go because I never used enough to invest in threading equipment.

[Jim Koepke]

I found it cheaper at dedicated plumbing suppliers anyway. The one good thing about HD and black iron pipe was that they would thread a cut piece for you. I'm sorry to see that go because I never used enough to invest in threading equipment.

I purchased a NPT die set at an estate sale for ten bucks. I tend to buy full length pipe and cut it for pipe clamps. That works fine for four foot sections. I did purchase a used 3/4" NPT die to rethread shorter pieces.

Now all I really need is a second shop for metal work. :eek:

jtk

[Tom M King]

I guess if our HD shuts down that department, I'll be looking for a die too. If you need a specific length, and you buy the pipe from them, they would thread it for no charge with a power threader sitting in the aisleway. I saw it still sitting in that aisle last week.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I bought my outfit with all of the profit and labor for a job that required it. I did not make any money that week.

[Tom M King]

I have buildings full of tools and equipment funded like that too, but never did much pipe threading. The last time I needed a piece threaded was in 2012 when I put a complicated gas supply system in a house.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I am pleased that I squeezed under the wire for getting made in the USA. As far as elbow grease down the drain goes, It may not have been a good investment.

489252

[Jack Frederick]

I wonder if there are liability or injury issues with the threading machines which have driven this decision?

[Bruce Wrenn]

Bil, don't you live in California? They are trying ban all natural gas in residential use. Main use of BI pipe is for gas lines, which is "old school." Everything is now flex pipe, which requires absolutely no plumbing skills to install. Proud holder of a P-1 plumbing licensee in working years.

[Bill Dufour]

I much prefer metal pipe for garden faucets and brackets to hold things.
I did not notice the gas flex pipe coils and fittings. The gas flex whips were very few. I bought one from Amazon for 1/4 the price and it included a blowout valve. $41 vs 10 Dollars
Bill D

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I wonder if there are liability or injury issues with the threading machines which have driven this decision?

I know of one fatality caused by an electric pipe threader. It is a very grim, very sad story.

[Bill George]

Are you sure this isn't just a local thing? Lots of uses for steel pipe and its still Code in Lots of places. Accidents with threading machines, Hippe folks getting long hair caught.... pretty gruesome.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The elderly gentleman in Concord NH was bending down to lift the lever on his foot switch that had stuck. He lost his grip on the machine and it tangled in his bib overalls.

[Walter Plummer]

California has probably discovered that iron pipe and fittings cause cancer:D

[Bill Dufour]

Another problem is I ordered a few pipe fitting to be delivered in 3-4 days and a dryer vent periscope that will take two weeks. They will ship as one package in 2 weeks. Since it is free shipping I should have ordered each piece individually to get most of the stuff sooner.
Bill D.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have a Ridged Pipe die that was my dads and I would cut and thread pipe when I was 8 years old. It will cut and thread 1/4 to 2 inch pipe.

[Bill Dufour]

I have a Ridged Pipe die that was my dads and I would cut and thread pipe when I was 8 years old. It will cut and thread 1/4 to 2 inch pipe.
I bought some of the bigger bolt dies for mine. Like 5/8 and 3/4.
Bill D

[Rollie Meyers]

Are you sure this isn't just a local thing? Lots of uses for steel pipe and its still Code in Lots of places. Accidents with threading machines, Hippe folks getting long hair caught.... pretty gruesome.


High torque, low speed, of a powered threader, with long hair, or sleeves, do not make a good image in my head. That being said I love having my Rigid 535 machine, can thread anything from 1/4'-2", pipe.

[Brian Elfert]

Another type of pipe that Home Depots in my area quit carrying is ABS pipe. I happened to go another HD about 15 miles away and they still carry ABS pipe. Luckily, Menards still carries ABS pipe.

[Jim Becker]

Another type of pipe that Home Depots in my area quit carrying is ABS pipe. I happened to go another HD about 15 miles away and they still carry ABS pipe. Luckily, Menards still carries ABS pipe.
Very rare to see ABS anywhere around here...it's always been PVC for as long as I can remember.

[Mel Fulks]

ABS waste pipe is noisy , I think that’s the main complaint. Some people having a new house built buy a cast iron waste pipe. But a bunch
of mass loaded vinyl wrapped around ABS makes it quiet.

[Tom M King]

ABS was used around here through the 1980's.

[Brian Elfert]

I am pretty sure the house I had built in 2001 used ABS pipe. I used ABS in my bus conversion I initially did in 2006. I needed some ABS pipe to change something on my bus and was surprised to find that HD had quit carrying it.

[Bill Dufour]

I thought PVC was not to be used for hot water, even as sewage. the heat makes it soft.
Bill D

[Brian Elfert]

PVC is used all over for drain lines. Drain lines don't get the same level of exposure to hot water as supply lines do.

[Michael Schuch]

I haven't felt the need to support my local HD or Lowes in very a long time. I will go to Ace or the local farm and ranch but not those two unless I absolutely have to.

I order most of my stuff from <s>Zoro.com</s> www.supplyhouse.com (http://www.supplyhouse.com). They carry every fitting imaginable at a considerably lower price than Amazon... which is usually quite a bit lower than HD or Lowes. They have such a HUGE selection of everything you can imagine, like close to Grainger's selection without the high Grainger prices. <s>Zoro</s>www.supplyhouse.com (http://www.supplyhouse.com) is also VERY fast at packaging, shipping and it usually arrives very fast.

[Bill George]

I thought PVC was not to be used for hot water, even as sewage. the heat makes it soft.
Bill D

CPVC is for hot water supply never saw an issue with PVC for waste lines.

[Brian Elfert]

I haven't felt the need to support my local HD or Lowes in very a long time. I will go to Ace or the local farm and ranch but not those two unless I absolutely have to.


You must like overpaying if you buy your plumbing stuff from Ace. The only reason I wouldn't go broke buying plumbing supplies from my local hardware store is because the selection is so small compared to Menards. I wouldn't find a lot of what I was looking for.

I have never considered Zoro for plumbing stuff unless I can't find it locally. My experience with Zoro is they are usually overpriced unless you have a coupon. Pretty much the only time I order from Zoro is with a coupon. Granted, I have never looked at their prices for plumbing stuff.

[Jim Koepke]

You must like overpaying if you buy your plumbing stuff from Ace.

Before they closed for good, our local Ace Hardware would match the online prices of HD or Lowes. They were positioned in between the two. It is hard for a hardware only store to compete with a couple of big boxes.

jtk

[Michael Schuch]

You must like overpaying if you buy your plumbing stuff from Ace. The only reason I wouldn't go broke buying plumbing supplies from my local hardware store is because the selection is so small compared to Menards. I wouldn't find a lot of what I was looking for.

I have never considered Zoro for plumbing stuff unless I can't find it locally. My experience with Zoro is they are usually overpriced unless you have a coupon. Pretty much the only time I order from Zoro is with a coupon. Granted, I have never looked at their prices for plumbing stuff.

Yep, you are right. I meant www.supplyhouse.com (http://www.supplyhouse.com) ---NOT Zoro! For some reason I had Zoro on my brain when I was thinking www.supplyhouse.com (http://www.supplyhouse.com). I can pretty near order double the number of fittings from SupplyHouse and still pay half of what I would at HD or Lowes. HD will no longer allow me to return fittings still in their sealed plastic bags with the receipt a week after I bought them which I why I don't go there any more.

[Dave Lehnert]

I was talking to a Home Depot employee and said there was talk of converting some stores into on-line/ pick-up only.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I use our Ace store when I can. They never offered pipe threading. They are doing a decent gob of sending me $5 and $10 off cards which helps. The most helpful thing is that there is an Ace on the West side of town which can save an hour or more, and a 7 to 14 mile drive. I also work for several darling widow ladies who insist that I do their shopping at Ace.

[Alex Zeller]

I can walk into a local hardware store and be heading back home in 10 minutes where as the big box stores are always at least a half hour to get in and out of. Whether it's finding someone for help or waiting in a line to cash out it just takes too long. As for pipe threading, before I moved to this house I lived near a friend who owned a sprinkler business and I would often go over in the evenings to cut and thread pipe for him. He now has an automated threader that has what looks like a 1/2" tap that cuts the threads. What use to take hours now just takes minutes.

[Roger Feeley]

My local HD must not have gotten the memo yet. I’m told that it’s the busiest HD in the country so maybe it’s still worth it? It’s also a very messy HD. Finding fasteners in the bins is always a hassle. Sometimes, there are some tape measures lying around that customers have taken from the tools section.

I’m kind of tempted to have a 6” rule tattooed on my left forearm.

[Jim Koepke]

I’m kind of tempted to have a 6” rule tattooed on my left forearm.

Knowing this may have been posted in jest, I always have a tape measure in my pocket.

I haven't been in an HD in a while. Their website shows iron pipe products in stock in my local store.

Bill may find his local store may be more to do with being in California than with Home Depot. Having not lived in California for close to 15 years it isn't known to me if they have banned new gas connections or not. That could lower the demand considerably.

jtk

[Tom Bain]

My local HD must not have gotten the memo yet. I’m told that it’s the busiest HD in the country so maybe it’s still worth it? It’s also a very messy HD. Finding fasteners in the bins is always a hassle. Sometimes, there are some tape measures lying around that customers have taken from the tools section.

I’m kind of tempted to have a 6” rule tattooed on my left forearm.

Roger — Are you talking about the one on route 50 or the one in Merrifield? They are both super busy and terribly disorganized. It’s even worse this time of year when they stick Christmas crap in every open spot in the store and you can’t even maneuver a cart through there.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Our HD has copper pipe and fittings.

[Jim Becker]

Regional stocking reflects regional demang. Iron pipe is most often targeted at natural gas or propane applications, other than the occasional pipe clamp, and use of gas is being discouraged in some geographies. The store isn't going to dedicate space to something that can't develop enough sales to justify that space.

[George Yetka]

When did they start this I grabbed a couple last month.

You could check the brass. if its just the one piece.

[Jim Koepke]

Regional stocking reflects regional demang. Iron pipe is most often targeted at natural gas or propane applications, other than the occasional pipe clamp, and use of gas is being discouraged in some geographies. The store isn't going to dedicate space to something that can't develop enough sales to justify that space.

The beancounters likely have a dollar per square foot number, along with other criteria, that has to be met for products to be stocked in a store.

When looking for an extra pair of wireless headphones it was discovered HD had them marked down to $39, $20 below the regular price, for a set from Sharper Image. Fortunately the HD web site also listed the location in the store. Turns out it was a small clearance area of items that hadn't sold well. I purchased two pair. I've been using a pair for years to watch TV without disturbing the wife and wanted a back up pair. Now one pair is used with my computer and there is one back up pair.

jtk

[Jim Becker]

There are definitely metrics which come into play for in-store inventory and the major home centers have also created a more robust "ship to store" program for next tier stuff, too. Things that folks buy, but not in quantities and not with frequency. There are many items that have been swapped from store inventory to quick-ship to store status in my observation at this point. Relative to the metrics, if "something" is being pushed out of the local market for a given store, such as the iron pipe that brought up this topic, it's not surprising it would no longer be on the shelf/rack.

[Brian Elfert]

There are definitely metrics which come into play for in-store inventory and the major home centers have also created a more robust "ship to store" program for next tier stuff, too. Things that folks buy, but not in quantities and not with frequency. There are many items that have been swapped from store inventory to quick-ship to store status in my observation at this point. Relative to the metrics, if "something" is being pushed out of the local market for a given store, such as the iron pipe that brought up this topic, it's not surprising it would no longer be on the shelf/rack.

There is zero chance I am going to place a ship to store order for something like a pipe fitting unless nobody else in the area carries that item. Home Depot quit carrying ABS pipe and fittings in store. Menards is across the street and still carries ABS so I just buy it there. Ship to store means waiting several days to several weeks for the item to be delivered to the store. I then still have to drive to the store to pick up the item.

[Jim Becker]

I do understand, but it's not going to stop them from offering stuff like that. I remember you mentioning about the ABS...as I mentioned then, ABS isn't even offered in this area, at least in any of the mass market. (The closest Menards is probably about 300 miles away, too)

[Curt Harms]

I imagine any item availability depends on the region. In this area - S.E. PA - gas heat & hot water is very much a thing and both Lowes & HD stock black iron pipe. If I'm killing time in another part of the country I'll go into borgs just to see what they stock. One thing I notice is a lot more bug control products in areas that don't have hard frosts. OTOH not many snow shovels in south Florida.

[Brian Elfert]

I brought up ABS pipe because it is something I recalled HD stopped carrying and I had to buy elsewhere. There are other things that HD doesn't carry in the store, but I can get at other local stores. I have sometimes used ship to store on items that don't meet the free shipping minimum. If I order something from HD I usually get it shipped to home for free.

[Jim Becker]

Same here, Brian. The ship to home, when it's available and free, has been pretty darn fast, too. More than once I've received things days or even a week sooner than expected.

[mark mcfarlane]

We are blessed with a local family-owned hardware store that packs a LOT of inventory in a small place. Need a fitting of any material, an o-ring, a certain size bolt made of a certain grade of metal,... Jim's your place. Knowledgable staff that you can find in a few seconds. They did have some inventory problems of fittings early in the pandemic but there have only been maybe 2 occasions where I couldn't find something that solved my problem. I don't mind paying an extra dollar or two. I can typically get in and out in under 5 minutes.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Natural gas furnaces and water heaters will be available in California for the next 7 years. As of 2030, all new furnace and water heaters sold in California will have to be zero emission. That means heat pumps and electric water heaters. It us unlikely that Home Depot has decided to stop stocking metal pipe and fittings because of a mandate that is 3/4 of a decade away.

I am fine with that change for obvious environmental reasons, but it also works for us financially. Last year we replaced one of our A/C /Heating units with a very high efficiency propane burner. The other will stay put until is gives up the ghost and when that happens, we will go with a new heat pump. Now that we have reduced our annual electricity cost from $6,000 to $120 (grid connect fee), I am looking to cut our annual $3,000 gas cost in half with the heat pump which will also be covered by our annual solar generation.

Before I retired in 2004, I was the Assistant Secretary for Cal/EPA with the CARB beat. These greenhouse gas regulations were in various stages of drafting nearly 10 years before I retired.

[Lee Schierer]

I was in our local Home depot today and they seemed to be fully stocked with metal pipe and fittings.

[Brian Elfert]

Natural gas furnaces and water heaters will be available in California for the next 7 years. As of 2030, all new furnace and water heaters sold in California will have to be zero emission. That means heat pumps and electric water heaters. It us unlikely that Home Depot has decided to stop stocking metal pipe and fittings because of a mandate that is 3/4 of a decade away.


I hope the all electric mandate doesn't come to Minnesota any time soon. It is super expensive to do all electric heat in Minnesota unless you do geothermal. There is no heat pump that can economically produce heat during our super cold snaps. My understanding is a heat pump can cost the same, or more, to run at -5F than resistance electric heat. My house had baseboard electric heat and no air conditioning when I bought it. $3,500 a year for electricity and the electric heat was on a six cents per KWH plan. The electric water heater was replaced with a power vented gas water heater. I had ducting put in along with a gas furnace and central A/C. My utility bills have been $1,500 a year for gas and electric combined, and I use my A/C a lot which the house didn't have.

I want to do geothermal, but it will probably be five years before I have the money saved up. I will probably want to keep my gas furnace as the utility will provide electricity for electric heat at half price if you have a backup heat source. They will cut the power for the electric heat if demand is really high. Also, an electric water heater is really expensive. I have read of people spending over $100 a month on electricity just for an electric water heater! I spent $60 a month on electricity total before I went solar. My water heater costs $20 a month during the summer and half of that is the basic charge for having natural gas.

[Zachary Hoyt]

In the "new" house I have been around 400 kwh per month this fall, with electric tankless water heater, electric stove, and the workshop. My electric bills have been a bit under $80, and I think for November it'll be closer to $90 based on usage. We're heating mostly with wood stoves, with electric backup (oil filled radiator, and now a mini-split). I've been surprised by how little it costs for electricity so far.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Figuring out how to keep warm at Frostbite Falls without burning something is a big challenge. I wish I was smart enough to participate in Prince Willams Earthshot. We have a Goodman heat pump It never feels warm.

Reading about the geo thermal technology in Iceland always makes me think of John Muir's night on the volcano.

"Here," said Jerome, as we stood shivering in the midst of the hissing, sputtering fumaroles, "we shall be safe from frost." "Yes," said I, "we can lie in this mud and gravel, hot at least on one side; but how shall we protect our lungs from the acid gases?

Snow-Storm on Mount Shasta, by John Muir (1877) - John Muir Exhibit (John Muir Education Project, Sierra Club California) (https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/snow_storm_on_mount_shasta.aspx)

[Bob Borzelleri]

Eventually, the best answers will be some combination of straight electric heat pumps, geothermal and solar to offset the electrical energy cost. We are unfortunately so far behind the curve with respect to effective and efficient energy generation, management and use that playing catch up in an era of severe climate changes and the dramatic effect those changes are having on coastal living conditions, droughts and wildfires that thoughtful planning for the future is kinda like bailing a boat filled with piranha.

[Brian Elfert]

I already have solar that produces 150% of my yearly needs. The extra 50% production helps pay the $30 in fees on my monthly bill. I set up my solar system so I can easily expand by 50%. The wiring to the house is already sized for the additional solar. It would cost me $5,000 to $6,000 to add more solar. No batteries.

[Lee Schierer]

I want to do geothermal, but it will probably be five years before I have the money saved up. I will probably want to keep my gas furnace as the utility will provide electricity for electric heat at half price if you have a backup heat source. They will cut the power for the electric heat if demand is really high. Also, an electric water heater is really expensive. I have read of people spending over $100 a month on electricity just for an electric water heater! I spent $60 a month on electricity total before I went solar. My water heater costs $20 a month during the summer and half of that is the basic charge for having natural gas.

Don't forget that your original furnace will also need electric to run the thermostat and the fan.

We've heated our home for over 40 years with a geothermal heat pump. We used well water for a heat source for most of those years, but erosion in the path through the aquifer shortened the path between the two wells so the water got too cold and the water to refrigerant chamber kept freezing up. I elected to put in a ground loop system. The guy that did the ground loop used the minimum length to meet the demand for really cold long duration weather so my unit is not as efficient when heating as the temperature of the liquid in the loop drops colder that the most efficient operating temperature. There probably should have been several hundred feet more pipe in each loop. It works really well when air conditioning.

Geothermal is definitely the way to go, just be sure the ground loops are sufficiently sized to keep the optimum efficiency temperature in the loop during heavy demand. Greater depth beneath the surface would also help.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

We have some farmers around who burry the ground loop in their silage pits. It make for quite a bit of labor but is a neat concept.

[Brian Elfert]

Don't forget that your original furnace will also need electric to run the thermostat and the fan.


The furnace and the geothermal heat pump would be on two separate electrical feeds. The CO-OP supplies a second meter for the electric heat feed. My assumption is I would have my forced air furnace with a coil on top for the geothermal. The geothermal heat pump would be located next tot he furnace. I have lots of land I can dig up for the ground loops.