No sign of problems. The porch is on the South side of the house where the pipe receives full sun. My wife's uncle copied my idea too in 8'' pipe. His posts have stood the test of time too. As I mentioned, much of my other trim is white vinyl too. Of course, trim is formulated to stand sun and weather, while pipe is meant to be buried.

Now I have it all laid out I went to a local Orchard Supply and they said I'd probably find it at a Plumbing Supply that sells to comercial vendors. Then he said you may not find it at all and pointed to empty spaces on his shelves where PVC stuff should be.

According to him, the only factory that makes a mold release compound for PVC burned down and the PVC manufacturers are running out of stock. I'm pretty sure PVC pipe is extruded and may not be affected but he seems sure.

Anybody hear of this and the impact it will have on supplies?

Earle

Just for kicks I thought I'd tell you what I ended up doing. I found Sch 80 PVC but only then discovered it is gray. Since it's going against a white wall, and I was short on time I went with sched 40 in 3/4". It is whippy but it is installed and working.

I wiped it down with acetone to remove the print but did not paint it for UV protection because I had limited time and it rained for half of it. Besides one of you said it's not necessary.

For the base plate, I ended up buying a synthetic cutting board and drilled a hole 3/4" from one corner as that was the relief (toe kick?) under the wall. The round plate discussed earlier was too wide and cutting it would have led to rust issues later. The hole was fitted with a 1" PVC cap which just fits over a 3/4" cap. This allows the riser to move slightly vertical and still be secured.

Now, if I had to do it over with ample time and the committee's blessings, I would run 3/8" Type K rigid copper pipe (if I could find it). I would love to have had that and time to have it powder coated to match the wall. I would prefer this because I am uncomfortable with the flexing of PVC over the long haul.

Anyway, the project turned out really well. They have water to the lower deck with a hose bib & curly hose, a drip system on a battery powered timer and a set of solar lights to light the hundred or so plants we put into tiered planters. The clients are amazed to return from their trip and have this.

I may have ended up with less than what we designed here, but I thank you all for your advice.

Earle

If I were going to do the job you described I would use 1/2 inch type L copper pipe and the copper cap that you mentioned. The 1/2 inch copper pipe full of water is not nearly as heavy as the 3/4 inch pipe full of water therefore easier to suport. To support the cap and to protect it from wear I would buy a wooden protector that is used to protect the carpet from a chair leg, they are about 3 to 4 inches around and seem very strudy if they are going to hold the weight of someone sittiing in a chair.

I am not clear about what you want to hide the pipe with, so this suggestion may be way off base, In the electrical trade there is a product called "Beauty mold" it is used to hide and to protect wire that is exposed. It comes in different sizes and has turns to match. It is colored and I don't know if it comes in different colors or not, but I am sure it could be painted to match the wall it is going to be against.

It is hard to be of assistance from far away and having to interpert one guys names he gives to objects when mine are different, so some of what you said I am just guessing about it, so I hope you have gotten some good advice from all the people that responded.