Water & its waywardness

[Khan]

A while back I had a water leak mystery that was solved.

Saturday I had the thermostat die and replaced (on a Saturday).

Today I noticed water near the water heater; and several leaks from 40+ year old pipes/faucets.

This house is old and disintegrating, wonder how little repair I can get away with.

 

[Nords]

Today I noticed water near the water heater; and several leaks from 40+ year old pipes/faucets.
This house is old and disintegrating, wonder how little repair I can get away with.

Depends on whether you want to keep living in it or sell it to thefed for him to fix up and rent to tenants...

I wish I could get 40 years on a faucet. Heck, I wish I could get 20 years on the first set of faucet software.

Last weekend "This Old House" did a 10-minute segment on tankless water heaters. Might make sense for a house with only one water user-- fewer water-heating expenses and possibly fewer leaks.

 

[Khan]

Depends on whether you want to keep living in it or sell it to thefed for him to fix up and rent to tenants...

I wish I could get 40 years on a faucet. Heck, I wish I could get 20 years on the first set of faucet software.

Last weekend "This Old House" did a 10-minute segment on tankless water heaters. Might make sense for a house with only one water user-- fewer water-heating expenses and possibly fewer leaks.

I'm stuck here until the cat dies. I've pretty much decided to have the house torn down when I leave for assisted living.

 

[bssc]

For the reason you mention, my wife won't work on pipes in the wall since she is convinced that they will start leaking on her once the walls are sealed. Thank goodness she will work on the other things like the garberator and the swamp cooler.

 

[samclem]

For the reason you mention, my wife won't work on pipes in the wall since she is convinced that they will start leaking on her once the walls are sealed. Thank goodness she will work on the other things like the garberator and the swamp cooler.

I'm sympathetic to her point of view (as T-Al about leaky pipes in the wall and mold monsters). I'm fairly confident in my ability to sweat copper pipes now, especially if I can get the "cheater" fittings with the solder already in them. If I come upon a really messy in-wall situation I'd probably just tear out the copper to the nearest spot out of the wall, install a "Sharkbite" fitting, and re-run the section with PEX. No connections in the wall after that, nothing to leak.

 

[Khan]

I'm sympathetic to her point of view (as T-Al about leaky pipes in the wall and mold monsters). I'm fairly confident in my ability to sweat copper pipes now, especially if I can get the "cheater" fittings with the solder already in them. If I come upon a really messy in-wall situation I'd probably just tear out the copper to the nearest spot out of the wall, install a "Sharkbite" fitting, and re-run the section with PEX. No connections in the wall after that, nothing to leak.

Copper or PVC or Pex?

 

[Nords]

... the garberator...

I've never heard it called that before!

 

[samclem]

Copper or PVC or Pex?

If I have a choice for pipe inside a wall (new construction or an addition), it would be PEX. But, my house is all copper and the pipe is in good shape so I generally fix what I've got using copper.

 

[Khan]

If I have a choice for pipe inside a wall (new construction or an addition), it would be PEX. But, my house is all copper and the pipe is in good shape so I generally fix what I've got using copper.

The way my house is set up, very little pipe in inside a wall. There is some copper, but most is 40+ steel.

 

[Telly]

Today I noticed water near the water heater; and several leaks from 40+ year old pipes/faucets.

This house is old and disintegrating, wonder how little repair I can get away with.

Well, see, that's how it all starts. You go to replace one part, then realize the part connected to it is in poor shape, so you start to replace that part too, and before you know it, you're at the neighbors house, knocking on their bathroom door, telling him he's got to get out of there, 'cuz you need to pull the commode...

I do soldered copper with regular fittings for supply side (when I'm a supply-sider ). No PEX, I'm suspicious of "the latest great labor-saving thing", with time some become disasters like synthetic stucco system, PolyButylene supply, etc.

When I'm on the trickle-down side, I prefer Schedule 40 PVC

 

[samclem]

The way my house is set up, very little pipe in inside a wall.

That's good!

There is some copper, but most is 40+ steel.

That's bad. I wonder how anybody thought galvanized pipe would be a good idea.

 

[Khan]

That's good!


That's bad. I wonder how anybody thought galvanized pipe would be a good idea.

I guess 40 or 50 years ago, it seemed like a good idea.

 

[Nords]

Well, see, that's how it all starts. You go to replace one part, then realize the part connected to it is in poor shape, so you start to replace that part too, and before you know it, you're at the neighbors house, knocking on their bathroom door, telling him he's got to get out of there, 'cuz you need to pull the commode...

"Chasing leaks".

Gosh I miss submarine maintenance.

 

[Khan]

"Chasing leaks".

Gosh I miss submarine maintenance.

At least home maintenance isn't (usually) quite as urgent.

 

[harley]

Last weekend "This Old House" did a 10-minute segment on tankless water heaters. Might make sense for a house with only one water user-- fewer water-heating expenses and possibly fewer leaks.

Did they mention that a lot of old houses need a heavy up on their electric in order to power the darn things? If it's electric, anyway. I was doing research on this for my mom, and it would have cost so much to set up she could buy and install 2 or 3 regular water heaters.

 

[Khan]

Did they mention that a lot of old houses need a heavy up on their electric in order to power the darn things? If it's electric, anyway. I was doing research on this for my mom, and it would have cost so much to set up she could buy and install 2 or 3 regular water heaters.

Had the house rewired/upgraded about 10 years ago.

 

[bssc]

Had the house rewired/upgraded about 10 years ago.

Good idea. My wife had a monster circuit box installed outside. I left it to her to decide what amps and stuff were needed since we were running additional wires. Electricity is magic.

 

[bruce1]

PEX pipe is my friend.
Bruce

 

[Khan]

The plumber is in the basement.

 

[Telly]

The plumber is in the basement.

Quick!

Get down there and check for Plumber's Butt!

You're paying for it by the hour!

 

[Martha]

 

[W2R]

The plumber is in the basement.

Good! I hope it isn't anything too expensive.

I was speculating to myself that maybe it is the hot water heater (mine dumped a lot of water when it cratered). But then, the plumber will be able to figure out for sure what is going on.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I am used to plumbing being mostly under the house (up on pilings) and so leaks not so disastrous. But we do plan to pour concrete and enclose under our house, and i will be putting the plumbing in the concrete. That for some reason scares me to death.

 

[OAG]

I am used to plumbing being mostly under the house (up on pilings) and so leaks not so disastrous. But we do plan to pour concrete and enclose under our house, and i will be putting the plumbing in the concrete. That for some reason scares me to death.

Millions of homes are "slab built" with the plumbing (drains and feed lines) in the concrete. Not usually a problem but if it is it is a very big problem (you will live with concrete dust forever after the repairs). Lived in FL for 19 years and most new (all the time I was there) were slab built. I would think freezing would be a major cause of problems, which may or may not be a consideration for you. Just be sure that quality materials are used and pressure test at as high a pressure reading as you can BEFORE it is covered. Should not be a problem.

 

[Nords]

Did they mention that a lot of old houses need a heavy up on their electric in order to power the darn things? If it's electric, anyway. I was doing research on this for my mom, and it would have cost so much to set up she could buy and install 2 or 3 regular water heaters.

A money discussion on This Old House?!? That'd be unprecedented.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as an electric tankless water heater. All the ones I've seen in Europe were gas, as was the one shown on TOH. I don't know if it was propane or nat'l gas but they had to upgrade the supply piping from 1/2" to 3/4" to pump enough BTUs into the water.

They were also giving the strong impression that a water heater only lasts 7-10 years. Maybe that's a Mainland/winter/minerals issue, but I'm expecting more like 20 from ours.

I am used to plumbing being mostly under the house (up on pilings) and so leaks not so disastrous. But we do plan to pour concrete and enclose under our house, and i will be putting the plumbing in the concrete. That for some reason scares me to death.

Only if the foundation starts moving around!

Our neighborhood went through a spate of foundation plumbing leaks. The [-]fingerpointing[/-] cause is thought to be thin-walled copper piping and acidic concrete corrosion. So at a minimum you'd want to shell out extra for thick copper piping, and it's possible that there's a flex-piping solution that could survive a foundation tweak.

Whenever TOH is pouring concrete they also look at foundation insulation, in-floor heating with hot-water piping, and extra plumbing/sewer stubs for future remodels. But you may not have to care about those issues in your climate. You'd probably be concerned about sealing the foundation/footings/walls to keep out moisture, and in Hawaii there's a lot of focus on keeping out termites or installing termicide-distribution systems in the concrete.