OK, so we're already into this year by just under a day...and I've already started learning lessons.
Yesterday, I plumed in my washer and dryer. My Father-in-law did the electric while I started pluming in the copper for the washer. Well, we got it up to where we had to tie into the house. I figured that Saturday Morning would be good because just about no one is ever home on Saturday morning. Don't ask me why. But I left a note on the doors of the other two floors on Friday night because no one was home letting them know that there wouldn't be water for a bit Saturday morning.
Well, I found out that Murphy's law is my friend because at 8 am I looked out and every ones car was there. But I left them notes, so it's OK. Hell, I'm just tying into the house water, so how hard could that be. I'll start with the Hot water because it's just my floor as it's coming off my boiler.
So, I turn off the water. Cut the pipe for the hot water, and I start draining into a bucket.
Oh, so either when this house was built, they didn't install a drain-off for the hot and cold, or it was taken it out... So I had to drain the house by cutting the pipe....
So, it's draining and going well, but there's still this pesky little stream. SHIT! It's back draining through my boiler from the cold water. So, I'm cutting off the whole house. And now I'm draining off the whole house. Everyone is shut off.
Go upstairs and open all the faucets. Wait for everything to drain...nope, all the faucets in the above two floors are off...go let them know to open them up to help drain the house.
No one will come to the door. So I just drain slow...very slow. I'm lifting and pulling pipes in the basement. Trying to get out as much as I can.
So, I build the reset of the fittings up to the T's that are going to tie in. Can do those because there's still freaking water in my pipes..
Still draining.
So, screw it, going to do the hot water...turn on the torch. Nope, still too much water...the solder won't pull in. Run the torch to try to get the water out...it works and we get the hot water tied into the house. Hell, it's only 10:30 now.
Water is still coming out the main for the cold...trace the pipes, there has to be a drain somewhere. HEY! There's a ball valve going up to the rest of the house. Shut it off and lift and pull the pipe to chase the water out the pipes. I think that it's pretty drained. So, I finish chasing the pipes and start to heat up the fittings. It looks like it sucks up the solder.
11:30ish and I'm going to turn on the water. House gets up to pressure and I open the shutoffs that I put in between the house and the pipes going to to washer.
DAMNIT! leaks. Shut off the house again. Break out the torch and start taking the fitting that were leaking off. I need a 90 and 45...OK, I don't have an extra 45...I'll finish taking off the pipes...CRAP! I'm out of propane.
SO, I'm going to True Value. Get my 1/2" 45 and some gas...do I get the propane or do I get MAPP?? My torch is rated for propane so I'll just get that, I don't need to get another torch....ohhh, look at the MAPP/O2 torch. Hell, I can sweat pipe and cut steel....ok, I don't need that...just get the propane and get home. No one has water...what time is it? 12:15.
Get home and now all the dry pipe has water in it. Heat up the length of the pipe to chase out the moisture.
Put it all back together and turn on the water. It's holding. Sweet. it's only 1:40. Let's do a load of laundry.
Done. Have to go out to get some stuff...I think that I deserve ice cream.
Go to Friendly's. Get the kid the black raspberry. Get Vienna Mocha Chunk for the wife....and check this out. They have a special flavor, Mud Slide. Man that looks good. Give me a pint of that.
Get home, it's like 7 and I think that I'm going to do another load of laundry. Oh yea, I have a washer and dryer, I don't have to go to the laundromat anymore. This rocks.
Let's go down and swap it over to the dryer. 40 min later I go down to take it out...what's that sound? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! It's Leaking where I tied it into the 3/4 cold. I'll just go out and get some plumbers epoxy. Wait, it's New Years Eve. Call Home Depot, it's closed. Called Lowe's, closed. What in the hell, I'm going to have to get up every couple of hours to empty the bucket.
I'll call my buddy, see if he has something. Had some radiator hose and some hose clamps. Come home, it's 9:30 and I put that on. I'm soaking wet and it's not stopped. But it's slowed down to just a drip, drip, drip. I'll just work on it in the morning.
Go to Lowe's, pick up more fittings, and something that will make my life a lot easier.
Go and tell the neighbors that the water is going to be cut off again. YIPPEE!
So, I make up the length of pipe before I have to cut off the water. It's all made up and I get ready to start cutting the pipe. I cut out a section and put the new pipe on. Solder on the length with a coupling and start to tie back into the house. But screw the solder, I have compression fittings on this...I'm not going to even try to drain the house.
Water off and back on in about 20 minutes.
Now, I can do some laundry. So I throw in a load. It's done. Throw in the wash into the dryer and another load into the wash.
I'm going to start cooking. Fire up the oven to 450 and sit down to watch some TV.
The house goes dark. This can't be happening to me.
Go down and check the breakers. None of them are popped. What the hell. Call my father in law, he's an electrician.
He says check the master breaker. Back down to the panel. There's not one. He says go outside. It's on the meter. It's popped. Flip it and everything is back on.
So, what have I learned?
Even if you think the pipes are dry. Use compression fittings because you won't get it dry enough to solder copper pipe.
Have extra gas and fittings. You can always take back what you don't need.
If it can leak, it will leak...even if it's several hours later.
Don't run the Dryer and the Oven at the same time.
Don't excited until it's all done.
Yesterday, I plumed in my washer and dryer. My Father-in-law did the electric while I started pluming in the copper for the washer. Well, we got it up to where we had to tie into the house. I figured that Saturday Morning would be good because just about no one is ever home on Saturday morning. Don't ask me why. But I left a note on the doors of the other two floors on Friday night because no one was home letting them know that there wouldn't be water for a bit Saturday morning.
Well, I found out that Murphy's law is my friend because at 8 am I looked out and every ones car was there. But I left them notes, so it's OK. Hell, I'm just tying into the house water, so how hard could that be. I'll start with the Hot water because it's just my floor as it's coming off my boiler.
So, I turn off the water. Cut the pipe for the hot water, and I start draining into a bucket.
Oh, so either when this house was built, they didn't install a drain-off for the hot and cold, or it was taken it out... So I had to drain the house by cutting the pipe....
So, it's draining and going well, but there's still this pesky little stream. SHIT! It's back draining through my boiler from the cold water. So, I'm cutting off the whole house. And now I'm draining off the whole house. Everyone is shut off.
Go upstairs and open all the faucets. Wait for everything to drain...nope, all the faucets in the above two floors are off...go let them know to open them up to help drain the house.
No one will come to the door. So I just drain slow...very slow. I'm lifting and pulling pipes in the basement. Trying to get out as much as I can.
So, I build the reset of the fittings up to the T's that are going to tie in. Can do those because there's still freaking water in my pipes..
Still draining.
So, screw it, going to do the hot water...turn on the torch. Nope, still too much water...the solder won't pull in. Run the torch to try to get the water out...it works and we get the hot water tied into the house. Hell, it's only 10:30 now.
Water is still coming out the main for the cold...trace the pipes, there has to be a drain somewhere. HEY! There's a ball valve going up to the rest of the house. Shut it off and lift and pull the pipe to chase the water out the pipes. I think that it's pretty drained. So, I finish chasing the pipes and start to heat up the fittings. It looks like it sucks up the solder.
11:30ish and I'm going to turn on the water. House gets up to pressure and I open the shutoffs that I put in between the house and the pipes going to to washer.
DAMNIT! leaks. Shut off the house again. Break out the torch and start taking the fitting that were leaking off. I need a 90 and 45...OK, I don't have an extra 45...I'll finish taking off the pipes...CRAP! I'm out of propane.
SO, I'm going to True Value. Get my 1/2" 45 and some gas...do I get the propane or do I get MAPP?? My torch is rated for propane so I'll just get that, I don't need to get another torch....ohhh, look at the MAPP/O2 torch. Hell, I can sweat pipe and cut steel....ok, I don't need that...just get the propane and get home. No one has water...what time is it? 12:15.
Get home and now all the dry pipe has water in it. Heat up the length of the pipe to chase out the moisture.
Put it all back together and turn on the water. It's holding. Sweet. it's only 1:40. Let's do a load of laundry.
Done. Have to go out to get some stuff...I think that I deserve ice cream.
Go to Friendly's. Get the kid the black raspberry. Get Vienna Mocha Chunk for the wife....and check this out. They have a special flavor, Mud Slide. Man that looks good. Give me a pint of that.
Get home, it's like 7 and I think that I'm going to do another load of laundry. Oh yea, I have a washer and dryer, I don't have to go to the laundromat anymore. This rocks.
Let's go down and swap it over to the dryer. 40 min later I go down to take it out...what's that sound? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! It's Leaking where I tied it into the 3/4 cold. I'll just go out and get some plumbers epoxy. Wait, it's New Years Eve. Call Home Depot, it's closed. Called Lowe's, closed. What in the hell, I'm going to have to get up every couple of hours to empty the bucket.
I'll call my buddy, see if he has something. Had some radiator hose and some hose clamps. Come home, it's 9:30 and I put that on. I'm soaking wet and it's not stopped. But it's slowed down to just a drip, drip, drip. I'll just work on it in the morning.
Go to Lowe's, pick up more fittings, and something that will make my life a lot easier.
Go and tell the neighbors that the water is going to be cut off again. YIPPEE!
So, I make up the length of pipe before I have to cut off the water. It's all made up and I get ready to start cutting the pipe. I cut out a section and put the new pipe on. Solder on the length with a coupling and start to tie back into the house. But screw the solder, I have compression fittings on this...I'm not going to even try to drain the house.
Water off and back on in about 20 minutes.
Now, I can do some laundry. So I throw in a load. It's done. Throw in the wash into the dryer and another load into the wash.
I'm going to start cooking. Fire up the oven to 450 and sit down to watch some TV.
The house goes dark. This can't be happening to me.
Go down and check the breakers. None of them are popped. What the hell. Call my father in law, he's an electrician.
He says check the master breaker. Back down to the panel. There's not one. He says go outside. It's on the meter. It's popped. Flip it and everything is back on.
So, what have I learned?
Even if you think the pipes are dry. Use compression fittings because you won't get it dry enough to solder copper pipe.
Have extra gas and fittings. You can always take back what you don't need.
If it can leak, it will leak...even if it's several hours later.
Don't run the Dryer and the Oven at the same time.
Don't excited until it's all done.
