House Surgery
All of our friends who invest in properties run into some huge, unforseen problem.
John and Jill: Horrible rash from sewer waste
Lance and Jayme: All tools stolen by employee
We wondered what it would be with us.
We wondered why the other bidders offered so much less than us on our prospective house.
We wondered why 5 feet of pipe was missing from the shut-off valve.
Now, I have had several plumbing successes in my own residence. Enough to boost my courage. I put in a couple of faucets and even a water heater. Handy instruction sheets were included.
Our friend John taught my husband and I how to solder copper plumbing with a torch. Not too scary, as long as you don't burn up items adjacent to the pipes.
Working with that shut-off valve was SCARY! This is the HEART of the plumbing in a house, because this is the place where the water first enters the basement from the street. Those pipes are old and they are so thin that they were sweating. If the pipe to the shut-off valve breaks, there is no way to stop the flooding until the water department arrives. I called my plumber, Tim from Coppercraft Plumbing, and asked him how to hook up to valve to the missing 5 feet of pipe. He explained what parts I needed. He's a good man. Then he added the warning, "Don't break that old pipe, because if the city has to put in new water service, it will cost $1500.00!"
The only way the new parts could be added to that old valve was by force. Big monkey wrench. Brass threads. Twist this but don't let it turn that!!!! STOP STOP! It's staring to TWIST! Solder in the new pipe. It's in kinda sideways. Oh no! I saw another joint wiggle! Did it melt and come loose?
I felt like I was doing heart surgery, but I'm only an LPN!
Six connections later, I turned on the water- Just a bit! .......................... No leaks! Pressure contained! Breathing sigh of IMMENSE relief. Thinking of how the house will have water for toilets and the garden hose. No more QuikTrip potty breaks. THEN..................
CaWHOOSH! A waterfall in the next room! Shutting off water to the house again. Investigating. Calling my plumber again. Soldering in a patch. Turn on water. No leaks. Good. Then.............. CaWHOOSH!
Another leak in still another room!
EIGHT TIMES THIS HAPPENED!
Come to find out, this house had not been winterized when the previous tenents left. The water froze in the pipes, and burst them in numerous places. The 5 feet of pipe was removed to concealed the damage. It took 9 days for me and my inexperience to fix all the breaks and other damage. It became a routine: Fix a bust, turn on a little water, listen for waterfalls, turn off water, rush around and find the bust, fix the bust.
For the record:
-Tim the plumber said that tiny beads of water leakage usually seal themselves in a few days. He was right.
-Tim referred me to the wonderful guys at Dorfman's Plumbing Supply downtown, who advise me and fuss over me. I buy everything they tell me to.
-Sixteen valves needed replacement. Six more just needed new washers. I don't know why.
John and Jill: Horrible rash from sewer waste
Lance and Jayme: All tools stolen by employee
We wondered what it would be with us.
We wondered why the other bidders offered so much less than us on our prospective house.
We wondered why 5 feet of pipe was missing from the shut-off valve.
Now, I have had several plumbing successes in my own residence. Enough to boost my courage. I put in a couple of faucets and even a water heater. Handy instruction sheets were included.
Our friend John taught my husband and I how to solder copper plumbing with a torch. Not too scary, as long as you don't burn up items adjacent to the pipes.
Working with that shut-off valve was SCARY! This is the HEART of the plumbing in a house, because this is the place where the water first enters the basement from the street. Those pipes are old and they are so thin that they were sweating. If the pipe to the shut-off valve breaks, there is no way to stop the flooding until the water department arrives. I called my plumber, Tim from Coppercraft Plumbing, and asked him how to hook up to valve to the missing 5 feet of pipe. He explained what parts I needed. He's a good man. Then he added the warning, "Don't break that old pipe, because if the city has to put in new water service, it will cost $1500.00!"
The only way the new parts could be added to that old valve was by force. Big monkey wrench. Brass threads. Twist this but don't let it turn that!!!! STOP STOP! It's staring to TWIST! Solder in the new pipe. It's in kinda sideways. Oh no! I saw another joint wiggle! Did it melt and come loose?
I felt like I was doing heart surgery, but I'm only an LPN!
Six connections later, I turned on the water- Just a bit! .......................... No leaks! Pressure contained! Breathing sigh of IMMENSE relief. Thinking of how the house will have water for toilets and the garden hose. No more QuikTrip potty breaks. THEN..................
CaWHOOSH! A waterfall in the next room! Shutting off water to the house again. Investigating. Calling my plumber again. Soldering in a patch. Turn on water. No leaks. Good. Then.............. CaWHOOSH!
Another leak in still another room!
EIGHT TIMES THIS HAPPENED!
Come to find out, this house had not been winterized when the previous tenents left. The water froze in the pipes, and burst them in numerous places. The 5 feet of pipe was removed to concealed the damage. It took 9 days for me and my inexperience to fix all the breaks and other damage. It became a routine: Fix a bust, turn on a little water, listen for waterfalls, turn off water, rush around and find the bust, fix the bust.
For the record:
-Tim the plumber said that tiny beads of water leakage usually seal themselves in a few days. He was right.
-Tim referred me to the wonderful guys at Dorfman's Plumbing Supply downtown, who advise me and fuss over me. I buy everything they tell me to.
-Sixteen valves needed replacement. Six more just needed new washers. I don't know why.
posted by Anita the Sandy at 8:09 PM
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