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When last we visited with our handy fix-it guys, one was under the house and the other was at the well tank. When the one under the house finished, he went to help the one at the well tank. Under the house, he couldn’t tell which connections he was making to the faucets, apparently, and since he got distracted at the well tank, it wasn’t until after they left that I realized that the hot water and cold water were switched so that the hot was coming from the faucet on the right and the cold on the left. I gave them a call and they said they’d come back today to switch that up for me. They got under the house then came back out and said, “We hate to tell you this, but your old plumbing is leaking now.”
Nooooooooooooooooooooo.
It was like someone died. They got down on one knee in front of my chair and talked real careful like they thought my head might blow up, and said, “It’s not that bad. We won’t make you turn your water off yet. But you have to replace the rest of the plumbing, because if you don’t, you’re not going to have any water anymore.”
All the plumbing to the kitchen was replaced last week, but the remaining plumbing that goes to the bathrooms was just insulated. They said it didn’t look good, but they would try to keep it limping along with the insulation. Unfortunately, we had another night in the teens since then and it sprung a leak. They said it was really brittle, very old PVC. They’ll be back Wednesday.
::thunk::
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on January 15, 2012
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— Matthew the pipefitter, 12, 1:2
We once bought a house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. We had no pre-sale inspection at the time, but I’m not sure it would have caught this one. The house was relatively new, but the danger sign (which I did not recognize at the time) was that the owner did much of his own maintenance and especially expansion work.
So in this particular tale (there are several) I noticed a minor drip in the cellar from a copper supply line. When I went to wipe the pipe for a closer look, the pipe literally dissolved in my hand.
The resulting diagnosis: either the original builder, or the misguided owner, had plumbed the entire supply network with insubstantial thin wall copper tubing. The water (from a well) was corrosive with no corrective treatment. So the thin wall tubing was even thinner wall by the time we bought the house. My hand was enough to cause that one pipe to collapse, and it didn’t take much effort to collapse the rest soon after.
That was my introduction to “how to solder copper pipe” and also “how making the wrong pipe measurements by even a tiny bit can waste a lot of pipe stock really fast” and also “how to go without running water for up to a week.”
Using plastic (as in rigid PVC) hasn’t changed that picture much (except for the cause being corrosion). It gets glued, not soldered, but it still has to be measured exactly and it can still split when least desired. From cold.
We can thank the Romans for indoor plumbing (and even the word “plumbing”). So after a couple thousand years things haven’t changed much. I bet that Roman real estate agents didn’t mention the plumbing either.
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Everything’s going to work out fine. Keep telling yourself nice things.
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Just wanted to say also that I have a ewe that looks just like yours. And she likes to wear her hay too! Saves it to eat later. Or else for the others to munch on. She’s so pretty. What kind is she? Mine is a Finn. Can’t wait for spring to get that wool off her.
And now I can just post a comment and not have to log in every time! Thanks.
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This will work out. This will wotk out. This will work out.
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Strange when the owners moved the kitchen from its original place, that they didn’t update the plumbing.
And I think copper plumbing is the best, but its also the most expensive.
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Suzanne, I know you had a home inspection, I wonder why the plumbing problem was not noticed by the inspector, I would think the electrical and prumbing would be at the top of his list to check. I know that there are issues with a home this old, but I would think he would have checked these things. It is a shame that you have had to bear all of this.
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Pat in Eastern NC
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At least once this is taken care of, you shouldn’t have to worry about it anymore for a very, very long time!
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Only way to look at it now, is, once it’s done, it’s done.
Rats. Hang in there!
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If it makes you feel better, I have a leak between the 1st and second floor. Not good. Have to go through the ceiling, repair/replace, and then replace said ceiling. I just finished painting that room!
I just luv homeownership . . . (not so much some days!)
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Your plight is making me nervous. Some of the plumbing and electricity in my house is from the last century….um no, the one BEFORE that (building built 1898). I have cast iron pipes that must be getting tired. Some water lines already replaced with PVC but not all. (Don’t know if PEX is code here.) Am suspicious about supply lines to second floor. Found out by chance that the gas lines for the original gas lights were capped but still live when I had a ceiling fan installed in the kitchen. Thank goodness the electrician wasn’t smoking!
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We’re currently searching for our ‘homestead in the country’, and one of our goals these past three years has been to gain as many ‘country’ skills as possible, and to find out what we don’t know. Reading your blog and researching any number of things I’ve found on it has been a part of all that. I’m sure that it isn’t much of a consolation – but witnessing your various calamaties has already helped us avoid some of our own.
Here’s praying that you will not experience any more crises in the course of my education…
Big hugs from the Pacific Northwest – I’d bring you some Tom and Jerry’s if you were out here!
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I think cast iron pipes last pretty much forever.
Suzanne,
twiggityNDgoats is right, at least once you’re through this, you’ll know the entire plumbing system is okay. When I moved into my former house, there were periodic problems with the drains for a few weeks, and come to find out the eighty foot long terra cotta sewer line to the street had collapsed and had to be entirely replaced. But once it was dug up and replaced with case iron, at least I knew I was through with that problem.
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Next project, start reading up on electricity. or bricklaying. Or replacing boards on a barn. Or how to install a patch on a tin roof. You are an incredibly handy woman so focus some of that endless energy, creativity and grit on some outdoor projects in the spring. You can do it all eventually. Or learn which things you want to do yourself, which to hire, which to hire a helper for. My 2 cents for what it is worth. (I saw my mother get up on the roof and lay shingles with my dad and then he got me up there.)
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I never had any desire to learn basic auto mechanics, but when poverty led to a choice between that and walking, I got a book and learned how to make simple repairs. I won’t say I enjoyed it, but my success at that gave me the confidence to tackle other “guy” things, like plumbing, carpentry, and electrical repairs. I would rather pay to have someone else do it, but when that wasn’t an option, it was nice to know I could get the job done. I have replaced a garbage disposal, several faucets, toilet innards, and a toilet. I can replace a wall socket or switch. I can do simple carpentry, like building shelves or sheds. All of those chores can be frustrating, but none is as complicated as using a sewing machine. And even though I prefer to hire it done, having done it myself means I can avoid being bamboozled. It feels good to have that self-assurance.
I’m quite sure you can learn this stuff, too. You just have to get past the “oh ick” factor and not be put off by professionals who think you shouldn’t worry your pretty little head about such things. The reward is independence. It’s like baking your own bread: you don’t HAVE to bake your own, you can buy it at the store, but it’s satisfying to know you CAN bake your own. And when you know how to do it yourself, you have control over the quality.
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