The list seemed simple enough- new toilet seat, disconnect gas line to
stove and add a shutoff valve, replace kitchen sink and faucet, and
replace the bathtub faucet. All of these items were pretty simple on
their own, and I had explained that it should be possible to stay within
his budget. The next day I started the work and it wasn't until I
headed downstairs that things got interesting. I noticed a few
additional problems pretty quickly, such as a rusted-away tub drain and a
few water lines that had been split.
Even these few problems that were
visible where not enough to cause too much concern. I promptly made my
way through all of the problems that were noticeable. All of these
issues are pretty common with older homes, especially with the old
galvanized steel water lines and cast iron drains. When everything
APPEARED ok, I slowly started to turn the water on, and this is when the
fun began.
Within seconds, a slow drip developed, right next to my
head. The galvanized pipe was split on the seem on the top of the pipe.
Water off, repair made- #1. When that was fixed, it was now time to
try again. I slowly turned the water on, and a little bit further down
the line, I see water pouring onto the floor. This time there was a
crack in the threaded portion of the pipe. Water off, repair made- #2.
This pattern continued for no less than 6 repairs before I eventually
had to call it a day and plan on a round 2 the next day. By the time I
was able to get the water on, 75% of the house had been replaced with pex water lines.
On day number two I eventually decided to cut my (his) losses and
simply start cutting most of the old water lines out. There were a few
lines that remained in the walls that were copper, so those remained in
tact, even though a few of the fittings had blown apart. What appears
to have happened in this house is that it never got properly winterized
and literally EVERYTHING froze, EVERYWHERE. Now that the water was on, I
had a slight bit of optimism that I was almost going to be able to get
out of there. Of course this was not the case because we are dealing
with old plumbing.
The toilet would not fill at all due to a completely
corroded galvanized line serving it. I had to turn the water back off,
and run a new line with a new shutoff valve to the toilet. After the
toilet was working, I turned the water on at the dual lavatories and the
faucets both worked great, to my surprise! What I was not surprised by
though was the fact that the water did not go down the drain AT ALL.
After pulling the p traps off both lavs and snaking the main drain
serving them, I got all of the water to go where it was supposed to. I
was even lucky enough to find a handful of hair ties, straws,
toothbrushes, and toys along the way. If you are ever considering
purchasing an older home for yourself, to flip or to rent out, keep your
plumbing budget plenty high in case of unforeseen problems, which are
almost always going to be there.to know more visit our site http://www.allindiayellowpage.com.