We recently got an email from one of our most frequent and best customers explaining a Plumbing Services that
needed to be done on a newly purchased property. On these older homes,
it is always a good idea to take a look at them to see what we would be
getting in to. 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 seam on the top
of the pipe. Water off, repair made-
- 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-
- 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 intact, even though a few of the fittings had blown apart.
Allow a professional plumber to take care of it for you, and save yourself days, weeks or even a lifetime of plumbing headaches.





