bush_cheney2004 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Posted January 31, 2012 ...As for touching our boiler or any other gas appliance, though I’m perfectly comfortable doing so, the last time I was about to change a thermocouple on our HWT, my wife threatened to take the kids and stay in a hotel for the night…..Suffice to say, we call a licensed pro when it comes to natural gas. That's always the safest approach, but for a simple R&R job with no new supply lines or powered exhaust, a competent/experienced homeowner can do the work. I use a gas sniffer followed by soap test at install and one week later. Also check for any changes to the local code requirements, as things change. The new teflon pipe compounds for gas work wonders compared to tape and putty. Some guys still use a match to find gas leaks! True story: when replacing a gas range in 2009, the appliance store crew discovered that the gas supply valves were mislabeled by the builder. So much for the pros and inspections! Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Guest Derek L Posted January 31, 2012 Report Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) That's always the safest approach, but for a simple R&R job with no new supply lines or powered exhaust, a competent/experienced homeowner can do the work. I use a gas sniffer followed by soap test at install and one week later. Also check for any changes to the local code requirements, as things change. The new teflon pipe compounds for gas work wonders compared to tape and putty. Some guys still use a match to find gas leaks! True story: when replacing a gas range in 2009, the appliance store crew discovered that the gas supply valves were mislabeled by the builder. So much for the pros and inspections! Yeah, pipe dope is great…….I got a can when we first moved in to our current place and I re & re the original patio heaters and bought a Weber grill……I know what you mean about “pros” and “inspectors”…..When we moved into our place it was only a couple of years old, but we had a monster snowfall than rain in ‘08 and our basement suite flooded……..Turns out, when they installed the PVC draintile, they didn’t put it below the slab/footing and had the perforations upside-down…….. Also, found out that when they put the basement toilet flange in, they didn’t account for the thickness of the tile floor, so the flange was too low…….This saved my son’s life (Who lives in the basement suite) when three weeks before Christmas I get woken-up in the middle of the night to find the toilet “fell over” well my son was on it……..Suffice to say, saved a few hundred bucks not calling a plumber, by getting a flange extension and a new Toto toilet from the local plumbing wholesaler……. Edited January 31, 2012 by Derek L Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Posted February 1, 2012 Yeah, pipe dope is great…….I got a can when we first moved in to our current place and I re & re the original patio heaters and bought a Weber grill……I know what you mean about “pros” and “inspectors”…. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a competent professional who doesn't cut corners, but that kind of dedication is getting scarce. Hell, Mike Holmes has a cable TV show because of the slackers, right? Like I said, I replaced the tank water heater before it failed, knowing damn well that it was way overdue and when it did fail, it would be at the worst possible time. Like Chuck Yeager says, "Don't wait for trouble". So that means you are smart to research and plan the swap out before you need it no matter which way you go. I wanted to go tankless, being new sexy technology and all, but the math just wasn't there. The city required a permit for the tankless install as well, and I don't cheat on permits because of safety and resale disclosure. I was also shocked by the price increase for copper tubing and fittings!! Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Guest Derek L Posted February 1, 2012 Report Posted February 1, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a competent professional who doesn't cut corners, but that kind of dedication is getting scarce. Hell, Mike Holmes has a cable TV show because of the slackers, right? Like I said, I replaced the tank water heater before it failed, knowing damn well that it was way overdue and when it did fail, it would be at the worst possible time. Like Chuck Yeager says, "Don't wait for trouble". So that means you are smart to research and plan the swap out before you need it no matter which way you go. I wanted to go tankless, being new sexy technology and all, but the math just wasn't there. The city required a permit for the tankless install as well, and I don't cheat on permits because of safety and resale disclosure. I was also shocked by the price increase for copper tubing and fittings!! I hear yeah!!! A few years ago , Myself, the brother in-law and uncle (The plumber) helped my father repipe all the old copper and galvanized steel piping in his house……….He originally wanted to put back in type L copper, but once we figured what it would cost, the Scottishness came out, and we did it for 1/5th the cost in PEX………I’m lucky, our house was originally plumbed in Wirsbo, aside from the water service and plumbing around the boiler and tank………..It was quite the “Hero project”, and Holmes on Homes defiantly makes it look a hell of a lot easier. Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Posted February 1, 2012 He originally wanted to put back in type L copper, but once we figured what it would cost, the Scottishness came out, and we did it for 1/5th the cost in PEX I swore I would never go plastic after the 80's disaster for PEX's predecessor, but now it just makes sense & cents. The product and tools are much better, and you don't ahve to worry about copper thieves. ………I’m lucky, our house was originally plumbed in Wirsbo, aside from the water service and plumbing around the boiler and tank………..It was quite the “Hero project”, and Holmes on Homes defiantly makes it look a hell of a lot easier. Wirsbo is good kit...they have a US plant not far from my home (now Uponor Wirsbo). For years they flew the Mapleleaf right next to the Stars & Stripes...now they include Sweden. Company goes back to 1620! The price for one 10' x 3/4" copper pipe is about $30. So bring on the PEX! Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Guest Derek L Posted February 1, 2012 Report Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) I swore I would never go plastic after the 80's disaster for PEX's predecessor, but now it just makes sense & cents. The product and tools are much better, and you don't ahve to worry about copper thieves. Poly B is what you speak of…………They took it off the market here in the early to mid 90s……..Unfortunately, many of our neighbours homes were plumbed with it……… Wirsbo is good kit...they have a US plant not far from my home (now Uponor Wirsbo). For years they flew the Mapleleaf right next to the Stars & Stripes...now they include Sweden. Company goes back to 1620!The price for one 10' x 3/4" copper pipe is about $30. So bring on the PEX! Yeah When we did my Dad’s house, I’d bought a basic combined ½ and ¾ crimping tool from Home Depot for about $150.…………Last year, let’s say the wife, was putting in a drywall anchor and nicked one of our ¾ Wirsbo lines………Once I realized that PEX and Wirsbo weren’t interchangeable, and I refuse to use skarkbite fittings (That’s cheating!!!), I had a perfect excuse to spend $500 bucks on a Milwaukee Wirsbo expander!!!!!!! Awesome tool, from in my opinion, the best electric tool maker! Edited February 1, 2012 by Derek L Quote
sharkman Posted February 1, 2012 Report Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Yeesh, all this talk is right up my alley these days. I'm in the middle of a bathroom reno. New tub, toilet, tile as well as shower light and fan. I had to completely repipe so I could install the new tub/shower fixtures, the old ones didn't have pressure equalization(run water downstairs and the shower gets scalding hot/cold) and otherwise just sucked. I went with pex where I could, and plumbing for the new tub was not easy! The old one was a 60" very shallow tub, but there was room for a 66" when I removed a rear ledge/shelf. It turns out that 66" tubs are kind of an oddball size, and you know that means more expensive! $850 instead of about 400 for a decent soaker tub. Anyway, now I'm tiling the tub surround, and realizing I should have been more careful with the wall evenness. I kind of mudded wrong and it bows out a little in a couple of places, but nothing that extra tile glue can't handle. Also, I'm working with big tiles, 10x18, so they're easier to keep things smooth and even. I have a fair amount of extra materials left over, but that's okay, we need to update another bathroom. And as I look around the house I realize that there's lots of things I could change up but I could get carried away and it might never end! Edited February 1, 2012 by sharkman Quote
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