| zx3chris |
ok diy gods -- i need some help --
long story short -- i hae a leak in the ceiling -- found it by cutting some holes. galvanied pipe to copper, massive corrosing -- leak. Piping here is very old, no shutoff valve for that line, so therefore i have no water in the entire house and no heat -- cold night..
Whats the best fix here -- replace the galvanied pipe entirely and resolder a new copper connection? I am not experienced with plumbing but i think this is simple enough for me to take on. I have a butane torch, and a rotozip saw to cut pipe.
here are some pix
close up1
close up 2 -- how does the copper hooked up to the gal pipe? i know it is gal to reducer to copper - but does the copper solder or is it screw in as well?
tia guys
-chris |
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| JasonL |
well you may have no water. But prince Rupert island in Canada B.C has no gas the entire island is with out natural gas because of a land slide just out side of town witch has knocked off all gas to the rupert area : O(
HAHAHAH glad i don't live there any more... |
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| Netlist |
If you don't have the right tools to fix this I suggest you try with plastic pipes and connectors. Cut out the bad pieces and replace with above mentioned. :wrench:
Something like this: http://www.islandwaterworld.com/pdf/137.pdf
/Hugo :) |
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| Schaef |
Okay, a couple of things here. First, where does the galvanized go? Is it the main feed to the house or is it an end point that connects to something in the house?
If its an end-point, then I'd say replace the entire galvanized run with copper (or plastic, your choice) If its the main feed to the house, then I'd say call a plumber and have them do the work. (hate to say it, but that's the way I'd approach it)
As to the galvanized to copper connection, if its done right, there are connectors for this that work to reduce the problem you're seeing. It will solder onto the copper and be a screw on, onto the galvanized pipe. Translation, if you're looking to just replace the joint, you'll need some way to cut new threads on the galvanized pipe. (not cheap)
Personally, I'd look at replacing the entire run of galvanized with copper, you'll more than likely find that the galvanized is almost completely blocked with gunk inside. |
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| JOE DIRT® |
cheap route:
1. cut back the galv. pipe a foot back and buy a brass sweat coupling....you will need silver solder or sylfoss to braze on the the Galv. pipe
make sure place a valve on to isolate the rest of the system because you will have to drain it
2. expensive route: tear the Galv. pipe right out and replace with copper
The Galv. pipe will have so much crud in it that you will probably want to go this route.
DIRT® |
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| Peter Daniel |
| Take this picture to Home Depot and they will advise you what you need. Make some measurements of the pipe sizes as well. |
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| sully |
I believe you are having the problem because of galvanic corrosion..
Call in a plumber..you have code issues as well as long term corrosion issues to contend with..
Sometimes, the right person for the job is another person..I would not undertake that project myself, even though I do a lot of diy plumbing..
Cheers, good luck...John |
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| zx3chris |
thanks guys, from the advice here and other forums i am going to replace the entire length of the pipe with copper - and use a dieletric union this time -- this is what caused the corrosion last time.. the help from forums is the best, thanks ;D
-chris |
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| zx3chris |
while i was doing this research my parents called a plumber -- he came and wanted $780 to fix it! so they turned to me and i went to home depot, spent $13 on parts and fixed it in 3 hrs -- thanks for the help guys
-chris |
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| li_gangyi |
| crazy plumber...$780?? I could redo the almost the whole house with that...haha....but seriously did he really ask for 780 just for that section or for more?? |
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| zx3chris |
yup he said 780 for that ONE 9' section of pipe. He said it is so much because it is in a tight place and its very old pipes so he is anticipating to 'chase' leaks -- well of course, in most plumbing you will have leaks but 780 is ridiculous.. btw here is an after shot
-chris |
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| li_gangyi |
| sure beats 780 anyday...funny plumber u have thpughy...wonder how many ppl actually pay for it... |
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| kelticwizard |
| quote: | Originally posted by zx3chris
... my parents called a plumber -- he came and wanted $780 to fix it! so they turned to me and i went to home depot, spent $13 on parts and fixed it in 3 hrs -- |
Looks like somebody just got his parents to raise their tolerance level for his loud music-at least for a while. :D |
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| Schaef |
Nice job! Have you pressure tested it for leaks now? Also, I wouldn't close up the space for a couple of days, just to make sure there's no leaks. (It really sucks to close up a space, and then 2 months later see a wet spot forming where you did the repair) Better safe than sorry.
As to the plumber charging $780, he was probably hoping your parents would say what they did, which was, no thanks. He more than likely assessed the situation and determined it would be more hassle than it was worth, so he threw out a number that would make it worth his while, if they did actually decide to do it. |
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| li_gangyi |
| nice theory on the plumber...I think he had a bad day...gotta watch out for more guys like him...I must say it looks really professional though...we dun have this kinda problem in Singapore as all our pipes are PVC....no heating to content with as well...it's a tropical country~!!! |
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| zx3chris |
you may be right on the high price theory -- the first thing he said was, 'this is a tight spot, its going to be hard' .. anyway, yes i am goig to leave the ceilig open for a while -- end of this semester is near and i have many projects/presentations due and no time for drywalling :D
-chris |
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