My New House & Workshop

[ericbphoto]

I came across a solution to the “it’s too hard to dig a hole” issues posted earlier…

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They actually make digging spades for jackhammer. But they're more heavy duty than that.

 

[Rick W]

I've dug just over 40-feet with another 30 feet to go.

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I found a check valve on the 3/8" line that goes to the shop where it connects to the 3/4" line. You can see the 3/4" check valve in the libe right before all if this. Do I really need to have a check valve on this line going to the shop if I plan to replace it with a manual valve?

Is it a check valve or is it a backflow preventer. Check valve usually works with flow or gravity, and the backflow preventer is a little fancier with a positive close to flow in the wrong direction.

The 3/8 inch copper line makes me doubt the previous owners were worried about following code and worrying about things like backflow preventers, but it might be advisable to put one in, just in case you’re cleaning something in the sink or whatever, so you don’t by accident drawback in some contaminated water to the system.

 

[Rick W]

Those that came to Wellsville trail rides in the early 2000's have been to my house in Ohio. I built a patio on the back and surrounded it with vinyl fence for privacy. There was so much shale in the ground there that I was busting it up with a sledgehammer and chisel.

I finally finished digging out 75 feet of trench 20 inches deep.

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I found (4) places in the old line where it's starting to leak.

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Tomorrow I'll start installing the new waterline.

BTW, for those of you that know me and thought that I lost my marbles, I found them.

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They somehow got burried in the back yard.

Who is the archaeologist in this group? How long does something like that have to be in the yard before it’s an “artifact.“

The back corner of my property is literally the headwater of a little creek that eventually works its way down through other creeks to the Chattahoochee river. My road parallels and Indian Trail that ran along the creek, and then ran eastward. A couple of my neighbors and I have found stone arrowheads right around that area.

But here’s my question. When I was here about five years (30 years ago), I started to build the garage in the backyard on the other side of the yard. When digging, I found one of those little toy soldier things we played with as kids, but this one was an Indian with a Chief’s headdress. Packed with Georgia red clay, it looked like it had been there for decades.

I have a musket ball I found in the middle of a wash that went across a trail on Kennesaw Mountain (battle of Atlanta for those who don’t know). I know that’s an artifact. But how old does this Indian thing have to be before I can call it an artifact?

Might want to get a little display case for those marbles…

 

[Rick W]

Hey if you guys see me post something that doesn't sound right, please feel free to let me know. If I had started ripping out this waterline and not caught that first, I'd probably be without water tonight.

OK. I don’t think those are your marbles. I think some kid left them there before you bought the house.

 

[Rick W]

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When it rains it pours.

It stormed yesterday and now my waterline is under water. I'm probably not going to be able to start replacing it until Monday.

How do we know that’s really rainwater? How do we know you didn’t get it done, and open the valve, and end up with a trench full of water?

 

[Rick W]

Reading about all this work has got me exhausted….

 

[franklin2]

Is it a check valve or is it a backflow preventer. Check valve usually works with flow or gravity, and the backflow preventer is a little fancier with a positive close to flow in the wrong direction.

The 3/8 inch copper line makes me doubt the previous owners were worried about following code and worrying about things like backflow preventers, but it might be advisable to put one in, just in case you’re cleaning something in the sink or whatever, so you don’t by accident drawback in some contaminated water to the system.

I have to go with some guys every year to check our various backflow preventers to see if they pass. I would ask once in awhile how they worked, and it seemed like they were just check valves. Finally we had another guy checking them last year and I asked him, he said all a backflow preventer was is a check valve that can be checked with gauges to see if it is holding.

 

[Rick W]

I have to go with some guys every year to check our various backflow preventers to see if they pass. I would ask once in awhile how they worked, and it seemed like they were just check valves. Finally we had another guy checking them last year and I asked him, he said all a backflow preventer was is a check valve that can be checked with gauges to see if it is holding.

I’m not arguing, just conversation, but check valves typically have a swinging gate, or if mounted vertically, they ride on a center pin, and gravity holds them in place. They’re not very precise, and the back flowing water centers the gate on the seat.

Back flow preventers are finished with a much higher tolerance, more precise, and they work concentrically with a diaphragm, not just machined surfaces, if I’m not mistaken (which is completely possible). The concept is they truly “prevent” back flow, they don’t simply close when the flow is reversed. This

 

[RobbieD]

But how old does this Indian thing have to be before I can call it an artifact?

If it's as old as you are, it's an artifact.

 

[Rick W]

If it's as old as you are, it's an artifact.

Much older!!!!

 

[ericbphoto]

I’m not arguing, just conversation, but check valves typically have a swinging gate, or if mounted vertically, they ride on a center pin, and gravity holds them in place. They’re not very precise, and the back flowing water centers the gate on the seat.

Back flow preventers are finished with a much higher tolerance, more precise, and they work concentrically with a diaphragm, not just machined surfaces, if I’m not mistaken (which is completely possible). The concept is they truly “prevent” back flow, they don’t simply close when the flow is reversed. This

There are many different styles of check valves. Some, more precise than others, some with springs ( so that gravity is not required for proper operation), some with soft material for seats, some swing, some just move linearly. A check valve is simply a valve that allows flow in only one direction, or , in other words, prevents backward flow. It could be considered a backflow drvice. However, when the term backflow preventer is used, it most often refers to a complete assembly consisting of the check valve, some isolation valves and ports for testing and measuring flow in either direction. Commonly used at the point where a utility supplies water to a residential, commercial or industrial customer, and near the consumption metering device.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Welcome to the shit show.

Drilled a hole in the side of the shop and brought the waterline up from the ground and into the building.

I used 3/4" PVC pipe from the 3/4" Pex in the ground and wrapped it in insulation and ran it up through a piece of 4x4 vinyl post to further protect it.

I wanted the post to be against the building, but there was to much concrete coming out into the yard from the slab / foundation.

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For some reason I thought, hey I'll add a spigot here.

I am probably going to hate myself for using PVC instead of PEX at this point.

There's a T where it goes into the building, and the line into the building is 1/2". It runs to where the old line is and then transitions to the 1/2" PEX I already installed.

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Now for the problems:

This spigot has a vert slight leak. I'm finding conflicting information online about how to seal it. It's a PVC male thread going in to a brass female thread and I used Teflon tape. I just read online not to use Teflon tape on PVC fittings.

I'm probably going to regret using a PVC threaded fitting on a brass spigot.

I turned on the water in the shop and found that the brass fittings on my water heater leak, and one of the brass filtings on the plastic water filter housing is leaking.

This is the water heater. It came with the first brass fitting because the fitting on the heater is an odd size (metric?). I added brass Sharkbite fittings to it. It’s leaking between the brass fitting and Sharbite.

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In the meantime, I wrapped the sharbite fittings that will be in the ground with Sharkbite tape.

Here's the new water meter connection.

Here it is wrapped in tape before I fill it all back in with dirt.

​

I'm about tired of this plumbing.

And if this isn’t fun enough, my daughter and son in law are waiting for me to finish it and go over and help them fix a broken hot water under their slab in his office.

 

[franklin2]

Don't panic, leave the water on overnight and then check your leaks the next day. You may find most of them have really slowed and some may have stopped. It can take a little longer with plastic and brass than it does galvanized fittings, but the contaminates in the water usually eventually seals pesky drips.

When using threaded fittings, tighten them up, and then turn them some more. Plastic is difficult because it's easy to break the fitting.

 

[Rick W]

Welcome to the shit show.

Drilled a hole in the side of the shop and brought the waterline up from the ground and into the building.

I used 3/4" PVC pipe from the 3/4" Pex in the ground and wrapped it in insulation and ran it up through a piece of 4x4 vinyl post to further protect it.

View attachment 107508​

I wanted the post to be against the building, but there was to much concrete coming out into the yard from the slab / foundation.

View attachment 107501
View attachment 107502
View attachment 107503
​

For some reason I thought, hey I'll add a spigot here.

View attachment 107504​

I am probably going to hate myself for using PVC instead of PEX at this point.

There's a T where it goes into the building, and the line into the building is 1/2". It runs to where the old line is and then transitions to the 1/2" PEX I already installed.

View attachment 107500
​

Now for the problems:

This spigot has a vert slight leak. I'm finding conflicting information online about how to seal it. It's a PVC male thread going in to a brass female thread and I used Teflon tape. I just read online not to use Teflon tape on PVC fittings.

I'm probably going to regret using a PVC threaded fitting on a brass spigot.

I turned on the water in the shop and found that the brass fittings on my water heater leak, and one of the brass filtings on the plastic water filter housing is leaking.

This is the water heater. It came with the first brass fitting because the fitting on the heater is an odd size (metric?). I added brass Sharkbite fittings to it. It’s leaking between the brass fitting and Sharbite.

View attachment 107505
​

In the meantime, I wrapped the sharbite fittings that will be in the ground with Sharkbite tape.

View attachment 107506​

Here's the new water meter connection.

Here it is wrapped in tape before I fill it all back in with dirt.

View attachment 107507
​

I'm about tired of this plumbing.

And if this isn’t fun enough, my daughter and son in law are waiting for me to finish it and go over and help them fix a broken hot water under their slab in his office.

Tell them about all the problems with the pipe install at your place, and maybe they’ll find another relative to fix their thing. Just a thought…

 

[Rick W]

Welcome to the shit show.

Drilled a hole in the side of the shop and brought the waterline up from the ground and into the building.

I used 3/4" PVC pipe from the 3/4" Pex in the ground and wrapped it in insulation and ran it up through a piece of 4x4 vinyl post to further protect it.

View attachment 107508​

I wanted the post to be against the building, but there was to much concrete coming out into the yard from the slab / foundation.

View attachment 107501
View attachment 107502
View attachment 107503
​

For some reason I thought, hey I'll add a spigot here.

View attachment 107504​

I am probably going to hate myself for using PVC instead of PEX at this point.

There's a T where it goes into the building, and the line into the building is 1/2". It runs to where the old line is and then transitions to the 1/2" PEX I already installed.

View attachment 107500
​

Now for the problems:

This spigot has a vert slight leak. I'm finding conflicting information online about how to seal it. It's a PVC male thread going in to a brass female thread and I used Teflon tape. I just read online not to use Teflon tape on PVC fittings.

I'm probably going to regret using a PVC threaded fitting on a brass spigot.

I turned on the water in the shop and found that the brass fittings on my water heater leak, and one of the brass filtings on the plastic water filter housing is leaking.

This is the water heater. It came with the first brass fitting because the fitting on the heater is an odd size (metric?). I added brass Sharkbite fittings to it. It’s leaking between the brass fitting and Sharbite.

View attachment 107505
​

In the meantime, I wrapped the sharbite fittings that will be in the ground with Sharkbite tape.

View attachment 107506​

Here's the new water meter connection.

Here it is wrapped in tape before I fill it all back in with dirt.

View attachment 107507
​

I'm about tired of this plumbing.

And if this isn’t fun enough, my daughter and son in law are waiting for me to finish it and go over and help them fix a broken hot water under their slab in his office.

I swear by rectoseal 5 for anything threaded or anything I suspect might not fit perfect.

It’s a fairly thick pipe dope, and I believe it actually has a fibrous content. I always put it on thick, on the male and on the female, and then snug it up pretty good. The hydraulic action on the pipe dope forces it into every nook and cranny on a microscopic scale, pushing the fibrous pieces into any possible gaps.

I’ve used it on virtually every piping material, I use it on flare fittings, etc., etc.

I know it’s a colossal pain in the ass to pull it apart and re-dope at all, but you’ll only have to do it once.

Hope it helps