Plumbing . . . and the "joy" of working alone . . .

[conv67bdere]

I'm in the process of installing a recirculating pump on my hot water line to get "instant" hot water to all the hot taps in the house - instead of waiting 2-3 minutes for it to warm up. In order to do this, you have to create a closed loop in the hot water circuit to allow the hot water that is pumped into the line to get back into the hot water heater. Pretty simple idea, but the plumbing, or the re-plumbing, is a lot of fun.

A couple weeks ago, I got under the house with my plumber friend and the two of us worked for 12 hours on a Saturday, under the house, in a crawl space ( and you can't crawl in there - it's GI Joe crawl to get anywhere ), with the insulation in the floor ( gawd I hate that stuff ) to build the loop. The end of the loop was brought up through the floor by the water heater and put a ball valve shut off so we could finish up the pump plumbing by NOT having to go back under the house in the crawl space again.

After two weeks of the "new" plumbing under the house now showing any signs of leaks, it was time to go back under the house ( oh fun ! ? ! ? ) and install the rubber insulation around all of the hot water lines to retain the heat that will be pumped into the pipes to keep it hot. Now, this I'm under the house alone, and fighting with the A/C ducts, electrical, sewer and drain pipes ( oh, did I mention insulation too - YUCK ) and installing this insulation in 6 foot sections - all is going "pretty" well . . . then I get to the stub that is going up to the water heater, and I try to install the insulation on the pipe . . .

The pipe drops down . . . no biggie, it was hung on a wire in the laundry room to hold it's position . . . BUT . . . I hear water running . . .

Then it hits me ( not the water - not yet at least ) . . . when it fell it opened the ball valve by the water heater . . . and I'm at the furthest place away from the exit door ( about 30-40 feet ) . . . and the water is running . . . and NOBODY in the house to help shut it off ( wait . . . the Great Dane is barking because he's hearing a sound that he's not familiar with . . . it's just keeps getting more fun by the minute )

So my thoughts are how long and how wet will the floor get by the time I get out and up there to shut it off . . . this is not looking good at all . . .

Then I ( luckily ) remembered that the whole house shut off is under the house about 5 feet from me . . . so I scurry over to the shut off, and crank it off, just as the water from the upstairs starts leaking through the holes in the floor into the crawlspace . . .

So I end up with about 3-5 gallons of water under the house ( oh, did I mention that I put a full vapor barrier in the crawlspace so the water has no place to go but sit on top of the vapor barrier and evaporate ( or till I can get down there and mop the mess up ).

Did I mention how much I hate working under my house in the crawl space ? ? ?

Hope your day is going a whole lot better than mine has gone today . . .

 

[gdrill]

Damn, just damn.

I take it you don't like working in the crawl space!

 

[Fran Blacker]

Just another day in the life of a homeMOANER.

 

[khryslerkid]

I thought this was going to be another "medical" thread. Plumbing at our age can be a challenge at times!

 

[Kern Dog]

As a Carpenter, I am used to doing many tasks alone. I get help lifting heavy things but otherwise, I am on my own. I have adapted to it over the years. Car stuff is often the same way. Installing engines, transmissions and rear axles by myself is common. There are times though when another pair of eyes or hands REALLY helps. One thing that has always been a pisser for me is installing a steering column and getting the coupler in the exact position needed. I hate that.
House stuff ? Uhhh...I do enjoy the frame work, roofing, siding and such. Plumbing? Not so much. I had a buddy help install a water line for my fridge ice maker. He drilled a hole below the fridge near the wall.....PERFECTLY in the center of a copper water line. Lucky for me, the crawl space there was about 3 feet from the dirt to the floor framing. I wonder why building codes allow shallow depths from dirt to floor. If the purpose is to allow access to plumbing, HVAC and electrical, who the hell can fit in 12" of space? Nobody is getting any thinner, right ?

 

[Cranky]

One man band.....know that well and mainly due to me working the off shift. I've worked alone so much on cars that I don't know how to act when I have help lol. Plumbing....done just enough of that to know that it's one job that won't ever been in my wheelhouse!

 

[Bb70charger500]

That's one thing I refuse to do ! I will never ever go into a crawl space ever! I will not be able to get away from the spiders fast enough! And I probably don't fit ether!

 

[mopar 3 B]

No problem with crawl spaces till the light goes out. You now going to tie that pipe up so it doesn't happen again?

 

[mopar 3 B]

As a Carpenter, I am used to doing many tasks alone. I get help lifting heavy things but otherwise, I am on my own. I have adapted to it over the years. Car stuff is often the same way. Installing engines, transmissions and rear axles by myself is common. There are times though when another pair of eyes or hands REALLY helps. One thing that has always been a pisser for me is installing a steering column and getting the coupler in the exact position needed. I hate that.
House stuff ? Uhhh...I do enjoy the frame work, roofing, siding and such. Plumbing? Not so much. I had a buddy help install a water line for my fridge ice maker. He drilled a hole below the fridge near the wall.....PERFECTLY in the center of a copper water line. Lucky for me, the crawl space there was about 3 feet from the dirt to the floor framing. I wonder why building codes allow shallow depths from dirt to floor. If the purpose is to allow access to plumbing, HVAC and electrical, who the hell can fit in 12" of space? Nobody is getting any thinner, right ?

While in caving instruction. If your head fits threw it your body should also. What a theory.
When working alone one does learn to improvise.

 

[SoCal440GTX]

Great story...I liked the part about the Great Dane the best!

 

[Kern Dog]

If your head fits through it your body should also. What a theory.
When working alone one does learn to improvise.

I call bullshit on this. My shoulders and chest are far bigger than my head. Your theory applies to rodents and real skinny people.

 

[Budnicks]

Damn that sounds like a fun time

I can relate, I work alone a lot lately,
I hate crawling around under houses too,
I've done my share of it in the past too,
I don't mind plumbing at all, it's kind of mechanical & easy
just not under the house !!
or let alone in tight spaces !!
with someone outside/inside to relay tools & check stuff

as I get older {58 now} the less space to move freely,
kind of bugs me more & more...

Working alone, I gotta' say I don't like it much,
I like someone to talk to & the help, but it gets done my way at-least...

 

[kiwigtx]

Sorry to hear that Larry.....but it sounds very familiar....has happened to me several times over the years of crawling around in other people's homes. It's so much easier with a helper - skilled or unskilled....depending upon the task.

 

[conv67bdere]

It's all good . . . Forgot to mention that the plumbing is copper pipe . . . ugh . . . that stuff can be a bear sometimes. For the most part, it has all worked out pretty well.

I've done a LOT of work in the crawlspace - insulated it ( only the bricks and piers separate it from the outside, and the vents ), installed 10 light bulb sockets and bulbs to light up the whole area, all the ducts were rotting out so they've all been replaced, and all of the duct work has been covered with radiant barrier - in an attempt to keep the heat/cold in the house and not in the crawl space. Oh, can't forget that there was mold down there too - pulled down all the insulation, cleaned up all the mold with chlorox bleach and water, and then primed all of the floor joists - UGH ! ! !

Guess I'll be back under there again tonight to finish up a few things - including mopping up the swimming pool . . .

Anyone know how to get rid of cave crickets under the house ? ? Gawd do I hate those ugly things . . . they give me the creeps . . .

 

[Car Nut]

 

[not so famous bob]

Damn that sounds like a fun time

I can relate, I work alone a lot lately,
I hate crawling around under houses too,
I've done my share of it in the past too,
I don't mind plumbing at all, it's kind of mechanical & easy
just not under the house !!
or let alone in tight spaces !!
with someone outside/inside to relay tools & check stuff

as I get older {58 now} the less space to move freely,
kind of bugs me more & more...

Working alone, I gotta' say I don't like it much,
I like someone to talk to & the help, but it gets done my way at-least...

After plumbing for 42 yrs, there is some stuff that ain`t easy. I hate the fiberglass ins. too. I need to get under my house to replace a sillcock, but at 71, I keep putting it off. A HELPER IS A PLUMBERS LUXURY ! There is a way to install a circulating system on two story buildings, that doesn`t require a pump too.

 

[conv67bdere]

No problem with crawl spaces till the light goes out. You now going to tie that pipe up so it doesn't happen again?

I was "trying" to insulate the pipe and add the strapping to hold the pipe in place when the "rain" started . . . I'll get it finished up tonight ( I hope ) . . .

 

[747mopar]

I can relate, unfortunately I can't escape crawl spaces even though I don't have any at home. Where I work there's a 42" crawl space under the building with vibrating conveyors and hydraulic lines... usually it's a blown line that forces me down there yay!

Your not exactly a small guy for that job, I feel for You! All you can do is do the job as full proof as possible in hopes of not having to get down there again any time soon.

 

[747mopar]

I see a few guys that seam to have crawl spaces? What is it that brings about having one? I just ask because they seam to be fairly uncommon around here unless it's a modular home, flood zones, wet lands?

 

[BeeKool]

Ain't nothing worse than claustrobic conditions and insulation! That's like medieval torture. Never mind the creepy crawlies.

Hopefully you wore a mask of some sorts.
To keep that nasty stuff out of your sinus and lungs