Joe wrote:
On Oct 31, 3:00 pm, Joe wrote:
On Oct 31, 2:41 pm, RicodJour wrote:



On Oct 31, 3:33 pm, Joe wrote:

On Oct 31, 12:52 pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:

On Oct 31, 12:19 pm, Tony Hwang wrote:

Joe wrote:
I am trying to reroute my upstairs bathroom pipes away
from the exterior wall (actually an enclosed space behind
a kneewall).
They currently run in an inside (room dividing) wall
until they hit the rear wall, behind which is the
"crawlspace" open to the rafters and such. The pipes
froze once back there, and its a horrible place to work
in (mice love it) so I want the pipes out of there.
Anyway they turn that corner and then branch in the
"crawl space" to the toilet and bathtub. Below this
bathroom and crawl space there is a false ceiling, that I
would like to run the pipes through instead.

But the only way to do that is to drop them straight down
inside that interior wall until they clear the joists
below, then running them under those joists above the
false ceiling to where they need to go. Going through the
joists would be preferable, but I cant see how it can be
done-with 16" centers I dont see how to drill through
them. But the hardest part of all is just getting the
pipes down to where I can see them and work with them.
Directly below the wall they are in, there is an
extension of that wall into the upper foot and half of
the lower level. This forms one "side" that the false
ceiling is hung from. Its like they knocked out a wall
and left just the upper portion. Does this make any
sense? Its hard to describe. But I just cant see how I
can get the pipes down through that so they are below
joist level, without demolishing part of that wall so I
can see wtf I'm doing. Any ideas? I'd sure like to avoid
calling a plumber but I may have to...

Hi,
How about insulating the space/pipe with spray foam?- Hide
quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sounds like a lot cheaper and easier solution. They even have
extender poles so you can put a spray can at the end of a 4'
pole and control it by your hand to reach into spaces that
you can't get directly to. Paint stores carry them, but
anything that has a standard top will fit into these extender
poles. If you can get within 4' of where you need to spray
the insulation, the foam in a can is great. Don't get the
super expanding foam though, as it really has a lot of force
when it expands and it might bend/break/crack a wall.

I spose I should elaborate on the space...its the space formed
by the narrower second floor and having a steep pitched roof.
The space is quite large. The roof is insulated, but probably
not insulated well enough. Thats another problem but not one i
can tackle at the moment. If my heat goes out, any pipes in
there are at risk of freezing because its the coldest part of
my house, even if they are extra insulated. It goes to 40 below
here and I dont think pipes in outside walls are even legal, or
at the very least not recommended...I do not want another
broken pipe....

Define pipe. If you are talking about copper, you might want to
look into PEX. If you have a run of PEX without any fittings it
can freeze without damaging it. The PEX plastic memory will
return the tubing to its original size, and it has more than
enough stretchability to accommodate freezing water. Of course
you won't have water while the pipe is frozen, but you also won't
have burst pipe, flooding and repair work.

R

Well I was planning to use PVC for the reroute, but existing pipes
are copper.

Perhaps I havent emphasized this part enough: I really dont want to
work in that space. Its nasty nasty nasty from all the rodents that
have lived there for 3 years since this was built, and I have to
slither in on my belly. I really want to have the pipes go elsewhere
so I never ever (ever!) have to go in there again.

But having said that, if I were to run the pipes through there again
for lack of other practical options I could minimize my time in there
by running a long line of pex. In fact I might not have to go in any
farther than my head and shoulders. So that might work...

Pex may be a problem with an area overrun with mice, they may chew into the
pipe causing leaks. It sounds like you also need to do some serious
maintenance to seal all the leaks in the exterior that allow the mice to get
in.
Plus an adult cat on patrol. Just the presence of a cat will often deter
mice from residing in a building.