I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 11:18*am, JIMMIE wrote:
I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

It was inspected and passed. Copper takes a long time to corrode in an
alkaline environment like concrete. You don't plan to live in the
place. Why worry about it?

Joe

Joe wrote:
On Apr 11, 11:18 am, JIMMIE wrote:
I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

It was inspected and passed. Copper takes a long time to corrode in an
alkaline environment like concrete. You don't plan to live in the
place. Why worry about it?

Joe

SOMEBODY is going to live in it. Sure he may be flipping it, but if he
has any ethics at all, he wouldn't do anything to it that he wouldn't do
to his own house.

Now I don't think that's a real concern; my house is 60+ years old and
the pipes in the basement are still OK. (fastened to cinder block in
some places.)

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:
http://www.copper.org/applications/p..._concrete.html

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"JIMMIE" wrote in message
...
I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Sat, 11 Apr 2009 09:28:45 -0700 (PDT), Joe wrote:

On Apr 11, 11:18*am, JIMMIE wrote:
I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

It was inspected and passed. Copper takes a long time to corrode in an
alkaline environment like concrete. You don't plan to live in the
place. Why worry about it?

Because he has morals. Check them out.

Joe

"JIMMIE" wrote in message

...

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:
There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)



Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob

On Apr 11, 8:01*pm, fftt wrote:
"JIMMIE" wrote in message

....

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG *(remove the sevens)


Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen *a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. *My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes
did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was
plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter.
There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled
the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My
plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the
distribution manifolds by polishing and lacquering the copper and
mounting it on cable clamps meant for coax cable. Normally these
clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys".
My real estate lady says things like this really add to the
saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this
market. She also cautioned me on changing things after they have been
inspected. Ooops.

There is one thing Im curious about, The connections into the
manifolds were done in PEX. These pieces are only a couple of ft
long. Is this an expansion joint or did he build the manifolds in his
shop then just splice them in with PEX?

Jimmie

On Apr 12, 4:30*am, JIMMIE wrote:
On Apr 11, 8:01*pm, fftt wrote:



"JIMMIE" wrote in message

....

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG *(remove the sevens)


Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen *a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. *My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes
did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was
plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter.
There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled
the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My
plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the
distribution manifolds by polishing and *lacquering the copper and
mounting it on cable clamps meant for *coax cable. Normally these
clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys".
My real estate lady says things like this really add to the
saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this
market. She also cautioned me on changing things after they have been
inspected. Ooops.

There is one thing Im curious about, The connections into *the
manifolds were done in PEX. These pieces are only a *couple of ft
long. Is this an expansion joint or did he build the manifolds in his
shop then just splice them in with PEX?

Jimmie

Even though I still sometimes refer to blocks as "cinder" blocks, the
modern & more correct term is CMU (concrete masonry unit) or concrete
blocks.

I guess in the old days they were made from "cinders" from coal fired
locomotives.

Maybe they're still made from waste products of coal fired power
generation stations...but my CE buddies are always looking at me funny
when use the term "cinder blocks".

Sorry I don't understand your question about the PEX and the manifold
installation.

cheers
Bob

On Apr 12, 6:30*am, JIMMIE wrote:


snip

There is one thing Im curious about, The connections into *the
manifolds were done in PEX. These pieces are only a *couple of ft
long. Is this an expansion joint or did he build the manifolds in his
shop then just splice them in with PEX?

Jimmie

Pex manifolds are a stock item at box stores for $30 and up, depending
on length, complexity, outlet shut off valves, etc. The plumber likely
saved some $$ by buying what he needed and taking advantage of the Pex
flexibility for eliminating strains in the system which could result
from many hard soldered tubes in one location. This would allow him to
make a very solid mounting for the manifold with less work and fewer
fittings (like unions) than an all metal set up. That's my guess FWIW.

Joe

On Apr 13, 2:21*pm, fftt wrote:
On Apr 12, 4:30*am, JIMMIE wrote:





On Apr 11, 8:01*pm, fftt wrote:

"JIMMIE" wrote in message

...

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG *(remove the sevens)


Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen *a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. *My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes
did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was
plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter.
There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled
the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My
plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the
distribution manifolds by polishing and *lacquering the copper and
mounting it on cable clamps meant for *coax cable. Normally these
clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys".
My real estate lady says things like this really add to the
saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this
market. She also cautioned me on changing things after they have been
inspected. Ooops.

There is one thing Im curious about, The connections into *the
manifolds were done in PEX. These pieces are only a *couple of ft
long. Is this an expansion joint or did he build the manifolds in his
shop then just splice them in with PEX?

Jimmie

Even though I still sometimes refer to blocks as "cinder" blocks, the
modern & more correct term is CMU (concrete masonry unit) or concrete
blocks.

I guess in the old days they were made from "cinders" from coal fired
locomotives.

Maybe they're still made from waste products of coal fired power
generation stations...but my CE buddies are always looking at me funny
when use the term "cinder blocks".

Sorry I don't understand your question about the PEX and the manifold
installation.

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They are still made with fly ash, the industry has been trying to get
away from this name because it implies they are an inferior product to
concrete block and they are. They are more economical to use and for
most jobs more than satisfactory for building. Im not sure if you can
even get real concrete blocks anymore. When I was a kid I worked with
a mason mixing mortar, He had two other big guys setting the concrete
block in place becasue they were so heavy.

Jimmie

I suspect your CE buddies didnt know what to call them until they
encountered them in a college text.

On Apr 12, 7:30*am, JIMMIE wrote:
On Apr 11, 8:01*pm, fftt wrote:





"JIMMIE" wrote in message

....

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG *(remove the sevens)


Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen *a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. *My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes
did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was
plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter.
There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled
the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My
plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the
distribution manifolds by polishing and *lacquering the copper and
mounting it on cable clamps meant for *coax cable.

You definitely have too much time on your hands.



Normally these
clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys".
My real estate lady says things like this really add to the
saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this
market.

I'll bet I could find dozens of other things that would add to the
appeal of a house long before polishing and lacquering water pipes in
the basement. Also, I would never lacquer a copper water pipe
because if you need to repair, tap into it, expand, etc, you will be
using a torch on it.



She also cautioned me on changing things after they have been
inspected. Ooops.

There is one thing Im curious about, The connections into *the
manifolds were done in PEX. These pieces are only a *couple of ft
long. Is this an expansion joint or did he build the manifolds in his
shop then just splice them in with PEX?

Jimmie- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Apr 14, 8:07*am, wrote:
On Apr 12, 7:30*am, JIMMIE wrote:





On Apr 11, 8:01*pm, fftt wrote:

"JIMMIE" wrote in message

...

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG *(remove the sevens)


Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen *a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. *My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes
did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was
plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter.
There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled
the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My
plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the
distribution manifolds by polishing and *lacquering the copper and
mounting it on cable clamps meant for *coax cable.

You definitely have too much time on your hands.

Normally these
clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys".
My real estate lady says things like this really add to the
saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this
market.

I'll bet I could find dozens of other things that would add to the
appeal of a house long before polishing and lacquering water pipes in
the basement. * Also, I would never lacquer a copper water pipe
because if you need to repair, tap into it, expand, etc, you will be
using a torch on it.


Yep, at the time I did have a lot of time on my hands so why not use
it constructivly. Touches like this may not add value to the house but
they may help it sell quicker. Also a little lacquer is no problem at
all to remove. The electricians came in this AM and they were
impressed with it . It impressed them enough to be careful around it
and if it impressed them enough to inspire them to do good work it
will have been worth it. From the conversation I overheard I believe
it did. Maybe when the HVAC guys come in they will be impressed by the
plumbing AND the electrical work. From my military experience I have
noticed this oftten works.

Jimmie

On Apr 14, 3:51*pm, JIMMIE wrote:
On Apr 14, 8:07*am, wrote:





On Apr 12, 7:30*am, JIMMIE wrote:

On Apr 11, 8:01*pm, fftt wrote:

"JIMMIE" wrote in message

...

I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house
dried
in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like
thay
did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened
directly
to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The
rest of
the house is plumbed with PEX.

Jimmie

On Apr 11, 10:37 am, "DanG" wrote:

There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to
copper.org

reference:http://www.copper.org/applications/p...problem_embedd...

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG *(remove the sevens)


Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never
seen *a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. *My pro
plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper &
concrete.

per the copper org link...........

"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of
copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion
concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact
with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as
cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive
to most metals including copper."

so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete
just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?

cheers
Bob- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes
did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was
plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter.
There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled
the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My
plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the
distribution manifolds by polishing and *lacquering the copper and
mounting it on cable clamps meant for *coax cable.

You definitely have too much time on your hands.

Normally these
clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys"..
My real estate lady says things like this really add to the
saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this
market.

I'll bet I could find dozens of other things that would add to the
appeal of a house long before polishing and lacquering water pipes in
the basement. * Also, I would never lacquer a copper water pipe
because if you need to repair, tap into it, expand, etc, you will be
using a torch on it.

Yep, at the time I did have a lot of time on my hands so why not use
it constructivly. Touches like this may not add value to the house but
they may help it sell quicker. Also a little lacquer is no problem at
all to remove. The electricians came in this AM and they were
impressed with it . It impressed them enough to be careful around it
and if it impressed them enough to inspire them to do good work it
will have been worth it. From the conversation I overheard I believe
it did. Maybe when the HVAC guys come in they will be impressed by the
plumbing AND the electrical work. From my military experience I have
noticed this oftten works.

Jimmie

I believe it. someone was asking me why I was cleaning all the brake
dust off the backsides of some cheap used wheels I bought for my
Porsche, saying that nobody was ever going to see it... I told them
that if I ever had to have someone else work on the car and they saw
clean, waxed wheels on it that they might take a little more care with
my brakes or whatever. I think it really does work.

nate

wrote in message

I'll bet I could find dozens of other things that would add to the
appeal of a house long before polishing and lacquering water pipes in
the basement. Also, I would never lacquer a copper water pipe
because if you need to repair, tap into it, expand, etc, you will be
using a torch on it.

************************************************** *

People are impressed by neatness. When prospective customers come to out
shop, they see painted color coded pipes for steam, air, water, and venting,
yellow lines on the floor, a well lit and clean boiler room with the 15 year
old boilers freshly painted and looking like new. Most have no clue what
they are looking at, but they compliment the good looking shop and give us
business. They know we take care of things, including what we ship to them.

I'd rather buy a house well cared for than a mediocre one.