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Connecting old plumbing. . .
I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I
really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On 1/20/2012 7:03 AM, Ray wrote:
I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. Nothing today is cheap, but if pex and pvc are allowed in your area, and there is an open chase from the basement to the 4th floor, it is probably affordable. I'd call a couple of local plumbers and get their opinions and rough estimates |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
I've heard that PEX is suited for this kind of job. Fairly flexible, cut to
length, and crimp on the connectors. Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Ray" wrote in message ... I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Jan 20, 7:51*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote: I've heard that PEX is suited for this kind of job. Fairly flexible, cut to length, and crimp on the connectors. Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus *www.lds.org . "Ray" wrote in message ... I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. *There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. I recall seeing this same post several years ago. The answer this time is the same. It depends on too many variables. Is it Iowa or NYC? Are the waste pipes OK or do they have to be replaced? What has to be added or changed to meet code? Best case would be that the waste system is good to go and you just need to run new water piping up a floor. Could be done with copper or PEX at low cost. And it's easily accessible and you live in Iowa. Worst case is waste system needs major work, doesn't meet code, isn't vented correctly, hard to get out, involves opening walls in other folks units, etc and you live in NYC. |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:03:25 -0500, Ray wrote:
All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. They might be junk, but it's worth testing them (pressurise just using air at first, although subsequent filling with hot water and resulting joint expansion might throw up problems). If you can avoid having to tear up walls and floors to replace pipe then that's a good thing! Back in 2001 I was working at a site in New Zealand that was shut down after WWII, and we got the plumbing there up and running with minimal effort; the pipes were fine, but some of the valves (big old gate valves, the main feed was something like 3" OD) needed replacement as they'd corroded to the point that they'd no longer seal. cheers Jules |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On 1/20/2012 6:03 AM, Ray wrote:
I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. think PEX. -- Steve Barker remove the "not" from my address to email |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Jan 20, 5:45*am, "
wrote: On Jan 20, 7:51*am, "Stormin Mormon" wrote: I've heard that PEX is suited for this kind of job. Fairly flexible, cut to length, and crimp on the connectors. Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus *www.lds.org . "Ray" wrote in message ... I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. *There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. I recall seeing this same post several years ago. The answer this time is the same. *It depends on too many variables. *Is it Iowa or NYC? *Are the waste pipes OK or do they have to be replaced? What has to be added or changed to meet code? Best case would be that the waste system is good to go and you just need to run new water piping up a floor. *Could be done with copper or PEX at low cost. *And it's easily accessible and you live in Iowa. Worst case is waste system needs major work, doesn't meet code, isn't vented correctly, hard to get out, involves opening walls in other folks units, etc and you live in NYC. Good eye....... Nov 2011 http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...288f9b2fc996b1 |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:13:19 -0800 (PST), DD_BobK
wrote: On Jan 20, 5:45Â*am, " wrote: I recall seeing this same post several years ago. The answer this time is the same. Â*It depends on too many variables. Â*Is it Iowa or NYC? Â*Are the waste pipes OK or do they have to be replaced? What has to be added or changed to meet code? Best case would be that the waste system is good to go and you just need to run new water piping up a floor. Â*Could be done with copper or PEX at low cost. Â*And it's easily accessible and you live in Iowa. Worst case is waste system needs major work, doesn't meet code, isn't vented correctly, hard to get out, involves opening walls in other folks units, etc and you live in NYC. Good eye....... Nov 2011 http://groups.google.com/group/alt.h...288f9b2fc996b1 I remember seeing it too. But I knew it wasn't several years ago. Because I don't remember anything from several years ago. Just as before, not enough info to make it worth thinking about. --Vic |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Jan 21, 5:17*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:30:02 -0800, "Bill" wrote: "Ray" wrote in message I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. Old pipes last a LONG time. I would bet they are good as new. No need for replacing, just flush them. I'd tend to agree. *They were capped off, but likely still are under pressure, unless there is a shutoff. *If they have been shut off, carefully watch them while a friend opens the valve. *Have your cellphones or pair of walkie-talkies on hand if you are on different floors. *Tuen on the valve just a little and watch for problems. *If all is fine, remove caps and flush out the pipes. *Then start hooking up fixtures. *If there are any other valves in these old pipes, even shutoff valves under sinks, replace the washers or the valves. This should not be costly at all if the pipes are still functional, and likely are. The drain pipes may clog if they have not been used in years. *Crud dried and will pack together when water is first dumped down. *Have a plbg snake handy. *If the walls are open, replace the drain pipes with PVC as far down as possible. *They likely connect to plumbing on the 3rd floor. If you need to replace water pipes, I'd stick with the copper. *PEX has been suggested, and some people swear by it. *Myself, I swear AT it. It's cheap, but you get what you pay for. *Pex was designed for trailer homes and temporary plumbing or vacation cabins. *When *real* pipes leak, they generally just develop a pinhole. When pex fails, you'll have a river of water pouring between the walls and flooding all 4 floors of that house. I've seen it happen. PEX was NOT designed for trailer homes and temporary plumbing... If you are going to try to sound like an expert then know your stuff man... PEX was developed for in-floor radiant tubing runs for heating using circulated hot water through an unbroken loop... What PEX was NOT designed for is to be used like traditional sticks of copper piping with connections buried in the walls... It is meant to be a "home run" topology with each point of use being fed from a manifold... When plumbing fails it will make a mess no matter what type of piping or tubing it is -- the PEX will expand with the water as it freezes, the connectors are what fail which is why none should be used in a PEX run as the material was designed to be used in unbroken runs with no inaccessible fittings... ~~ Evan |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Jan 21, 5:17*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:30:02 -0800, "Bill" wrote: "Ray" wrote in message I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. Old pipes last a LONG time. I would bet they are good as new. No need for replacing, just flush them. I'd tend to agree. *They were capped off, but likely still are under pressure, unless there is a shutoff. *If they have been shut off, carefully watch them while a friend opens the valve. *Have your cellphones or pair of walkie-talkies on hand if you are on different floors. *Tuen on the valve just a little and watch for problems. *If all is fine, remove caps and flush out the pipes. *Then start hooking up fixtures. *If there are any other valves in these old pipes, even shutoff valves under sinks, replace the washers or the valves. This should not be costly at all if the pipes are still functional, and likely are. The drain pipes may clog if they have not been used in years. *Crud dried and will pack together when water is first dumped down. *Have a plbg snake handy. *If the walls are open, replace the drain pipes with PVC as far down as possible. *They likely connect to plumbing on the 3rd floor. If you need to replace water pipes, I'd stick with the copper. *PEX has been suggested, and some people swear by it. *Myself, I swear AT it. It's cheap, but you get what you pay for. *Pex was designed for trailer homes and temporary plumbing or vacation cabins. *When *real* pipes leak, they generally just develop a pinhole. When pex fails, you'll have a river of water pouring between the walls and flooding all 4 floors of that house. I've seen it happen. I would tend to disagree with your assumption that the abandoned piping sticking out of the walls in the bathrooms would still be "active" and under pressure... Especially if most of the rest of the building's water lines have been replaced with copper... The OP didn't mention if each of the six units in the building has its' own water meter, but generally if plumbing is replaced with copper they don't leave any of the old stuff connected to fail down the line... Also if each unit had its own water meter then nothing not connected to a specific unit's meter would be left pressurized... ~~ Evan |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
Thanks for very thoughtful responses. This is most helpful.
"Ray" wrote in message ... I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Jan 22, 11:23*am, "Ray" wrote:
Thanks for very thoughtful responses. This is most helpful. "Ray" *wrote in ... I realize that I'm asking a very general and ambiguous question, but I really have no better view of my plumbing problem than someone reading this for the first time. So let me just say, I'm only asking for educated guesses, not precise answers. We live in a six-unit coop apartment building, with two units on each of the first three floors. The top floor has six dormitory-style rooms which once served as the living quarters of servants -- one for each unit, I'm sure. *There was a bathroom at one end of the hall, a kitchen at the other. In the 1950s the fourth-floor was converted to storage rooms, and the plumbing was disconnected. So to get to the point: I'd like to reconnect the plumbing so that we could make these rooms habitable once more, to be used as guest rooms. All the connections are still in place, with pipes capped off. I'm sure the old pipes were left in place, but I'm also sure they're rusted completely shut at this point. So replacement of the pipes with copper is no doubt the starting point. The bathroom that we want to reconnect is directly above the main water supply in the basement, hot and cold. My question is, are we looking at a fairly simple and easy project? Or can we expect a five-figure layout which would involve tearing out walls, etc.? As I said, all I'm seeking is educated guesses. i would get some estimates from plumbers. PEX is the way too go:) Is the existing line copper or galavanzed? dont disturb old galavanized unless you want to replace all the pipe in the building |
Connecting old plumbing. . .
On Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:44:53 -0800 (PST), bob haller
wrote: dont disturb old galavanized unless you want to replace all the pipe in the building What do you mean "disturb?" Crack open a joint that's got nothing to do with what you're doing? Then do the same progressively through the house? Why would you do that? All I'll say is if you don't know how to handle 2 pipe wrenches at once, get a real plumber. He won't disturb anything. --Vic |
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