The joy of plumbing...
UncleMac
Posts: 13,856 Member
I probably should have taken pictures of the old plumbing before I tore it out but I was trying to get things back in place as quickly as possible...
To explain, there was one foundation wall left uninsulated and with no framing in the laundry room. This was because the old water supply pipes were literally attached to the concrete. In order to do the insulating and framing, I needed to move the plumbing.
For those who are unaware, plumbing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Nowadays, almost all houses are using "Pex" pipes rather than copper. I expect this is due to the rising cost of copper. From a practical perspective, it means not having to solder copper junctions. No downside there!
Since I've never done Pex plumbing, I had to buy the right tools etc... but that gave me an opportunity to educate myself on how it works. Again, no downside...
This picture shows the two "manifolds" that I've installed. What they do is literally act as a distribution point for water (hot and cold) with shut-off valves for each water pipe. The white pipe is 3/4" Pex coming into each manifold.
The hot water manifold has three valves... 1) washing machine 2) laundry sink 3) lower level shower
The cold water manifold has four valves... 1) washing machine 2) laundry sink 3) lower level shower 4) outside hose
To explain, there was one foundation wall left uninsulated and with no framing in the laundry room. This was because the old water supply pipes were literally attached to the concrete. In order to do the insulating and framing, I needed to move the plumbing.
For those who are unaware, plumbing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Nowadays, almost all houses are using "Pex" pipes rather than copper. I expect this is due to the rising cost of copper. From a practical perspective, it means not having to solder copper junctions. No downside there!
Since I've never done Pex plumbing, I had to buy the right tools etc... but that gave me an opportunity to educate myself on how it works. Again, no downside...
This picture shows the two "manifolds" that I've installed. What they do is literally act as a distribution point for water (hot and cold) with shut-off valves for each water pipe. The white pipe is 3/4" Pex coming into each manifold.
The hot water manifold has three valves... 1) washing machine 2) laundry sink 3) lower level shower
The cold water manifold has four valves... 1) washing machine 2) laundry sink 3) lower level shower 4) outside hose
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The two pipes where I connected the Pex are above the hot water tank. You can see the junctions to the hot water tank on the lower right. When I finish up the walls, I will be adding a drop ceiling so all of this will be hidden but accessible by moving a ceiling tile.
At the top of the previous picture, you can see the remainder of the copper pipe feeding the outside hose. After I took the first picture, I went outside and removed the old hose... replaced it with a new one plumbed for Pex... and then I made connected it up so I can sprinkle the grass, wash cars and water my roses...
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And I insulated the remaining wall. Next step will be framing up the wall. Once the studs are up, then I put in the plumbing and electrical for the laundry set... plus the laundry sink... This wall is 7'2" across (without drywall) so it will be wide enough for full sized laundry set side by side plus the laundry sink and space to spare.
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Build the framing on the floor... the 2X4s are so warped, you can see one corner is lifted...
It took a fair amount of wiggling and cussing to wrangle the framing into place but finally done!
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Drains are "dry-fit" and ready for glue...
You can see the old drain on the lower right side of the picture. It goes behind the hot water tank where it splits; water goes down into the sanitary system, up goes to the vent stack.
Since my new drain is longer, I've added an air check valve. If negative pressure appears (as water goes down), the valve lets air into the system... but at normal pressure, the valve is closed so sewer gases don't go up.
Speaking of the old drain, my plan is to cut off the majority of it but it's going to be "fun" working in that tight space. You can see where my new drain is located on the left...
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Oh yeah that is tight. I love your PEX install, we've had so many plumbing renos over the years that our house is probably at least a solid 1/3 to 1/2 Pex and it looks so clean.
Was the framing a bit of a curse job due to the warp? or just a tight spot to shimmy it in?0 -
This is my first time using PEX so I was a bit nervous. So far, everything proved easier than anticipated and no leaks.Original_Sinner wrote: »Oh yeah that is tight. I love your PEX install, we've had so many plumbing renos over the years that our house is probably at least a solid 1/3 to 1/2 Pex and it looks so clean.
Was the framing a bit of a curse job due to the warp? or just a tight spot to shimmy it in?
The cursing was because I had to pass the framing through a doorway which mean it was on it's side.. So I had to rotate it 90 degrees... and the room has the hot water tank, washer & dryer in the way...
To quote Chandler "Pivot! Pivot!!"
Once I got it squared away and installed, I thought I was done framing. The next morning two of the studs had warped enough that I ended up screwing blocks in place to push them back into place & keep them there. See the blocks on the bottom sill?
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Drains installed (checked off list) and ready for the next step. Being the cautious type, I installed plates to prevent nails while installing drywall... plus as twisted as this lumber was, I'm hoping tying the gaps helps stabilize them.
As I was gluing up, I had to keep plugging the pipe as I moved along because of the smell of sewer gas. Once I finished the last joint, I poured water into the p-traps to keep the gas out.
The junction into the existing system went relatively smoothly although it was a tight place to work for an orangutan like me... One hand or the other... most of the time working blind...
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I put the washer & dryer back in place and did a load in each... no leaks, no sparks, no sewer gases... Winning!!
Once satisfied of that, I plumbed in the supply lines for the laundry sink. I'm not going to install it just yet. I want to drywall first. Having the supply lines in place means an easy two holes for supply and one for the drain.
It might look a bit odd to have the supply on one wall with the drain on the other but that's because I'm putting the laundry sink in oriented differently than normal. Let me explain...
Laundry sinks are oddly shaped to my consideration. They're deeper than kitchen sinks (which makes sense) but they're usually installed oriented with the faucet at the back, away from the user... so you have to lean forward to turn on the water... By orienting it 90 degrees turned, the faucet is more easily accessibly yet still out of the way. The first time I saw one installed sideways like this, I thought it was looked odd but it worked well...
Stepping back, here's what it looks like...
The cheapo plastic dryer vent will be going away. Metal is the preferred material around here... although I understand plastic is preferred in Europe. Initially I thought about burying the vent behind the drywall but given how horrid the framing lumber was, I'm not going to mess with it anymore.
The hole where the vent currently exits does not align with the wall. I'm really unsure why they chose to install it where it is but whatever... My plan is to use the existing hole for a fan in the lower floor bathroom. I will cut a new hole for the dryer... and put in matching vent ends from the outside...0 -
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