Quality plumbing:
Is it just a homeowner's pipe dream?
by Roger Faris
There is a local character named Joe Camel who drops by the Tool Library to offer bad advice. He once persuaded me to try duct tape to "fix" a large crack in a cast iron pipe. It's fortunate that there was a floor drain nearby. A better source of information is Jarl Fossum, a journey level plumber . He sometimes helps teach a class, and shares information about how real plumbers do work that will last.
Joe is a terrible influence. He pushes ideas that have a quick and dirty appeal, leading to eventual disaster. Jarl is a pillar of the community who always does the job right. He can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that his work will hold water. It is useful to compare how each handle various residential plumbing challenges.
The homeowner responsibility for the water supply system begins at a junction to the city utility equipment. This is typically just inside the property line and about two feet underground. Many older houses have a steel water supply pipe which is steadily corroding. When this finally springs a leak, Joe Camel will go into action with his shovel to find the hole, patch it, and call it good. Jarl might apply a temporary patch if the pipe is not buried too deep. He will also begin the installation of a new, heavy wall copper pipe. This is placed in a ditch that has no large or sharp rocks, and is inspected by the Water Department before being covered. Jarl will assure freeze protection by covering the pipe with at least two feet of soil, and keeping it at least two feet away from any concrete or rock retaining wall. Where the new pipe passes through the foundation wall, he will protect it with tape, and seal any gap with masonry caulk or other sealant.
Inside Joe's basement you find a compression type shutoff valve that doesn't work. The rubber washer at the end of the valve stem is long gone. Jarl always installs a high quality solid brass gate valve. This type of valve is designed to operate in two positions. When it is wide open, it allows water to pass through with little interference. When it is turned clockwise it completely stops the flow of water. The gate valve also has a small drain cap which allows the water to be drained from the pipes.
The supply pipes in Joe's house are a real mess. He has coupled some copper lines directly to old steel pipes, causing an electrolysis reaction. The timing is about right for the ultimate effect to begin while he is on his annual six week trip to North Carolina. Joe also did some experimenting with the flexible plastic supply tubes that have been in the news. Chlorine in the water causes this material to deteriorate. He is hoping to collect some of the class action legal settlement. He told me that he wants to buy a pool table.
Jarl uses heavy wall (Type L) copper pipe throughout the house. Unlike Joe, he is aware of the code requirement that the supply pipe leading to the water heater be at least 3/4" diameter. The water passes through another gate valve before it enters a flexible copper connector, and then the tank. This permits a quick shut off of the hot water in case of a tank leak or other problem. Jarl makes certain that the tank is equipped with a pressure / temperature safety relief valve and drain pipe. He carries a small newspaper clipping about an incident in Milton-Freewater where a tank took off like a rocket when a faulty thermostat allowed the water to boil. The local department of forensic plumbing found that a pipe plug had been installed in place of the safety valve. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but Joe used to live in Milton-Freewater. Finally, with a gas hot water heater, Jarl will be careful to provide enough support to prevent a gas line rupture during an earthquake. Joe doesn't believe in earthquakes.
The hot water supply pipe leaving the tank should also be 3/4" diameter so that adequate flow and temperature balance can be achieved at various fixtures. It is particularly important that this diameter is maintained for both hot and cold supply pipes until they are past the 1/2" branch lines which serve the shower. A modern temperature balancing shower valve is an additional way to ensure maximum comfort and safety. Joe's approach, while showering, is to bellow: "Don't anybody flush!"
A professional job means proper installation of supply pipes to all of the fixtures. Copper pipes are secured with copper hooks, plastic supports or plastic inserts where they pass below or through the framing. When installed right, they never rattle, screech or bang. Dead end air chambers near dish and clothes washers allow the water to decelerate gently when a solenoid valve in the machine abruptly stops the flow. Jarl follows the requirement that pipes are sloped to allow all lines to be completely drained. This could permit the supply pipes to survive winter weather with the heating system turned off, or just make plumbing alterations easier.
At Joe's place the plumbing starts to get even more interesting where the supply pipe stub-outs emerge from the finished walls. These stub-outs should be supported with sturdy copper brackets or an equivalent method which prevents movement and damage to fittings in the wall. Under Joe's sinks, a more precarious situation awaits. The individual fixture shutoff valves are mounted to wobbly pipes. These valves should be high quality and made of solid brass. Joe prefers the pot metal and plastic variety. "They don't work for long, but they"re sure cheap," he says.
Fixture supply tubes come in a variety of styles and materials. Once again, Joe goes for the ones that leak, or fail in a more spectacular way. His favorite connections have rubber parts which deteriorate. Some of the designs include slip fittings. The name is appropriate. His plastic hoses can slowly deteriorate, develop aneurysms, or just blast loose where they are crimped to a plastic barbed fitting. They can also be bitten by the family dog. Joe's dog is another story.
Professional plumbers can't afford these "cheap" methods of making the final connection to a fixture. They have learned to use a sturdy chrome plated copper supply tube which is cut to the right length and carefully curved with a spring-type tubing bender. A brass compression nut holds the dome shaped upper end against the brass fitting at the fixture. Another compression nut forces a brass ferrule to bite into the lower end of the tube and make a watertight seal. The connections don't involve any rubber or plastic parts since the contacting surfaces are all metal to metal. These connections can withstand being bumped. Joe's supply tube connections will leak when you just look at them.
The contrasts between these two local characters are endless. Joe stocks gallons of chemicals to deal with his frequently clogged drain pipes. Jarl has a well designed drain and vent system which only rarely needs attention. He much prefers the mechanical scouring action of a snake for dealing with any obstruction. I've come to realize that Joe Camel is an irresponsible and untrustworthy menace. Jarl Fossum is just the opposite; a thoughtful fellow who will always do the right thing.
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