DIY plumbing? galv ---> copper.

[vash]

damn, i got a quote for $4k. i have a old house. one BR, one utility room, and kitchen. how hard is it? the quote was to only change out the horizontal lines, which he says typically cause all the problems anyways. can i do this myself? i have a crawlspace.

[84porsche]

You can but it is a lot of work. Copper is not too expensive and you need to know how to solder. Best thing in my opinion is depending on the access you have, start with one room at a time and add the copper lines, hot and cold to every sink, its the bath tubs that are going to be difficult if they are fiberglass. If you have to repipe from the main, this is where it can be tricky tapping into the existing line. Have you gotten a couple of estimates. If you work on your car, this should not be too far off.

[84porsche]

Just read about the horizontal lines, sorry. If you have to mix the copper and galvanized fittings make sure you have the right joints to connect to prevent electrolysis (I believe this what it is called). Just run your new lines parallel to the other ones and then tap into the main and your fixtures (these being your last few steps.)

[RickM]

I've done a bit of copper piping myself.....doing it for some outside lines right now. My biggest problem has always been getting a good solder joint between new and old pipe....no matter how well I clean the old.

[911boost]

Right after college I was a Commercial Plumber for a large Mechanical Company so I could stay in my college town for a bit longer. I learned a ton while having that job, and feel that some sort of trade job should be a requirement prior to going to college, as I would have studied significantly harder after busting my a$$ for a year as a plumber.

Now to answer your question. If you have never done plumbing before, its not un-doable. Just make sure you know the codes, etc. Buy some copper pipe, solder and a torch, and practice. It doesn't sound like you have a large house, but even a small leak can cause huge problems. I had a friend with a 3 bedroom, 2 bath that was built in the 80's using polybutelene (plastic piping) that was corroding horribly. As a favor I re-plumbed his entire house. I had decent access to everything, but it still took me 3 days of solid work. I replaced everything, from where the water main came into his house to each sink, toilet, tub, washer, you name it. It was a ALOT of work, and I knew what I was doing.....

I do not mean to discourage you, but if I was going to do it, I would replace everything, not just the horizontal pipes. Just replace one line at a time, so you don't get the hot and cold mixed up. Unlike electricity and gas, its pretty hard to kill yourself doing plumbing, smile. If your house is a one story and you have a crawl space like you mentioned, then you should be able to see where all the lines run. You will need new valves for each sink and the toilet, and also most likely a new outside faucet, as I am sure the one you have is pretty old.

Feel free to ask me any other questions.

Bill

[Hugh R]

I had mine redone, too big for me, but one trick I saw was that they cut the old pipe under the sink, pull it out and shove the new copper through the same holes in the top plate and or bottom plate of the framing in the walls. Buy the expensive (K) piping, its the commercial grade stuff and they sell it at Home Depot.

[Hetmann]

I had my house redone for $2700. In the few places where I still have galvanized pipe, the plumber used a dialectric coupler to join the old to the new copper. I will get rid of those pieces as I redo my baths and open up the walls.

[stevepaa]

yes you can do it yourself. practice a little. be sure to get an asbestos flame shield for when you are close to wood

[Superman]

Sweating copper joints is fun and easy. At least, with new pipe. Don't know about problems with older pipe. Get the joint clean, coat with flux, get it hot (this is where the problems happen. Be sure to get it hot), then just touch the solder to it. It's like magic. I've never had a joint leak.

[Icemaster]

Look into this thing called a Heat Sheet.

[MikeSid]

Invest the $27 bucks in a MAPP gas torch and trigger ignition. MAPP will heat faster and hotter and if you've ever used flint or matches to ignite a torch, you'll know the trigger start is priceless.

[craigster59]

I repiped my 1929 house. A friend from work said not to bother with the verticals because all sediment would settle down to the horizontal pipes, but this just didn't seem right. As long as your doing it, do it right. Even dielectric unions can fail over time. Superman is right, soldering isn't hard at all, just get the pipe hot enough and if your trying to solder directly onto the closed piping system be sure to open all your faucets for the heat to escape or you'll never get the solder to suck into the joint. And definitely get the asbestos shield, it looks similar to a potholder and can keep you from burning down the house.HTH

[mikester]

These days there are other ways besides copper - I would research them as they can make the job easier (or harder depending).

My step dad had his redone with a plastic flexible hose type deal that requires nearly no work to make a joint. There's a tool that stretches it over the fitting and then it natrually shrinks back onto the fitting creating a good joint. Seemed too easy to f up but I don't know what I'm talking about and I don't recall what it was called.

Copper sure looks neat though.

[COLDBASS]

Copper is the way to go.
Mapp gas for beginners, Acetylene for experienced folks.

Dialectric couplings, bushings, unions...forget about it. Couple years later you'll see how worthless they are.

Take your time do it completely and you will have no regrets.

Trick is to clean the pipe well, apply flux and heat properly.
The solder will flow.

Oh yeah, make sure the line is empty of water, otherwise you'll never get the right heat...

Give yourself some time and you'll be a pro. Dont forget to strap and insulate the pipe properly.

A helper is a must especially if you are under the house...

[Icemaster]

Originally posted by COLDBASS
Oh yeah, make sure the line is empty of water, otherwise you'll never get the right heat...

Keep a half a loaf of bread around just in case of a situation in which you cant get all the water out of the pipe. Seriously. Crush a few pieces up, shove them up the pipe with your pinky and it will hold back the water while you sweat the connection. When you turn the water back on, the bread will blow right out of the pipe as long as you remember to remove the aerator from the faucet spout (which is a good idea eve if you DON'T need bread...).

Get the right tools, including the emery cloth, wire brushes (3 in one, with a fitting for doing inside and outside the pipe), good flux and a trigger start torch that will work with MAPP gas.

Buff the ends shiny, flux both pieces that your putting together, turn teh torch on them in the center of the flame, hold it there until the flame starts to turn green, pull the torch away and put the tip of the solder to the joint until you get a drip of solder, then you know it's full. Then wipe with a dry rag.

Practice a fewe times, it's easier than you might think.

PM me if you want, I'll shoot you my phone #, I can talk you through this if you want. I've done it more times than I care to admit.

[red-beard]

I would suggest you consider PVC. It it much easier to cut the pipe, no sweating/fire needed in a wooden house and the water does not need to be run much before using. It is also much less expensive.

[CRH911S]

I completely replumbed my enitre home 4 years ago. Copper is the way to go just make sure it's dry and clean. Also, don't be affraid to install extra valves for convenience at a later time. Map it out before you start the work. FWIW, replace the galvanized as well. Good luck.

[Paul T]

good advice here, just a warning...be very, very careful when soldering and make sure to be aware of the flame at all times, especially when soldering in tight places, right up against a wall (use a heat shield, just a piece of sheet metal will do). My family was in the heating/ac business and I've seen a couple homes over the years burn down by not taking precautions.

[Westy]

"The future is in plastics"

Other than that, yes yes and yes.
Mapp with trigger start is a must
Heat sheild is a must
Copper is cheap
Do a little at a time
And don't use whole grain bread!!!! Wonder white is perfect

[RickM]

There are new (to me) copper connectors that have solder deposited in a groove at both sides of the piece. This could potentially make the job much faster and cleaner. They are expensive though at about three times the cost.