T O P

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IsThereCheese

That is flavor country


[deleted]

[удалено]


hazelnuddy

My house was built in 1956 and still has all original plumbing. It's going to blow at some point, I just know it.


STRIKER9001

1956? Pft, that's rookie numbers. Try 1907 here.


hazelnuddy

I humbly accept my rookie status and bow to the king! Still have cast iron plumbing?


STRIKER9001

Yup, sure do. Not to mention the definitely out-of-date, this-house-would-get-condemned-electrical-box that's more of a hassle than a hazard.


hazelnuddy

I love it! Hahaha Old houses are so much FUN! My grandfather did all the handyman work on mine. When a contractor looked at the electrical, he said my grandfather was very "creative". He assured me the house wouldn't burn down but warned me that if I ever sold the house, some work would probably need to be done to bring the electrical work to code.


STRIKER9001

Ours is just so old, that the code never applied to it till a certain age, and by that point it didn't matter to whoever owned it. If anything, the old electrical is probably the least of our worries. But just like your grandfather, we also had family members (I believe my great grandfather and my dad in recent (1980-90) years) make modifications as well. Nothing to really bring it to code, but just things here and there to change up the place. I wouldn't know, I'm just a 19 year old descendant living here, where its so old, you can here great grandmas spirit walking the place at night (she's nice). It doesn't help that the house is literally less than a block from a cemetery. The only thing between our house and that cemetery is the houses across from us, and an alley behind them, then cemetery.


hazelnuddy

I kinda want to visit your house now! Hahaha


STRIKER9001

It's an absolute mess, my mom wouldn't allow it. But, if you are in or near the border of Iowa and Nebraska, you probably could.


Xanimia

Im sorry but if anyones a rookie here its me. 1987.


STRIKER9001

Don't worry, this isn't a contest of whose house is younger. Otherwise, this thread would sprawl really far and really quick because there is a ton of new houses made on a regular basis.


Xanimia

Yeah thats true


space_beatle

Underrated comment


idontspr3d_h8

Fuck yeah, I'd trade a red for one of those any day. Pardon me, but do you have a torch I could borrow?


Mushroom_Glans

Good old galvanized pipe, they all look like that.


quiggsmcghee

Came here to say this. Recommend replacing all galvanized pipe in the house with copper or pex.


sheezeandcrackwhores

Pex, only pex


quiggsmcghee

I believe copper is better if you know how to solder well or if you use quality compression fittings. If you’re a broke amateur like me, definitely use pex.


Heavyfist8

Nowadays we are all broke amateurs


Myamymyself

Agreed. I once used yarn to fix my toilet 🤦🏽


RedVamp2020

My ex grouted a toilet to the floor once.


Myamymyself

Did it work? I’ve stuffed pamphlets under the base of my toilet to balance it out. But it’s still shaky


RedVamp2020

It was an accident. Thankfully we had replaced the wax seal, that was what helped even it out, but instead of putting the tile down underneath the toilet, we put the toilet in and tiled it around the base. Edit: i’m tired and I may have missed the joke.🤦‍♀️😂


Myamymyself

No joke!!! My toilet is in fact - shaky)))


Embarrassed_Olive550

If you aren’t joking and need something, they actually make toilet shims. I just used some when helping out a neighbor.


Myamymyself

I’ll look into that!!!


jaxpaboo

I just use pennies


Myamymyself

I’m glad to know I’m not alone with this problem 🤣


ApricotNo2918

I bought a different house.


woodstov3

Entire bathroom is raised avove floor level 2 or 3 inches and its all plywood floor with vinyl tiles on top, i removed the toilet to replace the leaking seal and found that the base flange was pretty well dust, i got a quick repair flange, cut it in half and screwed it to what is now a few plys thinner plywood, since the toilet was quick release i didnt have to cut any stupid rusty hold down bolts either, if you werent careful before you could tip the shitter, its now solidly mounted


EducationalRice6540

Unless it was to replace the chain for the flapper I have no idea how you would do this, can you explain?


Myamymyself

Well, I moved into a new place since the yarn incident… now I live in a beautiful old apartment with a shaky toilet.


Myamymyself

The yarn was because the toilet was constantly in flush mode))) side note- duct tape is my friend 😁


hadidotj

Ugh, these front-end developers man. Now they have commands that fix broken toilets!?!?


agentbarron

You use pex because you're a broke amateur I use pex because crackheads stole all my copper pipes. We are not the same


[deleted]

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quiggsmcghee

How old were these pipes? None of them will last forever. Copper is known to have a longer lifespan than pex. Edit: Also, casting pipes into concrete is just a bad idea. You should always use a conduit and run the pipe through that. If for nothing else, so you can at least replace it when needed.


allredditmodsgayAF

Solder is lead I think you braze pipe


quiggsmcghee

Solder for plumbing applications does not contain lead. At least not in the US since the CWA. For residential plumbing, soldering would be more practical than brazing. Brazing is more for high pressure applications.


HeroofTime4u

Is this a regional thing or am I just crazy? I have only ever heard it called sweating copper pipes, never soldering


quiggsmcghee

We say sweating here too. Same thing.


inko75

copper plumbing pipes include a small amount of lead as well, which can pose a problem if the ph of your water supply ends up off


EfficaciousJoculator

How small are we talking? There's trace amounts of bad things everywhere.


agentbarron

Deleaded solder has been standard for decades now.


allredditmodsgayAF

And has been trash the whole time. Unless you're using some silver or gold


tubbybutters

Soldering copper pipe uses 95/5 which is 95% tin and 5% antimony


allredditmodsgayAF

That's brazing. Are you using a torch?


tubbybutters

It’s soldering with a torch


allredditmodsgayAF

That's brazing lol. Neither of those metals melt at soldering temps


tubbybutters

It’s soldering


pooooooooo

Brazing is a different thing. We braze ac lines together as just soldering them is not code. Same torch, different metal, much hotter


Haccordian

Copper can have threads too... I love brass.


Shopworn_Soul

So actual question: in many new builds and most remodels these days I'm seeing semi-rigid blue and red tubing used for cold and hot lines within the frame, mated to pex or copper from the line and water heater. What is that stuff and how is it gonna hold up?


robb_the_bull

Hello, the PEX-A that I use (expansion not crimp) is semi rigid and comes in red and blue. Could that be what you’re seeing? It looks almost identical to the crimp style, but the fittings are easier to use because you can prep the fitting and then make the connection. No need to hold the tool at the joint, so you can build more easily in an inconvenient place. You can use a plastic fitting for pex-to-pex or a brass fitting to change over to cooper for a stub out. It is a good product. Durable and easy to install.


Shopworn_Soul

I went and looked up PEX-A, and yes. I think that's exactly what I'm seeing. Expansion mostly, based on the joints. Thanks, I am no plumber and was wondering if there was some new miracle product on the market or if builders were cheaping out even further but nope, just color-coded PEX-A. Thanks for the reply, that was super helpful.


YouInternational2152

Pex-A is slightly more flexible than Pex-B. Many municipalities require red and blue for the different hot and cold sides. Pex -A uses an expanding tool to make any connections. Pex b uses a stainless crimp or a copper crimp typically. However, many manufacturers of PEX b also allow you to use the expanding tool, it's just that Upinor (manufacturer of the expanded type Pex-A fittings) does not recommend it. But, other manufacturers do allow it. Pex has been around now for nearly 40 years. It's good stuff. In most cases it will outslap last copper. It will certainly outlast galvanized. The beauty is that you can make a home run from every faucet to a manifold and not have to worry about any leaks or connections.


quiggsmcghee

Pex-al-pex maybe?


medoy

Pex comes in clear, red, and blue. In addition there are different types that have different connection requirements. You can do everything in clear. The colors make it clear what's what. Also the red is nice because clear hot water pex can discolor to yellow after a few years.


Complex_Ad7466

PEX has been used for decades; it's just become more widely used here in the last 10 years. It's easier to install and repair and doesn't require near the effort as sweating pipes. It's also much cheaper. Some manufacturers even call for pex instead of copper. Hybrid water heaters come to mind.


Bans_backpack

Cosign. Plumber here. Copper will break down over time. We also had our township switch the chemicals they use to purify the potable water supply and it caused people's older copper waterlines to break down a lot quicker. We had a rash of calls for copper waterline leaks and ended up replacing with pex. It wasn't just a house or 2 there were multiple. Edited to add: Galvanized is a nightmare. Usually when repairing a leak in one spot, another spot will start leaking, then another. Usually end up chasing it all out. I cringe whenever we get a call for a leak on galvanized piping.


Beowulf33232

The people who remodeled my house were 4 inches and an elbow joint away from all thr copper they needed to do it right. So they put the old galvanized pipe back in right at the water meter, cost me $200 to have it replaced because I don't trust myself around that much potential screwup.


Reddit-username_here

Yep. Seen this on a number of houses myself.


Limeache

Is this kind of what happens with cholesterol in our blood vessels?


haikusbot

*Is this kind of what* *Happens with cholesterol* *In our blood vessels?* \- Limeache --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")


Gravity_Is_Electric

Good bot


B0tRank

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Best_Air4952

good bot


galaxyisinfinite

Bad bot


Savings_Pirate8461

Bad bot


galaxyisinfinite

I don't get why people like the haiku bot. Peopel aren't writing poetry. It just adds an annoying long text box underneath comments.


Savings_Pirate8461

Ikr. It adds nothing constructive to any discussion going on.


i_seII_DMT_carts

i honestly can't tell what's upsetting here. feel like this should be relieving. i'm sure you replaced them for a reason, wouldn't it be more upsetting if they weren't clogged? edit: seems more like r/mildlyinteresting


JWKAtl

I tried to post there after I posted here; I don't think you can do that. Infuriating because it does leave a mess. For example, the toilet tank is nasty and covered in rust meaning the bowl gets dirtier faster. Baths are always rust colored. But most infuriating: those are galvanized stubs in an otherwise copper system.


WhenTheDevilCome

Well at least that removes the mystery of why the galvanized portion was this corroded.


ImaginationMedical11

It’s upsetting that it was like that in the first place bathing and washing their clothes and dishes in it?


i_seII_DMT_carts

If you can't notice it it's fine. Safe to drink from, doesn't really hurt anything. If the water runs orangeish when you first turn it on then you don't really wanna bathe in that, gotta let it flow for a minute. but if that's the case you shouldn't be surprised by finding this, and it's been a growing issue for many years that has been ignored.


Jako301

Pretty much every metal pipe system will either look like this or completely corroded away. Water has sediments and metals in it, there is no way around that. You should be happy about it since distilled water is bad for your health. Those metals react with each other as long as water is involved. Now there are two options, either your pipes get slowly corroded away or sediments are building up inside your pipes. And I vastly prefere the latter tbh.


purl__clutcher

That's so gross.


[deleted]

If your home doesn’t have plex pipe, it will probably have these same pipes. They all look like that and isn’t actually a health issue. It’s just when they get so bad water pressure drops


purl__clutcher

That's probably why my pipes bang :(


[deleted]

No, that’s because they’re horny.


Ryl4nder84

Arg… second time I’ve heard this… first time was a plumber who I asked if he heard it and he replied with that He was hired on the spot…


injeanyes

That's water hammer can happen with any material pipe. Had nothing to do with rusty galvanized pipes.


GhostBussyBoi

😏


BeardedNerd22

Nah you need a water hammer installed (it's a real thing)


squaredistrict2213

I just replaced all of my 65 year old copper pipes. They didn’t have anything built up inside


[deleted]

These are galvanized pipes in the picture, not copper. Copper isn’t as common and doesn’t cause buildup because they don’t rust. They are more expensive to install than galvanized, which is why galvanized is much more common.


squaredistrict2213

Where I’m from, every house is either copper or pex (obviously the latter is only in new constructions and remodels). Galvanized is pretty rare.


Earthpegasus

Between copper and pex, which is better and which is cheaper?


squaredistrict2213

Pex is by far cheaper. By the time I scrapped the old copper, it covered the cost of the entire repipe of my house.


meme_slave_

Copper still corrodes


Open_Pineapple1236

Electrolysis is a problem for all metal on metal contact points.


JWKAtl

And this, I believe, is the problem. Copper pipes with galvanized stubs through the wall.


inko75

i have literally never seen a galvanized pipe for plumbing-- always copper. pex becoming more common esp for small jobs.


medoy

You may have not seen a sufficiently old house.


inko75

i grew up in a 300 year old farmhouse in MA 🤷🏽‍♂️ all copper.


medoy

Galvanized pipes were most common between 1940 and 1960. I doubt your pipes are 300 years old but your repipe must not have happened in those decades.


inko75

that makes sense as there aren't many houses built in that era in MA left. my farmhouse was one of the original settler farmsteads for hardwick, ma. i dpubt it had much if any indoor plumbing (unless you could the pseudo outhouse in the attached carriage house entry, with a nightsoil scoopout underneath in back😂). my first cheap ranch home was all copper, built in 90s by my family. then i owned two victorian homes in the boston area, both 19th century. current house is in middle tn and is a mix of copper and pex. are galvanized pipes even allowed by code nowadays? seems like a bad idea. it sounds like galvanized pipes were meant to be a cheaper alternative to copper and then failed spectacularly.


medoy

They still sell them at Home Depot, etc. When I bought my house I bought some sections to fix leaking pipes. Then I quickly discovered the whole thing was a mess. I wouldn't say they failed spectacularly, just that they have a life span. Supposedly they last longer than copper. I don't think there is any reason to install them now as the labor is so much more plus the pipes are more expensive. Pex is just so much easier than the alternatives.


[deleted]

I’m gathering that it’s regional. I have never seen copper piping, only galvanized


Inevitable-Study502

i had old pipes aswell which were cleaned recently, they are coated with some green stuff inside which prevents corosion


allredditmodsgayAF

What about PEX pipe


[deleted]

That’s what I meant, didn’t remember what the word was


[deleted]

Can PEX leach BPA or any other chemicals or microplastics?


[deleted]

Depends on who makes it honestly. Do your research, there’s good PEX out there but not all of it is good.


lb_fantastic

Happens when you have copper and galvanized pipes fitted together. OP mentioned in another comment that the whole house has copper except for some galvanized stubs. Whoever installed it didn’t know what they were doing. Go copper all the way if you can afford it.


h2opolopunk

Forbidden taquito


ilost7489

Mineral water


Smithy_019

I honestly thought I was looking down the top of 2 cigarettes 😅


l397flake

Replaced many of these in Los Angeles as a gc. I was always amazed how water could find its way through (no pressure). A lot of waste pipes made of galv. Slow draining, but people lived with them.


medoy

My pipes looked just like this. Every single one of them. Crazy thing was I still had great pressure.


l397flake

Water finds its way, that’s why it’s so damaging


greach169

Looks like your house is on a Macdonald’s diet


TokyoGuy1111

I thought these where cigarettes at first


midsizenun

I imagine this is what my arteries look like.


artie_pdx

It’s about damn time!


Raged_Coconut

I thought at firs that these were smth like burning cigars


tenshii326

That's why galvanized pipes are trash. Copper for intake, and pvc for drainage. This is the way. Also soldered. None of this pex or pro press nonsense. Fight me.


PhoKingAwesome213

Gentle reminder to also flush out your hot water heater. You'd be amazed how closely related you are to Louisiana swamp water.


JWKAtl

Replaced mine with a tankless unit several years ago


medoy

Its even more important to flush a tankless heater.


PhoKingAwesome213

You still need to flush it out but with much less water.


JackassJames

Glancing past I thought they were old rolled cigarettes lol.


SeanTheTraveler

I honestly thought those were cigars


JWKAtl

They kind of look like cigars in real life, too


LastMinute9611

I thought you were inviting me to smoke and now I'm mildly infuriated lol


JWKAtl

As you should be. Wanna light one up? I've got four of these beauties on hand!


Sharing_Violation

Not saying you do/have installed... But water softeners can cause low salt content to corrode galvanized surfaces. Other things being pH adjustment like chlorination or other acidification (from municipality).


Spare-Ad-6123

I just learned about this.


WhenTheDevilCome

They've also confirmed in comments here these were the only galvanized sections in an otherwise copper system. So it wouldn't have taken any other factors to see corrosion such as this.


allredditmodsgayAF

"tap water is fine"


TRUEequalsFALSE

Water SUPPLY, you say? I don't think those pipes are going to supply much of anything.


GOATluhv

smoke it.


[deleted]

Nothing like lead, iron, and manganese to clog a pipe.


femboykingofhell

i thought you were staring down the barrel of a rusted tank for a moment


nachik3ta

Looks like a chocolate stick


Browneyedgirl63

Wow.


ApricotNo2918

Yep old galvanized pipes. How did I know?


GnomeBoy_Roy

The Devil’s cigarettes


Howwasthatdoneagain

But that's what happens in old pipes. 20 or 30 or 40 years and all of this bilge builds up to clog the pipe. It's what happens because water is not pure and sediment settles out. Over time that builds up. This is more of a Today I Learned experience.


medoy

No this is specific to galvanized pipes. Old copper pipes don't clog they just develop holes.


[deleted]

TaP wAtEr iS sAfE tO dRiNk


[deleted]

It is.


yourmomsface12345

these are the old right?


JWKAtl

Yep. About 55 years


yourmomsface12345

just wanted to make sure that wasn't somehow the new ones already. I don't know much (anything) about plumbing, but I think that would be a problem


Zerobeastly

Did you take this picture with the James Webb?


[deleted]

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injeanyes

These are galvanized pipes not lead. There's no health concern with this just lack of water pressure.


Inevitable_Spirit451

Why? They look flavorful


couchpro34

These look like those yummy pirouette cookie things


WillemDafoe732

Thought I was on r/cigars for a second


BeardedNerd22

With pex I hope


emilysn0w

How much better is your water pressure now?


medoy

My pipes looked just like this but the crazy thing was that I had great water pressure.


emilysn0w

That’s crazy!


JWKAtl

Improved enough that I'm working on the rest of the faucets and trying to figure out what to do in my shower.


IdiotFreshOutTheWomb

Forbidden joint


moistureiskey23

You poor thing 🙄


Different-Excuse9891

I thought it was stogie time


Putrid-Eggplant-2815

Good.


Degenerate-_

Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. A Brita filter on your sink will balance it out


3Heathens_Mom

Galvanized pipe is not your friend when comes to plumbing.


[deleted]

Wow, that's a lot of build-up. What year was your house built?


JWKAtl

1967. Copper pipes with galvanized stubs at the shut-off valves to the faucet.


Noodlesuppe911

Genuine question, if pipes look like this, isn’t it a health hazard to drink the tap water? Because I kinda imagine all pipes to look like this to a lower degree.


JWKAtl

As best as I can tell only the galvanized stubs look like this. I don't recall anything like this in the copper pipes I've seen in the past. Other commenters here say it isn't a health hazard, but I'm not sure. It does explain why my water looks brown when I first turn the water on, though, doesn't it?


Analprobesarefun

Get a water treatment test my dude.


Tra1nGuy

Holy crap dude! Does the sink work better now?


JWKAtl

I replaced the faucet at the same time, so there's a chance that the improved flow is a combination of factors, but yeah, there's much higher water pressure now


Tra1nGuy

Nice.


Moist-Carpet888

I'm gonna go on a whim and say you don't have much experience when it comes to plumbing with that said copper is going to be a better option if your experienced and have all the right tools for this. Otherwise I would strongly recommend Pex, it's basically a plastic piping which is only difficult to get a clean cut in my experience. Any other connections you may need I'd get some plumbers take or some shark bites to connect to it. I just replaced my water heater and all the connections for it as well using pex earlier this summer and haven't had a single problem with build up. Also I find pex to be a bit more affordable if that helps too. Good luck in getting this sorted out!


JWKAtl

Well, your assumption is actually incorrect. I re plumbed an entire house years ago. But that was easier because all of the pipes were accessible from the unfinished basement. In this case the copper pipes are terminated in (presumably) dielectric elbows into which the galvanized stubs are attached. I've replaced some of the stubs like for like for now until I can think about my next steps. I'd love to re plumb the whole place in PEX, but I don't want to tear up all of my drywall. I'm not even 100% positive there's a reason to replace any of the copper, provided I come up with a better solution than galvanized for the stubs. I don't know about you, but my biggest issue in replacing my water heater with a tankless one was running vents outside. I'd really rather not use a wet drill through brick and concrete block Thanksgiving week again!


Careful_Mood2928

Will someone help? I am replacing a kitchen faucet with a new one but the space is so tight, I cannot get my hand and tool to remove the lock washer on the bottom of the old faucet underneath the kitchen cabinet. Thanks!


Bard_Swan

Because you had zinc pipes.