Ralphie ★ Posted February 23, 2021 Share #1 Posted February 23, 2021 That sucks. Is this twue? Hopefully only in older houses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted February 23, 2021 Share #2 Posted February 23, 2021 Very few Texas houses have basements. Large numbers of our houses are slab foundation with plumbing run prior to the foundation being poured. When things break, you either have to tunnel, or reroute. With the advent of PEX, there are more than a few homes with water lines above the ceiling, esp. in two story homes. I do nto think we use enough insulation on pipes either. We are not good at preparing for cold. I am about to have to spend a metric butt ton of cash to have new sewer lines run and have some underslab issues addressed. There goes that raise. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted February 23, 2021 Share #3 Posted February 23, 2021 Where I lived at in England, you seldom saw any water towers. Instead each house had a reservoir tank in the attic that held about 30 gallons. This meant two things: (1) the attics weren't all that well insulated as you didn't want the water tank to freeze, and (2) you only drank water from the cold water tap in the kitchen. That tap was directly from the water mains whereas the rest went through the attic tank. There could be things like dead birds in it. This was in a new house built in 1988. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Old Guy Posted February 23, 2021 Share #4 Posted February 23, 2021 I know of several people here in VA with hot water heaters in the attic. Sounds crazy, but I'm sure they must have a good reason for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted February 23, 2021 Share #5 Posted February 23, 2021 14 minutes ago, jsharr said: am about to have to spend a metric butt ton of cash to have new sewer lines run and have some underslab issues addressed. You have two good size boys, watch a YouTube video and replace your own sewer line. I know nothing about under slab issues, there is probably a YouTube video for that too. What happened to your sewer line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Old Guy Posted February 23, 2021 Share #6 Posted February 23, 2021 19 minutes ago, jsharr said: I am about to have to spend a metric butt ton of cash to have new sewer lines run and have some underslab issues addressed. One of the reasons I do not like homes built on slabs. No offense to anyone with a house or condo on a slab, but they would worry me to death. My mother had a condo on a slab and all her pipes (water and sewer) ran under the slab. I couldn't even imagine the destruction that would have been required to repair any faulty pipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted February 23, 2021 Share #7 Posted February 23, 2021 11 minutes ago, Longjohn said: You have two good size boys, watch a YouTube video and replace your own sewer line. I know nothing about under slab issues, there is probably a YouTube video for that too. What happened to your sewer line? The used cast iron and they rot / rust away to nothing, get cracked by tree roots and our soil is a montmorillonite clay that has HUGE shrink swell potential as it dries out and gets wet, so we get lots of cracked pipes and open joints when the slabs move. Did I mention that Texas sucks? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Old Guy Posted February 23, 2021 Share #8 Posted February 23, 2021 1 minute ago, jsharr said: Did I mention that Texas sucks? If they gave out points for consistency, you would win. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share #9 Posted February 23, 2021 Well this makes me feel a little better aboot my shitty basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Old Guy Posted February 24, 2021 Share #10 Posted February 24, 2021 28 minutes ago, Philander Seabury said: Well this makes me feel a little better aboot my shitty basement. I think that depends on the literalness of the adjective used to define your basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share #11 Posted February 24, 2021 2 minutes ago, Clark said: I think that depends on the literalness of the adjective used to define your basement. Thankfully figurative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted February 24, 2021 Share #12 Posted February 24, 2021 8 hours ago, Clark said: I know of several people here in VA with hot water heaters in the attic. Sounds crazy, but I'm sure they must have a good reason for it. Because that’s where the hot water is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted February 24, 2021 Share #13 Posted February 24, 2021 8 hours ago, Longjohn said: What happened to your sewer line? He pooped a metric butt ton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted February 24, 2021 Share #14 Posted February 24, 2021 12 hours ago, jsharr said: so we get lots of cracked pipes and open joints when the slabs move. OMG... you mean the cold froze the ground and moved your slab?? That sucks... Now... I do indeed love my basement. -20o here and everything stays in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted February 24, 2021 Share #15 Posted February 24, 2021 In Central Maryland, the standard plumbing code is: "Exterior water supply system piping shall be installed [at least] two (2) feet, six (6) inches below grade. " That's the same requirement for the depth of porch, etc. foundations: 30" below ground is just below the limit to which the ground freezes here in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL Posted February 24, 2021 Share #16 Posted February 24, 2021 22 hours ago, Clark said: One of the reasons I do not like homes built on slabs. No offense to anyone with a house or condo on a slab, but they would worry me to death. My mother had a condo on a slab and all her pipes (water and sewer) ran under the slab. I couldn't even imagine the destruction that would have been required to repair any faulty pipes. I have had two slab leaks in my townhouse, fortunately the HOA covers repairs on slab leaks. They basically cut & cap the line & tap into another. Some drywall needed to come out but all in all not a huge catastrophe. My moms house was built on a slab as well and after 50 years of living there never had a slab leak. My house is about 40 YO and has had 2. I’m guessing quality of construction & materials has something to do with it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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