Jump to content

Disaster Averted.


jsharr

Recommended Posts

Went into the pantry this morning and heard the sound of running water. Knowing that before the remodel there used to be a washing machine in the pantry I suspected a pipe in the wall had busted. I immediately turned off the water and called our remodel contractor

 He sent one of his guys over to open the wall and found that instead of capping the pipe they put a quarter-turn valve on the pipe and the valve failed. It was cut off andclipecwas capped.   Presure tested thecpipe and turned the water back on.  Left the  wall open to dry out and we will close up the wall after installing insulation next week.

Since it appears to have been caused by poor work initially I believe that our contractor is going to warranty this.

  • Heart 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

Reading the title, I thought maybe Kzoo was planning to come for a visit, but you talked him out of it.   

I want @Kzoo to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would be much more satisfying to say bite me butt munch to his face.

  • Heart 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it on an outside wall and are you getting below freezing temps down there? If it was capped that means no water movement and maybe it froze. Whenever we go down south I'm always amazed that the main water shutoffs into the houses are only a few inches under the ground. Up here our water lines are over four feet deep. 

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Further said:

I wouldn't want a capped water line inside an outside wall

We have a slab foundation so I don't have a whole lot of choice the lines had to be terminated above the foundation.  I am a bit surprised that their plumber left a valve on top of the pipe instead of cappping it. That has been addressed and the contractor will be covering this all as warranty work 

And of course I will make sure that that entire wall cavity is packed with insulation prior to putting everything back together.

We're talking about some sort of inconspicuous vent to allow air from inside the house to flow into that cavity to keep it a bit warmer during cold weather.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, team scooter said:

I had thermostatically controlled heat tape on another line in the house before they remodeled I am looking at something like this but I'm not sure I want to close that inside a wall cavity either

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, jsharr said:

I'm not sure I want to close that inside a wall cavity either

Trust your instincts, because I'm pretty sure this would be a code violation and would be at variance with the UL listing for the product.

My suggestion would be to install a high R-value foam board between the pipe and the outside wall, creating a foam box with a back, top, two sides, and a bottom - but not a face towards the warm side (towards the house interior).  Put the foil face (vapor barrier) of the foam board toward the warm side.  Seal the joints between the foam pieces.  Reinstall the wall, but make a removable panel so you can inspect/repair it.

If you do ventilate the space, remember that it could create an infiltration point where cold air can enter the house, creating a draft.  But then it may be worth it to keep the pipe from freezing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...