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Author:
Aquamom (WA)
Hello everyone!
Three times now a copper pipe has burst under the slab and been dug up and repaired (same pipe a little further on each time. House is 35 years old an turns out, part of the problem was the pressure, so I just had a pressure valve put in. The guy who repaired it says it will probably break again. True?
Could I just replace this section of pipe, or should I replace it all?
Should I dig up the slab (about 12 feet under two walls to the shutoff valve) or go through the attic? (lots of insulation in attic).
I am thinking pex whichever way I go, am I right?
Any help on this would be most appreciated; Thanks in advance, Aqua
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Author:
North Carolina Plumber (NC)
1. Yes, it will break again.
2. Pex would be my first choice.
3. I would reroute the line if at all possible, even if it means building a chase or boxing in a corner.
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Author:
Aquamom (WA)
Thanks for the response "North Carolina Plumber".
Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by chase or box in corner?
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Author:
hj
HOW is "pressure the problem"? That is a ridiculous statement, because copper tubing, especially the grades you can get for underslab installation will handle MANY TIMES the maximum pressure you would ever find in a house. You have to find out WHY the copper is REALLY failing, before you can decide whether to repair it or bypass the bad section.
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Author:
hj
RUn the pipe up in a corner and cover it with something.
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Author:
Aquamom (WA)
Thanks for the response "hj"
The house is 35 years old, and apparantly the copper used was substandard(?) judging from the thickness. My pressure was +90 and is now down to -50 (?)
Does that make any sense?
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Author:
hj
NO. The only way the tubing could be "substandard" as far as thickness would be if they used refrigeration tubing, otherwise the "thinnest" plumbing copper tubing you could find would be type "L" and that is capable of handling "hundreds of pounds" of water pressure.
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Author:
Aquamom (WA)
Luckily (did I say that??? nothing lucky here!) this pipe supplies the bathroom which backs onto a closet so that is not an issue.
I want to have them run pex through the attic, under the insulation, which is about 18", and I don't think freezing will be an issue since we are in Seattle and the winters are pretty moderate.
Am I right?
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Author:
Aquamom (WA)
So I just paid 300$ for a pressure relief valve I didn't need? Great....
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Author:
jimmy-o (CA)
No....you DO need a pressure reducing valve. 80 PSI is top end max for a residence, just for other reasons than bursting the pipe itself.
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Author:
hj
$300.00 was also a hefty price. I would like the install them all day long for that price.
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Author:
hj
I would not worry about 90 psi, at least not to the level that it needs a PRV.
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