# Repipe home on slab foundation



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Depends your going to have to make some calls on this one.
Does it freeze in your area?
If not you may be able to run it through the attic.


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

I guess my first question would be : " Do you want new water lines, new drain lines, or both?"


:laughing:


----------



## daluu (Jan 2, 2012)

joecaption said:


> Depends your going to have to make some calls on this one.
> Does it freeze in your area?
> If not you may be able to run it through the attic.


My area rarely freezes in Northern California, Bay Area.

Does that mean the old line is left intact in the home but disconnected so the meter connects to new piping?


----------



## daluu (Jan 2, 2012)

Alan said:


> I guess my first question would be : " Do you want new water lines, new drain lines, or both?"
> 
> :laughing:


I guess both? Was just asking out of curiosity in case I may want/need it.

Though I was primarily thinking of the supply line rather than the drains at the time of the post.


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

The reason I ask is that if you're running drains, the concrete will be open for putting new water lines underneath as well.

I would say any time you have to work with concrete, you are looking at more money.

I'd much rather repipe from an attic, but that of course usually entails a lot more damage to sheetrock.


----------



## daluu (Jan 2, 2012)

Alan said:


> I'd much rather repipe from an attic, but that of course usually entails a lot more damage to sheetrock.


I wonder how often people (homeowners) do select repipe through attic? Is it common practice?


----------



## daluu (Jan 2, 2012)

Also what if you have limited attic space? Use wall space and/or repipe with external pipe connections (exposed) outside house (for which you want to insulate, and hopefully not live in freezing climate).

Is repiping with exterior pipes an even rarer occurrence (even in non-freezing regions)?


----------



## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

I watched a you-tube video where they tunnelled under the house and hung the pipe with all-thread fastened to the floor above.
The whole time I was watching this all I could think about was how much $$$ the job was well done though.


----------



## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

daluu said:


> Also what if you have limited attic space? Use wall space and/or repipe with external pipe connections (exposed) outside house (for which you want to insulate, and hopefully not live in freezing climate).
> 
> Is repiping with exterior pipes an even rarer occurrence (even in non-freezing regions)?


Repiping design should be with the shortest possible path for the hot water lines to minimize wait times for hot water. Also, with a trunk and branch system, the hot water trunk lines will have to be 3/4" or 1" so round-about routing of trunk lines will make the wait times even longer plus a lot of water wasted.

Running lines outside of the house, even if it never freezes, would probably result in quite long hot water trunk lines with all of the disadvantages, not to mention possibly lowering the value of your home.

HRG


----------



## daluu (Jan 2, 2012)

Homerepairguy said:


> Repiping design should be with the shortest possible path for the hot water lines to minimize wait times for hot water. Also, with a trunk and branch system, the hot water trunk lines will have to be 3/4" or 1" so round-about routing of trunk lines will make the wait times even longer plus a lot of water wasted.
> 
> Running lines outside of the house, even if it never freezes, would probably result in quite long hot water trunk lines with all of the disadvantages, not to mention possibly lowering the value of your home.
> 
> HRG


Understood, I was just wondering. But for the long pipe run for hot water issue, you can compensate with a water return line (dedicated return vs connect hot and cold lines together at fixture).


----------



## daluu (Jan 2, 2012)

Ravenworks said:


> I watched a you-tube video where they tunnelled under the house and hung the pipe with all-thread fastened to the floor above.
> The whole time I was watching this all I could think about was how much $$$ the job was well done though.


Ravenworks, do you have the link to the video? I'd like to see it for insight.


----------



## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

daluu said:


> Ravenworks, do you have the link to the video? I'd like to see it for insight.


Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmIaqosVUHw 
They have a very informative website,I was impressed by their job which is hard to do.


----------



## Javiles (Dec 12, 2011)

This is a little test for all the plumbers on this site check out the video and see how many things you can find wrong with that job.??? If you where a plumbing inspector.


----------



## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Javiles said:


> This is a little test for all the plumbers on this site check out the video and see how many things you can find wrong with that job.??? If you where a plumbing inspector.


I'm kind of claustrophobic, so I'd inspect it from the outside by yelling into the hole "make sure you vent everything"


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

Javiles said:


> This is a little test for all the plumbers on this site check out the video and see how many things you can find wrong with that job.??? If you where a plumbing inspector.


First question at around 2:10 : Why would you go to all that trouble and leave any cast iron under the floor at all?


----------



## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

I can't watch the rest. :no:

It's unfathomable how you can expect to tunnel under a slab like that and still retain stability. How the heck are they going to get the dirt back in there, and get it to the compaction level that it needs to be? How are they going to keep the uncompacted dirt from turning into a river of mud when a flash flood hits the area?


Those aren't even plumbing questions lololol


----------



## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

> Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmIaqosVUHw


My prediction is that over time, rain water will saturate the non compacted filled in tunnels causing the vertical walls of the tunnels to slowly cave in on the non compacted soil. This will result is large areas of poor support under the slab causing the slab to crack over the tunnels and sag down. This in turn will result in doors that won't close and other structural problems that are a much bigger headache for the home owner than the cast iron pipes ever were.

" But there will be nice, new PVC pipes under there (with some cast iron that wasn't replaced)."

Glad there wasn't a cave in during the tunnel digging and nobody was killed.
HRG


----------



## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

Okay here is an attempt to save face so you guys don't think I fell off of my nut.
I should have made my other post more clearer,I was referring to how they hung the piping from the slab,then I got to thinking,that wasn't a good idea either.
Because they further weakened the slab above.
As for the safety of the trench there is NO-WAY I would have done that without shoring,as for the back fill there are ways around that,but it only adds to the cost of the job.
But labour is cheap in Texas if your close to the boarder.
By the time the plumber gets done the guy could have built a new house,or broke because an OHSA compliance officer saw the flick.
No more posting for me when my logic has been compromised (beer),flame away I deserve it.


----------

