The Plumbing is finished! Whew! That was a job. We might have bitten off more than we could chew, but we got it done. The brother did offer to come and help us fix the joints that leaked. We were so grateful! We weren't going to say no to that! After working on the plumbing for three weeks, Mandy and I were ready to be finished!
(Since plumbing isn't the prettiest to look at, I thought I would add a shot of the newel post. I have never seen one like it. Don't you think it has a story?)
Mandy and I were excited to try our hand at using pex. It does have it's own special advantages, but it is hard to wrangle around corners and through holes!
The waters lines that feed that bathroom, come up on the same wall as the bath tub and toilet. But the sink is across the room. The pex tubing had to be threaded through holes in the floor joints all the way across. Good thing it is a small bathroom!
One of the problems with pex, is it takes a lot of muscle. These are the crimpers that clamp the rings on the fittings. It took both Mandy and I to get them closed! Also, not too good for tight places, like behind the bath tub....
The access to the bath tub plumbing is about 6" wide. Just wide enough for one arm! We spent days trying to figure out how to connect the pex. There was no room to get the crimpers opened wide enough and maneuvered at the right angle to crimp. We finally found a fitting that looked like the top of a garden hose so we could crimp it outside the wall then screw it on without twisting the pex line.
A lot of plumbing goes into a bathroom!
With pex you run more water lines, so it looks a bit like spaghetti. This is where the lines come down to the basement and branch off from the water heater.
So excited to have the lath back on the holes! It just needs a little plaster and it will be as good as new.
You two are amazing! My husband likes working with PEX also.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! Pex takes a bit getting use to, but it is nice to know it won't leak in the walls!
DeleteI must admit to been in awe of your work, its not something that I could do. Love the new post, that would have a few stories to tell if only it could talk.
ReplyDeleteOh how I wish the newel post could talk.... I keep wondering if it was made by a relative? Or perhaps the original owner had a woodworking hobby? Was it a reminder of the old home? Or a gift for a new bride?
DeleteI can't wait to go down to the court house and research the history of the house! Maybe that will shed a bit of light.
What does PEX stand for? Plastic....? With water going through that small of a tube does it cut down on your water pressure or enhance it? You gals are amazing!
ReplyDeletePEX stands for cross-linked polyethylene(not sure how they came up with PEX from that!) Pex pipes come in the same sizes as copper piping, 1/2" or 3/4". So it doesn't make any difference in water pressure. One of the advantages of pex is the way it can be run. Because it is easier and more inexpensive, separate lines can be run to each sink or fixture from the main line. (instead of running a "main" pipe and then branching off) This eliminates the rise and fall in pressure in traditional plumbing, i.e. don't flush the toilet when you are in the shower. Also, since the hot lines are running almost directly from the hot water heater, hot water gets to the sink faster and you use less water waiting for it to warm up. Like anything there are advantages and disadvantages. It was really nice not to have to tear into more walls and just snake the pex around and through. But the crimper tool was a bit of a pain to use. Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement!
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