Our Pipes BURST!!

[Tigger&Belle]

Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, the same thing happened to us when we lived in Houston. The water pipes in the attic froze during a much colder than normal spell. We were out getting birthday stuff for our daughter's 2nd birthday and came home, opened the garage door, and there was a waterfall over the garage. It did a lot of damage in our living room, garage, and master bedroom. I think it did about 20K of damage, but that was then...would be a lot more now. That was 1/5 the value of the house.

I hope you can get everything taken care of without it being too much of a hassle.

 

[scrump]

Been there and done that, and on the night after we brought our newborn home from the hospital and I was recovering from a c-section.

Sorry this happened to you, though.

 

[Laurabearz]

I am so thankful in so many ways it isnt funny.

Thankful it was the one bathroom pipes and not the other, because that would have been over our main living area.

Thankful it was water and not fire...

Thankful there were shut off switches so we dont have to move into a motel.

Thankful that even though we have thousands of dollars of damage it was contained and we could carry on today with just a hiccup.

Thankful no one was hurt, and once again so very thankful it was water and not fire.

And lastly I am Thankful the kids are asleep, the stockings are full, gifts are out, and I can go to sleep!!!

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

So sorry to hear that, especially around Christmas (as if there is ever a good time).

I disagree, I'm a plumber and before today I went 2 weeks and didn't make a penny!!! Everyone around here is slow. Us plumbers have to eat too.

To be honest... those words would be music to my ears right about now.

We are not calling a plumber today (or tomorrow for that matter) We have people coming over and frankly we dont want someone here who rather be at home with their family on Christmas. Nor do we want to incur any holiday pricing that may be involved.

People always assume that. I never charge more for holiday work. Never have, and none of my plumber friends do either that I know of. I did 2 jobs last year on Christmas day and I can honestly say I didn't charge them a penny more than any other time. Its a simple way to keep your customers.

Well that's a crummy Christmas gift!

It might not be for a plumber who hasn't had work in days! (Like myself) I did 2 short jobs today, on Christmas Eve. I'll probably get a few more tomorrow and I'll GLADLY take them!!! I didn't get a single call I could do for the 2 weeks prior to that. I have bills to pay too. Just because I'm debtfree don't mean I'm rich!

Here's a few tips for my fellow DISers:

Avoid CPVC at all costs. Its crappy plumbing. It freezes easily and when it freezes... Its a heck of a mess! (Unless your in one of those areas that never freezes; then its fine.)
Avoid PVC!!! PVC is for DRAINS ONLY!!! Its not rated for hot water either.

Personally for SUPPLY LINES (any water line with pressure that's coming IN to the house) I only like copper or PEX. Anything else is a temporary solution.

If you have a mobile home and you have the gray colored pipe (polybutylene) replumb it first chance you get. The problem is NOT going away by itself. I always tell my customers to demand ONLY red and blue colored pipe. By doing that you can be assured they will use PEX, and the red and blue is really convenient for any future additions or such.

NEVER use ANY plastic fittings on pex pipe. Only brass fittings that are crimped. Either borrow (some places rent them) the crimp tools or have it done professionally. I've seen lots of homeowners screw up pex pipe renting the tools themselves. The transition fittings have to be right, and the pex/poly rings have to be exact. You can't reverse them! (poly rings on pex don't work) There are certain *exceptions* when you will want the new plastic crimp fittings, but most plumbers avoid them.
NEVER EVER EVER glue ANYTHING to PEX. Its not made to take ANY glue or any glue fittings.
If in doubt call a plumber who's listed in the book. Don't call handymen!!! They do worse work than homeowners much of the time!!! Many of them know just enough to get them in trouble. I've seen some crazy stuff done by handymen that didn't work.
Insulate your pipes! Use heat tape if necessary. Keep your crawlspace closed up and vents CLOSED during winter months.

And sadly... I must throw in that not all plumbers are the same. I know a few guys here locally who are licensed, and they are crackheads. I've heard some horror stories about their work. So licensing don't mean everything, but its usually a good sign. there are a few guys out there who aren't licensed who do just as good of work. A good tip is to ask your friends/family who they recommend. If they do good work ask them for a magnet for the frige or a pen or decal, etc. Use them and them only if they treat you right. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches that way.
Make sure you have a pressure reducing valve and that it's working. High pressure causes lots of problems. If you ever get any leak do not let the plumber leave till he has fixed the leak and checked your water pressure. If it's too high see if he will install you a PRV while he's there, and that might save you some future headaches (and money).

And lastly... (and I wont get into all this) make sure you have an expansion tank if necessary. In our area the local water company switched out all the meters and this caused county-wide leaks. An expansion tank (code on newer homes... but missing from most older homes) if properly installed is the only solution.

OK thats all the free advise for tonight!

 

[dementia412]

I'm feeling your pain tonight. Our kitchen floor is soaked and I'm not sure when we can get ahold of the landlord who will surely find a way to blame it on us.

 

[wilderness01]

Sorry about your pipes, that stinks. Didn't you just remodel a few years ago?

 

[Laurabearz]

People always assume that. I never charge more for holiday work. Never have, and none of my plumber friends do either that I know of. I did 2 jobs last year on Christmas day and I can honestly say I didn't charge them a penny more than any other time. Its a simple way to keep your customers.

While YOU might not charge extra, YOU are not MY plumber (or any of the plumbers around here) but Thanks for letting me know how you run your business.
Plus this is not some simple rinky dink job, this is a balls out tear up the walls job. Again I am happy to hear your more than willing to give up extensive time over the holiday weekend, but your not the norm.

And yes we just did a remodel (well we are coming up on 5 years now, boy time flies when you have too many children lol) And, thankfully our 5 year warentee (sp) might come into play since our theory on why this happened, could be a builder issue.

Time will tell.

Life goes on.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

While YOU might not charge extra, YOU are not MY plumber (or any of the plumbers around here) but Thanks for letting me know how you run your business.
Plus this is not some simple rinky dink job, this is a balls out tear up the walls job. Again I am happy to hear your more than willing to give up extensive time over the holiday weekend, but your not the norm.

Glad I'm NOT your plumber. There's hundreds in every book. Just don't judge all of us by your ONE. Wow. With a reply like that to my friendly post maybe there is a reason your plumber charges you more during the holidays.cMerry Christmas to you too.
Over and out. Unsubscribing.

 

[Laurabearz]

I still hold to my beliefs that no one wants to work several full days over Christmas Eve/ Christmas, even though they may say they want to work, I highly doubt we would get their best effort.

And it's impossible to tell by calling around to a million people to determine who would work well and who wouldnt.

I find it interesting that you think it can easily be done.