[Greenbuilding] Doing PEX myself

[Reuben Deumling]

A short observation regarding pressure testing plumbing systems for DIY
folks.
I did the plumbing myself in my quest to restore an 1870s farmhouse in rural
Oregon. When the time came for the inspection requiring a pressure test of
the entire system (up to the vent stacks) I practiced the day before the
inspector came. Everything was going well until we experienced a blowout--a
geyser in the downstairs bathroom. One of the (badly designed) plugs I had
purchased and set into the toilet flange in the floor had not held. The
reason was, simply, that the means for compressing the plug (squishing the
rubber together, thus expanding it against the ABS pipe into which it was
inserted) was a wingnut. This had suggested to me (who had never pressure
tested a building's plumbing before, that hand tightening would suffice. I
won't make that mistake again!
Having taken care of that, my plumbing performed flawlessly, and the water
poured out of the lowest vent pipe as intended.

Reuben Deumling

On 9/25/06, Shawna Henderson <shawna at abridesign.com> wrote:
>
> D-I-Y plumbers and electricians have this to consider too:
>
> if your job leaks, floods or short-circuits, you have no recourse to any
> written or implied warranty from a 'qualified person' (ie, one who has
> journey papers and a business and who carries insurance). If you insure
> your house, but can't provide any bills or invoices pertaining to the
> plumbing or electrician, your s.o.l. on claiming, in most cases.
>
> Also, a qualified person will include a pressure test for the system
> (either household plumbing or in-floor). It's not rocket science, by any
> means, but there's a lot at stake (ie, your home, which is most likely
> your biggest personal investment). Slow leaks can ruin a house just as
> dramatically as big blow outs.
>
>