Hello Steve great video,s just an observation I am here in England and to stop pipes from freezing we put insulation foam pipe lagging around pipes seems to help keep up good work
I love your videos! I really learned something important with this one, about having to let the steam out. That really explains why I was having a rough time trying to solder a pipe not too long ago. Thanks so much for sharing this info.
If I am a homeowner with copper, especially with older houses, I would at least replace the copper with PEX in those areas prone to freeze. It is not difficult to integrate the PEX with copper. But it can be difficult if you have to repair busted copper in 5 degree weather in a crawl space when you're 65 years old with arthritis.
Yeah, I just spent two days fixing a THEE pipe explosions in my house (tenants kitchen area in the apartment). They were roughly the same, easily accessible, area in the wall. My repair job wasn't anywhere close to how ugly that landlord did. I learned correctly ;-). The contractor that did the original job failed to insulate the area and the pipes. There was a serious wind tunnel draft in-between the walls which made a -1 degree temp go down even further...which destroyed three separate pipes. Fortunately I was right next to the shut off valve as soon as the burst happened. Also had the same handle drip also on my main water line valve which I fixed the same way. So now everything is all fixed, dried up, insulated, and drywalled back to normal. :-) Great video. Steve.
Learned a new trick with using a union on a joint like that where there may still be water in the pipe. Another good practice is to always dope the face of the union before sweating the joint so no solder will stick to it, causing it to leak later
No heats and freeze ups started pouring in on Sunday. Then with Tuesdays warm weather we got hammered with split pipe calls. Handy trick with the union, always used vent 90 or coupling, going to throw some unions on the truck now.
Proof that Johnny homeowner or landlord can watch all the youtube repair videos they want. It looks easy until they get in there. I always agreed with you about that. Great job Steve!
im sitting here,,very depressed, and unsure of how i am going to go on, with my career and other issues,,sad as hell, ,then i turn on your videos, and i am inspired, i am educated, i am happy and im laughing,,,watching you with your day to day life and your beautiful little dog, (i think its cool you bring her along,,to work with you) just would like to say thank you for all your advice and good cheer that you bring me,,,love your work,,,Im in chicago,, im a retired cable guy,,twenty years on the pole, im only forty seven, i took two year course at trade school,, cant get my foot in the door with no companies, i can even get a helpers spot,,and i even have money saved in the bank to take a pay cut at a new job,,and i still cant anyone to take me serious,,i do get interviews lots of them,,but no offers,,and im pretty shaken up about it,, ive put ads in craiglist, telling folks, i will work for you for free on certain days and times, and no one wants free help with tools, and i have a lot of tools, i sold AC and electric supplies for ten years at a busy supply shop, and i got the cost discount on all my tools,,,a real nice perk,,they look real nice, theyre sitting on the floor next to me, some in their original packaging,,waiting waiting,,,i start a new job this monday, as an apartment mainteance tech, and some of these folks have real hot water heaters gas and real stoves gas and real furnaces gas and real AC R 22 gas so maybe i m gonna get some experience but one thing about apartment maint jobs, its more painting and plastering then charging and recovering, electric heat,,i can do in my sleep,,i dont even call it heat, i call it tanning lamps Didnt mean to spill my guts but i did,, i think your great,,,good luck and be safe Bill the Depressed not so old cable guy
I dont know how it works in the US. but just do what anyone jumping ship would do, go around letting agencys, landlords, ask for work. dont say youll be free, but reasuringly cheap. Only take on jobs you know you can handle and build it up. If you cant work for no one, work for yourself.
those are the kind of jobs they itch about the bill and don't want to pay, I always leave a main part un-hooked until I'm paid, you be surprised how people try to get out of paying for a dirty tight chasing job
In plumbing business for many years and seen it all, especially cheap landlords [Section-8 slumlords] trying to fix leaks, often hiring bar-flies, burning down their buildings, even worse killing their tenants. When I receive service call via 'special request' to clean-up work of others, I hammer them letting them feel the pain for not calling me from the start, especially a 'Six Family House' landlord of Million Dollar piece of property [whom crying hunger with two loafs of bread under their arms, often driving luxury car]. Myself don't need costumers like this, I weeded them out years ago, they're a dime a dozen, and their penny-pinching ways sickens me, whom worthy of getting hammered with a heavy/ouch invoice, hoping 'never' to receive their call for service again.
I discovered many years ago, when I had a leaking valve that would not let me solder, there are plugs that you push into the pipe. Make your solder connection, then, heat up the pipe where the plug got pushed, and it melts away. I think they were some kind of glycerin based material, shaped like a small egg. Saved me alot of work.
I used to use white bread. Remove the bread crust and feed it to the dog or the birds. Roll the white bread into a tube-shape, between your hands and push it into the pipe where you have water emerging (obviously get rid of as much as you can prior to starting). Do your soldering and stuff. Like Steve mentioned in this video, you don't want to over-cook things as you as soldering, but after when you turn on the water pressure again, the bread will dissolve and you can let it out of a faucet down the line. Take the faucet aerator or filter off until the remains of the bread have passed completely.
Great job Steve. Freeze ups are the worst. You never know how many splits your going to have or if there even in places that are easy to get to. Good thing yours were out in the open!
+Fireship1 very true... no heat call(duplex) filled the system, leaks everywhere!!!! had to pull up 20 floor boards to get to all of them. And yes ofcourse the water lines froze aswell
To remove fittings, I adjust an adjustable wrench so it slides on the pipe but doesn't fit the fitting. That way, when you heat the fitting, you slide the wrench and it strikes the fitting evenly. Pops right off!
I am surprised being in the New England area the landlord does not have insulation on those pipes or some kind of wrap. I used to be pretty good at soldering but have not done it in a long time. At least that was easy to get to. I have some plumbing to do that requires laying on your back and hard to reach. So just shut off the water to that bathroom till spring.
Ive had to chase those freeze breaks down find one turn on water and up pops another one sometimes the freeze will expand the copper pipe and you can't get a fitting on it have to chase it back until you can get one on,nasty cold work. I kept a piece of plastic hose I would stick inside pipe and blow out the water, then solder guick lol
Love your videos man, keep ‘em coming! What is your opinion of PEX for water supply? My entire house uses the stuff and it’s beneath the concrete subfloor. Someone told me that it does better in winter since it can expand and contract if it ever does freeze.
Most insurance covers "Frozen Pipe" repairs (Plumber's Bill and structure repair) except the basic policies--less her deductible, of course. Now if they had turned off the heat intentionally, sorry no payment or coverage!!! If the plumber changed anything to upgrade the situation, that should be deducted by the adjuster.
Nice work why do you use a union solder fitting and not a compression fitting no solder ? Also why is your torch set to so hot? I also have it on low heat thanks
You rid the homeowner of a miserable headache by repairing that supply line! Hopefully, he will see to it that that area will have an adequate amount of warmth to keep Old Man Winter away!
When you solder pipes with some water and you are going to get steam when heated, do you turn the gas up a bit to get a hotter flame? Or just use normal heat?..................Thanks again for another great video. Keep filming the soldering!!..................Ian, Uk
Out of a matter of interest, why didn't you just use a compression fitting on the end nearest the wall? Then no steam issues and it's still a mechanical fixing anyway albeit soldered on unions.
I always love your video this year I'm going to school to take hvacr I would like to do this as a career, any advise would be appreciated thanks Steven from CALIFORNIA
I bet with the cheap skate landlord that the hot water heater is rusting out due to the anode rod never being replaced. Rust from the hot water heater is settling out on the horizontal water line. The rust is causing galvanic corrosion reaction between the rust and copper. Producing the leaks at the bottom of the copper water line. Save a buck and spend a few hundred fixing it.
How do you like the AutoCut Copper Cutters so far? I have a few of the older Ridgit mini cutters with screws that stick out the side, Yours looks like a better deal. Another great Vid, Thanks again.
Wondering if it's a freezing problem why did you not insulate? Were they not wanting to pay for that or does it get so cold up there insulating doesn't help?
