Hi again, Phoenix here continuing the blog series on getting running water to the house we’re fixing up. Last time we talked about fixing several leaks (see Part 3). Once the third leak was fixed, we discovered one leak, and possibly more, within the concrete. At that point we knew we wanted to bypass existing piping instead of breaking up the concrete encasing the piping. Had we tried to break up the concrete to fix that one leak, we may have discovered additional leaks and would be forced to continue breaking up the concrete to fix them. What a mess!
We broke down and called a licensed plumber to look at the problem. The plumber ran PEX piping through the walls into the bathroom to connect the toilet and sink, then connected with the kitchen sink. This cost several thousand dollars, but he did it in the fraction of the time that it would have taken K and me to do this. In other words, the plumber was able to complete the job with correct fittings in roughly 6 hours. It would probably have taken us several days if not weeks to get this done.
The plumber had to work in some very tight spaces and use equipment that we do not have, nor did we want to buy it. So in the end, though painful, this was an excellent investment of our resources.
Once the piping was set, we tested the on demand hot water heater, and found the ignition did not work any more. There is no good way to repair this, so we had to order and install a replacement. We finally have hot water, but need to figure out how to use it under low pressure for the shower.
Luckily, setting up the propane was a lot easier. K replaced the propane lines, and when the propane was delivered, we were able to get the stove and propane fridge running. One of the propane heaters was also still working.
Of course, there were more tasks like cleaning, painting the house, and putting in furniture. And now my parents are visiting and living in the house, we’re discovering more things we need to fix. So the house is still a work in progress, but K and I are happy with how far we’ve come.
Next blog post: Hanging out with my parents (by Phoenix)