how to find which galvanized pipe to replace with copper

[pierlau3]

hello everyone! i need some advice/help on a small question. i can not seem to find this specific step in any how to guides on the net. i have low cold water pressure and weak flushing in my upstairs bathroom. i know this is because of the old galvanized piping leading up to the bathroom, my house is very old. i have found articles on how to replace the piipes with copper and even how to unclogg the old pipes. however, the step i am missing and i really need is how do i know which piece of the galvanized piping to replace. i don't have the money to replace all of the piping but i saw on a old HGTV episode months ago where the host showed how to replace galvanized piping with copper. he did something that showed him which piece of pipe was the most coroded and needed replacing to fix the problem. it was about a

12 inch or less piece. if anyone could refer me to a web-site or could tell me themselves step by step how to know where and which piece of the piping to replace i would be very grateful.

thanks lulu

[Speedy Jim]

Often, the restriction turns out to be in an EL or the side outlet of a TEE. Personally, I think you are wasting your time attempting to replace the length of pipe you think is the "culprit".

BTW, if you do cut out a section of the old galv, you may find that outlets and switch boxes in the bath are no longer grounded. That includes the box and faceplates and exposed screws. Because in houses of this age the boxes in baths were grounded to the cold water line. Just a heads up...

Jim

[dadiOH]

I might know the answer but I'm not going to read a bunch of run together lower case text to find out. If you can type what you did you can also press the caps key when appropriate and the enter key to put some white space between differing toughts or subjects.

[Joe]

Sure glad I nvr make mistaks...

Joe

[HeyBub]

"Weak flushing?" Whatever you mean by that has nothing to do with the supply pipes. Maye "slow filling" of the commode tank, but nothing having to do with flushing itself.

So where is this "low cold water pressure" and how was it determined. A partially blocked pipe does not affect the pressure - flow rate maybe, but not pressure.

I'd start by examining the faucets.

[Art Todesco]

Thanks, I had the same feeling but wasn't brave enough to say it .... BUT I WAS THINKING IT! Oops, I should have said, But I was thinking it!

[pierlau3]

Thank you very much. I guess I never thought to go in and reprogram my spacing between words. I never noticed. Thanks for being friendly, Joe. To Those Who Are Flustered: I have never asked/been in or I guess on a forum before. I guess I dont know the rights club rules. I just want to say thanks to the answers to my question and say sorry for not following the rules you have for your life. It wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer

[trader4]

If the old galvanized pipes corroding are the problem, which is very possible, then I think you're wasting your time trying to track down which exact section of pipe it may be. I can see perhaps if there is one section that is much older than the rest and easier to access, but if it's all about the same age, then it all should be replaced. Trying to find 2 ft that might be worse right now, even if that's possible, only to have to replace more next year doesn't make any sense to me. Plus you then have to deal with connecting the old galvanized, which is failing, to new copper.

[hallerb]

just install PEX its cheap, very reliable and easy to work with.

we have half inch copper to our bathroom. if someone is showering and flushes scald is result:(

so I am about to run new PEX both hot and cold from the hot water heater.

a hundred feet of PEX is under 70 bucks. change it all it will be so easy you can eventually replace all your galvanized lines

[dadiOH]

Apparently, I had ancestors from Brooklyn :)

[dadiOH]

What I said has nothing to do with "rules", it has to do with common sense...if you want people to read something you need to state things accurately and succinctly and make it as readable as possible. ____________

If you think I wasn't nice then you ought to see me when I'm pissed :)

[Father Haskell]

Replace the whole line. It's going to happen again.

[Christopher Young]

I hate it when all the toughts are run together.

Yep, punctuation makes it easier to read.

[HeyBub]

The OP may be in California which does not generally allow PEX. Seemingly, PEX is made from whale blubber or DDT or might someday be made with either of those materials or may leach noxious chemicals into the environment or start a grass fire or somesuch.

Here's some background.

[Jeff Wisnia]

Agreed. The OP is just one more person who is too lazy to bother with things which don't seem important to him/her. But, those are the very things by which people at a distance are judged in most civilized societies.

I wonder how many interviews the OP would get if he/she submitted a resume in that format.

***************

But, the thought of trying to find a section of pipe with significant restriction caused by corrosion buildup poses an interesting question.....

Anyone got any ideas on what principles of physics, thermodynamics or maybe acoustics might be used to determine just where such a restriction is located, assuming all the pipes are accessable, but without disconnecting any of the plumbing?

Opening faucets in the sequence of their distance from the supply point and noting the flow rates is too easy and answers along those lines won't be accepted.

Jeff

[HeyBub]

Think angioplasty.

[greg2468]

Too much thinking going on. When you have problems with old galvanized pipe, it is time to replace all of it.

[Bill]

It is my experience that *all* the pipe will have crud built up on the inside. Not just a small section.

What you can do is start with a new line from the meter. You need a permit for this. Use the recommended size pipe like 1 inch or whatever.

If you have a basement or crawlspace with easy to access pipes, you can run a new pipe to the bathroom from the new main line and tie in the new main line to the old cold water pipes.

If the pipes are in a concrete slab or a small attic which is not accessible, this will be more involved. Might need to tear walls apart. Might need to run lines outside around house and then into each room through the outside walls. All sorts of different situations.

Might want to call a couple of plumbers and see if they can fix the problem first before going to all this work. Sometimes valves can be replaced and improve things a bit.

[hallerb]

yeah patch sounds good till the pipes rust thru, creating leaks or a flood.

this happened to a buddy of mine who refused to replace the lines, leaks everywhere he finally gave in and replaced all the galavanized.

do note flat runs are more likely to crud up, but sooner or later it all will have to be replaced

[pierlau3]

thank you for your help:)