I bought a house to flip. It was a partially finished new house dried in, supply plumbing was finished and inspected. They look like thay did a good job except the CU pipe in the basement is fastened directly to the concrete walls. Is there anyway this could be OK? The rest of the house is plumbed with PEX.
Jimmie
It was inspected and passed. Copper takes a long time to corrode in an alkaline environment like concrete. You don't plan to live in the place. Why worry about it?
Joe
SOMEBODY is going to live in it. Sure he may be flipping it, but if he has any ethics at all, he wouldn't do anything to it that he wouldn't do to his own house.
Now I don't think that's a real concern; my house is 60+ years old and the pipes in the basement are still OK. (fastened to cinder block in some places.)
nate
There is no reaction between copper and concrete according to copper.org
reference:
Because he has morals. Check them out.
reference:
Generally copper does not have problem with concrete and I have never seen a problem with copper & concrete in SoCal installation. My pro plumber does put some sort of "insulating felt" between copper & concrete.
per the copper org link...........
"According to the Portland Cement Association the interaction of copper with both dry and wet concrete should not cause a corrosion concern. However, copper should be protected when it comes in contact with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive to most metals including copper."
so maybe standard procedure now is to protect copper from concrete just in case the concrete is of the corrosive type?
cheers Bob
I guess that would mean cinder block. The guy that plumbed the pipes did an excellent job of soldering and arranging the pipes. It was plumbed for water heater, softener and some other type of filter. There is a place for laundry but there is also one upstairs. I pulled the pipes loose from the wall and painted the basement last night. My plan is to highlight the workmanship that done here and on the distribution manifolds by polishing and lacquering the copper and mounting it on cable clamps meant for coax cable. Normally these clamps are failry expensive but for me they were just some "come bys". My real estate lady says things like this really add to the saleability of the house, something that will be needed in this market. She also cautioned me on changing things after they have been inspected. Ooops.
There is one thing Im curious about, The connections into the manifolds were done in PEX. These pieces are only a couple of ft long. Is this an expansion joint or did he build the manifolds in his shop then just splice them in with PEX?
Jimmie
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Even though I still sometimes refer to blocks as "cinder" blocks, the modern & more correct term is CMU (concrete masonry unit) or concrete blocks.
I guess in the old days they were made from "cinders" from coal fired locomotives.
Maybe they're still made from waste products of coal fired power generation stations...but my CE buddies are always looking at me funny when use the term "cinder blocks".
Sorry I don't understand your question about the PEX and the manifold installation.
cheers Bob
Pex manifolds are a stock item at box stores for $30 and up, depending on length, complexity, outlet shut off valves, etc. The plumber likely saved some $$ by buying what he needed and taking advantage of the Pex flexibility for eliminating strains in the system which could result from many hard soldered tubes in one location. This would allow him to make a very solid mounting for the manifold with less work and fewer fittings (like unions) than an all metal set up. That's my guess FWIW.
Joe
om...
They are still made with fly ash, the industry has been trying to get away from this name because it implies they are an inferior product to concrete block and they are. They are more economical to use and for most jobs more than satisfactory for building. Im not sure if you can even get real concrete blocks anymore. When I was a kid I worked with a mason mixing mortar, He had two other big guys setting the concrete block in place becasue they were so heavy.
Jimmie
I suspect your CE buddies didnt know what to call them until they encountered them in a college text.
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You definitely have too much time on your hands.
I'll bet I could find dozens of other things that would add to the appeal of a house long before polishing and lacquering water pipes in the basement. Also, I would never lacquer a copper water pipe because if you need to repair, tap into it, expand, etc, you will be using a torch on it.
She also cautioned me on changing things after they have been
om...
Yep, at the time I did have a lot of time on my hands so why not use it constructivly. Touches like this may not add value to the house but they may help it sell quicker. Also a little lacquer is no problem at all to remove. The electricians came in this AM and they were impressed with it . It impressed them enough to be careful around it and if it impressed them enough to inspire them to do good work it will have been worth it. From the conversation I overheard I believe it did. Maybe when the HVAC guys come in they will be impressed by the plumbing AND the electrical work. From my military experience I have noticed this oftten works.
Jimmie
.com...
I believe it. someone was asking me why I was cleaning all the brake dust off the backsides of some cheap used wheels I bought for my Porsche, saying that nobody was ever going to see it... I told them that if I ever had to have someone else work on the car and they saw clean, waxed wheels on it that they might take a little more care with my brakes or whatever. I think it really does work.
nate
People are impressed by neatness. When prospective customers come to out shop, they see painted color coded pipes for steam, air, water, and venting, yellow lines on the floor, a well lit and clean boiler room with the 15 year old boilers freshly painted and looking like new. Most have no clue what they are looking at, but they compliment the good looking shop and give us business. They know we take care of things, including what we ship to them.
I'd rather buy a house well cared for than a mediocre one.
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