Shear strength of screws

[Swingman]

Frost proof hose bibs are code requirements in most jurisdiction these days, even on the Gulf Coast, and for a good reason.

Contrary to what you may think, a standard hose bib is more likely to be the cause of frozen pipes in this area (Gulf Coast) and in relative moderate freezing temperatures (+/- 20 to 32 C), than a pipe in an attic (which rarely freeze here except when the temperatures stay in the low to mid teens (C) for more than 24 hours), and the house is unheated or unoccupied.

With most attic pipes between joists, and below the required R-30 insulation , the ambient temperature from the rooms below will generally protect attic pipes for most of our coldest winters

[FrozenNorth]

I have never had problems with pipes freezing in our house, apparently my neighbour has, although I have seen her walking around *in* her house with her winter coat on for hours. Same idiot never takes the cover off her A/C either, so I have no idea how often if ever she lets the furnace run.

*shakes head*

[Swingman]

Hummmm ... does your wife know you're watching, and "for hours"?

[FrozenNorth]

Just a casual walk through the kitchen, neighbour is a teacher, she marks papers in her kitchen, under a 25W light bulb (or there about, really dim light), my wife is much better looking. :-)

[-MIKE-]

I've seen the lexan one. As for your experience with the rubber trap... I suspect someone may have used liquid plumber in it, which was probably what gummed it up.

Because they are a lot easier and from what I've seen, higher quality. BTW, they aren't as expensive around here. They regular valves, when cheaper, are only 20% or less cheaper than the gator valves.

Hey, don't look now, but I think there are some kids on your lawn! :-p

[Swingman]

[clare]

I can isolate my hot, hard cold, and soft cold water separately en mass, and I can shut off any outlet separately to replace or service the faucet or valve. All service valves have been replaced with ball valves, so I don't run into seized shutoff valves.

So I guess the short answer is yes.

[clare]

They manage quite well up here. Construction slows down, but certainly does not stop during the winter. Some of the real wusses head south for winter holidays.

[clare]

Mostly because half the US is built on land that you could not get a building permit for in Canada???

Why anyone would want to build in New Orleans totally escapes me. And half of Florida you'd be better off with a houseboat.

[Morgans]

But in MY opinion, a house plumbed with copper just looks so much NEATER, and more professional than the "spiderwebs" of PEX that I see in a lot of new houses. Nothing requires PEX to be run in straight lines with neat 90 degree bends - so the "cheap" plumber just runs the crap in the shortest, easiest route, looks be damned.

****************************************************** I agree to a point. When pex is run in the most direct line, the shortest distance from the water heater to the fixture, it gets the hot water there faster. It may not look as good, but I'll take that 25% faster hot water over looks, any day.

-- Jim in NC

[Larry Jaques]

_Not_ dumb, sir. Pureasslazy.

-- Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. -- Margaret Lee Runbeck

[Leon]

I asked , can you isolate a fixture should that fixture "or the pipe leading to that fixture", develop a leak. Most any one can do what you just described. I can turn off the water at the fixture or the manifold to isolate that entire run. I basically have a supply manifold with 28 separate valves and a valve at the end of each of those runs.

BTY simply using a water softener helps greatly in preventing a valve from seizing.

But my new home PEX plumbing came with all ball valves. In my older home the valve that I shut off the most were the water closet/toilet valves. They were difficult to turn after 5~10 years but about 8 years ago we installed a water softener and the next time I turned off any of the supply valves any where in the house they turned like they were brand new. This did not happen immediately but eventually all of the ones that I worked on operated freely.

[Dave]

On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:42:08 -0500, Leon

Hard water causes all sorts of problems. Early on, I'd have figured your wife would have had trouble with dishes and clothes washing and gotten you to do something about it.

Of course, those things may well be part of your duties and you just put off the hard/soft water fix for a number of years. :)

[clare]

28? What do you have, a bloody motel???? There is a total of 16 water outlets in my whole house. If I shut off the soft water I affect 5 of them. If I shut off the hot water I affect 5. If I shut off all soft water I affect 8. I can live with any one of those situations untill I can repair whatever has gone wrong, assuming it is more than just repairing a faucet, which I can isolate totally.

I use a water softener, but I don't soften drinking water, toylet flush, or outside faucet.

Once a valve is seized by the hard water up here, NOTHING is going to get it moving again - and even soft water shutoff valves can (and do) go wonky after a while - unless they are ball valves.

[clare]

Some places the water is naturally soft - and others the hard water is hard but not agressive. Then there's the water I grew up with - hard as a stone and as agressive as battery acid.

[Leon]

LOL, no hotel.

I have 4 in the kitchen, 2-Sink, 1-DW, 1- Frig

3 for exterior hose bibs 10, 5 for each of the 2 guest baths 2 for the laundry 9 for the master bath

Then there is the additional ball valve at the end of each or those runs except for the tub, shower, and outside hose bibs.

My water softener filters all water or not except for 1 extra hose bib before the softener which I never use.

Wow shall we say hard water? :~) I will admit that my valves took 3~5 years before the build up eroded and freed them.

[Leon]

Yeah, I grew up in Corpus Christi, TX the drinking water was river water and very soft. In Houston most is from the ground and pretty hard.

[m II]

I had that KW water eat a few of my copper pipes after 20 years.

---------- wrote in message news: [e-mail]... Some places the water is naturally soft - and others the hard water is hard but not agressive. Then there's the water I grew up with - hard as a stone and as agressive as battery acid.