Florida home on slab plumbing advice

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pitten

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I currently live in TN and I'm looking to buy a home in St. Petersburg Florida. Many homes in the area where I'm looking to buy were built in the 50's and on a slab. My concerns are galvanized water lines, cast iron drain lines, and anything else that could be an expensive repair. I'm not familiar with 1950's building techniques in this area and have I never owned a house on a slab. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 

Terry

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Those older homes with pipes in the slab are sometimes repiped. If Florida that may mean overhead in the attic.
I'm liking PEX for that. Less fittings and fewer holes in drywall.

The waste lines are most likely okay. Though the kitchen line is the first to go. Avoid chemicals on a steel kitchen line as it can perforate the bottom of the line over time.
 

hj

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Is galvanized what you have, or what you THINK you have? The 50s were when we were transitioning from galvanized to copper so you could have either one.
 

pitten

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Is galvanized what you have, or what you THINK you have? The 50s were when we were transitioning from galvanized to copper so you could have either one.

I don't have a home picked yet. I'm just trying to get some general information on things to beware of. Thanks!
 

pitten

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Those older homes with pipes in the slab are sometimes repiped. If Florida that may mean overhead in the attic.
I'm liking PEX for that. Less fittings and fewer holes in drywall.

The waste lines are most likely okay. Though the kitchen line is the first to go. Avoid chemicals on a steel kitchen line as it can perforate the bottom of the line over time.

Terry, would you recommend paying $450.00 to have the waste line checked with a camera?
 

Tom Sawyer

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You would think that most plumbers in Florida would use pex for re-pipes but they don't. Most of them use cpvc instead because it's cheaper.
 

hj

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quote; Most of them use cpvc instead because it's cheaper.

Now that is being chintzy if they are concerned with the difference in price between PEX and CPVC.
 

Tom Sawyer

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Yep it sure is but at least on the west coast it's pretty much all they use.
 

hj

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They use PEX partly because any dummy can snip it to size and make a connection. CPVC is more labor, and "smart", intensive because there are many more "precise" connections and they take a bit longer to make.
 

Tom Sawyer

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I worked on the west coast for about six years. One of the reasons they like cpvc is because most of the re-pipes get done through the attic which is usually s tough place to get into so they can push straight lengths across the ceiling joists easier than pex. Rodents are also a problem because they get into the attic space and chew through it. Personally, I would prefer pex also but for whatever reasons they mostly string cpvc. It's pretty common down south. Of course one big reason is cost. It's really cheap, the fittings are cheap, and you don't need special tools and since it's mostly installed by shall we say undocumented laborers..........you get the picture lol
 

hj

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quote; since it's mostly installed by shall we say undocumented laborers....

That was the selling point for polybutylene, before that, namely ANYONE could install it, and that also goes for CPVC and PEX, also. A half hour training session and they are good to go. The only place they can screw up is if they learn that ALL cold water is on the right size and mispipe the toilet.
 
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