New plumber says old plumber didn't know what he was doing

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mckern

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I own a condo in a 6 unit/3 floor ~1920 building. About 8-10 years ago (before my time), the lateral galvanized pipes were replaced with copper. Recently, grit from deteriorating pipes is causing problems in faucets throughout the building. The long-time plumber suggested that we replace the galvanized risers. He also said that this would also lead to an improvement in water pressure.

The new plumber says that replacing the risers will not take care of the grit issues or lead to improved water pressure because galvanized risers do not corrode to the extent that lateral pipes do. He blames our problems on the shoddy work done when the galvanized lateral pipes were replaced with copper. Specifically, the copper pipes stop a couple of feet (more or less) shy of the risers, where they are attached to a section of galvanized pipe that leads to the riser. According to the new guy, it's the corrosion in these remaining lateral sections of pipe that is causing the problem.

Who is right?

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Thank you
 

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Cass

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Get rid of as much galvanized pipe as possible, use brass nipples or fittings and Teflon tape on the threads to make the transition.

It doesn't matter who is right, get rid of as much as possible, all galvanized pipe will rust to one degree or another and it all will need replacement eventually.

They should have replaced as much as possible the first time.
 

hj

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plumber

Stick with the old guy. Risers do fail less often than horizontal branches but they still have the same problems. Galvanized piping, no matter where it is, will cause the problems you describe.
 

Terry

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hj is right, if you leave even 2" of old galvanized there, it will continue to corrode.
The only permanent cure, is complete replacement. If you aren't willing to go through that, then it is what it is. Better than before, certainly, but more can always be done.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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It's true that the horizontals clog up more than the verticals.


The fittings right where it enters the building and the last turns of directions leading to faucets are where the majority of clogging occurs.

I just removed two 3/8" galvanized nipples that were 3" long and completely clogged tight.....but were still supplying water without any noticeable flow restriction and the connections were not leaking.

The pipe was installed in 1950................:eek:

58 years of use and still working when removed........:eek:


All those isolation valves are very flow restricting, especially gate valves that you never know if the slides are allowing the gate to fully open or not. The open channel though creates a disturbance of flow.

If that building was built in 1920, that means those galvanized water supply lines have been operating for 88 years...........:eek:


The average age of galvanized piping I replace when defective in my area is 30-60 years old.


Hopefully people see the subliminal message I just typed out.
 

hj

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message

Hopefully people see the subliminal message I just typed out.

How would we know? It is supposed to be subliminal so we absorb it without being aware of it. Hum, I have an uncontrollable urge to do something, but I can't decide what it should be. Maybe I have to reread your posting to get a booster shot.
progress.gif
 

mckern

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Thanks, guys, I really appreciate the advice--the across the board agreement should help guide decisions.

We may need to do the project in stages, e.g., those remaining lateral pipes immediately and the risers later (hopefully, shortly before they start crumbling in the walls). There is a major electrical project on the to-do list.

BTW--I'm not sure about age/experience of either--the "new" plumber may actually be older/more experienced than the "old" plumber. The new guy was recommended by the owner of one of the units, who happens to think that his guy is infallible. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure if either guy is actually a plumber!)

Thanks for pointing out that telephone line.

I've been wondering about all those valves. They all seem frozen--more precisely, none yield to gentle hand turning--things seem too fragile to apply force.

Finally, Indianapolis is "hillbilly heaven?" The folks in my hometown (Danville, IL) think Indy is downright cosmopolitan--it's much preferred over Chicago, where I've spent the last 25 years.
 

hj

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option

One option that might be considered is the service that sandblasts the lines and then epoxy coats them to seal any leaks that develop and prevent a reoccurance of the corrosion. I am not convinced that they reach every line and remove all the encrustations, but they have done large hotels in Vegas and it seems to work fairly well.
 
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