Foamy water after repipe project

[DarkKnight]

I repiped a large section of under-slab copper with PEX in the ceiling plus all new copper in the utility room from the main cold supply in the floor to the HWH right next to it and above that is where the PEX comes in. New expansion tank & associated piping. Also, completely new copper under the kitchen sink feeding the Dishwasher, Fridge, sink, and outside spigot. I'm still getting foamy water on the hot side that comes when the hot water reaches the tap. I've flushed the lines repeatedly and ran the shower 4 or 5 times for about 30 minutes at a time. The foam seems to be getting a little less, but I'm afraid to depend on the water to do dishes or laundry. Any thoughts on to how long this will take to flush?

I used MAPP gas, Oatley water soluble flux, and a combination of an old roll of Lennox lead free solder & new Oatley LF solder. I fluxed both sides of each joint and wiped the outside of the fittings thoroughly when I was done. Some of the joints were really hard to get to and may have gotten overheated a bit. Not one leak in the whole project when I was done though. I'll see if I can post some pictures later.

I don't think it's relevant, but I used Sharkbite to NPT fittings between PEX and copper to minimize the number of O-rings I was depending on not to leak. I coated the outside of the PEX ends with silicone grease, and deburred the them to help protect the o-rings as they were seating. A handful of the NPT fittings, like the expansion tank and spigot were done with Teflon paste. All the threaded fittings in the lines beween the source any where the water would get consumed were done with Teflon tape. I think that covers everything.

 

[Reach4]

I'm still getting foamy water on the hot side that comes when the hot water reaches the tap.

Are you describing bubbles/suds on top of the water surface, or are you describing something that extends significantly below the surface?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[DarkKnight]

Are you describing bubbles/suds on top of the water surface, or are you describing something that extends significantly below the surface?

It's more than just a surface tension change. When running the hotwater in the sink upstairs, it was fairly foamy throughout and took a minute or so to clear up. Even then, the reflection in the surface of the water looked oily? That's lessened significantly, though.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Like to see more pictures of that PQRS-trap.

 

[DarkKnight]

Like to see more pictures of that PQRS-trap.

It was supposed to be a temporary fix to deal with a problem caused by the previous under sink plumbing blocking the normal orientation of the trap. In my defense, it works adequately and maintains water in the trap. You can't see how bad it was before I replaced the copper. Otherwise, I think I did a good job with the new stuff.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Don't get me wrong. I think it's beyond genius. Illegal, but incredibly creative. That's why I wanted a better picture. How long did it take to put all that together?

 

[DarkKnight]

Don't get me wrong. I think it's beyond genius. Illegal, but incredibly creative. That's why I wanted a better picture. How long did it take to put all that together?

The previous hot water line went right up beside the drain. The previous disposal had a large trap that took up like 60% of the room under the sink because they went around the hotwater line in the front. The new disposal made the problem worse because it was a lot larger and things were bumping together. The water line stuck far enough away from the wall I saw that there was room behind it, and I didn't want to cut the already brittle ABS back for a better drain connection. I picked up 2 P trap kits, and used some spare parts I had lying around. It's definitely kobbled together, and hacky, but it only failed once. If the sink is completely full of water, like to the top, and there is food in the disposal when you turn it on, the kick/twist from it can pull the drain apart where it crosses over, though I think I fixed that. It does maintain a consistent downward angle, and never clogs even with food from the disposal. Basically it worked, and gave room under the sink for storage so it stayed. It's on the list to eventually be replaced.

As far as time, it took me maybe a couple hours? It wasn't that long to actually get it together. Took longer to get it to not drip though. That cross over could have been done better. Was a pain in the ass for a few days until I found the right balance in placement between adjustable parts.

FYI, foam continues to lessen, but still apparent. Sometimes water smells a little like flux. :/

 

[Kreemoweet]

Why the photos of pipe exteriors? Got nothing to do with "foamy water". Folks here do not know what
you mean by "foamy water", so how about a photo of THAT? Sounds to me like you're just
describing water with a lot of dissolved air, which will turn white and "foamy" when it's heated
and run out the tap. Nobody was ever hurt by dissolved air.

 

[DarkKnight]

Why the photos of pipe exteriors? Got nothing to do with "foamy water". Folks here do not know what
you mean by "foamy water", so how about a photo of THAT? Sounds to me like you're just
describing water with a lot of dissolved air, which will turn white and "foamy" when it's heated
and run out the tap. Nobody was ever hurt by dissolved air.

Well, the foam was on top of, not within the water. Like chemical suds.

However, the foamy water is all but gone in most pipes. I found that draining the water from the system and rerunning it through the pipes a few times sped the process up a bit. The foam was a lot more than I had been used to seeing from previous projects. There is still some extra bubbles for a few seconds on one or two of the faucets, but that's diminishing.