Worst DIY job to tackle??

[nortac]

Well to no great surprise, the Oaty epoxy putty was a major fail. Calling a real plumber this morning, at the insistence of SWMBO. I really hate admitting defeat on DIY projects as well as my own physical limitations as I age.

I got off relatively easy cost-wise with the plumber. Also learned something. I should have known it, in retrospect it seems obvious, but because the copper pipe wasn't absolutely dry, steam generated during the soldering process caused the soldered joint to fail to make a water tight seal. The plumber had to use a torch to get it off, so there was solder in the joint. he replaced my patch with PEX and avoided the whole issue.

 

[Whisky]

I got off relatively easy cost-wise with the plumber. Also learned something. I should have known it, in retrospect it seems obvious, but because the copper pipe wasn't absolutely dry, steam generated during the soldering process caused the soldered joint to fail to make a water tight seal. The plumber had to use a torch to get it off, so there was solder in the joint. he replaced my patch with PEX and avoided the whole issue.

I was wondering about the water thing. I’ve had that happen in the past too. If you take the crust off a piece of white bread, roll the bread it into a ball, and shove it into the pipe you can dry the interior/exterior of the pipe and do your soldering. The bread keeps any water from running through the pipe while you’re working. When you turn the water back on the white bread will dissolve and get flushed out. Sounds crazy, but it works.

 

[Columbo]

I was wondering about the water thing. I’ve had that happen in the past too. If you take the crust off a piece of white bread, roll the bread it into a ball, and shove it into the pipe you can dry the interior/exterior of the pipe and do your soldering. The bread keeps any water from running through the pipe while you’re working. When you turn the water back on the white bread will dissolve and get flushed out. Sounds crazy, but it works.

An old trick I’ve used once or twice where a rag wouldn’t quite do the job. It works.

The joints need to be relatively dry to reach the correct temp. Steaming the joint is a common novice error. And if it’s near a valve, open it … and leave it open. Watched a careless neighbor not do that once, and the thing blew off like a hot cap gun.

But the biggest novice error I would see with sweating is too much solder. It pools up past the joint, impedes the flow, and makes a big mess.

Just sweating a joint has gotten more complicated from the old days. The lead free plumbing solders have gotten much better I’m told, and can now get by with a standard flame. But the early lead free solders required such high temps that sometimes a high temp MAP torch was needed. And when you’re breaking one loose, you’re sometimes never sure which type you’re dealing with.

But if done right, a copper sweat joint is stronger than the surrounding pipe, and can last a Century.

 

[Columbo]

My son lived in a home that was built in 1909. They had an old toilet in the basement that needed to be replaced before they sold it, so he called me. When we pulled it the flange was screwed in to the concrete with two sheet metal screws. In addition to that it the floor had a crown. Fortunately the Oatey system worked and we were able to get it in level with a couple plastic shims. If he had called me sooner we would have floated the floor and redone the tile. In addition to all that mess it was cast iron with an old shut off. Old plumbing is a pain. It did pass inspection.

You should always be careful with those really, really old toilets, especially ones down below grade ...

 

[Mojo88]

You should always be careful with those really, really old toilets, especially ones down below grade ...




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A dangerous situation for sure. A silent killer lurks.

 

[Jens]

Great thread. A lot of commentary seems concerned with "construction", which is interesting and entertaining, but I wonder about extending the concept beyond this context.
How about a thing like "DIY" social work or nursing ...?
An example is with Alzheimer's patients where relatives often "DIY" way beyond what is recommended to them. I think that can be a lot more nerve-wrecking than even the most horrible DIY job in construction, but perhaps I am just unreasonably stretching a metaphor ...