I am finishing my basement wiring today lights, receptacles and water heater power and the next step is to start the plumbing. I have everything I need already so this is just a logistical question..... I have been considering a plumbing loop for natural heat convection but I ruled that out because I dont want the water heater running more to keep the water loop warm insulation or not. Now I am thinking about a circle water loop. Not in the recirculating fashion but an actual loop from the hot and cold water line around the basement and back to the water lines. The idea being it would give more areas to draw from and create more even pressure? Is that a realistic idea or am I totally off mark. I have all the 3/4 pex needed to do this because the water line to the house is 1" but reduces to 3/4" at the meter.
No! Pressure is pressure. No matter where in the system you tie in. Also. Use all 1/2" pipe! It will not reduce your flow. What it will do is allow the hot water to get there sooner and waste less cold water till it gets there
You can flow 14 gpm through 1/2 pipe. Assuming you have "normal" water pressure in your house. Shower head- 1.5-2.5 gpm Kitchen faucet- 2 gpm See where we're going here
I am doing 3/4 for a few reasons mainly its what was coming in so its what I was gonna stay with but also because I had a few loops most of the tie downs and all of the copper crimps given to me. I am really at the edge of the budget and cant buy much more. The electrical turned into a very expensive nightmare in this 100 year old house. I MEAN A NIGHTMARE! All the old cloth was rotted and most of the tubes where cracked. I have pulled probably 600ft of wire in the last couple of weeks and replaced every outlet and switch I could. All I was doing was adding 6 lights in the basement except I couldnt trace anything because who ever wired this place was a moron... The upstairs kitchen fan, bathroom wall outlets, bedroom ( floor outlets under the carpet ), living room fan where all on one breaker.... Just an example. I hate this house now The loop is out then back to normal plumbing then. 1/2 is defiantly cheaper and if I purchased all of it Id go buy it but...
O and theres an old glass fuse box BEHIND THE WALL IN MY CLOSET! That one really really pizzed me off..... I wondered why a couple outlets where dead when we moved in.. They paneled the wall and built a closet over it
This is a plumbing project.....................you never have everything you need...............................guaranteed at least 1 trip to the hardware store.
I will go price 1/2" at home depot and see before I go farther just how much it will break the bank with pluming. just to be sure...
definitely get the manifold if doing pex.. makes every future project soooo much easier.. use more shut offs than you think you need... not really necessary with manifold but still a habit for me.... Pete on the electrical did you take all old nob and tube out.. please Please.. do not tie Romex into knob and tube .... replace 1 entire circuit at a time if money is an issue..
Wait! If you have all the 3/4 pipe, straps and everything already, use it. That will save you money, at least on the cold water anyhow. The biggest reason I say stick with 1/2" is the wasted cold water while waiting for the hot to get there.
Yup everything got replaced with new no shortcuts here... I am adding breakersand separating rooms and outlets too what a mess
I also have to replace beams that are missing because the previous owners literally cut the beams out for no apparent reason and the foundation is stone and has crumbled in one spot then they shoved a yard roller in there and cemented it... 12 years ago I thought what a great deal so it needs a little work... Now I'm older and more sore so it still needs a little work A friken yard roller...
Without a doubt! And I do it every day. You just cant think of everything when it comes to plumbing. Thats one of the reasons I dont do work on the side. Seems every job comes back to haunt you...
I've been a commercial plumber/pipe fitter all my life. Dad was too. No home plumbing. I just dont see the use of a manifold. Everyone says it saves this or that. Or future projects are easier. I've redone my whole house. There are no future projects. I can shut off the laundry and kitchen with 2 valves each. Anything else I can just shut the water off to the house and replace whatever is bad. Now, granted my house is small, but all those extra hundreds of feet of spaghetti plumbing seems unnecessary to me. JMHO YMMV
