“plumbing” part 2: the tip (and a good chunk of the rest) of the iceberg
I’m having a little post-traumatic-stress just considering this post.
This was probably the most complicated planning effort required in the basement remodel. I knew that the basement would have a new hot water heater (HWH), new bathroom, new laundry area, and new wet bar. I also wanted to run water up for a future refrigerator upgrade in the kitchen. And I also wanted to run gas up for a future stove upgrade. And to reduce pipe clutter in the ceiling. And I knew that these things were somehow all connected. But where to start?
Well, how about with a picture? In the distance, you can see the old HVAC and HWH at the end of the basement. The joists above (and the water main) run from the front of the house (to the right) to the back of the house (to the left). The wet area, where the new HWH needed to be, is about middle-ground in the photo, and against the far left wall.
Demolition almost complete. HVAC and HWH, c. 2005
I started by taking a piece of 24″x36″ sketch pad paper and drawing a scale image of the joists above, then I marked each vertical pipe run up to he first floor (two for each faucet, 1 for each toilet; a total of 8). I then sketched in the horizontal runs that connected them. I then started to sketch in the new basement plumbing plan. Then I tried to marry the two systems together.
Since the HWH was moving, all the runs to the hot water outlets changed. Since the HWH is one of the first off-ramps from the water main, the main needed to be adjusted and that affected all the runs to the cold water outlets.
It took several drafts, and a lot of denial about the amount of work ahead, to get to a final plan.
Ultimately, I ended cutting each vertical pipe to the upstairs outlets and re-running copper to them, thus replacing almost all the copper supply lines in the house.
Only the vertical up to the first floor is original. All the horizontal is new.
But, I had to do it in a staged fashion, making sure at the end of each day that I had water in the kitchen and at least one bathroom upstairs. So, I ended up capping and re-opening pipes, doing a bit more work than necessary, but at least I never ended up in a hotel taking a shower.
Capping things off at the end of each day.
Staying in service.
While researching the HWH install, I learned there are codes for such things as how far away from the tank the supply shut-off valve needs to be. That’s something you don’t want to have to do over. Also, being an electric HWH, I had to run a 220-volt electric line over to the unit. And, there’s code about that too. The electric supply either needs a shut-off switch at the HWH, or a lock on the breaker so it can be locked OFF during maintenance. I went with the locked breaker – it gives a cleaner look at the unit. What? you think it’s silly, considering aesthetics in a utility room? Well, if you eschew aesthetics in a utility room, where will the eschewing end? I ask you.
And you also need to install what they call a “union” in both the cold-in pipe and the hot-out pipe, just above the tank. These are basically threaded couplings which allow the entire tank to be removed if necessary.
It occurred to me that if I installed the HWH as one of the first steps in the project, I’d have to somehow get the finished flooring under it months (years) later. So I decided to make a tile choice, buy all the tiles (they discontinue them, you know), and lay some tiles in that spot first (which meant I had to buy all the supplies and tools for tiling, and learn how to use them, much sooner than expected).
A tiling note here: There’s a floor drain nearby and the floor slopes toward it. Since I needed the tiles beneath HWH to be level, the amount of tile-sticking-substance I would use beneath them would get thicker toward the drain. I tried mastic first, and it didn’t dry at all. The tiles were still squishy a week later. So I yanked it all up and used thinset mortar, which dried rock hard in about a day.
The next three photos shows the installed HWH. Look closely, and you can see some white 1′ x 1′ ceramic tiles laid in a diagonal pattern beneath it. You can also see the power line running from the studs at the left to the top of the unit. and the copper in/out lines running vertically upward.
The new hot water heater in place.
A few finished tiles in place means no moving the HWH.
220v power, in flexible metal conduit where it's exposed, and cold-in/hot-out pipes. The shut-off valve is on the cold-in side. The unions in each pipe can be seen about a foot above the tank.
Oh, and choosing the HWH? Um, I just went to Home Depot, grabbed one, and threw it in the back of the SUV. It’s worked well so far, except for a year or so later when the control board flipped out. But it was under warranty, and they sent me a new one overnight. Only one cold shower was endured.
Replacing the HWH control board.
I’ve repeated the next two pictures from above, then added a final view. They were all taken from basically the same spot, so they show the progression. In the first photo, the HWH will go where the laundry basket is sitting.
Beginning
Middle
End
Oh, you noticed the lighter-colored concrete tracks on the floor in the first two photos? Right. Well. You are paying attention, aren’t you. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you. You already thought, wait, he’s putting in a new bathroom, laundry room, and wet bar in the basement. And the you thought, that means there are going to be a lot of new water supply lines. And then, in your inimitably logical fasion, you thought, that means… yes… the water will have to go somewhere! Good for you. Drains. What they call groundwork. In a basement, it has to go under the slab. Cutting is involved. And yes, that work was done before all the stuff I just described. But you already knew that, didn’t you?. I just didn’t feel like writing about it in order. More to come. Stay tuned.