new water

[low_delta]

We got the new pump put in the well on friday. We were supposed to run the water for a couple of hours to flush out the chlorine and the sediment that was stirred up. The water came out black due to some mineral content. So we ran water for a few hours, and then a couple more hours, and it was only mostly clear. Cyn came up with the bright idea of replacing the clogged pipes, so that we could have a better flow, which would flush out the sediments more quickly. I was a little uncertain that it could be done in a day, but she said that if we had to go overnight without water that would be okay.

We've had this low water pressure thing going on since we moved in. I determined early on that it was due to obstructions in the pipes between the pressure tank and the water softener. It was actually a low flow problem, since the pressure was fine. I just refer to it as "low pressure" so people understand what I'm talking about. The flow was so poor that if you turned one big facet on, you didn't get any water out of any others. And when I used the garden hose to water the flowers, the water didn't spray out of the hose, it fell out. It took half an hour to fill up the washing machine.

So, like George Bush and 9-11, Cyn saw this as her opportunity to invade Iraq have the flow problem fixed. We decided to do it around 1:00. Around 3:00, I was back with supplies - the first time. I didn't actually start disassembling pipe until 6:00. Those pipes were really gunked up. Big globs of rust. 3/4" pipes down to less than 1/2". Cut the flow by half.

I worked until after 11:30. Cyn helped sometimes, but there wasn't usually much for her to do, so she was usually elsewhere until I needed her. I was working very slowly deliberately, so things took forever. I didn't want to screw anything up. I had to plan out which joints to do first, and how to keep them in place while I was working on them. I really didn't want to have to fix any leaks. That's many times worse than doing it in the first place.

Started again this morning around 11:00. I thought it would go quicker today, but I guess all the planning I had done made me think I finished more of it than I did. After one more trip to the hardware store, we finished up around 3:00. That's when we had all the pipes in. Then we let things cool down for a little while. Then I filled the tank. No leaks yet, but it was only a couple of joints. Then I opened the main valve, and filled what we had replaced. We waited a bit because leaks don't always show up immediately. I ran an outside faucet for a while, in hopes of flushing out the sediment. Then I opened the valves to connect the rest of the house.

Unfortunately, the water still came out black for a bit. I ran the hose for another hour to flush out the cold water system. Then we ran about thirty gallons of hot water, because it was coming out brown. It's still not very clear, but I guess it's going to take some time. It's clear enough to shower with, but I don't think we want to wash clothes in it. We'll probably wash dishes though.

On the bright side, the flow has increased greatly. We have water pressure like normal people. You can run a second faucet without affecting the first. Water shoots out of the hose. So that's a relief.

I wonder how much money we saved by doing it ourselves. and if the hassle was worth it.

Comments

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Ya done good kid!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I really didn't want to be doing it. :-( But it turned out well in the end. :-)

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Natch! :-)))

[marswalker.livejournal.com]

well done.

You saved quite a bit, I'll bet. And you were right about the clogged pipes.
:-) And it all works. That's the best!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

We saved at least $200. Maybe three.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

OH, I hope it all comes out well. What a weekend, huh? Well, you sold the house all ready, so time to do those home improvements again before you get spoiled :) Glad you could shower! ANd, oh man, I hope this never happens to me.

[kingseyeland.livejournal.com]

You must tell me how to make a strikethru. Those were hilarious.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

<strike> :-)

[i.livejournal.com]

or <s>

i'm impressed! that was a heck of a job. i would have been all stressed out and cussing at the black water.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

s? I didn't know that! Damn,that's much easier.

The black water is just an annoyance to me. Leaks would have had me cursing.

[i.livejournal.com]

i have this book called HTML4 for dummies. that was on one of the two or three pages i read.

[specificocean.livejournal.com]

You wanna come here and do the same thing?.....*lol*....

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Sure. And I won't charge much more than a plumber.

[emschin.livejournal.com]

You're a super hero. I'll bet you saved lots!

[sirreal13.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!! I hope it's clear by now.

I'm glad we don't use the water softener (even though most people here would have). I don't like all that salt going sdown the drain, and now I know it restricts the flow so that the pressure will suck. We have a slight flow restriction, too. Not bad enough to dismantle the pipes, though...

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I definately don't like the salt going down the drain. But otherwise, all of ouir clothes would be brown within six months, and the sinks and toilets would be stained.

I'm not aware of any flow problems through the softener, though. If you have that problem, it's probably because your softener was turned off or ran out of salt, and the water was left to flow throughit rather than bypassing it.

[rdsc.livejournal.com]

Were you "wiping" these joints? I guess so from your picture, (very gunked up indeed - looked like your house was about to have a heart attack. Utmost respect, I can't solder to save my life.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

"Wiping"? Is the a British term? We cal lit soldering or sweating. I can usually do it pretty well. That's one reason I used to like doing it. I guess the excitement has worn off.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeh, I think traditionally it had to do with joining lead pipes. I used to work in a building college and they had some examples of how you could connect a small diameter pipe to a larger diameter with solder, which involved building the solder up into a mass and wiping it smooth into a bulge over the join. Only the technician (who was about 60 - and this is 15 years ago) had a clue how to do it - and there's no need anymore. I think they used to use hide leather to wipe the solder in shape.