# Water riser service replacement



## maxdad118 (Jul 11, 2017)

So before anyone tells me to replumb the whole house ( I already know this&#128515;&#128077, I'm wanting to at least get this old gate valve and crusty pipe out of here to see if my water pressure increases and do a small bit at a time...is this feasible? I'm thinking it will be a bit of a challenge to do more with the wife home in the evenings and weekends. Any suggestions?:help: it's pvc from the meter to the base of the riser and pressure is at 45 lbs at the spigot above, a little low when the water company said my neighborhood is being delivered with 60-65 lbs. pressure is terrible at our new master shower which of course is all copper.


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## Mastercarpenty (Jul 16, 2017)

My experiences with the 'piece at a time' approach to plumbing almost always means you will be doing more and larger pieces than you planned to. Something always seems to break away from where you'd planned or will not quite work with the replacement. 

Increasing pressure and flow at the beginning might just cause problems downstream, so if the best I could do is piecework, I'd start it at the other end and work back to here so I could be more certain that it would all hold till I got done. Then again you probably have better luck than I do 

Phil


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## MrTed (Aug 1, 2017)

Mastercarpenty said:


> My experiences with the 'piece at a time' approach to plumbing almost always means you will be doing more and larger pieces than you planned to. Something always seems to break away from where you'd planned or will not quite work with the replacement.
> 
> Increasing pressure and flow at the beginning might just cause problems downstream, so if the best I could do is piecework, I'd start it at the other end and work back to here so I could be more certain that it would all hold till I got done. Then again you probably have better luck than I do
> 
> Phil



Ditto to this. You don't know what could go wrong halfway through. Try not to start right in the middle of a job!


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## Snoonyb (Aug 1, 2017)

Is it your intension to continue with sched. 80 PVC, or change to L or K class copper.

While you're at it they make coveralls that would fit your wife, so this could be a togetherness project, and it's cool under the house, this time of year.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 2, 2017)

Haha, I will be starting in my laundry room with a valve for cold side of water heater and start sweating fittings to the entrance of the crawl space. I'll drill a hole thru the foundation and plumb it thru.  At that point I'll have to belly crawl to that pipe and install a tee for kitchen sink with another valve and dead end... and continue to next fixture and tie it in. Proceeding to just before the old service comes thru the crawl space. At that point I will have to pick a time when water will not be needed for a while. Then tie it in to the pvc, hopefully it's that easy?? Once that is connected, turn it on, go back under and connect each fixture....then I have to do the hot side.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 2, 2017)

Snoonyb said:


> Is it your intension to continue with sched. 80 PVC, or change to L or K class copper.
> 
> While you're at it they make coveralls that would fit your wife, so this could be a togetherness project, and it's cool under the house, this time of year.





No, copper all the way from that pvc fitting in the picture above but will switch the female pvc to a male version


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## Snoonyb (Aug 2, 2017)

maxdad118 said:


> No, copper all the way from that pvc fitting in the picture above but will switch the female pvc to a male version



Preassemble your length of copper riser above the PVC and a towel soaked in cold water, wrapped around, makes a good heat-sink.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 2, 2017)

I was thinking of something similar..having my new full port ball valve sweated already to copper lengths already measured and tightening the assembly onto the pvc male elbow pointing up beneath the dirt...Then fit the copper elbow above the vlv to the stub out at the house for final connection? Hopefully this will work? I'll dig around the pvc in the ground to allow some movement.


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## Snoonyb (Aug 2, 2017)

That's the general Idea.

I have the full port open during soldering, and the heat-sink, because I'm overly cautious and hate doing things over, but that's just me, and if it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 2, 2017)

Would you use a threaded valve or solder cup style?


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## Snoonyb (Aug 2, 2017)

I'd solder in a union in the riser, solder the full port, solder a "T" and adapter, for a threaded hose bib.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 3, 2017)

Union below valve? Not sure if I have that kind of room and I shouldn't bury the union, correct? Don't they have valves that have a union as part of it or no?


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## Snoonyb (Aug 3, 2017)

Yes, but only if there is room above grade.


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## slownsteady (Aug 8, 2017)

The main problem with doing it piecemeal is all the extra couplings etc. where you had to cap and continue later.Of course, you could build an entirely separate system out of pex and then tie in once it is complete. Just a thought.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 8, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> The main problem with doing it piecemeal is all the extra couplings etc. where you had to cap and continue later.Of course, you could build an entirely separate system out of pex and then tie in once it is complete. Just a thought.




I shouldn't have any, if a few, extras...I planned on building it to the point where all I have to do is kill it at meter, tie it into new stubout at riser, connect flex to top of water heater. Each line at fixture under the house I will have already teed off with a shut off vlv and short piece sweated on ready to finish each fixture. Most importantly to get back on new lines will be our master bedroom bath which already has copper to it. Kitchen next, then laundry is next to water heater. I may keep piping on outside of old damaged sheet rock here because it really is temporary until I get a tankless on other side of house.


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## Snoonyb (Aug 8, 2017)

If you are changing the HW heater supply and feed from solid pipe to flex, make sure that it is correctly restrained.


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## maxdad118 (Aug 8, 2017)

Snoonyb said:


> If you are changing the HW heater supply and feed from solid pipe to flex, make sure that it is correctly restrained.




Maybe I'm not saying it correctly. It will be rigid copper with ball valve, then the flex to top of the tank. Is that ok? The 2' long or whatever they are? ..supply lines


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## maxdad118 (Aug 8, 2017)

Something like this...or is there better?


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## Snoonyb (Aug 8, 2017)

I understand and use them often.

On the truly left coast earthquake strapping is required;http://buildingincalifornia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/WaterHeaterChecklist1.pdf


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## maxdad118 (Aug 8, 2017)

Ahhh, yes..I got it.&#55357;&#56397;&#55357;&#56836;


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## maxdad118 (Aug 19, 2017)

Should I use type L or type M, from what I read the M should be sufficient unless it's outside or buried? Can I mix the two such as L for my outside riser and M for the crawl space?


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## Snoonyb (Aug 19, 2017)

You need to be the judge of the potential for damage too the riser from planter excavation, lawn tools etc.

I would use "L", sched 80 PVC or for the potential of sever damage, "K".

I wouldn't transition to "M" until the first fitting inside the dwelling.

L, M & K just require a little adjustment to the learning curve when soldering.


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## frodo (Aug 19, 2017)

do not use M use only L
M is thinner walled than L , L will last years longer

use 1'' pvc from your meter to your crawl space, then a 1x3/4 male adapter,  install a valve
then run your copper


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## maxdad118 (Aug 19, 2017)

Any reason of using the pvc for the riser? If I install the valve in the crawl space I have about a 20 ft belly crawl to shut off the water to the house. There is a valve in the meter box but I was going to install a valve before it goes thru the stucco siding into the crawl space. I was going to do a copper riser with ball valve, there is already pvc from meter to riser(which currently is galvanized).


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