Plumbing My Way (A.K.A The Hard Way)

In the middle of the week, the outside faucet for the backyard broke. It had been leaking for quite a while. In addition, the cut off value inside the house leaks each time I turn it off or on (usually at the change of seasons), requiring that I get out the wrench and tighten up on it so that it won't drip inside the basement. I had known for some time that I would need to replace both, but I had been postponing it.

I could postpone no longer. So Saturday afternoon I headed off to Lowes to purchase the new faucet and cut-off valve. I already had, so I thought, everything else I needed to complete the job.

I'm a slow worker. Home improvement and repair projects usually take four times as long for me to do as a normal person. But I hate the idea of paying someone to do what I can do, even if it takes me longer. This repair project was no different. In fact, what should have been 1 to 2 hours took me about 10 hours. That's right ten hours and three trips to Lowes to buy more stuff.

I won't bore you with all the details but I will bore you with a summary.

Where the pipe to the outside faucet exits the house is positioned above our washer in the basement, so I spent a good deal of those 10 hours kneeling on the washer. I turned off the water for the house and cut lose the old shut-off valve and the faucet. Had issues with soldering, with the propane torch and leaks. During one of the tests for leaks, I discovered that the faucet to which the washer cold water hose was attached had developed a leak. By eleven p.m. Saturday night, I had gotten everything soldered and screwed together but not leak free. There were two leaks, the one from the washer faucet and then one from my plumbing work. It was a small consolation, but I was glad to see that the leak was not from any of my soldering but from one of the threaded connections. Anyway, the leaks were just drips (no jet sprays) so we figured after seven or so hours without water, we can afford a few drips while we flushed the toilets, brushed our teeth and I took a quick shower.

Sunday afternoon, I switched tactics, undid some of the previous work and by supper time, the plumbing was leak free and functioning. Yeah! Finally!

Here's some things I learned from the experience:

• When soldering things above you, wear protective clothing such as gloves and long sleeve shirt. Molten solder does not feel good on your bare skin.
• I didn't learn this, I had thought of this ahead of time, but I thought I would pass it on. Seeing that I would be soldering with a propane torch up between the very dry wooden floor joists, I brought down the kitchen fire extinguisher just in case. Luckily, I did not need it. I only had a couple of quick flare ups.
• Do not place the tip of the propane torch directly under where you are soldering, as drops of solder may fall into it and block it up. Should this happen, if you have a gas stove, you can heat the tip up in one of the burners until the solder melts and then you can tap it out onto some tin foil.
• Ten years of computer programming do not condition one's knees and shins to kneel for hours on top of a washing machine. Do so can cause noticeable tenderness and soreness. One will also probably feel some pain and tiredness in the quads when walking up steps.
• I don't know how new appliances are made, but that used to make them real sturdy. I was very grateful that the older top-loading Kenmore washer that we have is made of real, strong steel. I knelt on it, sat on it and used it as a tool bench. At no time did I feel it bend or flex. It gave me a stable work platform. I just hope it never breaks because, oh my aching back, I can only imagine trying to get the thing out of the basement.
• For me, soldering is not like riding a bike. I remembered the general process from when I renovated our bathroom, but it took me a good many trial and error attempts to get the feel of it back. By Sunday afternoon, I had it down pretty well. It was not pretty, but it was functional.
• If you don't have the joints hot enough before trying to apply the solder, little bits off of the end of the solder wire can just break off, making little pings as they hit objects on their way to the floor.
• Praying helps, a lot. It helps reduce your stress and it helps things go right. I need to employ this tool more often. After the previously mentioned issue with the propane tip becoming clogged, I could not get it to work. It would only hold a flame on a very low setting. If I increase the flow more than just barely flowing, it would blow the flame out. This might have had something to do with me being impatient at waiting for the tip to cool after ridding it of solder and dipping it in a bucket of water. Anyway, since I could not get it to work, off I headed to Lowes to buy another tip. On the way, I decided to pray. Once I got home, I decided to give the old time one more time. It worked perfectly. Go God.
• You cannot buy, that I could find, just a tip for a propane torch. They only come with the whole "plumber's kit".
• Playing with fire is fun. But it can be a little harrowing when done it tight spaces where you don't want to ignite everything and where you are trying to wield a propane torch, solder wire, keep the flame on the pipes and not on wood or insulation, and avoid falling molten metal, all at the same time.
• Don't hire me to do any home improvement or repairs on your house, especially if you want it done fast and right the first time.