"Why I Hate MY Old House!!!" Topic

Gotta vent, this is so screwed up.

Yesterday morning I got up, got tea, got on the computer, checked the news, TMP, and then went downstairs for a relaxed day of working on 15mm masters and painting aircraft. I open the basement door and heard this high pitched hissing sound. A water line broke over my storage rack for unpainted miniatures, and bass and balsa wood.

$400 USD of wood is ruined, plus some decals and model kits and 15 cubic feet of figs and other gaming supplies needs reboxed. Not really that bad considering the possible flooding in the basement options.

My house was built before water was invented, so the plumbing is 130 years evolution of redirected and repaired lines.

A hot water line was ruptured, so I contained the leak and ran some tests to isolate which of the 5 lines going into our 2nd floor actually feeds the fixtures. No problem. I know the cold line, it is not one of the 5. It is #6.

So I get to work cutting out some old lines that are pressurised, but don't connect to anything. Fortunately, I put in some valves when I replaced the water heater a few years back, so at least I can isolate some lines and still have water to other parts of the house. When I moved in, there was about 250 feet of water lines in the house without a shut off valve.

Anyway, I disconnect three lines that are live, but connect to nothing, and replaced the ruptured section with plastic line. I'd use copper, but there is no way I can reach into a couple places with a torch (unless I want to burn the house down, which at this point doesn't sound like such a bad idea).

This morning I turn on the water to the water heater. it takes more water than I expect to refill the line to the first valve (which is still closed) that I installed yesterday. After a minute, the flow stops, I figure I'll wait a few minutes, look for a leak, and turn on water to the next valve, etc. The only hot line that is live is the one going into the wall under our crawal space feeding a washing machine above, there is no valve to isolate that line.

I go upstairs. After a moment I hear water running. I run downstairs, water is pouring out of a "dead" line that I disconnected yesterday onto my painting/building table. It is poring water out of the end that used to recieve water from the water heater. Figures and parts of masters have been blown everywhere, things are broken, missing, and I am not amused.

I shut off the water, and begin exploring (and picking up). It turns out that somewhere in the wall, the washing machine line "T"s off to another line that runs back through the length of the house and up to the bathroom, connecting to the hot water heater in the process. It is a loop that can recieve feed from two places. And,it is connected to another hot water line in the 2nd floor bathroom's floor, that I diconnected from the water heater yesterday (one of the connections that I took out yesterday). This is about 100 feet of pipe that could be fed from three places and connected to no fixtures in the entire house (except as a backup feed to the washing machine).

Anyone want to buy a lovely old house with redundant plumbing and an indoor pond.

That truly stinks, I wish you well in the repairs and in the recovery of all the bashed up minis.

Old houses are a real pain. I did not realize how much until I bought a new one.

I also had the new one built on a slab, and I *absolutely* do not miss the basement.

Some words of caution. Many homes use the plumbing system to ground the lightening rod or equivalent. Installing plastic line can interrupt the system, so when all dies down, go check.

My house id 180 years old – fairly ancient for a house off the coast in the new world. I don't even try to do that kind of repair.

Some words of caution. Many homes use the plumbing system to ground the lightening rod or equivalent. Installing plastic line can interrupt the system, so when all dies down, go check.

So long as all the lines don't have plastic in them and the metallic lines all connect back to a main supply in the street, he should be more or less good to go.

It's a pity water lines aren't as easy to "circuit trace" as electrical lines are. There's no hydraulic equivalent of a voltmeter or ammeter that you can connect up and see where a leak is or if the line is "live" or not.

Lentulus may not miss his basement, but I sure like mine, especially when the tornado sirens are sounding.

I'm sympathetic about your crappy weekend, but I do have to point out that your misfortunes seem to be mostly your own fault…
-Kle.

If you'd had your priorities right, the toys would have been crowded into your bedroom and you'd be sleeping in the basement to detect just this sort of event.

My last "old" house was built in 1973, and it was enough of an adventure. What we clearly need is wireless water.

- Bob

I like old houses, they have lots of character, but they can be a PITA. Ours has a bomb shelter in the basement, which may come in handy one day.

I have a 1930's house, non standard design (2 houses were build on 3 plots), and not a square corner on any wall. Makes shelving… interesting- I have to cut and plane trapeziods. Plus it is, of course, all in Imperial, so everything is every so slightly off when I buy new, or just unavailable- I don't think I will be able to replace just 1 floorboard as it won't match the others.

Funny – when I read the headline I thought you were about to rant about the TV show – "This Old House"

I live in a house built in the 1770s/80s – and it definitely has "problems"…so I can commiserate!

I make it a point to never do any plumbing or electrical work on my own. I turn it over to the professionals.