There are many ways to improve the beauty and function of your home with your own bare hands. The success of completing a do-it-yourself project can be incredibly satisfying!
However, there are some types of work that should be left to the skilled hands of licensed technicians. Attempting to gusto your way through plumbing problems can ultimately leave homeowners out of pocket (and out of patience).
This success story begins with a literal hole in the ground. The homeowner hired California Plumbing to fix and restore the DIY attempt gone wrong and perform several necessary upgrades.
Trenchless Pipe Bursting
The client had broken open most of their flooring and dug out 7 feet of soil in order to gain access to their existing underground cast iron through a trench, aiming to perform pipe bursting on a section of the mainline.
Without digging a long trench, traditional pipe laying is not possible. However, calling a professional plumber to perform trenchless pipe bursting from the get-go would have shortened the timeline. With lower costs and less environmental impact, trenchless pipe bursting requires only two access points in the ground: one for entry and one for exit. No digging and no trench! The entry and exit points are to push the old pipe out of the ground while installing a new pipe that is inserted underground, led by a guide head. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says that pipe bursting is “a method of correcting pipe deficiencies with less disturbance, economic impact, and environmental degradation, and they require less restoration than the traditional dig-and-replace method.”
We performed pipe bursting along roughly 50 feet of mainline to install a new mainline from the sidewalk near the drop to the bathroom connection. We installed 2 new cleanouts for improved maintenance—one near the drop and a two-way cleanout on the mainline section. Our technicians noted that the remaining portion of cast iron from after the drop at the 90° angle fitting to the city connection would need attention as well.
Kitchen Plumbing Restoration
The client was not able to complete the demolition of the kitchen. California Plumbing completed the demolition on the remaining portion of the old cast iron of the kitchen line under the sink. We installed new 2-inch pipes, made of more durable acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) thermoplastic, a laundry P-trap/drain with a cleanout attached to the kitchen drain section, and a new baffle tee and P-trap to the kitchen line. Our technicians also installed a new 2-inch ABS connection from the kitchen to the mainline in the first bathroom, two back-to-back flanges, resetting the hall bathroom toilet, a back-to-back vanity drain with a jim cap in the master bathroom vanity drain, and new P-trap in the hall bathroom vanity.
We installed a rough in for the shower, with the drain positioned per the client’s request. We kept the drain high, allowing for the client’s future plans to have it cut and glued down once the shower pan is ready to be set in place.
We installed drainage for tub waste and overflow as well as other connections onto a new 4-inch burst section. All underground connections were secured with heavy no-hub bands, and a thorough drain test confirmed that there were no leaks.
PEX Hot and Cold Water Piping
The client’s initial DIY attempt had resulted in accidental damage to the water line kitchen slab. This fed cold water into the bathroom. Our technicians rerouted by repiping the main cold water line from the incoming main at the master bathroom with 3/4-inch polyethylene (PEX) lines up along the wall, feeding into the attic crawl space, which amounted to approximately 40 feet of PEX.
We connected the PEX of the cold line with the existing lines in the garage, capping off 2 separate lines: one 1/2-inch under water heater as well as a 3/4-inch line near the old laundry drainline at the old manifold. We installed new 1/2-inch lines to the kitchen, with new angle stops onto secured hold rite.
Discovering that the water heater bypass valves of the hot and cold water lines were tied into each other, we cut and capped off the sections to separate the incoming cold water and outgoing hot water. We recommended comprehensively repairing this section and installing only 1 valve per line: 1 valve for outgoing hot water and 1 valve for incoming cold water.
We tested to confirm no leaks and strapped the PEX into the attic crawl space.
Plumbing And Beyond
California Plumbing works alongside homeowners to realize their home improvement dreams, ensuring that our work accommodates your future plans.
As our client still had plans beyond plumbing, our technicians only backfilled the portion of the soil to the bottom of the pipe to ensure that the drain would not create any bellies.
With the successful overhaul of this DIY plumbing gone wrong, certain aspects were not included in its scope: drain connections, digging, drywall repairs, connections from the house to the city sewer, and pressure regulator servicing.
How Water Pressure Affects Warranty
The water pressure for the house was found to be over 80 PSI, beyond the recommended range of 50 to 75 PSI. As such, we were unable to offer warranty on their water lines and angle stops. We advised that the client opt for the installation or repair of the water pressure regulator within 15 days, as this is this grace period we allow to adjust your property’s water pressure to a level that is valid to maintain warranty.
Call A Professional For Trenchless Pipe Bursting
Keep your water running seamlessly and smoothly with intact pipes, drains, connections, appliances, fixtures, and more.
For comprehensive plumbing restorations, leave the overhaul to the licensed experts and call a professional plumber today.
Call Us Today: (619) 787-3443
Email Us: info@californiaplumbingsd.com
