Plumbing and Building Queries????? S.A.

[DavidG]

and on a similar vein,

If my house is totally solar electric and I'm not connected to the grid can I do my own diy electrical work?

Yes! / No!
Yes if you keep it all low voltage.
No if you use 240 volts
ie You can wire from the batteries to the 240v inverter but from there on you can not.

[ozwinner]

4 years of night school three times a week, ive put the hard yards in.

OK, maybe Im wrong as 4 years is a hell of a long time.

Al

[Tools]

what is the difference between a plumber and a master plumber?

[pawnhead]

what is the difference between a plumber and a master plumber?

I think we all know that it's the same as the difference between a builder and a master builder, but we oughta lay off him, he's just a kid.

[ozwinner]

what is the difference between a plumber and a master plumber?

One does it more often than the other?

Al

[Groggy]

I am about to replace my fridge with a unit with an icemaker that requires a water source. The wall it backs onto does not have pipes in it and I need to splice into the copper pipe in the ceiling that feeds the evaporative cooler.

Since the pipe is sitting over a bearer wall, oven, fridge and cabinets I figure it is the worst place in the house for a potential leak. I had thought that a copper join would need a proper soldered joint (not the pre soldered joins which I don't trust).

I have tried to get a plumber but no-one wants the job (even though the cladding is off the wall, the holes are drilled in the wall already and the manhole is right there). It seems there is simply not enough money in it for them. I don't want to risk doing it myself unless I have to. However, I recently heard about flexible pipe being used. How easy is it to use and do this yourself, and how would I splice into the copper pipe in the roof?

[bricks]

Its not hard, taking all the stuff of the wall is a good way to save money. Some Tradies wont take on jobs that you have started, it often ends up costing us money, really.
Ring a plumber out the back of your local paper, one of the ones who dont have big ad budgets, dont tell them you have started the job just tell them you need them to come round and install an another water point in the kitchenwall. if they dont know youve started the might be more inclined to come around. The plastic pipe is easy and cheap but its still going to cost you money prob $200-250.

Do you have water pipes under the sink for a tap at all? coz if you do you could tap into these and run the pipe in the cupboard.

[pawnhead]

However, I recently heard about flexible pipe being used. How easy is it to use and do this yourself, and how would I splice into the copper pipe in the roof?

I'm no plumber, and this is bricksies thread, but I'd just buy the bits of copper & brass, and a spanner, and you could do it for under $100 I reckon.

All you need is a tee, some nipples (possibly a reducer nipple), some kinkos and olives, maybe an elbow or two, and a bit of pipe, some thread tape, then grab a spanner and Bob's your uncle.

[bricks]

If the pipe runs in the cupboard Groggy you can do it that way, not good to have threaded joins behind a wall where you cant get to them. Its not allowed in the S.A. plumbing code, only welds or full pipe.

[pawnhead]

Well he could just have the one tee that's accessible in the roof, then buy a bending spring and some soft copper pipe to get it to bend out of the wall where his fridge is.

[Groggy]

Its not hard, taking all the stuff of the wall is a good way to save money.

The wall is open. It would be like installing into a new home at framing stage except for the ceiling.

Some Tradies wont take on jobs that you have started, it often ends up costing us money, really.

Not this job, all the dirty work is done and I have not touched the plumbing at all.

Ring a plumber out the back of your local paper, one of the ones who dont have big ad budgets, dont tell them you have started the job just tell them you need them to come round and install an another water point in the kitchenwall.

I can't get one. The job is too small they say. We have also tried the service companies that boast "no job too small".

if they dont know youve started the might be more inclined to come around.

That hasn't really been an issue yet.

The plastic pipe is easy and cheap but its still going to cost you money prob $200-250.

for a join onto copper pipe and about 5m of pipe max? The total run is 2.5m across the roof to the wall, then down the wall about 2m. Straight run, uncomplicated. I figure one "T" and two elbows plus a connector/tap of some sort and some saddles.

Do you have water pipes under the sink for a tap at all? coz if you do you could tap into these and run the pipe in the cupboard.

The wall in question forms part of a large island. There is no way to feed a pipe across the floor.

[bricks]

CREDIT TO PAWNY

Thats a pretty decent solution Pawny, the pipe wont look that good out the wall but it will be hidden by a fridge,

Basically Groggy, its cheap and simple, if you go to a plumbing shop youll probably have to buy a big roll, so go to a hardware store and buy by the meter ( youll only need 3 or 4). At mitre ten in adleaide they have brass 15mm tees with the kincos already in them, just make sure you work out what size the pipe in the ceiling is.
When you turn off the water and drain it out through the tap leave the tap open, that way when you cut the pipe the rest of the water airlocked in the pipe will drain out too.

When you do your kincos at the end, do them up as tight as you possibly can (*&^*&%^ ) tight. They can slide off the pipe if the pressure fluctuates in your street.
Most fridges i have seen use a thin plastic pipe ( about 5mm round) for the final connection if yours had these remember- normally they dont come undone if you mess up the connection 1 time only use.

If your fridge has an evaporative cooler does it also need a drain for condensate like an air-conditioner. I'm assuming you have the installation instructions with the fridge.

CREDIT TO PAWNY ON THIS ONE

[Groggy]

To clarify a little. I could do this myself fairly easily, all the hard work is done. The bit that worries me is the join in the roof. As I said earlier, if I get a leak up there I'm stuffed, it is the worst possible location to have a leak and would cause major damage and hassle.

I want the joint up there to be bulletproof and I can't guarantee that. The other joints I am less concerned about.

The last time I worked on the plumbing here was in the kitchen. Every time I fixed a problem the joint behind it gave way. This happened to all the joints on the hot and cold taps under the kitchen sink, all the way back to the wall, and included the fittings for the dishwasher. Incidentally, this is why I don't like the presoldered fittings.

I'd rather not trust the workmanship up there and have someone with insurance and a good knowledge of soldering working on it.

[echnidna]

Yes! / No!
Yes if you keep it all low voltage.
No if you use 240 volts
ie You can wire from the batteries to the 240v inverter but from there on you can not.

David

[pawnhead]

Thats a pretty decent solution Pawny, the pipe wont look that good out the wall but it will be hidden by a fridge,

Get a chrome flange to go around the pipe before you connect the fridge. Max bond it to the wall.

My place is full of kinkos and olives and thread tape. Nothing has ever leaked. Like bricksie say's do the nuts up really tight. I believe you can get brass (or they may be copper?) olives that are better than the nylon ones as well.