mckern
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I own a condo in a 3 story/6 unit building. Recently, one owner consulted a plumber, who said that we risk serious damage to our old plumbing system when we shut of the building water supply to do repairs. What can we do to minimize the risk?
Background: although most fixtures in the building have local shut-off valves, none of the bathtub/showers do (2 baths per unit). The building water supply must be shut-off for all repairs to this plumbing, as well as for the occasional job where the local shut-off is not sufficient/applicable.
Frequently, following building water shut-offs, there are changes in the water pressure throughout the building. We've been told by several plumbers that this is due to bits of corrosion in the system being moved around by the off/on. The last shut-off--a couple of weeks ago--to relocate a kitchen sink resulted in the complete loss of hot water in one shower, significant loss of pressure in another shower, and in a bathroom sink (3 different units, on different floors, both sides of the building).
We're looking into alternatives (e.g., adding shut-offs to the showers is an obvious place to start), but the fact remains that some plumbing work will require that the building supply be shut off. Other than the shifting grit, what can go wrong?
BTW--I'm the one who lost all hot water to one shower. I've already dismantled and cleaned the faucets and shower head, but there was no improvement.
Thank you
Background: although most fixtures in the building have local shut-off valves, none of the bathtub/showers do (2 baths per unit). The building water supply must be shut-off for all repairs to this plumbing, as well as for the occasional job where the local shut-off is not sufficient/applicable.
Frequently, following building water shut-offs, there are changes in the water pressure throughout the building. We've been told by several plumbers that this is due to bits of corrosion in the system being moved around by the off/on. The last shut-off--a couple of weeks ago--to relocate a kitchen sink resulted in the complete loss of hot water in one shower, significant loss of pressure in another shower, and in a bathroom sink (3 different units, on different floors, both sides of the building).
We're looking into alternatives (e.g., adding shut-offs to the showers is an obvious place to start), but the fact remains that some plumbing work will require that the building supply be shut off. Other than the shifting grit, what can go wrong?
BTW--I'm the one who lost all hot water to one shower. I've already dismantled and cleaned the faucets and shower head, but there was no improvement.
Thank you