Master plumber advice needed

[remod1]

any experience in multi story plumbing?? no individual shut offs, can shut off zones ie master bath powder room kitchen all floors.need to replace the shower mix valve and the shut offs for the toilet and lavs. how can I sweat the pipes or do they all need to be comp?

[geniescience]

i'm not the right person to tell you how to hold back the drips.

I'm pretty sure that to work on that portion of a 17 storey building that involves the "common" elements, you need to hire a Master Plumber, and not just consult one on the internet. This is a big-time responsibility thing. Not like doing your own plumbing in your own home.

david

[remod1]

I have stuffed bread into pipes to stop water flow and its worked. but this multi storey thing has me baffled. I am a master plumber in my own right. I am not a card carrying dues paying union plumber. I have been doing this stuff for 25 years this hi rise stuff is somewhat new though. any insight would be helpful thought.

[ruben s.]

multi-story apts. they forgot a flr drain inpublic bathroom, need a shallo p-trap, with trap primer..cored it, have post tension cables..need advice and product pronto, any body got a solution

[remod1]

Nice lame joke ruben.

[master plumber mark]

If you are not a plumber , fooling with something
that large could get you in trouble...

I generally shy away from messing with them....

many large buildings wont let "harry homeowner"
fool with the plumbing....have you got permission from the landlord to play "russian roulette " with his property??


you are gonna do what ever you want,, and perhaps you are already a lic plumber

but while you are asking advice on how to do service in a 17 story building....
please make sure you have plenty of insurance just in case you flood out the 12 flooors below you...

good luck..it will be fun

[Cass]

Do you have enough liability insurance $$$ to cover what could happen and will it cover a claim on a 17 story building?

Most jurisdictions will not go after someone who is not licensed and working on a single family home but a 17 story building (anything over 3 family in this state) is a horse of a different color. Your asking for trouble should something go wrong.

[hj]

Where did the 17 stories come from, or did I miss something? You don't need "bread". You just need to open the faucets on the lowest floor. You do need to sweat, and not use compression, inside the walls. The angle fixture stops can be compression. Ah, now I see where the 17 stories came from. The consequence of starting a second thread instead of continuing with the first one, and without referencing the first one.

[Bob NH]

You are certainly going to get everyone's attention when you shut off the water, so the manager is going to know about it. I would raise holy hell if some unit owner had my water shut off for his convenience.

Who plumbed this building without stops for each unit?

[remod1]

First off I plan on Hiring a Plumber. Second the building was plumbed in the early seventys. It was plumbed in stacks so all the master baths are on one stack powder room another etc. each with there own shut off. I was inquiring for
my own edification. I was trying to find out if there is a (trick) of the trade
I did not know about concerning multi story buildings. I was thinking it would take quite some time to drain down that many floors.I have a million dollar
liability policy and the brains enough to know when to hire a professional!!
However to figure how much time would be involved in two shower rough ins
in this circumstance was one of the purposes of me posting to the PROFESSIONALS here. Thanks to those of you who replyed with real answers
to my post.

[master plumber mark]

Who here claimed that they wereany professionals here ????

We are not doctors, you are talking to plumbers here fella......
but we make more money than some doctors do.....
so does that make us professionals???


I was just giving advice laced sometimes with some freindly sarcasm....



Big buildings can be a pain in the neck to find someone
willing to do the work in, in the first place...that is your first hurdle.
Make sure the fellow is insured up about 10mil....

All I know is depending on where you are
located , especially in NYC .......

they wont let you touch anything without approval and by people that they
allow you to use.....with their permission....

a measely little million dollar insurance policy
wont even scratch the surface for a good old
fashioned downpour.....


again good luck and have fun

[Dunbar Plumbing]

But play one on the internet.

Even if there was isolation valves installed when the building was built back in the 70's, those valves wouldn't be operable today anyway.

I don't think they had ball valves back then either. If cut-in valves were legal....that would be the only thing worth trying to isolate. Freezing kits would be another option but it's like anything in mass housing; you put it in and it doesn't get turned on or off until you need it....then it doesn't work anyway.

I used to work on 2-32 unit buildings taking care of all the service work. Two months and even though I was making money....the routine sucked.

The management would give 24 hour notice that the water was going to be shut down and instantly after it was off, complaints followed.

Always a hold out that would prevent a dedicated day to work on a faucet or likewise. All the old valves installed....none worked and the owner would not pay to replace them; figured that using the main for everything is cheaper.....and he was right. Just pissed everyone off when the entire building loses water for a faucet rebuild.

[Verdeboy]

http://www.brenelle.com/


For those of us who have worked extensively in apartment buildings, shutting off the water to a whole building is routine. The trick is to let them know in advance with a written note or just pound on doors if there's an emergency. The office staff has to deal with all the bitching.

But it sounds like he is able to shut off small sections, and so unless the gate valves are leaking, the pipes should empty out pretty fast. If not, there's techniques better than bread, like Jet-Swet.

[kordts]

Hell,
I guess because I have been a plumber for 11 years, I must be a master remodeler/G.C. because I have cut wood to make backing, cut studs to get them out of the way, cut holes in drywall, drilled thru siding and brick. I have busted up concrete and finished it, I have used screws and nails to put studs and backing in place, I guess you could say I have done every facet of construction. Plus, I have seen all the other trades doing their jobs, so I must be a master remodeler/G.C. It's easy.

[remod1]

I have spent 30 years learning my TRADE! Just because you can cut a floor joist out of your way without heading it off does not make you a gc your a hack plumber at best.