Plumb Day One

Soooo .... what next ......

It's always a little awkward going from one stage to the next. Not just do you have to change out your tools sets, but you have to start thinking with a different mindset. Today is plumbing supply lines day one.

Now just like the electrical, you run all your main lines to a central point, in plumbing, it's the manifold, and then from the manifold, you run larger lines to the water tanks. It's more like a modern freeway system, not like a country road system.

But because every home is different and has different requirements (for example number of bathrooms or in our case, two kitchens) we build the main manifolds. Now there are some off the shelf manifolds, but we are old school and like to solder everything.

We want to place the manifolds in the center wall between each duplex because it's a 2x6 wall, but don't want to have to take a stud out.

Maybe it'll fit like this?

Remember, we've got to fit the hot and cold manifold in there, and there's gotta be enough spots for two home's worth of water lines.

Maybe this way?

Or maybe we should stagger them like this so the valves are easy to reach? You never know when you might need to shut off a water line.

And finally, we just decided that we were over thinking everything, and would just do two straight manifolds, with 8 on each, side by side. This may mean the access panel will be a little larger, but it's going to be in the garage. Does anyone care?

I'll ask the car.

Valves fit on.

Think your jewelry is expensive? Each of these sparklers was $10 each. Ouch. At least we aren't paying $100 an hour to have it all installed. The Ram is pretty happy with a hot lunch and a day off once in a while to go fishing.

And me? Well, you know me. DIY IS what I like to do.

All the joints get soldered.

And then ends that don't get a supply line get soldered closed.

Then we just mount the two manifolds in between studs in the center wall in the garages. We'll pull all the water supply lines to these guys.

One's hot, one's not.

We'll be using tubing for the water supply lines.

After drilling all those giant holes for the plumbing drain lines, then the HVAC and Dryer vents, and then more holes for the electrical, this plumbing stuff is much easier.

And one is not.

Down below, we've positiend the manifolds right below the kitchen's and baths, so it's a really short run over

And down to the main center wall.

Neatly stapled in place.

And brought to the main manifold.  

Most of our first day running plumbing was used up by figuring out the main manifolds, and we only got a couple of supply lines run.  We'll run the rest tomorrow and get everything hooked up and put it to the pressure test.

I'll give you a hint: dishwashing soap in a spray bottle.

If you know what I'm talking about you are either a DIY dork or a pro plumber.  Or you are just really really smart.  Have you done plumbing lines in your home?  Did you do tubing too?  Build your own manifold?  Or does your home have an off the shelf manifold?  There's unilimited ways to go about DIYing a home, and it's always interesting to learn about different ways things are done!

Thanks so much for reading and following along!  We just might make this Mother's Day moving date!