# Plumbing question



## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

A plumber came to install a hot line shut off valve under my kitchen sink with a new faucet. The cold line already had that old style gate valve which I tested and worked before the job. What reason would he have for still adding that second cold service line valve? Wouldn't that just make the older one completely useless/obsolete? Why didn't he just use the old one and save the new part or better yet, remove the old gate valve and put the new valve there? I realize I could just ask him but maybe you guys have seen this before and could suggest a reason before I contact him.


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## oscer1 (Jan 27, 2010)

well he might of left it on becuase if the other valve dont shut off all the way you still can turn off the gate valve and change the other valve without turning off the whole house water. that is my opinion.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

The end of the valve my not fit the new line.
Also, may be that is what they had on them.

BG


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi Solidify :wave:

I had a similar install some years ago when my local council 'upgraded' all the flats on my estate, renewing all the plumbing and so on. The plumbers fitted the small chromed 'isolation' valves everywhere (Like this). When I asked them about the new valves, they said they're in line with new building codes - They left the older 'turn-on-off' valves partly because of costs to remove them, partly because the vibrations from sawing them off could damage the joints further back along the pipework.

You might have had similar 'building-code' updates over in Canada too


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

The plumber just took a shortcut and didn't bother unsweating the old valve. Maybe he didn't want to use a torch in the confined space of the cabinet....

I'm surprised the plumber didn't clean the corrosion off the pipe before installing the new shutoff.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> The plumber just took a shortcut and didn't bother unsweating the old valve. Maybe he didn't want to use a torch in the confined space of the cabinet....


Couldn't he have just cut the pipe right before the old valve instead of sweating it off?



> I'm surprised the plumber didn't clean the corrosion off the pipe before installing the new shutoff.


I'm not surprised. Not calling him again. He forgot his small pipe cutter here; mine now!


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

He may have left the valve because it turned off the water. Some times it easier than trying to find the main valve.

You need it away from the wall in order to cut, may not have had the space.

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> He may have left the valve because it turned off the water. Some times it easier than trying to find the main valve.


The blue valve and the one to the right that he installed do the same thing; they turn off the cold water for the faucet. 



> You need it away from the wall in order to cut, may not have had the space.


He had more than enough room (the pipe was about 6-8 inches from the wall) and especially since he was using those tiny pipe cutters that don't have handles (the small round ones).


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Call them and complain.

One valve does not control both hot and cold water.

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> One valve does not control both hot and cold water.


Did I say otherwise?


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Misread it.........


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Looks to me like he needed a way to connect he service hose to the pipe and the valve was the simplest way he had on the truck


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Wrench, I provided the new valves, speedways and new faucet, went to buy all the parts before-hand because I knew what needed to be done. The plumber did not need anything; just had to do the work.

No worries BG.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Glad to see you used really good supply lines. Make sure you put really good lines on your washing machine too!

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

I'll look into that also. Why is the washing machine so important though?


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Hoses on them have been known to flex a lot. Flexing causes weakness and failure.

BG

P.S. I turn my water off if I going to gone for more than a day, easy for me to do.


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

> P.S. I turn my water off if I going to gone for more than a day, easy for me to do.


You mean you turn off these hoses that I have here?:


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

Also, I had a plumbing leak a yesterday so I had to rip the entire ceiling open for the plumber. When he came, he installed a new piece of pipe but it was an ugly bent piece. Something tells me that he just took a scrap. And he spilt solder all over my wall.


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

He may have used the soft tubing (comes in a coil) and atraightened it out best he could. Nothing wrong with soft tubing....has thicker walls and can handle more pressure than you'll find on a water supply. They did get a little sloppy with the solder......general rule of thumb is to bend the solder 90 degrees on the end to 'measure' the amount you're using. 1/2" bend for 1/2" and 3/4" for 3/4" pipes. Easy way to tell how much solder has been used.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

I turn off all water via the main valve, in the basement.

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

SABL, I didn't know that there is soft copper piping. Thanks for that. I guess I was wrong to assume he did the job bad.

BG, you turn off your main for the entire house if you're gone for a day? I can't do that because my main turns of my entire building and I am a landlord of a rental property.

Also, how long should the speedways be if I'm going to buy the good ones for my washing machine?


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Supply lines for a washing machine come in 4-5 foot length, buy what ever length you are using now assuming they are long enough for you.

Each apartment should have its own shut off valve that you control. If the apartment had a hot water tank in them, ideally they would also have a main line turn off valve too.

BG


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## Solidify (May 12, 2011)

On second thought, I'll hold off on the washer speedways. Mine still work fine now.



> Each apartment should have its own shut off valve that you control. If the apartment had a hot water tank in them, ideally they would also have a main line turn off valve too.


We have 3 tenants. 2 upstairs and 1 bachelor sharing the basement level with us (we have a basement as well). All 4 hot water tanks are in our garage. The pipes go up (or directly sideways in the case of the bachelor) to each respectively tenant. Those tanks have their own interrupters that you can see in the image attached (the one with the 4 boxes). 

The main valve that shuts off the water (cold line from the city) to the entire building is the big red gate valve that can be viewed in the image attached. That is a jacket closet in the basement entrance. The highest valve is for our outdoor hose spicket. The other valve is just an unused spicket that was meant for a hose (the garage used to be all concrete until we renovated it and split it in half to make a ceramic side for an office so that hose was pretty much made useless). The final green valve does absolutely nothing. I spent a day turning on all the water for all my tenants and my own and turned it off; didn't do a damn thing. With that being said, the tenants may have their off shut off's in their apartments but I have not had a chance to look for it yet, although I doubt they do.


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