I ripped the kitchen ceiling down some months ago so that the builder could fit some steelwork to support the rear of the house and open it up to the new extension. This results in an L-shaped kitchen / diner / sun room / utility room etc. It also exposed several iterations of pipework dating back to the original build in 1934, including some of the original lead pipes. Most of this had been fitted from the rooms above and ended up taking all sorts of bizarre roundabout routes. After several generations of plumbers had had their way, it was truly a rat's nest.
Before replacing the ceiling, I wanted to simplify the plumbing and wiring. Here's just one small section - probably about 1/6 of the total. I've marked up the redundant pipework with a red spray paint. It doesn't leave much. And I carefully painted the gas pipe in yellow, to avoid accidentally chopping through it....
I started by chopping out all the redundant circuits and making more direct (shorter) pipe runs. This will help to reduce the pressure drop and speed up the time for the hot water to get up to temperature. And will ensure the potable water is clear or any risk of lead contamination.
Here's the same section afterwards.
And the main run from the new boiler. The plumber fitted the large 22mm push fit pipes originally. Now the shower, radiators etc tee off close to where they are needed.
The job took about 3 days, spread around other tasks and activities. Finally I ended up with a fine pile of junk pipes - and a still-functioning house. Today I took the copper (35kg) and lead (8kg) to the local scrap dealer who gave me £128 for it. Doesn't look like a lot of money sitting there, does it? Bargain buckets.
So over the past weekend, having finished the plumbing work, I finished off the larger tool rack. That involved drilling 30 of the 44mm dia holes. This is it on the lower shelf, already almost full:
No comments:
Post a Comment