Do-it-yourself plumbing repair in a private house

In detail: do-it-yourself plumbing repair in a private house from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

In any private house outside the city, one of the priority works is to carry out a water supply system. Such a thing cannot be called simple, especially if the building is not new for a long time, however, many works on the installation of a water supply system can be done even with your own hands.

Drawing up a diagram can be called a rather important matter that it is undesirable to neglect. When the decision on the availability of water supply is made, you need to draw a diagram according to which it will be laid in the house. It is important to consider all the elements, including filters, pumps, boilers, manifolds, etc. The path along which the pipes will be laid, as well as the placement of all other elements, are applied to the diagram along with the designation of the distances. This will help you calculate the required number of pipes.

In the diagram, the laying of pipes can be marked in 2 ways:

Connecting in series. Recommended for small houses, since this scheme requires a main pipeline, and a tee is provided from it to each water consumer. With a large number of consumers, the pressure will be insufficient.
Using a manifold. Separate pipes go from it to consumers, so the pressure will be equal in all parts of the house. The cost of this option is more expensive, since the number of pipes will be greater.

Let's consider the most common scheme. The pipe from the source of water intake is led to the side of the pumping station, where there is a valve that prevents the return of water. The outlet pipe pumps the accumulator with water, and a tee is installed behind it. Pipes for technical needs and for domestic water supply depart from the accumulator.

Video (click to play).

A pipe carrying water for use in the home leads to a purification system to rid the water of harmful impurities. Behind the water purification system, a tee is again mounted, provided for the separation of water. The pipe carrying the cold water goes to the collector, and the pipe that carries the future hot water goes to the heater. On the lines to water consumers from the cold water supply collector, stopcocks are installed. From the water heater, the pipe passes into a collector with hot water, and then the pipes are routed through the building.

The most difficult and dusty job during plumbing is to create holes in the floor and walls. The rest of the tasks (cutting and connecting pipes, installing a pumping station, connecting filters, connecting pipes to a collector and water consumers, and others), although they take a lot of time, do not require significant physical strength. And therefore even a beginner is capable of arranging everything on his own.

Having planned the installation of the water supply system, the first task will be the selection of pipes, in particular the material from which they will be made.

These pipes are the most expensive but are considered the best. Copper pipes are not harmed by corrosion, microbes, ultraviolet radiation, increased pressure, temperature differences, harmful additives in water.

These are pipes made of aluminum, finished with plastic on both sides. Sediments do not accumulate on such pipes, rust does not develop. Outside, they are not affected by condensation or ultraviolet light. The disadvantages of such pipes are sensitivity to increased temperature (deformed at 95 degrees and above) and freezing.

Benefits of steel: durability and strength. Disadvantages: the formation of rust, laboriousness of work (the need for welding and threading when connecting).

They are distinguished by good technical characteristics, durability (they serve for 50 years), and ease of installation.For hot water supply, polypropylene pipes with reinforcement are created.

These pipes do not oxidize and do not need to be checked frequently, so they can be hidden under plaster. The difficulty in choosing such pipes lies only in the need to use a special welding machine to connect them.

Choosing the right diameter is also important. If it is insufficient, then due to the turbulence of the water flow, more lime will be deposited on the walls, and the movement of water will create more noise.

The diameter is selected taking into account that the water must move at a speed of up to 2 m / s. It is also important to base the selection on the length of the piping. With a length of up to 10 m, pipes d 20 mm will be enough, for a length of 10-30 meters, pipes with a diameter of 25 mm are suitable, and for a longer pipeline length, choose pipes d 32 mm.

In order to correctly determine the diameter of pipes for a house with a large number of residents, it is important to take into account the simultaneous water consumption in the house - how many appliances and taps will be turned on at once (how much water they will pass per minute). For a small family, but with a large number of appliances consuming water, you need to calculate the total water consumption of all points, and then subtract 25-40%.

The connection of pipes made of polypropylene, including reinforced ones, is performed by welding:

Pipes are cut with special scissors, getting pieces of a certain length.
Mark the weld spots to be cleaned using a damp alcohol wipe.
Having installed the necessary nozzles on the welding machine, turn on the device and set the temperature on it.
After the device warms up (the lights go out), we push the pipe sections onto the nozzles up to the marks, but without turning.

When the pipes have already been started, we wait a few seconds and remove the nozzles (let your assistant hold the device), after which we clearly and quickly connect the pipes and hold them together a little. The result will be a smooth connection. When the result is not pleasant, the connection section is cut off, and the procedure is carried out from the beginning. The welded pipes are allowed to cool for a short time and then used.

Prepared pipes are laid in the house, starting from water consumers.
The pipes are connected to the consuming point with an adapter so that a tap can be installed to shut off the water.
Pipes are laid to the collector. It is advisable not to pass pipes through walls, as well as partitions, and if you have to do this, enclose them in glasses.

For easier repairs, place the pipes at a distance of 20-25 mm from the wall surfaces. When installing drain taps, create a slight slope towards them. The pipes are attached to the walls with special clips, installing them on straight sections every 1.5-2 meters, as well as in all corner joints. Fittings and tees are used to align pipes at corners.

When connecting pipes to the collector, shut-off valves are always installed (they are needed for repairs and the possibility of turning off water consumption).

Try to make as few corners or turns as possible to minimize pressure loss.

It is possible to increase the level of comfort not only in country cottages, but also in small country houses, simply by running a water supply system. We will not assure you that this is easy, especially if the house is old construction. However, almost all work on the installation of a water supply system in a house can be done with your own hands, without asking for help from specialists.

According to the connection method, the circuit is divided into two types: serial and parallel.
The serial connection is suitable for the system device in a private house, which has a small area and few consumers. In this case, the water supply goes first from the source (well), then, for example, to the toilet room, from the room to the kitchen, and so on. That is, to each consumer in turn.

Therefore, when two or three consumers are turned on at the same time, on the one that is located farthest, the pressure will be very low, unable to meet the needs. The water supply system according to this scheme is quite simple to arrange. We start the water supply from the source (well) to the first consumer... We put a tee on the pipe, and we get two outputs and one input to this consumer, and to all other consumers.
The parallel circuit assumes a different connection of consumers. Here we include the collector in the circuit. We lay water supply from the collector to each consumer. Having chosen such a wiring system, you need to take into account that the cost will be higher, mainly due to the increase in the number of pipes, but this will pay off in the future.

The house plumbing diagram consists of:

1.source (well, well or central water supply);
2. pumping station or pump (necessary if the source is a well or a well);
3. hydroaccumulator (for water storage);
4. filter for water purification;
5. tee, for the future separation of hot and cold water supply;
6. a collector with shut-off valves at each outlet for cold water;
7. boiler or gas boiler;
8. collector for hot water.

Where is it better to get water from a well or well? The depth of the well is not more than 10 meters, while the well reaches 30 meters. The water in the well is more polluted, so the water supply system will have to be equipped with several filters. For a well, you will need to purchase an expensive submersible pump.
In this case, the water supply will look like:

Source (well or well).
Pumping station or submersible pump. Before connecting the pipe to the pump, a check valve must be installed so that there is no return of water.
Hydroaccumulator.
If water will be used for technical needs, a tee with a shut-off valve must be installed on the outlet pipe after the accumulator. Bring one pipe out for household needs, and the other for technical needs.
For household needs, a filter must be connected to the pipe.
After the filter, we mount a tee, which will be divided into cold and hot water.
We connect a pipe to the cold water collector and install shut-off valves on each line.
We connect a pipe for hot water to a water heater, and from it we lead to a collector with hot water, and then we do piping throughout the house.

First of all, you need to calculate the pipe diameter... If the diameter is small, then the water will make noise, and if it is large, then the pressure drops. It is not difficult to make a calculation, knowing that
the length of the plumbing of a private house affects the diameter of the pipe.

If the length does not exceed 30 meters, then a 25 mm inner diameter is sufficient.
If more than 30 meters, then 32 mm is optimal.
If the length of the pipeline is less than 10 meters, then a diameter of 16 or 20 mm can be dispensed with.

Now we count the number of consumers and compare it with the following data:

diameter of 25 mm passes 30 liters per minute;
diameter 32 mm - about 50 liters per minute;
diameter 38 mm - 75 liters per minute.

If more than three people live in a private house, you need to add 40%, because all consumers can be used at the same time.

Today the market offers us pipes from the following materials:

Choice of pipes

steel;

copper;

cross-linked polypropylene.
Each of these materials has advantages and disadvantages.
Copper pipes are durable but expensive.

Metal-plastic is not afraid of corrosion, sunlight, but for such systems, temperatures above 95 degrees are excluded. Therefore, such pipes are suitable for cold water supply from a well or well.

Steel products are strong, durable and relatively inexpensive. But they are highly susceptible to corrosion. Also, when installing the water supply system, you will have to independently cut the threads on each element.
Polypropylene products are new to the market, but they are very popular.They do not corrode, do not oxidize, and are durable. Their use allows the installation of a water supply system to be made simply and quickly. But they are connected with a special soldering iron. Perhaps this is the drawback.

We start installation of water pipes from the source... If we take water from a well, we install a submersible pump, if from a well, then a surface one. We attach the pipe to the pump with a clamp. Sometimes a threaded adapter is used, it is also taken when connecting to the central system. Then we lay pipes to a private house, to the accumulator.

A hydraulic accumulator is needed in case of frequent interruptions in the water supply, as well as if the water pressure in the system does not provide all people with a sufficient amount of liquid.

After the accumulator, we put a tee with shut-off valves. One outlet is used for routing to the water heater, and the other to the cold water supply manifold.
If you install filters, they must be installed before the heater and before the cold water supply manifold. We continue to lay the water supply from the boiler to the hot water supply manifold.
From each circuit on two collectors, we lead the wiring to consumers.

A pressure gauge and a meter install the appropriate services at the entrance to the house. For wiring pipes inside the house, a tee, diameter adapters, corners are used.

When performing such work, we adhere to the following rules:

We draw pipes through the wall in a special glass;
To facilitate the repair, all elements are carried out at some distance from the walls.

On this, the installation of the water supply system in the house can be considered complete.

Now we see that organizing a water supply system in a private house with our own hands, having certain skills in performing plumbing work, is not particularly difficult.

"Everything flows," said Heraclitus. "Your truth" - sighed plumber Afanasy

Our topic today is the repair of water supply systems in a country house. We are going to get acquainted with some typical malfunctions of water pipes and shut-off and control valves, analyze their causes and find ways to eliminate them. So, let's go.

The cause of leaks on the liners and water supply spills are:

Rotting linen thread winding on cold water and burnout on hot;
Corrosion of steel pipes;

Useful: pipes are destroyed most quickly by rust on threaded connections. The reason is obvious: there is less metal thickness and the paint-and-varnish anticorrosive coating is often broken. The honorable second place in terms of the number of problems created by the owner is occupied by welded seams.

Destruction of rubber cores of flexible hoses to mixers and cisterns;
Development of stuffing box packing on screw valves;

The source of the leak is a worn out oil seal

Incorrect assembly of fitting connections metal-plastic pipes for hot water. As a consequence, the joint leaks after several heating and cooling cycles.

Let's find out what the current repair of the water supply in the house looks like in each case.

Most often, leaks are given by connections on the squeegees after the valves, under sinks and on the branches of steel bottoms and connections: the rewinding of the locknuts is most vulnerable to dampness and high temperatures.

You can rewind the current thread:

Sealing thread Tangit Unilok

Linen set with silicone

Here is a step-by-step instruction on how to rewind a do-it-yourself drive:

Turn off the water and relieve excess pressure in the water supply by opening the tap of the nearest mixer;
Unscrew the lock nut counterclockwise 3-4 turns;
Remove the remnants of the old pre-roll;
Wind a strand of flax soaked in paint or silicone or several turns of thread sealant along the thread between the locknut and the fitting (coupling, tee, etc.);
Tighten the lock nut moderately.

How to repair the water supply in a private house if the steel water supply is leaking?

On a smooth pipe section, it is easy to stop the leak using an aluminum clamp and rubber gasket for the crane box or a piece of rubber cut from the inner tube.

When the water is turned off, the section of the pipe around the fistula is cleaned of paint and rust;
The gasket is pressed against it and crimped with a clamp.

Please note: the bandage is considered to be a temporary measure, however, the author knows cases when, after bandaging the fistula, the riser or eyeliner performed their functions for decades.

Installation of a bandage from an aluminum clamp

What to do in case of a leak on a thread cut on a non-separable water supply system? Alas, just change the problem area.

This can be done in two ways:

With the involvement of electric arc or gas welding - cutting off the thread and welding a new pipe;
With manual threading on the whole pipe section. Instead of the problematic section of the water supply, a new branch pipe or squeeze is installed.

Note: modern polypropylene pipes are free from corrosion problems and do not use threaded connections.If you are tired of repairing your old water supply, maybe it's time to change it?

Repair of in-house engineering systems of cold water supply: risers are changed to plastic

In case of any leaks of flexible connections, the repair of water supply systems in houses is predictably reduced to their replacement.

1/2 in. (15 mm) thread extension

Flexible hose from corrugated stainless steel pipe

In most cases, the leakage of the screw valve stuffing box stops if you open it completely: the stem thread presses the stuffing box, and it tightly compresses the stem.

If the oil seal is completely worn out, it must be filled again:

Close the valve;
Remove the wing (flywheel on the stem);
Unscrew the union nut on the gland;
Prying a screwdriver, pull out the oil seal;
Place a few turns of the graphite packing around the stem;

Hint: if the gland you purchased has a too large cross-section, dissolve it into individual fibers.

Reassemble the valve in reverse order.

Gland packing on screw valve

A typical mistake when installing metal-plastic pipes on compression fittings is an attempt to put an unevenly cut and uncalibrated pipe on the fitting nipple, from which the internal chamfer has not been removed. In this case, the pipe strips off the O-rings from the fitting and displaces them towards the fitting body.

Compression fitting for metal-plastic with O-rings on the unions

After several cycles of heating and cooling of the fitting, which has been crimped in this way, the inner polyethylene shell of the pipe is gradually squeezed out of the gap between its aluminum core and the fitting, and the joint begins to leak.

The problem is solved quite simply:

When the water is released, the connection is disassembled;

The pipe is calibrated with the obligatory removal of the internal chamfer;

Calibrator for multilayer pipe with knives for internal chamfering

O-rings are put in their original position in the grooves on the fitting, after which the fitting is lubricated with liquid soap or any neutral grease;
The connection is re-assembled.

They manifest themselves as follows:

Water is not supplied or is supplied with a minimum pressure to a separate mixer;
Water does not flow into the toilet cistern;
There is no cold or hot water in the whole house or on several appliances.

How do you troubleshoot the related faults?

The number one reason is the blockage of the filter-aerator on the gander. A fine mesh is quite capable of clogging up even if there is a coarse filter at the entrance to the house.

The aerator makes the jet volumetric with minimal water consumption

Signs: weak pressure on both cold and hot water. At the same time, the pressure on the remaining plumbing fixtures is normal.

We unscrew the aerator;
We take out the filter and rinse with water;
If the filter consists of 6-8 stainless nets, we throw out most of them, leaving 2-3 nets;
We assemble and install the aerator in place.

Cleaning aerator clogged with sand and scale

Attention: to remove the aerator, use an adjustable wrench or, as a last resort, a gas wrench with dense rubber under the sponges. Pliers or bare steel jaws of the gas wrench are guaranteed to rip the chrome finish off the aerator.

Why is it not only dispensing cold or only hot water? Reason: Sand, slag, scale and rust accumulated under the saddle of the crane trailers.

With the water turned off, unscrew the crane box from the mixer body;

By unscrewing the crane follower, you can clear the blockage under the saddle in the mixer body.

We pierce the blockage with a thick wire or a long thin screwdriver;
We open the valve and wait for the water to take out all the garbage into the sink, bathtub or dishes. If necessary, clean the saddle again;
We put the crane box in place.

Why may water not flow into the waste tank?

The reason is almost always a clogged filler valve nozzle. The nozzle is always easily cleaned with an awl or a thin wire, but the valve disassembly algorithm is different for each set of fittings.

Soviet-style brass valve

Plastic tank valve with side connection

If there is no cold or hot water in the whole house or on several devices, the repair of the water supply systems of a country house usually comes down to one of two operations:

Unclog the plug under the seat of the screw valve. To do this, you need to shut off the water to the valve (in the well at the entrance to the house, as an option - order a shutdown from the organization supplying the water). The valve head is unscrewed, and the blockage is destroyed with a screwdriver, cable or any other tool of suitable size;

The valve head is unscrewed, freeing up access to the seat

Cleaning the steel water supply system from accumulated deposits. The pipes are cleaned with a string or cable through the nearest threaded connection. The operation is very time consuming and requires a certain skill, so the owners of clogged steel water pipes often prefer a complete replacement of the water pipe.

The photo allows you to assess the scale of the problem of overgrowing of steel pipes

Now let's take a look at autonomous cold water supply in houses: repair and adjustment are required for these systems as well.

First, a few words about how the water supply from a well or well works:

The pump raises the water and creates excess pressure in the water supply system;
The hydraulic accumulator smooths out pressure surges when the pump is turned on and stores water, allowing the pump to be idle for a significant part of the time;
The pressure sensor monitors the number of atmospheres in the water supply system and, when the pressure drops to a critical level, turns on the pump, and when it rises to the set value, turns it off.

The device of the autonomous water supply system

Understanding the principle of operation of an autonomous water supply system, it is not difficult to diagnose problems in it.

If the pump turns on frequently, this may indicate:

Excessively small volume of the accumulator;
The underestimated pressure of switching on the pump.

Captain Evidence suggests: in the first case, the installation of a more capacious accumulator is required, in the second - the adjustment of the pump automation.

Do not forget that the effective volume of the accumulator is less than its total volume and depends on the pumping pressure, pump on and off pressures

If the pump does not turn off, the obvious reason is the overpressure of its shutdown, which exceeds the head created by the impeller. The solution to the problem in this case also comes down to adjusting the automation.

Video (click to play).

As you can see, most of the problems of water supply systems are completely solvable and does not require the involvement of specialists. As usual, the reader can find additional information in the video attached to the article. Good luck!

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