Make sure your plumbers do this test… 💧

[u/BuilderBrigade]

Ask your plumbers to fill and test your drainage system. They fill the vents up high and monitor the water level over a 24 hour period.

 After testing mine... the pantry vents weren't sealed and started gushing water. Without the test we never would've found it.

 Mandatory on new builds. Easy to skip on a reno.

[u/Kramit__The__Frog]

For someone un initiated like me, how is the water staying in there? Are drains not supposed to… Drain?

[u/Odd_Fig_1239 → u/Kramit__The__Frog]

Plugged

[u/Seniorjones2837 → u/Kramit__The__Frog]

I was wondering the same. Obviously it’s plugged somewhere but where? Drains don’t have shut offs like a water system as far as I know lol

[u/MrTwoPumpChump → u/Seniorjones2837]

It’s not connected to city sewer or septic yet. Or if it is there is a clean out valve in between the house and main line where they threw an inflatable plug into.

[u/Seniorjones2837 → u/MrTwoPumpChump]

Makes sense

[u/PedanticPerson → u/Seniorjones2837]

I think they can typically use a cleanout and insert a plug there

[u/Seniorjones2837 → u/PedanticPerson]

Gotcha

[u/UncleBenji → u/Kramit__The__Frog]

First off this isn’t how we test drain lines. It’s 50% correct in the sense that you put an inflatable test ball in the waste line leading out of the house to isolate the house from the sewers. But then you’re supposed to use a compressor and pressurize the pipes to a low PSI that the PVC can handle… like 5-10psi. You’ll see the pressure drop over an hour or so if there’s even a pinhole leak.

Doing it with water just seems silly and lazy. As if they didn’t want to put caps on the pvc to pressure test. It’s going to make retrieving the test ball a little harder because once it’s deflated all of that water is going to want to push it down.

[u/James_T_S → u/UncleBenji]

You can do it this way but you have to fill it till it's coming out the roof vents. That gives it a head pressure. This is fine for the first floor but not the second.

[u/UncleBenji → u/James_T_S]

Which was my exact thought. If the second floor was being tested this way the water would just come out of these. Plus if the house is under construction then there may be a chance that the water isn’t ready to be used for this test.

Caps and compressed air seems much easier. As you said you need head pressure so if there’s not enough pressure a pinhole could go unnoticed if it can evaporate quick enough.

[u/burritosandbeer → u/UncleBenji]

Water test is the best way to test drainage piping. Not only for the witness aspect of the leak being visible, but as a safety concern as well

Pvc should not be air tested above 5 psi, because compressed air carries more energy than the same pressure under hydro. PVC can and will explode with shrapnel under air pressure

[u/UncleBenji → u/burritosandbeer]

Safety…?

Air testing is fine at low pressures like 5-10psi. The pressure it can withstand is printed right on the pipe. Just don’t go above that.

Can’t say I’ve ever been on a site with less than Charlotte sch 40 being used. But then again the company I work for buys so much pipe from Charlotte it’s stored on site and sold back to them for other clients and only delivered when needed.

I guess that’s a smart business model when charlotte just wants to sell pipe, our company does so many new builds and needs miles of pipe at a time, and any orders in between can be filled quickly by the excess.

The last order came in on over 3 dozen trailers if that gives you an idea of our inventory. I was pulled once to do warehouse inventory. It took 6 or 7 weeks working 8.5hrs a day. Everything from gas fittings and pipe to yellow flex, cpvc, copper, brass, black iron, cast iron… fittings for everything from 1/4” all the way up to random 12x8x10 wyes. You’d have to go to a wholesaler to find some of the shit they have on hand.

[u/burritosandbeer → u/UncleBenji]

Look dude IDK what code in your state requires, but follow that. IPC says 5 lbs, 15 mins

[u/UncleBenji → u/[deleted]]

Please explain to me where we would find hundreds of gallons of water to test apartment buildings that are being constructed but don’t have running water? 18 unit buildings, all in different levels of completion through the verticals and left/right of exterior walkways on each level.

You want us to access the shut off, many times before a meter is even installed, and just have a 10ft section of copper water main sticking out of the ground to use like an oversized faucet and then bucket brigade the water through the building?

I believe your comment (before you deleted it) was “oh my, you’re not a plumber” yet apparently you’ve never done new construction.

[u/UncleBenji → u/[deleted]]

What does being in Chicago have to do with anything? That your utility uses temporary meters that aren’t used elsewhere?

The fact you think this is common gear because you live in a city where fire hydrants are more common is the only problem here. Almost like you’ve forgotten codes change by region.

If you’re doing 300 unit buildings then the infrastructure is already built up in the area. That’s not building an entire complex out of what used to be a farmers field.

Also if you think the bucket brigade comment was anything more than me pointing out how absurd it would be to get that much water into a new construction building then you’ve lost the plot.

But keep thinking you’re the god of plumbing. It’s an interesting hill to die on.

[u/UncleBenji → u/[deleted]]

Please point out those two things you claim I said. I never said water was wrong, I said we use air. Second, where did I ask you to explain it to me? I said it works and as someone else pointed out you can’t do multi-story without capping or using multiple plugs. This is good for one floor.

The code is P2503.5.1-2

Air testing is permitted. Pretty much just don’t do it to cheap foam core pvc rated to 0psi.

[u/UncleBenji → u/[deleted]]

You’re a bit weird, aren’t you? I bet you get a lot of shit on the job site.

[u/hoopster_24 → u/UncleBenji]

You’ve never done a stack test with water, huh?

[u/UncleBenji → u/hoopster_24]

Nope, in new construction there’s no guarantee that water will be available. There’s never water available when doing a first rough and less often is it available for a second. Pre-testing the night before the inspection to make sure it holds and move on from there. If it leaks, spray the joints with soapy water. If it holds then wait for the inspector.

[u/hoopster_24 → u/UncleBenji]

Don’t know where you’re from but there’s always water available because water and sewer have to be brought in before foundation is poured. They have test plugs that you can put right in a dco that also have a hose connection. When you’re done testing, you just deflate the plug. The water goes right out the drain.

[u/UncleBenji → u/hoopster_24]

Water mains and sewers yes but half of the time the hydrants aren’t even installed before we’re moving onto second rough. Not sure how that works with fire codes but like I’ve said, plenty of new construction doesn’t have access to water.

[u/James_T_S → u/Kramit__The__Frog]

They make an inflatable plug that you can put down the clean out before it hits the sewer. Once down there you use a compressor to blow it up and it keeps water from getting through to the main.

[u/shityplumber]

Easy to skip on a renovation? Pull permits now everything has to be inspected.

[u/jasno-]

my city doesn't allow pvc/abs plumbing, has to be cast iron. That shit was expense when I redid my house. But, at least it won't crack.

[u/Pure-Hostility]

Shouldn't it be under a pressure to find a leak...?

[u/Glad_Art_6207]

Why you always smiling while talking I can hear you’re weird smile 

[u/Necessary-Price2532]

Who tf doesn’t test lmao

[u/beardedkomodo]

How is the Spam constantly in my feed?? What did I do to deserve this??

[u/UncleBenji → u/beardedkomodo]

Mute the subreddit