The Home Improvement Thread

[Taco Loco]

Very nice

 

[xJuice]

Started working on the garage heat since temperatures started getting colder up here. Tied the water in and added a hose bib inside, I can always expand to a sink in the future which is the beauty of pex!

Got all the piping tied in and the gas line and vent pipe routed for the heater, just need to finish up some electrical, plumb in the back flow preventer, air scoop, expansion tank, then wire up the thermostat. Good news is all the outside work is finished so I can work independent of the weather now

View attachment 7740 View attachment 7741

Is that the pex where you crimp the connectors together or stretch the pipe over the fitting

 

[PSU Taco85]

Very nice

Thanks, hopefully done spending money on the garage after this and spending money on the toys in the garage

Is that the pex where you crimp the connectors together or stretch the pipe over the fitting

They are crimped together with metal rings, super easy compared to sweating fittings and never have to worry about corroded fittings or piping.

Today I finished it up, installed expansion tank and bleeder valve, filled up the system with fresh water and bled all the air out, fired it up. Between the heater and floor pipes it's about 90 gallons of water total. So far everything is working good. Just need to tidy up the pipes and wires with some clamps and box off the corner where the pipes come through. Once I test everything and make sure there are no leaks I'll drain the water and fill with 35% glycol

 

[Oswego]

looking good. scott is probably twitching due to the "scab" install

 

[Taco Loco]

Thanks, hopefully done spending money on the garage after this and spending money on the toys in the garage



They are crimped together with metal rings, super easy compared to sweating fittings and never have to worry about corroded fittings or piping.

Today I finished it up, installed expansion tank and bleeder valve, filled up the system with fresh water and bled all the air out, fired it up. Between the heater and floor pipes it's about 90 gallons of water total. So far everything is working good. Just need to tidy up the pipes and wires with some clamps and box off the corner where the pipes come through. Once I test everything and make sure there are no leaks I'll drain the water and fill with 35% glycol


View attachment 7773

Since you are using a gas hot water heater, why didn’t you put it on a plat form?

 

[Anathollo]

Thanks, hopefully done spending money on the garage after this and spending money on the toys in the garage



They are crimped together with metal rings, super easy compared to sweating fittings and never have to worry about corroded fittings or piping.

Today I finished it up, installed expansion tank and bleeder valve, filled up the system with fresh water and bled all the air out, fired it up. Between the heater and floor pipes it's about 90 gallons of water total. So far everything is working good. Just need to tidy up the pipes and wires with some clamps and box off the corner where the pipes come through. Once I test everything and make sure there are no leaks I'll drain the water and fill with 35% glycol


View attachment 7773

@PSU Taco85 Also just noticed that you need to redo the water connections to flex lines. Overtime the hot water coming out will pull those connectors off. My house is all Pex lines but the connections at the water heater are still flex lines.
Area circled in green.

Swap them out to these

Also needs a drain pan and a drainage connector to the outside.

If you have to redo the connectors anyways, you should build a platform and mount that sucker high up so you'll have shop space. Or at the very least, build a closet around it to protect it from grinding sparks and getting hit by stuff.

 

[PSU Taco85]

Since you are using a gas hot water heater, why didn’t you put it on a plat form?

@PSU Taco85 Also just noticed that you need to redo the water connections to flex lines. Overtime the hot water coming out will pull those connectors off. My house is all Pex lines but the connections at the water heater are still flex lines.
Area circled in green.
View attachment 7783

Swap them out to these
View attachment 7784

Also needs a drain pan and a drainage connector to the outside.

If you have to redo the connectors anyways, you should build a platform and mount that sucker high up so you'll have shop space. Or at the very least, build a closet around it to protect it from grinding sparks and getting hit by stuff.

The lines were coiled up so they just need to warm up and I can bend them to shape and secure them to the wall. It was a very small radius coil so it was like wrestling with an alligator to get them to line up. I am going to keep an eye on them over the next few weeks and straighten them out. For radiant heating you need to use the pex with the oxygen diffusion barrier otherwise air can make it back into the system this is why I used pex all throughout the loop, otherwise I would have hard piped part of it.

The plan is to build a small closet around it and I'll have a "shelf" on top of the closet to store stuff, I had though about a platform but I didn't really want to have 40 gallons of water sitting 10' up in the air Plus once the closet is built you'll never see it again anyway

Why would it need a drain pan? The only reason for that would be if the relief valve lifted, I have the thermostat set to 95 degrees so the chance of that happening is very slim plus it's only running around 15 psi.

 

[PSU Taco85]

looking good. scott is probably twitching due to the "scab" install

yeah meanwhile he hasn't worked a day in the past 5 years. My pop's has had his plumbers license for longer than Scott's been alive lmao

 

[Taco Loco]

The lines were coiled up so they just need to warm up and I can bend them to shape and secure them to the wall. It was a very small radius coil so it was like wrestling with an alligator to get them to line up. I am going to keep an eye on them over the next few weeks and straighten them out. For radiant heating you need to use the pex with the oxygen diffusion barrier otherwise air can make it back into the system this is why I used pex all throughout the loop, otherwise I would have hard piped part of it.

The plan is to build a small closet around it and I'll have a "shelf" on top of the closet to store stuff, I had though about a platform but I didn't really want to have 40 gallons of water sitting 10' up in the air Plus once the closet is built you'll never see it again anyway

Why would it need a drain pan? The only reason for that would be if the relief valve lifted, I have the thermostat set to 95 degrees so the chance of that happening is very slim plus it's only running around 15 psi.

Standard code.

Let’s say 2 gallons of gas gets spilled on floor, it can be clear across the shop, the fumes alone hover low to the floor over to your ignition source.

 

[PSU Taco85]

Standard code.

Let’s say 2 gallons of gas gets spilled on floor, it can be clear across the shop, the fumes alone hover low to the floor over to your ignition source.

Maybe in texas? I've seen literally hundred of hot water heaters installed by licensed plumbers and never put a drain pan in unless it was at a customer's request. My Dad sub-contracts for Lowes and each one gets a permit and inspected, not once have I seen a drain pan. how would 2 gallons of natural gas "spill" it is not liquid and I've tightened all the connections. Sorry but not following it.

 

[Taco Loco]

Maybe in texas? I've seen literally hundred of hot water heaters installed by licensed plumbers and never put a drain pan in unless it was at a customer's request. My Dad sub-contracts for Lowes and each one gets a permit and inspected, not once have I seen a drain pan. how would 2 gallons of natural gas "spill" it is not liquid and I've tightened all the connections. Sorry but not following it.

Platform was I referring to

 

[Taco Loco]

Gasoline

 

[PSU Taco85]

I'm a dumbass haha, yeah i hear you on that. Luckily for the heater it is electronic ignition so no pilot. I guess I'll look at raising my insurance coverage on the garage

 

[PSU Taco85]

Gasoline

Most newer heaters have FVIR as well so elevating them is no longer required, although it probably still isn't a bad idea.

 

[Silverback]

Yeah, all my water heaters have a pan with a drain to the outside. Granted not much is going to happen if 40 gallons of water spills out onto your shop floor... not like it will warp the hardwood flooring or anything. But a drainpan is easy.. and cheap. And to prevent a potential mess I would do it.

 

[Silverback]

Chewed my pool contractors ass today. Fucking HATE when someone says they will do something and it doesn't happen... and then I have to be the one to ask "WTF is going on". Boy that pisses me off.

 

[Boomtacoma01]

Thanks for the links on the exterior trim differences Mike. I was just going to ask what something similar to that.

Light fixtures have been going out like crazy in and outside my garage. I got a 35W led barn light w/a dusk to dawn sensor to replay the clapped one on the exterior. Damn that thing puts out some light. I got 2 of them for 53 bucks on Amazon. Next up is the interior LED upgrade.

 

[Anathollo]

Yeah, all my water heaters have a pan with a drain to the outside. Granted not much is going to happen if 40 gallons of water spills out onto your shop floor... not like it will warp the hardwood flooring or anything. But a drainpan is easy.. and cheap. And to prevent a potential mess I would do it.

Well everyone should be draining their water heaters once a year to flush all the crap out of them...

 

[Silverback]

Worked on sorting out the rats nest that was below the TV in the garage. Its still a rats nest but its getting better. I need to make some shorter Cat5 cables because that would be a huge help.

Before

After

 

[Boomtacoma01]

I haven’t seen that brand of TV before