A Salute to David and Plumbers Everywhere!

Some people may be wondering why I would post a salute to David and Plumbers everywhere on a crafty blog. Well I gained a new appreciation for plumbing today and realized just how "creative" one has to be at times when fixing pipes.

Last May David and I purchased a trailer. We figured it was the cheapest way to live for two considering the lot fee is all the rent that needs to be paid. This trailer has been quite the adventure. We repainted the whole inside; sadly I did not take before and after pictures or else they would be on this blog. Before we moved in nobody had lived in the trailer for about a year. We had our concerns about the electricity and plumbing, but decided to go with it anyway. When the water was connected and I swear the pipes shot out more water than they held. David had a crash course in plumbing. Thanks to countless hours he put in, a lot of advice from Lowes and Home Depot employees, and a phone call with questions to a plumber friend David was able to get our trailer livable. I think we both gained a new appreciation for running water in a home.

After that experience David and I are ultra sensitive to any dripping noise we hear. This past January some skirting on our trailer came off. When David putting the skirting back on, much to our dismay, he noticed an icicle hanging from one of our pipes. We haven't been able to much about it until now because of it being too cold, but decided today would be dedicated to fixing it.

Where we accessed the leak

I had to be brave and get under the trailer with David. The crack in the pipe was right on a T-joint. David's plan was to cut the joint and replace it. The joint was in an awkward spot. It had other pipes close above it and one to the side. There was also a wire hanging down right in front of the pipe. Needless to say an extra pair of hands was needed to make sure only what needed to be cut was cut. 

Under the trailer

Under the trailer was super super super muddy and wet. We were both covered with mud, water, and instillation. We found we stayed much warmer when we had a water proof layer on top. That way the water isn't directly on the skin.

David covered, and no that's not mud on the top of his lip, it's his attempt at Mustache March. 

In the beginning we tried cutting the pipe with a grinder. As we got going we realized we could not get it to go all the way through. David got his "creative" on and tried to cut coming from different ways or holding the saw at a different angle. We soon had to face the sad fact that a grinder is not the most effective way to cut something in a tight spot. It's really hard to get different angles and it does spark a lot. We ended up using a Sawzall, which worked beautifully and no sparks. 

Sawzall on the left, grinder on the right

The cut up T-joint

After two union joints, three nipple pipes, one elbow joint, one T-joint, a roll of teflon tape, and a can of thread sealant we, well mostly David, was able to get our trailer up and running again and I was able to learn just how much work goes into plumbing. So this is my salute to David and Plumbers everywhere. Keep up the good work and keep being creative with those pipes!

A couple of tips if you decide to D.I.Y plumbing. Telfon tape and thread sealant is your friend. Go around the thread at least 8-9 times. Get familiar with monkey wrenches and have a selection of sizes they help out a lot. Union joints are a stroke of genius. Where appropriate definitely use them.

Dave and Me after a dirty, rough day of plumbing.