# too much flux



## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

These pictures come from a school built in 2005. The domestic tempered has never been right. I have been troubleshooting when the kids are out, so far I have discovered and fixed many problems. The Symmons faucets have those little inline filters and checks, plus the .5 gpf aerators, so the pipes have never been flushed. This is from last week, remember it's 8 years old.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Looks like a cross connection with the boy's restroom.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

The inspectors and the plumbers should be in deep crap. They are using water for food. How are the kids drinking water when thirsty. I am surprised nobody has gotten sick or called the news.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

That's what you get for oversizing those pipes to specs and have the restricted aerators to save water, thus, reducing the chance to flush out stagent water.


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

Looks like its tied into the fire sprinkler system. Or maybe the gravy pot in the cafeteria.


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## plumber101us (Feb 25, 2013)

very surprised someone has got deathly Ill from that and started a class action lawsuit that includes everyone who has worked on that system. Believe me it would happen here. I recommend you talk to them about filtration systems and periodic flushing of the lines to prevent someone from dying or getting a waterborne disease


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## cydejob (Feb 19, 2012)

rjbphd is right. I worked on many schools exclusively and everything was oversized and then had water saver aerators so if lines were not properly flushed(Which was the case many times) lines would get gummed up and spew crap or plug up. I would be going back to the schools many times over the school year. 
As for getting sick all the flux we had to use were water soluble and Non-acid, non-toxic, lead-free, Contains no zinc chloride. The lazy trimmers would just throw stops on and call it a day. Myself and others would take the couple minutes to hook a speedy up and flushed the lines the best we could. Guess which ones had problems. 
plumber101us im not sure how big the schools are in Kansas. Most in the Chicagoland area have hundreds of fixtures and would be next to impossible to get a district to do routine maintenance flushing. They have many more hazards lurking in the walls and ventwork of the schools.


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

Isolate the section pump a chlorine heavy solution into the line, let it set for four hours then flush. This will strip all contaminates from the water lines and sterilize them. This will cause your problem to go away.


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## cydejob (Feb 19, 2012)

wyrickmech said:


> Isolate the section pump a chlorine heavy solution into the line, let it set for four hours then flush. This will strip all contaminates from the water lines and sterilize them. This will cause your problem to go away.


Seems like a huge liability and cost. If the trim guys would take the time to hook up a temp speedy and flush for a few minutes all problems could be taken care of. Also if the guy roughing it in applied minimal flux with a flux brush instead of with his hand this could all be avoided.


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

cydejob said:


> Seems like a huge liability and cost. If the trim guys would take the time to hook up a temp speedy and flush for a few minutes all problems could be taken care of. Also if the guy roughing it in applied minimal flux with a flux brush instead of with his hand this could all be avoided.


No it isn't all you have to do is find a source,mop sink would be first choice. Then you shut the water off to the area you want to clean hook up a hose to something again a mop sink would be first choice in the middle of the hose make a pipe with ball valves on either end and a tee with a ball valve,this is how you put the chlorine in.turn the water on and draw the water to the farthest point. Most jobs require you to sterilize and clean the potable water and this is how its done.this problem of the flux is excessive and I agree most of the problem could have been flushed out. The problem would however would cause problems for a wile if you don't clean and disinfect.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

Hold The Phone!
You can't inject a chlorine solution in a school's domestic water system without a controlled written plan so everyone is informed, and should be done on spring break, or a long weekend.
1) No one except the custodial staff and plumbers performing the work should be in the building.
2) Samples need to be drawn and tested to make sure no one gets sick from drinking water mixed with chlorine on Monday morning. How do you know if you flushed the lines enough?
3) Water disinfection is serious business. There are a lot of precautions for this work, and every decision maker should be informed. Be careful.

*Are the domestic and fire services combined? Separated by a backflow preventer?


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

You don't do it when people are in the building! You flush twice as much water as the mains will hold out of each outlet. And yes you can take a test kit if you are not sure. It is not that big of a deal just let everybody know what you are doing.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

*You can't do that here*



wyrickmech said:


> You don't do it when people are in the building! You flush twice as much water as the mains will hold out of each outlet. And yes you can take a test kit if you are not sure. It is not that big of a deal just let everybody know what you are doing.


I am prequalified to work in NYC public schools. You would have legal problems if you did that here. Schools, especially old ones, are enormous complicated places with storage tanks, h/x's, with valves that don't work.
We have potable water disinfection certification for a reason. If you don't want to sub it, get the cert.
Our specs require a written plan, approved by the p.o., environmental agency, and all parties involved. Plumber signs off on disinfection entry and flush points. 
The plan has to show how you will prevent the migration of solution to places unintended.
Lots more factors, too.
I was a skeptic at first, but I wouldn't want my kids to go to school with anything less thorough.


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

Sounds like you have major problems with your plumbing. Don't think that we don't take precautions I have disinfected labs,schools,hospitals and even state capitols. Actually if I am not mistaken all plumbing projects are required to be disinfected.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

*Ok*



wyrickmech said:


> Sounds like you have major problems with your plumbing. Don't think that we don't take precautions I have disinfected labs,schools,hospitals and even state capitols. Actually if I am not mistaken all plumbing projects are required to be disinfected.


Yes, there are major problems with plumbing in schools. Giving money abroad to groups who hate us takes priority. 
I see you know what you're doing. Others may not. I think way more info is needed than what has been posted in this thread for someone reading this to go out and inject chlorine solution in a school.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Il. code requires a chlorine disinfection on all domestic plumbing. Anyone can do it, but the samples have to be tested at an approved lab. This school was tested and approved for occupancy. I am going to spend time on this school this summer and can hopefully get it flushed out. I will guarantee you that the flux used was not "water safe." The plumbing contractor was a lowballer, who cut corners, most of the schools he got were run by 2nd and 3rd apprentices, who thought they were hot stuff. All of the journeyman would drag up on him because he was such an idiot.


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

422 plumber said:


> Il. code requires a chlorine disinfection on all domestic plumbing. Anyone can do it, but the samples have to be tested at an approved lab. This school was tested and approved for occupancy. I am going to spend time on this school this summer and can hopefully get it flushed out. I will guarantee you that the flux used was not "water safe." The plumbing contractor was a lowballer, who cut corners, most of the schools he got were run by 2nd and 3rd apprentices, who thought they were hot stuff. All of the journeyman would drag up on him because he was such an idiot.


Went into a school a few years back where the only direction I had was just fix what is wrong. After a couple of hours I called back and told my boss I could not find anything that was right. I had the general contractor get ahold of the engineer and have him give me a list. Six pages on plumbing and four on heating and cooling. After all of this I found out the mechanical contractor had been escorted off sight by the police and the administration of the school. Another case of a lowballer that didn't know what he was doing.


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