# High Rise water shut down



## Prof.plumb (Apr 5, 2012)

Coming up to doing a building water shutdown for repairs all on my lonesome. Been on a few but a little stressed doing it alone on a building I'm not familiar with. I plan on finding and turning off the domestic booster pumps, hot water recircs and shutting off the main in that order. Then draining her down. Any advise or heads ups from any high rise service vets on here is greatly appreciated. Cheers!


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

*Hello! Introduction Requested* 
An intro is requested from all new members. In case you missed it, here is the link. http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/. 

The PZ is for Plumbing Professionals ( those engaged in the plumbing profession) 

Post an intro and tell our members where you are from, yrs in the trade, and your area(s) of expertise in the plumbing field. 

This info helps members who are waiting to welcome you to the best plumbing site there is. 

We look forward to your valuable input.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

...


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Prof.plumb said:


> Coming up to doing a building water shutdown for repairs all on my lonesome. Been on a few but a little stressed doing it alone on a building I'm not familiar with. I plan on finding and turning off the domestic booster pumps, hot water recircs and shutting off the main in that order. Then draining her down. Any advise or heads ups from any high rise service vets on here is greatly appreciated. Cheers!


Hire real service plumbers..


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

Sounds about like you've got it, just fill it slow. I always wait until a tower stops filling from city supply pressure before engaging the booster pumps, and with the domestic recirc pump in the penthouse mechanical room I'll install a 3/4" ball valve with a hose connection between the pump isolation valves that I can use for purging air from the recirc (if necessary). From this valve I'll throw on a garden hose and drop it into a floor drain when purging. I'd also isolate the RP boiler feed if it has one, to prevent it from discharging and losing any system treatment or glycol.

I see guys jumping on you on the no-intro thing, but I see you've been a member for just over a year.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

We make any domestic water repairs on the lower floors with flanges. Usually 2nd floor and above the water drains down pretty good. We do water shutdowns at a local hospital all the time. The boss wised up and shuts off the booster pumps for the hot also.


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

make damn sure you check the pressure in the building after you turn the pumps back on, just to make sure the PRV is working and hasn't gotten trash in it. I have seen very bad **** happen when the prv isn't checked.


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## Prof.plumb (Apr 5, 2012)

Sorry about the no intro. Just posted one.


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

Oh yeah, turn off the water heaters :whistling2:. It was pretty obvious but still nobody had mentioned it. I find myself dropping towers with regularity due to NFG floor isolation valves that we discover during the perpetual recirc pinhole repairs.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

CaberTosser said:


> perpetual recirc pinhole repairs.


From hindsight, how would you have gone about piping these buildings to avoid pinholes? I have my theories and practice them, but I just wonder what a guy who sees this often would do.


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

Plumbus said:


> From hindsight, how would you have gone about piping these buildings to avoid pinholes? I have my theories and practice them, but I just wonder what a guy who sees this often would do.


 
First off is to install valving to allow for domestic hot water system balancing, second is to actually adjust them when its up & running. I have a few client condominiums where the original mechanical contractors put in either proper balancing valves or just globe valves, but all I've encountered are wide bloody open. Put in either an adjustable balancing valve or a Griswold valve, and adjust it to a specification calculated to suit the requirement. One building has just ball valves on the recirc from each suite and they're all seized in position they've been set to (Kitz brand valves, btw) and its an extremely large building, I shudder to think of the leaks from turbulence that are imminent downstream of all of those throttled ball valves and the PITA it will be to fix them all (hundreds). In other buildings I am encountering repeat leaks in the same spots to the extent I know it will be steady work for a year or two to fix them all; pre-emptive repair quotes have been provided to the client to repair the towers floor by floor, suite by suite. We've already upgraded about 18, with only about 340-ish to go. I hate unnecessary, repetitive work made necessary by others incompetence.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

CaberTosser said:


> First off is to install valving to allow for domestic hot water system balancing, second is to actually adjust them when its up & running. I have a few client condominiums where the original mechanical contractors put in either proper balancing valves or just globe valves, but all I've encountered are wide bloody open. Put in either an adjustable balancing valve or a Griswold valve, and adjust it to a specification calculated to suit the requirement.


I came across this in a trade magazine a while ago. It could be a solution to this problem without a lot of manual balancing. I've talked to the tech people there and I plan to use it on an upcoming project.
http://www.circuitsolver.com/


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Prof.plumb said:


> Coming up to doing a building water shutdown for repairs all on my lonesome. Been on a few but a little stressed doing it alone on a building I'm not familiar with. I plan on finding and turning off the domestic booster pumps, hot water recircs and shutting off the main in that order. Then draining her down. Any advise or heads ups from any high rise service vets on here is greatly appreciated. Cheers!


 







If the valves are old crusty-looking gate valves, I'd have building maintenance shut off those....if they break when you re-open them, then YOU broke them....if they break when the maintenance man opens it, then HE broke them. Get the point?


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

CaberTosser said:


> First off is to install valving to allow for domestic hot water system balancing, second is to actually adjust them when its up & running. I have a few client condominiums where the original mechanical contractors put in either proper balancing valves or just globe valves, but all I've encountered are wide bloody open. Put in either an adjustable balancing valve or a Griswold valve, and adjust it to a specification calculated to suit the requirement. One building has just ball valves on the recirc from each suite and they're all seized in position they've been set to (Kitz brand valves, btw) and its an extremely large building, I shudder to think of the leaks from turbulence that are imminent downstream of all of those throttled ball valves and the PITA it will be to fix them all (hundreds). In other buildings I am encountering repeat leaks in the same spots to the extent I know it will be steady work for a year or two to fix them all; pre-emptive repair quotes have been provided to the client to repair the towers floor by floor, suite by suite. We've already upgraded about 18, with only about 340-ish to go. I hate unnecessary, repetitive work made necessary by others incompetence.


And ream all of the pipe..............


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

Prof.plumb said:


> Coming up to doing a building water shutdown for repairs all on my lonesome. Been on a few but a little stressed doing it alone on a building I'm not familiar with. I plan on finding and turning off the domestic booster pumps, hot water recircs and shutting off the main in that order. Then draining her down. Any advise or heads ups from any high rise service vets on here is greatly appreciated. Cheers!


downfeed or up feed....should be tier valves up top for downfeed in the crawl up top and a return valve in the basement level ceiling.....I dont advise turning off pumps without the building engineer involved, plumber or not....I hope the answer didnt come too late...


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## CaberTosser (Mar 7, 2013)

RealLivePlumber said:


> And ream all of the pipe..............


You can rest assured that the repairs I've done or supervised have been reamed; I've also replaced the elbows with long-sweep 90's that I get at a refrigeration supply house, those things are very thick-walled to boot.


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## r.tan1 (5 mo ago)

WATER SHUT DOWN WHAT BE CAN HEIP ME


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

r.tan1 said:


> WATER SHUT DOWN WHAT BE CAN HEIP ME


This is my new favorite.


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## r.tan1 (5 mo ago)

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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Nice.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

r.tan1 said:


> WATER SEE BE WHAT SCARY SO LIKE HERE 🚿🚿🚿


WATER BILL A FORGET ABOUT YOUR ORDER AND THE BILL.


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