# boiler guys you'll love this.



## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

all right, a friend of a friend buys this 100 year old house. it was a forclosure, and was winterized and he called me today to fire up the plumbing system and the boiler. i start doing the routine check list on the boiler and proceed to fill and bleed the sysyem. as im filling the water pressure on the tri-dicator is going no where. its a big house w/ base board and cast radiators but it should have started pressurizing. so i throw a gauge on one of the boiler drains to see if the tri-dicator is bad, still no pressure. so now im thinking leak so i start isolating zones to try to find the leak. i just got through the third zone and i hear someone banging on the front door and calling for me from the back. well its the neighbors saying thier basement is flooding. then they see im working on the boiler and remember these two huge houses at one time shared the boiler of the house i was in but had been seperated for 18 years but what the jackass did was cut the 1" feed lines in the neighbors house and not only didnt cap them, which they should have done in the mech room of the house i was in, he didnt bother labling the valves in the house, oh idont know maybe DONT OPEN THESE VALVES EVER!!!!!! so i capped the lines and ill be damned if that pressure didnt start to rise. it just kills me the jackassery that goes on in our world when hacks dont know enough or care enough. first time i ran into something like that. and im pretty sure the realtor may be getting a call for not disclosing that little nugget. but the homeowners next door were cool they knew i had no way of knowing and put the blame where it belonged, NOT ON ME!


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

I had to shut off the water to a house to make repairs once. The shut off was in a dirt basement. By the time I was coming back out of the basement the neighbor was at the door *****ing. Turns out both houses were fed from 1 meter and I turned off the water during his wifes shower. :laughing:


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

How the heck did you get a house with the plumbing crossing property lines?:blink: That would never fly where I'm at.


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

Protech said:


> How the heck did you get a house with the plumbing crossing property lines?:blink: That would never fly where I'm at.


 it should'nt fly anywhere. this house is 100 years old and this little town is 103 years old. code didnt apply here. just a bunch of farmers and cowboys playing plumber, with not even a little commen sense applied. on the upside most of the houses here are were plumbed by these yahoos, gives me a ton of work. im from st. louis, strict code, strict inspectors, i liked it that way. kept people safe. the way i see it ive got a whole town to fix.:thumbup:


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## Marlin (Aug 14, 2008)

100 years ago when boilers were a messy operation (piles of coal, possibility of explosion, etc) it was common for those that could afford it to have a separate house for their boiler. I see it every once in a while in large old houses. Of course the boilers have long since been disconnected but the evidence is there. Once place we work has about a quarter mile, probably more of 8" steam lines running underground through tunnels to the main house and the surrounding houses (all part of the same estate). Of course they haven't been in use for some time but at one point they defiantly had a separate boiler house.


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

marlin said:


> 100 Years Ago When Boilers Were A Messy Operation (piles Of Coal, Possibility Of Explosion, Etc) It Was Common For Those That Could Afford It To Have A Separate House For Their Boiler. I See It Every Once In A While In Large Old Houses. Of Course The Boilers Have Long Since Been Disconnected But The Evidence Is There. Once Place We Work Has About A Quarter Mile, Probably More Of 8" Steam Lines Running Underground Through Tunnels To The Main House And The Surrounding Houses (all Part Of The Same Estate). Of Course They Haven't Been In Use For Some Time But At One Point They Defiantly Had A Separate Boiler House.


 After Some Asking Around I Found Out That All Four Houses On This Block Were Connected W/ A Steam Boiler, There Was A Spline Feed For Coal, One Big Boiler For 4 Big Houses. 25 Years Ago The System Took A Crap And The Two Houses The One I Was In And The Neighbor Split The Cost Of A Gas Boiler And The New Copper Supply And Return. Evidentally The System Never Worked Right And The Neighbor Disconnected And Built His Own System. And The Guy That Did It Is 87 Years Old Now And Still Plumbing. And He Is The One Who Did Not Cap Those Lines. He Was Never Trained He Just Did It Out Of Necessity Learned As He Went, Unfortuntally He Never Got Real Good. Ive Seen Alot Of His Work, New And Old And Well, Its Not Good.


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## TDB (Jun 25, 2008)

uaplumber said:


> during his wifes shower. :laughing:


any pics?





We have several houses here in Anchorage that were estates at one time. Same situation. Once they split them up and sell them, the plumbing does not always get split up. Usually its the main water supply. One house ill control a couple more houses. And nobody ever knows about it until you tel them!


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## tciplumber (Aug 27, 2008)

I used to do a lot of water service repair work. It never ceased to amaze me how you could turn the curb stop off in front of the house and somebody two doors down, diagonally would come over saying their water was off. (this was common in the old parts of small towns) Made more work though, cause the city would want it fixed right, so the city would hire us to make a tap for the other house and connect the service correctly. In the end you'd feel a little better, like we'd righted some small wrong and made the world a better place...


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

100 years old with shared utilities and fubar workmanship? I see them too.
Only one solution for those homes....


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

service guy said:


> 100 years old with shared utilities and fubar workmanship? I see them too.
> Only one solution for those homes....


 give me the 'n keys.


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## where am i (Nov 14, 2008)

service guy said:


> 100 years old with shared utilities and fubar workmanship? I see them too.
> Only one solution for those homes....


is that cat from the vegas show ?


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