# Empire State Building construction



## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

http://www.geh.org/fm/lwhprints/htmlsrc/m198501520001_ful.html#topofimage

I was looking for pics about the construction of the Empire State Building and found this. I'd just finished a big heat pump job, and honestly, the techniques for moving big, heavy stuff hasn't changed much. We hauled several Multistack units up and down stairs exactly the same way. Even the coveralls haven't changed.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

I had to change the gaskets on a 36" 90 in "closet" one time. It was in Dallas at the Magnolia blg.. Only 1 man would fit in there with the fitting. I was scared I was going to fall in the pipe and down 26 floors the whole time. OSHA had just been formed as was not very active at the time.

Click on the "did you mean" for a picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_Hotel_(Dallas,_Texas)


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## markb (Jun 11, 2009)

Found this too

Wooden water main construciton


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

markb said:


> Found this too
> 
> Wooden water main construciton


Redwood Pipe is Good Pipe! :laughing:


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Amazing what they used to be able to do when labor was so cheap. Guy I worked for told me that labor used to be so cheap, you could have a guy work on a project for weeks at a time, and not owe much. Materials used to cost way more, according to him.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

How the heck did they seal the seems????



markb said:


> Found this too
> 
> Wooden water main construciton


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## Plumbworker (Oct 23, 2008)

id say oakum and pitch


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## mssp (Dec 15, 2009)

I wonder how they did seal it? I know that it would swell when wet but I dont think enough to seal that many seams


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Anybody see the dirty jobs episode where they replaced a wooden water tank on the roof of a building in NY city?


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Protech said:


> How the heck did they seal the seems????


I think the would put the water to it, the wood would absorb the water and swell, thus sealing the pipe.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Protech said:


> How the heck did they seal the seems????


I have an old redwood hot tub, when assembled and first filled with water it leaks like crazy till the wood absorbs the water and expands, then not a single leak ever.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Kinda like an old wooden boat.

They will sit in the water in the sling for the first few days when first put in.

They leak like mad until the wood swells.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Yeah I saw that. It was very interesting. They said every new wooden barrel and the water towers on top of bldgs. in NYC all leak at first when new, but, after water swells the wood, it seals all the leaks. I imagine the wooden water mains would work the same way.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Chicago still has areas with wood water mains in use, but they are drilled single log mains that are joined with jute and pitch.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

RealLivePlumber said:


> Anybody see the dirty jobs episode where they replaced a wooden water tank on the roof of a building in NY city?




Hey Real live plumber, you mentioned the roof-top water tanks on NYC bldgs. When I cruised around Manhatten island once on the Circle Line, the man narrating the cruise spoke about those wooden water towers. He said the history behind them was there was a bad fire in the late 1800's during the middle of winter. The water mains he explained were frozen due to the frigid temperatures. Consequently alot of the wooden buildings burned. So, the city fathers came up with an alternate method of fire fighting. I don't know if story is accurate, but that is what the gentleman tells passengers on the Circle Line after passing under GW Bridge and headed down town back to port. Upper Manhatten skyline shows many buildings if not all with a water tower on top.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Killertoiletspider said:


> Chicago still has areas with wood water mains in use, but they are drilled single log mains that are joined with jute and pitch.


Ill american water has a small museum on the top floor of the pump house at one of the treatment facilities here in town. 

They have a bunch of wooden main stuff in there. Some with fire plugs, IIRC. Cool stuff.

Used to be wooden steam mains also.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Tommy plumber said:


> [/COLOR]
> 
> Hey Real live plumber, you mentioned the roof-top water tanks on NYC bldgs. When I cruised around Manhatten island once on the Circle Line, the man narrating the cruise spoke about those wooden water towers. He said the history behind them was there was a bad fire in the late 1800's during the middle of winter. The water mains he explained were frozen due to the frigid temperatures. Consequently alot of the wooden buildings burned. So, the city fathers came up with an alternate method of fire fighting. I don't know if story is accurate, but that is what the gentleman tells passengers on the Circle Line after passing under GW Bridge and headed down town back to port. Upper Manhatten skyline shows many buildings if not all with a water tower on top.


I think he was BS'ing a little. Or just did not know. I believe the tanks are put there to provide pressure to the upper floors of the buildings. The water is pumped up into the tank, and gravity provides water pressure. I'm not sure if they use municipal water towers. I would guess not, if they need their own. 

I just saw something on TV that tells about how NYC gets all its water from a resivour a couple hundred miles north. The conduit is wooden, and leaks like millions of gallons a day. A whole town an hour north of NYC is messed up because of it. I think they said NYC uses like a billion gallons a day.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

The only downside of wood pipe is it is a biotch to thread...
It's really tough to get a clean thread cut...:laughing:


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

RealLivePlumber said:


> I think he was BS'ing a little. Or just did not know. I believe the tanks are put there to provide pressure to the upper floors of the buildings. The water is pumped up into the tank, and gravity provides water pressure. I'm not sure if they use municipal water towers. I would guess not, if they need their own.
> 
> I just saw something on TV that tells about how NYC gets all its water from a resivour a couple hundred miles north. The conduit is wooden, and leaks like millions of gallons a day. A whole town an hour north of NYC is messed up because of it. I think they said NYC uses like a billion gallons a day.


 
After my post, I researched on-line and yes you are right, the main purpose of the water towers is to regulate water pressure in the bldgs. 

97% of NYC gets its water without pumps; gravity only from huge resevoirs in the Catskills upstate. There was however another site that stated there was a great fire in Manhatten in 1800's during winter.


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

Redwood said:


> The only downside of wood pipe is it is a biotch to thread...
> It's really tough to get a clean thread cut...:laughing:


 Then solder it


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Redwood said:


> The only downside of wood pipe is it is a biotch to thread...
> It's really tough to get a clean thread cut...:laughing:


Liquid nails....


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Is laying wooden water mains plumbers or carpenters work?


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

jjbex said:


> Is laying wooden water mains plumbers or carpenters work?


Hmmm Interesting thought there...:whistling2:

I suppose you'd have to check with the union...:laughing:

Let the plumbers union and carpenters union sort it out....:thumbup:

Oh wait! It has iron bands...

Better get the Ironworkers union in on this too!

Damn this is gonna be a big job!:laughing:


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

I'm pretty sure IPC requires all wooden pipes to be brazed if underground.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

*An add on to the empire state building topic*



plumber666 said:


> http://www.geh.org/fm/lwhprints/htmlsrc/m198501520001_ful.html#topofimage
> 
> I was looking for pics about the construction of the Empire State Building <SNIP>
> 
> ...


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