# French plumbing



## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

I am visiting France, this is some of the worst plumbing I've ever seen. I will
Explain photos and tell more stories when I have more time. I haven't posted in a week or so and I had to share the first half of my trip with you. 

Guys, it's unreal the **** they do here. I haven't seen 1 vent on anything, no shutoff valves on sinks, toilets that hook up all crazy, upside down water heaters, wierd looking traps, and 3/8" soft copper tubing for most supplies to bathrooms. 

Don't worry I got a lot more pics and another week in Paris, let's see what I can find. 

Let me know if you want me to look for something specific..

Enjoy!!

Mike


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Excellent thread !


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## PinkPlumber (May 20, 2012)

I wonder what they think, with this American running around snapping pics of toilets and sinks? I wonder what they think when they come here?


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

You've never seen a bottle trap or a close coupled toilet before?


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

The lift out in the shower drain is a hair trap -- You pop off the grid and lift out the trap to clear the ptrap of French armpit hair.


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## RGPlumber (Jan 30, 2012)

Wow


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## RealCraftsMan (Dec 27, 2011)

Plumbing is a secondary thought to them as most buildings pre-date indoor plumbing. Shiots just added here n' there....


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

You find it odd that a french plumber gets halfway through a job and surrenders? Pick up a history book, they'd be speaking german if it wasn't for us.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

The French bathe?


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

*somebody had to say it.*

Cheeses Eating Surrender Monkeys.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Just how I'd imagine a European trailer park. 











Paul


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

thanks for the pictures. It is cool to see how other countries do stuff


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

This heating system must be an open boiler system


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## PinkPlumber (May 20, 2012)

I have a friend in Africa right now. I will ask her to send some pics....


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Wait 'til you get to the sewers....:detective: oui oui monsieur. Some french philosopher caught a nasty disease living in the parisian sewers during the french revolution of the 1780's. Some history buffs on here might know more about it.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

I counted about a dozen s-traps

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## MarkToo (Dec 17, 2011)

Mississippiplum said:


> I counted about a dozen s-traps
> 
> sent from the jobsite porta-potty


That's surprising. 

You took your shoes off didn't you?


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

How does the newer construction look?


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

MarkToo said:


> That's surprising.
> 
> You took your shoes off didn't you?


What makes you think he wears shoes?


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

MarkToo said:


> That's surprising.
> 
> You took your shoes off didn't you?


:laughing:

No need, ten fingers and two feet!


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## pilot light (Apr 21, 2012)

Tommy plumber said:


> Wait 'til you get to the sewers....:detective: oui oui monsieur. Some french philosopher caught a nasty disease living in the parisian sewers during the french revolution of the 1780's. Some history buffs on here might know more about it.


 It was not Voltaire!:laughing:


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

I found the same thing in Germany and Austria.

Mark


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

Looks like my county. Shoot, I bet we're French.


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## SPH (Nov 4, 2008)

Remind me not to travel with you!


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## mccmech (Jul 6, 2011)

Is it code over there for the fire extinguisher next to a toilet?


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

I leave here tomorrow, this weekend I will update this tread with A LOT of pictures and try to give explanations of what I saw. Honestly, it's unfreaking believable!


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Michaelcookplum said:


> I leave here tomorrow, this weekend I will update this tread with A LOT of pictures and try to give explanations of what I saw. Honestly, it's unfreaking believable!


See if you can take some photo's of some of the plumbing for outdoor 'water features'.

We stopped drinking the local water altogether when we saw how the courtyard fountain at our B&B in Normandy was being replenished.

Fed from a vinyl hose run about 200ft from the stop on our lavatory -- Not the worst thing I've ever seen. What made us stop drinking the water was the concrete culvert under the 'feature' that funneled the overflow back into the open air well.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Widdershins said:


> See if you can take some photo's of some of the plumbing for outdoor 'water features'.
> 
> We stopped drinking the local water altogether when we saw how the courtyard fountain at our B&B in Normandy was being replenished.
> 
> Fed from a vinyl hose run about 200ft from the stop on our lavatory -- Not the worst thing I've ever seen. What made us stop drinking the water was the concrete culvert under the 'feature' that funneled the overflow back into the open air well.



And that's why the french drink wine.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

LEAD INGOT said:


> You find it odd that a french plumber gets halfway through a job and surrenders? Pick up a history book, they'd be speaking german if it wasn't for us.


Hilarious! You should write for Letterman.:thumbup:


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## bizzybeeplumbin (Jul 19, 2011)

Michaelcookplum said:


> I leave here tomorrow, this weekend I will update this tread with A LOT of pictures and try to give explanations of what I saw. Honestly, it's unfreaking believable!




Sad thing is, and this is why hacks get away with it here. It works! Plumbing will work like crap for a very long time.

I swore I have seen some of that crap at IKEA.


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## myakka (Jun 15, 2011)

I did the same thing in 1987 when I was there. Good to see they haven't improved!


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Popped off a access panel and took these. Bath tub waste/overflo. Hard to tell but over flow is flex and hooked into the back side of that fitting. Then from the "tee" or whatever that is, it is connected with flex again to some sort of grey PVC. Looked like 11/4 pressure size


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Double bowl kitchen sink with overflo


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Couple different types of hose bib set ups. A female x quick disconnect fitting was commonly found. Even the sprayer was QD


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Pop up pottys made from cardboard. We're used by the red cross in Japan after tsunamis


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Welded gas line in the building I stayed in. Not sure how the made those bends it was some sort of steel pipe. Odd valves and not sure what psi it was. It looked like a new service tying into old copper pipe


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

In a public restroom


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Michaelcookplum said:


> Couple different types of hose bib set ups. A female x quick disconnect fitting was commonly found. Even the sprayer was QD


Looks like the exact same QD's i bought at HD 10 years ago.


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

plbgbiz said:


> Looks like the exact same QD's i bought at HD 10 years ago.


Correct, these fittings were on every single HB I saw there. Not sure about your area but you would never find that here.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Michaelcookplum said:


> Correct, these fittings were on every single HB I saw there. Not sure about your area but you would never find that here.


My area? Heck, I had them on my house. :laughing:


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## antiCon (Jun 15, 2012)

wow...bottle traps popular there i guess


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

More public restrooms pics. Very common to not find a toilet seat, most had the dual wall flush option. All were in the basements of restaurants. Separate WC rooms with a shared sink in another room. The one picture is the only sinks I saw without bottle traps!


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Do they even believe in venting?

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## PinkPlumber (May 20, 2012)

Fabulous convoluted waste lines to hold the pee....geez that's gross...


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## PinkPlumber (May 20, 2012)

Just for fun, you need to check out a plumbing supply house or at least a hardware store.:thumbup:


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Another public bath with a right side inlet, and pics of downspouts. All which were cast iron. In one of these is a couple wyes that went to smaller drains, looked as if they were geririggid emergency drains


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

2 different 4'x4 models of under ground Paris. Showing the subway, sewer system, catacombs, and an underground city. Didn't do the sewer tour but apparently the sewers are very large throughout the city. 8x12' tall with "door ways" to each building on the street. Pipe comes out from building and drops in high to the sewer. There was a tour to walk through the sewers or the catacombs..... We choose....









Catacombs!!!


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## Michaelcookplum (May 1, 2011)

Pics from Chateau Amboise. Well before 1900's


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## Catlin987987 (Nov 12, 2010)

Mississippiplum said:


> Do they even believe in venting?


The Urinals were like that when I was in London, UK. It works, I think that we just over vent everything in the americas


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## fightnews (Jun 3, 2012)

looks mostly like old old plumbing. plenty of that in this country. I kind of like those traps with the tee on the house side. those are cool.


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