melev
Working on the concrete (water heater plumbing)
by
, 09-27-2010 at 04:24 PM (8674 Views)
Over the weekend, I tackled a relatively small project that turned into an exhausting task. The copper pipe that comes up out of the slab foundation feeds the water heater, and it had to be relocated. To do so, I had to cut out the concrete around those pipes, which allows for the necessary alterations that get the water heater completely out of the way once and for all (I hope!).
I rented a concrete cutting saw, and walled off the fishroom from the living room.
The saw is gasoline-powered, and it turns out that using it in an enclosed space can make your eyes water, lungs burn, etc... I had the door from the fishroom open to the garage and a large floor fan blowing in fresh air from the opened garage area. Even then, I had to take breaks to let the room clear out the fumes and take in some fresh outdoor air myself. I ran the saw with a garden hose to keep the dust down, but the fumes were the issue.
Eye, ear, and nose protection wasn't good enough, and it wasn't long before I considered raising the white flag.
Persevering on, I got the concrete cut and then returned the saw in exchange for a hammer drill. The drill comes with one attachment, which was a 1/2" concrete boring bit. I also rented a sharp spike bit, and a chisel bit. With the bits, I was able to break out the concrete easily.
I did accidentally puncture a copper pipe, but it was for the emergency overflow if the TPRV were to blow. I broke away more concrete to make room to repair that section.
Hopefully there is enough space to work, as new copper pipe will be sweated to the old. Once this is done (tomorrow), I can begin to build the forms and install the rebar for the new concrete. I drilled some holes to tie the old and new concrete together.
The garage area was cleared out to make room for the upcoming work, and for the pallet arriving tomorrow with sand and salt, as well as other stuff I ordered from Premium Aquatics.
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