Do I need a professional plumber?

[rgrdns]

21 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Glue joints are for plastic drains!

 

This mornings effort, the Thai plumbers put 7x 90 degree joints in this 1m length of pipe (in the walls). Impossible to get a steel snake down to clear, so I had to dig through the wall, then dig out the slab floor. Managed to do the job cutting out all their joints, and with 3 joints creating a washing machine drain point at the same time.

 

Just finished gluing the joints 5 mins back, will fill the wall and slab another day, tired now. Next time the kitchen sink drain blocks up the steel snake only needs to go round 1x 90 degree bend.

 

It didn't help having 3 days of torrential rain, forcing me to block up the hole in the wall and bring my tools in.

I can imagine, 13 years ago I bought a newly built condominium in a prime area of Bangkok, up til today I am still working in it because of simple/cheap/flaws constructions. Recently I found out that aircon pipes are just simply embedded in the walls without using e.g. a pvc pipe to go through, if you've got to replace new air conditioners you must change the pipes too (R22 to R32 refrigerant) ...just let y'all know in case.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, rgrdns said:

Hi,

It's mandatory in Thailand to have a "building insurance" for condominiums, ask the building management what exactly their insurance covers besides the building structure or common area's.

If you are planning to buy insurance, read their policy very thoroughly e.g. what exactly it covers...it's interesting expierence I can tell you.

I am sure it will be very interesting to me if it is in Thai. ???? 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 9/17/2023 at 3:38 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't think there was any technician at my home who wouldn't love to have my tools.

 

Until now I don't have all of them, but I am working on it. ???? 

 

Makita?

 

I had a great ( and expensive ) Makita SDS drill, but the BIL stole it after I got divorced.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 9/17/2023 at 4:40 PM, BritManToo said:

Glue joints are for plastic pipes!

 

This mornings effort, the Thai plumbers put 7x 90 degree joints in this 1m length of pipe (in the walls). Impossible to get a steel snake down to clear, so I had to dig through the wall, then dig out the slab floor. Managed to do the job cutting out all their joints, and with 3 joints creating a washing machine drain point at the same time.

 

Just finished gluing the joints 5 mins back, will fill the wall and slab another day, tired now. Next time the kitchen sink drain blocks up the steel snake only needs to go round 1x 90 degree bend.

 

It didn't help having 3 days of torrential rain, forcing me to block up the hole in the wall and bring my tools in.

My BIL built an outside bathroom and buried the basin outflow. Unfortunately the outflow ended in the ground with no way for the water to escape!

 

Across the road they built a block of workers rooms and the grey water was piped into an open drain which drained in the big stormwater canal that ran outside our house.

The joys of livin' in LOS.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 9/15/2023 at 11:04 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

One explains how to use Teflon tape. 

If you are a plumber or if you did already some work like that, is it as easy as it looks like? Or does it look easy but somehow it actually is a lot more complicated than it looks?

Did you sort that?

It is as easy as it looks as long as you remember which way to apply it.

[Yellowtail]

I have done and or supervised a fair amount of industrial and residential plumbing. 

 

PVC is pretty easy to work with, but unlike steel or copper, it is not very forgiving. Once you glue it, it's pretty much done.

 

It is very cheap. I would recommend buying bunch of fittings, some pipe, and some glue, and play with it until you get comfortable with it. You're a bright guy and you'll catch on pretty quick. 

 

As others have indicated, teflon tape can be used as a lubricant and or a filler/sealer. I have not had great success with PVC screw connections sealing completely when oriented correctly, and the tape helps with this. 

 

Try clean, dry, burr-free cuts make the best connections. Trying to glue wet pipe can end in disaster. 

 

Fit up all your parts without glue first and determine what order you will glue them in before you start. You do not want to get to the end and your pipes are too close together to get the last fitting in. 

 

I think it is all pretty interchangeable, but try to stick with a single brand of pipe, fittings and glue to avoid any issues. 

 

You will likely not have to glue the drain together if it is fit-up correctly and unstressed. Make you use a trap. 

 

[PaluixoRry]

It's tough when you're dealing with issues that stem from poor construction, especially in something as big as a condo. It sounds like your aircon system needs a bit more attention than just a new unit, with those pipes being embedded like that.

[Will B Good]

On 9/15/2023 at 6:11 PM, transam said:

Don't use PTFE where the seal is a rubber washer of some sort.

 

WHAT?

[PaluixoRry]

It's tough when you're dealing with issues that stem from poor construction, especially in something as big as a condo. It sounds like your aircon system needs a bit more attention than just a new unit, with those pipes being embedded like that. I’d say, definitely get a professional involved here—especially when it comes to refrigerant changes and replacing pipes. Since you’re dealing with refrigerants like R22 to R32, it's important to make sure everything is done right, or you might run into bigger problems down the line. For the pipes and drainage setup, you might want to consult with a drainage engineers.

[Will B Good]

On 10/5/2023 at 10:04 AM, Yellowtail said:

I have done and or supervised a fair amount of industrial and residential plumbing. 

 

PVC is pretty easy to work with, but unlike steel or copper, it is not very forgiving. Once you glue it, it's pretty much done.

 

It is very cheap. I would recommend buying bunch of fittings, some pipe, and some glue, and play with it until you get comfortable with it. You're a bright guy and you'll catch on pretty quick. 

 

As others have indicated, teflon tape can be used as a lubricant and or a filler/sealer. I have not had great success with PVC screw connections sealing completely when oriented correctly, and the tape helps with this. 

 

Try clean, dry, burr-free cuts make the best connections. Trying to glue wet pipe can end in disaster. 

 

Fit up all your parts without glue first and determine what order you will glue them in before you start. You do not want to get to the end and your pipes are too close together to get the last fitting in. 

 

I think it is all pretty interchangeable, but try to stick with a single brand of pipe, fittings and glue to avoid any issues. 

 

You will likely not have to glue the drain together if it is fit-up correctly and unstressed. Make you use a trap. 

 

 

“Key” around (not along) the ends with emery paper….never had one leak yet.

[sometimewoodworker]

On 10/5/2023 at 10:04 AM, Yellowtail said:

PVC is pretty easy to work with, but unlike steel or copper, it is not very forgiving. Once you glue it, it's pretty much done.

True. However it also has problems with UV damage and can become rather brittle.

My preferred material is PP-R as I have had leaks with PVC. With PP-R once welded there is no possibility of a leak. I now only use PVC for waste water which means that any leak will cause virtually no problem .

[OneMoreFarang]

This thread is now almost 1.5 years old, and I understand that there are still new posts because obviously I am not the only one with that question.

To answer for myself, at the end I did all the plumbing work outside the walls like water heater, drain under my kitchen and bath sink and plumbing for my washing machine by myself. Until now, about a year after doing it, no leaks and no problem.

 

For everybody who wants to do it by himself I recommend do your research. I.e. there are different threads for fresh water which should not be mixed. And there are rules for how much slope drainage pipes should have and things like that.

I needed to learn for much longer time then it took me to actually do the things.

I did it myself because I it seems many Thai "plumbers" didn't spend as much time as I did to learn what they are doing...

[Crossy]

On 1/18/2025 at 2:54 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

... it seems many Thai "plumbers" didn't spend as much time as I did to learn what they are doing...

 

Rather like Thai sparkies then 😞

 

At least the "bang" test is immediate, a drip from a pipe can take ages to become apparent.

[OneMoreFarang]

Just now, Crossy said:

 

Rather like Thai sparkies then 😞

 

At least the "bang" test is immediate, a drip from a pipe can take ages to become apparent.

But then there is the neutral and earth "test". Somehow it works...