Renters can't identify unknown pipes
11 posts across 3 communities in the last 30 days; 82% from r/Plumbing.
“You CLEARLY didn't read my post and why I am concerned. My house is kinda Jerry rigged together and for some reason anytime her gas is turned of MY hot water goes up to her apartment. No big issue when her gas is on since it's helping heat the water but I went an entire YEAR…”
“Do you have a home water shut off ? It’s often where the line comes into the house , but can vary by foundation type. Sometimes near the water heater. The idea is to isolate the house from the water line that runs to the house from the road ( and or meter). Once that valve is…”
“So there I was on my basement throne, and asked myself, "why does this pipe that clearly fed the sink now end here with a cap?" And I stumbled back to the source, the heater, it's a hot line, and has obviously been spliced relatively recently, because the uncorroded pipes still…”
Several renters are confused about the purpose of pipes in their homes, expressing uncertainty and seeking identification. This highlights a lack of understanding of basic home systems among tenants, often due to unfamiliarity with property maintenance.
SOURCES (32)
“If you speak to the water provider they will send someone to test the water quality, it's usually free. Landlord won't open this can of wotms but if you get definitive proof you can take it to the next level [re: Weird tasting tap water…”
“It is not just hot water. I just meant it occurs not matter the water source: tap or hot. [re: So, all my pipes hum]”
“Hello, everyone! I'm not a plumber; I'm just a girl that rents a house from a man who is also not a plumber but owns many rental properties. This is an on-demand water heater he installed* last year and there is always something wrong with it. It shuts off randomly and gives an error code. It heats the house and hot water for my apartment and the other side of the duplex. I frequently have knocks on my door and people entering my apartment to reset the unit, when my neighbor notices it b”
“Roommate thinks the water is not coming from water heater. To me it looks like it’s coming from the water heater because nothing above me is leaking submitted by /u/TidyOrganization222 [link] [comments]”
Yeah, probably, the whole building is likely running on a common boiler
“Update: unfortunately i think the gray collar is at the max. Does that mean the only possible change to temperature is at the water heater? I don't think I have access to that, sadly.”
“Do you know if you have your own personal water heater, or does the whole complex run off of a community boiler?”
“That material is not rated for hot water. Pipe with that material installed as a water service pipe requires a check valve to prevent thermal creep degrading the material. I don't know if that answers your question because it made no sense. This is my best guess.”
“I do not, but I will talk to my super tomorrow in regards to this! My roommate has also told me no hot watwr upstairs, and I'd ask my neighbors but it's late and I don't know them quite that well.”
“If it makes you feel better, your water lines are almost certainly not cast iron.”
“There's a blue line of the curb/sidewalk but its lined up with my water meter, not this pipe”
With winter around the corner I’d prioritize that water heater boss
“Thank you so so much for the quick reply! I googled it and everything makes sense now, I can now sleep peacefully”
“I'm assuming it's hot since now we have no hot water. Also it's been in the 100s and we don't know how long it's been leaking. This is on the side of the house we don't go on often. So this is to say, I'm assuming it's been a perfectly hot and humid environment for mold.”
“Can someone please tell me why this residential home in the Central Valley of California would have its water service tee encapsulated like this? submitted by /u/sirsaltysteez [link] [comments]”
“For the past 2 nights I've been awoken to this noise multiple times. No running water happens while we're asleep Just looking for some advise as Google is giving me a variety of answers, any help is appreciated. Ignore the mess of the sink 😭 submitted by /u/TheRedDentist [link] [comments]”
“:) last tip if you really don’t want to pull them off - run your washing machine on “hot” and feel the temp of the pipe after 5 mins. Hot one will def be known…”
“I am currently renting a house in Idaho from a very large rental company. They are very hands off so sometimes I must take some simple matters into my own hands. Our yard has some very wet muddy spots on both sides of our sidewalk around where this hose enters the ground and i believe this hose has to be the culprit. The rest of the hose was wound through the bushes and looked like it had been hit with a mower at some point. Is this a sprinkler line and how would i go about turning it off so it”
“That’s interesting, so it sits underneath the trailer to collect waste water and then a service would come pump it out? Yeah, if I’m understanding everything from my county, we don’t have to be parked at a commissary.”
“I had a feeling looks like who ever did this cut out a lot of what should of been done correctly 🤦♀️ downside how it's set up and where there could be a cut is abit of a challenge due to where it's located and there isbt much wiggle room by the hot water heater.. I was able to pull some of the siding off to see how it was looking and I'm not shocked lack of who ever I stalled this let alone the water damage that has problems been going on slowly foe years because of how this was al”
“You CLEARLY didn't read my post and why I am concerned. My house is kinda Jerry rigged together and for some reason anytime her gas is turned of MY hot water goes up to her apartment. No big issue when her gas is on since it's helping heat the water but I went an entire YEAR paying for her to have hot water which Jack's up MY gas bill and is illegal for a reason, you'd be concerned too if you had a neighbor who didn't pay their bills EVER and you ended up paying them instead!”
“This is in a 1962 condo in the Chicago area, these are the pipes that go to the shower (you can see the tub on the right). The top is verified hot and the bottom is cold. I thought these were valves to shut it off, but turning right does not make a significant change in the flow, and the amount that screw can turn doesn't seem like it would block flow. This is also in the wall and there used to be some sort of panel here. I don't want to turn too far in either direction because I don'”
“Do you have a home water shut off ? It’s often where the line comes into the house , but can vary by foundation type. Sometimes near the water heater. The idea is to isolate the house from the water line that runs to the house from the road ( and or meter). Once that valve is off, I’m assuming meter is at the road, check meter . If it’s moving you have a leak in the ground in the main water line. If not, may be a house issue. How old is the house ?”
“I have been living in my house a couple of years. Never lived in a place with a sprinkler system. Real estate agent didn't mention it. If this is a sprinkler how would I operate it? submitted by /u/LoveToyKillJoy [link] [comments]”
“Not sure if they still sell them, but they used to have a straight pipe that went from the back of a clawfoot tub straight up with a diverter that attached through the current hole where your on/off hot/cold. is currently. This would allow for either bathing or showering. they also used to have this oval rod, which I believe suspended from the ceiling, which then you can hang curtain rods on. I would try and find a plumbing supply place and see if they carry it.”
“So there I was on my basement throne, and asked myself, "why does this pipe that clearly fed the sink now end here with a cap?" And I stumbled back to the source, the heater, it's a hot line, and has obviously been spliced relatively recently, because the uncorroded pipes still have stickers on them, and it's the main going upstairs. So why in the world did someone leave that long section of pipe attached, while adding a new path to the sink? It's banana cakes right? There&”
“And where do I find it? This specific pipe. (CO) Will trade info for life advice. submitted by /u/New_Bus8310 [link] [comments]”