At Home In The Woods
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OP
Obed
Elite Member
Too late. The contractor installed the drains and covered them the very same day. My wife took the pictures. I never saw the drains.
CurlyDave
Elite Member
Most important, NEVER pay for anything until it's completely done. Never trust them to come back to finish or change something after you have paid them their final payment. While some will come back, it's not a priority for them anymore. Most of the time, they never show up.
Another thing to recognize is "Dave's First Law of Service" which is that the amount of service and attention you get from any person working for you depends only on the money he thinks he will get from you in the future. The money you have paid him in the past does not count.
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The foundation is the most important part of your house and it is where contractors take shortcuts the most. Problems don't show up immediately and by the time they do the contractor is "off the hook" in most states.
Compact all the gravel, make sure all the drains work, etc.
Another thing to recognize is "Dave's First Law of Service" which is that the amount of service and attention you get from any person working for you depends only on the money he thinks he will get from you in the future. The money you have paid him in the past does not count.
* * * * *
The foundation is the most important part of your house and it is where contractors take shortcuts the most. Problems don't show up immediately and by the time they do the contractor is "off the hook" in most states.
Compact all the gravel, make sure all the drains work, etc.
OP
Obed
Elite Member
I think you should never build a house unless you have already built a house. Of course that means no houses would ever get built.
Today the basement plumbing drains will be fixed and the gravel under the slabs will be compacted. My wife is hanging out onsite all day long to make sure that the compacting doesn't get just a cursory job. My wife will instruct the subs to test all the drain lines in the basement including drains to the septic system and the floor drains that will drain outside to a French drain. The septic drains, not the floor drains, were the only drains that were filled with water in preparation for the inspector visit.
To backfill the basement gravel, they had piled gravel over the plumbing lines and ran the skid steer over the the gravel "bridge". I would have never driven over the plumbing and I'm amazed that they did. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what caused the plumbing drains to not hold water and fail the inspection.
Today the basement plumbing drains will be fixed and the gravel under the slabs will be compacted. My wife is hanging out onsite all day long to make sure that the compacting doesn't get just a cursory job. My wife will instruct the subs to test all the drain lines in the basement including drains to the septic system and the floor drains that will drain outside to a French drain. The septic drains, not the floor drains, were the only drains that were filled with water in preparation for the inspector visit.
To backfill the basement gravel, they had piled gravel over the plumbing lines and ran the skid steer over the the gravel "bridge". I would have never driven over the plumbing and I'm amazed that they did. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what caused the plumbing drains to not hold water and fail the inspection.
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OP
Obed
Elite Member
The gravel got compacted today. The plumbing drain leak got repaired. The septic line between the house and the septic tank had gotten driven over and broken. The construction manager says that the pipes he drove over via the gravel "bridge" did not get damaged.
Tomorrow we'll get the plumbing re-inspected. The rebar, wire, and plastic will get re-laid. The footer from the front porch will be dug and rebar will be installed.
On Tuesday we are planning to pour the slabs.
Tomorrow we'll get the plumbing re-inspected. The rebar, wire, and plastic will get re-laid. The footer from the front porch will be dug and rebar will be installed.
On Tuesday we are planning to pour the slabs.
OP
Obed
Elite Member
Plumbing drain test question The plumber and construction manager tested the basement drain lines by capping all the pipes except for the tall vent pipe. They poured water in the tall vent pipe to the top. They checked the levels and felt like the leak was fixed. An hour later, my wife checked the level of the water in the pipe, the level had dropped far enought that she couldn't feel the water with her hand. We don't know exactly how far the water level had dropped. The wife refilled the pipe. 45 minutes later the level had dropped another 3 inches.
The construction manager tells me that since there is air in the pipes that the water level in the pipe will drop as air gurgles out. Is the water level dropping like that normal? I want to know that the pipes do not leak. How can I be sure?
Thanks for your comments.
Obed
The construction manager tells me that since there is air in the pipes that the water level in the pipe will drop as air gurgles out. Is the water level dropping like that normal? I want to know that the pipes do not leak. How can I be sure?
Thanks for your comments.
Obed
Attachments
CurlyDave
Elite Member
The construction manager tells me that since there is air in the pipes that the water level in the pipe will drop as air gurgles out. Is the water level dropping like that normal? I want to know that the pipes do not leak. How can I be sure?
I think he is trying to get you to accept a small leak. I have tested many a line and have never heard that excuse. In my house, we capped the line just before the septic and filled the drain line with water. It held its level for a day and we called that leak-tight.
Tell him that if air is "gurgling out" slowly you want to wait for it all to come out and see a constant level for 24 hours. From what you describe, you will never see that and he will have to fix the pipes again...
I think he is trying to get you to accept a small leak. I have tested many a line and have never heard that excuse. In my house, we capped the line just before the septic and filled the drain line with water. It held its level for a day and we called that leak-tight.
Tell him that if air is "gurgling out" slowly you want to wait for it all to come out and see a constant level for 24 hours. From what you describe, you will never see that and he will have to fix the pipes again...
OP
Obed
Elite Member
The water level in the vent pipe dropped overnight. My wife went out and looked at the pipe this morning and could not see any water. I called the construction manager afterwards. I told him after the leak is fixed that I want an air pressure test done on the line and that I want to personally see the test performed.
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dave1949
Super Star Member
I think an air test is the way to go and pretty much the standard. You are on the right track with that approach.
Your waste lines seem to have a lot of pieces and partially parallel runs. In a stretch I could see where you might have some air pockets trapped, but an air leak down test will remove any doubt.
Dave.
Your waste lines seem to have a lot of pieces and partially parallel runs. In a stretch I could see where you might have some air pockets trapped, but an air leak down test will remove any doubt.
Dave.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I agree with Dave, you have a leak and they are trying to convince you otherwise so they don't have to fix it. This is scary in two regards. One, they don't want to do what's right. Second, they are willing to do substandard work. This is where the General Contractor is worth his price. You are on top of it, and your decision to force an air test is valid. I wouldn't budge on this, and I wouldn't accept their word on doing it if you are not there. My concern is that even though you told them that you want to be there to see the test, they will do it when you are not there, with some lame excuse that it was the only time they could get the eqipment, or person to do it. You can do this yourself by gluing on some caps and air fittings.
I've only done air tests on gas lines. I've never had a water line or drain line fail a water test. I'm wondering why it's leaking. Did they prime the pipe before putting on the glue? The primer is mis named. It's not really a primer like most people think of primer for paint. It's really a two part chemical that softens the PVC before applying the glue. The glue isn't really a glue, but the second part of a chemical reaction. Once the primer has done it's job, the glue will actually melt, or weld, the PVC together. It is because of this, that the pipe can withstand the water pressure, and not leak. Done right, it's fool proof. Cut a corner, and it fails.
My Water Department will only allow purple primer and clear glue. They said that all the other colors of glue have failed on them. What color glue did they use?
If the air test fails, which it will, then fill it up again with water and add the air to it again. This should allow you, or them, to find the leak. Make sure they replace those parts and not try to patch it. You want brand new fittings in there.
I noticed that you have gravel in your ditch with your drain lines. What type of gravel is this?
Where I'm from in CA, we had to surround the pipes with sand. The reason is that rock is sharp and the soil moves. Over time, a rock can damage the pipe.
Here in TX, sand isn't required, and I'm allowed to use the soil to surround the pipe. Rock is not allowed in the trench with any pipe. EVER.
Eddie
I've only done air tests on gas lines. I've never had a water line or drain line fail a water test. I'm wondering why it's leaking. Did they prime the pipe before putting on the glue? The primer is mis named. It's not really a primer like most people think of primer for paint. It's really a two part chemical that softens the PVC before applying the glue. The glue isn't really a glue, but the second part of a chemical reaction. Once the primer has done it's job, the glue will actually melt, or weld, the PVC together. It is because of this, that the pipe can withstand the water pressure, and not leak. Done right, it's fool proof. Cut a corner, and it fails.
My Water Department will only allow purple primer and clear glue. They said that all the other colors of glue have failed on them. What color glue did they use?
If the air test fails, which it will, then fill it up again with water and add the air to it again. This should allow you, or them, to find the leak. Make sure they replace those parts and not try to patch it. You want brand new fittings in there.
I noticed that you have gravel in your ditch with your drain lines. What type of gravel is this?
Where I'm from in CA, we had to surround the pipes with sand. The reason is that rock is sharp and the soil moves. Over time, a rock can damage the pipe.
Here in TX, sand isn't required, and I'm allowed to use the soil to surround the pipe. Rock is not allowed in the trench with any pipe. EVER.
Eddie