With the well pump running again, it’s time to get the basic plumbing “working” again so I can use the existing bathroom while working on the house. This is much easier said than done because most of the existing copper pipes are full of leaks. So, back to the Plumbing Hacks guidebook for a few tricks. First, I disconnected all existing plumbing from the pressure tank and attached a spigot and garden hose. The fitting was already the right size for a garden hose spigot, so this saves a few too many adapters.
The main garden hose comes out to the back of the house and attaches to a splitter with two valves. This serves two purposes. First, this allows me to go from here right to the washing machine which is up and to the left of this photo. Second, this allows the washing machine to be isolated since that thing may die at any minute! The hose with the blue collar goes back under the house to feed the existing bathroom plumbing.
In the existing bathroom copper, wherever there was a leak, I bypassed it with heater hose as I was taught earlier by my neighbor. Heater hose and a few clamps makes for a terrific and flexible connection, so it’s also good for getting around obstacles. Here, the functioning copper pipe feed was on one side of this drain and the toilet tank feed on the other. Once these connections were completed, I had running water in the bathroom again. (Albeit cold water ONLY, but something!)
When I turned on the pump, and slowly opened the various valves, I didn’t hear anything leaking – so that was a win! The toilet tank was filling and the sink was running, so that was great.
But when I turned on the shower, water was shooting out the back of the pipe. In the photo here, I’ve added notations to show my hack for bypassing a busted faucet to get a working shower:
A) The usual heater hose hack, only this time with a garden hose adapter on the top end.
B) Garden hose (Why garden hose? Because the only valve I had on hand was…)
C) A garden hose valve
D) Heater hose hack like “A” but in reverse
So, there you have it – a “functional” bathroom with no soldering. Cold water only (which, for the shower, is ICY COLD!) but it’s something. And having a toilet and sink is pretty useful.