How to work on plumbing and electrical in a non basement house ?
I am a pretty good DIY plumber and an okay DIY electrician. However, in every home where I had to do the work always had a basement or crawl space. I am getting ready to buy a house without either and my question is:
How do you access the plumbing and electrical if you can’t get to it from the basement. I know it’s in the walls and I will probably have to cut sheet rock to get to it. But I guess what I’m really asking is how do you detect where the exact problem is? Whether it be a leaky pipe or running an extra outlet.
I guess I will have to access wiring from the attic but still not sure about plumbing.
Thanks.
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The electrical should have a panel / fuse box on the main floor. Houses with basements, it is usually located in the basement, but slab-homes it would be on the main floor, usually located where the main line comes into the house.
The plumbing will have a shut-oof valve usually in the laundry room. If there is a leaky water line, the wall where it is in will be wet or a puddle will form on the floor or somehting to give an idication as to where it is coming from.
Without knowing exactly what you are going to do, this is the best answer I can give….good luck.
If your house is on a slab, then your plumbing in under the concrete. Water falls downhill, so it obviously can’t be in the attic. The plumbing installers put p.s.i on the system before covering it up with concrete, so it is unlikely that there is a leak, but it happens. if the problem is in the water service, you can do two things. first turn everything off in the house, and go to your meter and watch it for a few minutes, if the little triangle in the center doesnt move, then you don’t have a leak. if it does continue to move, and everything is turned off, then turn off all the stops in the house and turn off your meter. then, presurize the system using an outside hosebib. put about a hundred p.s.i. on the entire system, if you lose pressure you have a leak, and the air coming out should whistle and you can hear that even through concrete. If you feel the problem is in your drainage system, call a plumber and he will have the necessary tools to locate the problem. Your electrical will not be underground, so adding outlets is just a case of removing drywall, and running lines to the attic or an outlet nearby.
There are meters to help you figure out which wire from your panel box is “dead”, ask at the home improvement store which will work with your needs. Also, There may be major leaks (if the house is on a solid concrete floor) that requires a professional. However, a standard stud-finder will help locate pipes in the walls, or if you have the old galvanized pipes, try a magnet.
Also, before you buy the house, have a professional inspection done so if there are leaks or electric problems that propose a fire hazard, you will have a heads up on them and may be able to negotiate a lower buying price to compensate for the cost of repairs.
In the attic and down through the walls with both. No problem. Use PEX for the plumbing. This is done everyday with both electric and plumbing.