[G_Najar]

Morning,
Yesterday I discovered my 4th hot water slab leak in a year. Wife not happy again.
I have decided to quit tearing up the slab water lines and install Zurn PEX with a polysleve in the attic crawl space.
Not much head room on a 36' wide 3/12 pitch roof
Stats:
North Texas, zero degrees every few years
2200 Sq feet on a slab built 40 years ago
2.5 bath, Kitchen, Washer, 2 hose bibs
Copper water, Cast drain
Service line goes into the slab 70, from the water heater
I have cut drywall and opened up 4 of my 8 locations.
I was intending to pickup my cold water line at the water heater but only one 5/8" is in the slab at the water heater.
Several areas have a 2 5/8" lines tee to a 1/2" then tee to a fixture.
I'm thinking the service line must be looping to each location while the hot loops back

****Questions ****
Is there a easy way of figuring out where the lines go?
I would like to do this a little at a time with out cutting off all the water for several days and having to plumb all at once.
I have a Burns-O-Matic head that takes Mapgas or Propane is that hot enough to unsolder my lines?

[CaptainRich]

The Burns-O should work. I like propane, myself. As for figuring out the lines, if the lines are disconnected and you have access to some compressed air, have an assistant listen at open valves while you blast air in at the other end, or visa versa. Good luck.

[speedball1]

You talk of 5/8ths and 1/2" lines like they were separate lines. This confuses me since a 1/2" ID line is a 5/8ths OD line. Please explain.
"Is there a easy way of figuring out where the lines go?"
Not without calling in Sleuth with equipment to locate under slab lines.

I live on the Gulf Coast where all our houses are on slabs. When we repipe we dig in 3/4 or 1" mains that run around the outside of the foundation. On a fixture that's on a outside wall we supply it through the wall and if the fixture's on a inside wall we jump up into the attic with hot and cold and drop our supplies down a inside wall.
This may not work in a colder climate but this is how we do it here.

"I would like to do this a little at a time with out cutting off all the water for several days and having to plumb all at once."
This can be accomplished by capping off your work and pressuring up the system each night.

"I have a Burns-O-Matic head that takes Mapgas or Propane is that hot enough to unsolder my lines?"

While Mapp Gas is hotter I've waterpiped entire houses with a Burns-O- Matic propane tourch.

[G_Najar]

Speedball1,
[QUOTE=speedball1]You talk of 5/8ths and 1/2" lines like they were separate lines. This confuses me since a 1/2" ID line is a 5/8ths OD line. Please explain.
I have 1/2" and 3/4" sorry for the 5/8" I'm not sure where it came from:)

[CaptainRich]

"Is there a easy way of figuring out where the lines go?"... where you looking for the route they take through the slab or are you asking does this line I have in my hand go to the kitchen or to the bathroom, kind of thing?

[G_Najar]

"Is there a easy way of figuring out where the lines go?"...where you looking for the route they take thru the slab or are you asking does this line I have in my hand go to the kitchen or to the bathroom, kinda thing?

I thought I could us air if I opened the lines or I could use an ohm meter if I discinnected the attached lines. I was trying to find the route of the copper lines before I had to unsolder the copper so I could do a little at a time. But as Speedball1 said "capping off your work and pressuring up the system each night".
My Main problem is I have to run the lines in the attic and after 9:00 AM it is to hot to work so I to spread this out over time.

[iamgrowler]

I thought I could us air if I opened the lines or I could use an ohm meter if I discinnected the attached lines. I was trying to find the route of the copper lines befor I had to unsolder the copper so I could do a little at a time. But as Speedball1 said "capping off your work and pressuring up the system each night".
My Main problem is I have to run the lines in the attic and after 9:00 AM it is to hot to work so I to spread this out over time.

Would it be easier to set up 3/4" hot and cold manifolds in the attic space and then pull 1/2" homeruns to each fixture?

Doing so would eliminate the problem of having a number of fittings buried inside the wall.

[G_Najar]

Would it be easier to set up 3/4" hot and cold manifolds in the attic space and then pull 1/2" homeruns to each fixture?

Doing so would eliminate the problem of having a number of fittings buried inside the wall.

I have a Zurn Quickport I am going to put in next to the water heater then install home runs from that manafold to the fixtures. I had not thought about placing the mamafold in the attic because I thought it may be to hard to keep it from freezing. I will give it another thought.

[iamgrowler]

I have a Zurn Quickport I am going to put in next to the water heater then install home runs from that manafold to the fixtures. I had not thought about placing the mamafold in the attic because I thought it may be to hard to keep it from freezing. I will give it another thought.

Actually, if you have the room next to your H/W Tank, then this would be an ideal location, especially if you decide to install the optional shut-off valves for each homerun.

I would suggest you use the optional bend supports when making changes in direction of 90 degrees and that you insulate each run that passes through the attic space with 1/2" walled pipe insulation.

[G_Najar]

Actually, if you have the room next to your H/W Tank, then this would be an ideal location, especially if you decide to install the optional shut-off valves for each homerun.

I would suggest you use the optional bend supports when making changes in direction of 90 degrees and that you insulate each run that passes through the attic space with 1/2" walled pipe insulation.

I down loaded the Zurn catalog and saw the suppoets but two place I tried did not have them I guess I could order them online. That will put me behind. I will have to decide tomorrow. I may be able to install after I get the leak fixed.
Thanks
George

[doug238]

Have you considered repiping below the ceiling and boxing it in to keep from freezing?