All over the house, individual threads of copper and iron were woven into the tapestry of pipe, wire and conduit that will keep power, gas, and water flowing through the house. I was a bit concerned about pipes passing so close to light enclosures, but John assured me that it was all according to the building code and therefore perfectly safe.
By now, the design of the master shower has gotten even more complicated and more and more pieces of paper with plans and technical specifications are hanging from everywhere. When this thing is done, it will have no less than 7 shower heads, an electronic control unit, an electronically controlled mixer valve and a steam generator squeezed into that space. The plumbing, needless to say, will be fairly complex, thus all the paper that is hanging from everywhere telling where everything goes.
Another unusual aspect of the house's plumbing is that the instant-on water heater that will be supplying hot water, as well as powering the radiant heating system to be installed under the floors, is going to be located outside the master bathroom wall, about thirty feet above the concrete patio below. Everyone tells me that this is the optimal location for the water heater for a variety of reasons, but I am still a bit concerned that if we need to service the heater or even to adjust the temperature of the hot water, we may have to hire a plumber with mountain climbing experience just to get to the thing. I guess I should just get a rappelling rig and not worry about it. Here are the connections for the water heater in the master bedroom closet on the top floor:
And where the heater will be hanging out on the back of the building.
Master plumber John seems to be unmoved by all this complexity and was calmly working away at a very loud and dangerous looking machine that looked like a cross between a lathe and a spinning wheel. I'm staying out of his way.
The crew was working with such intensity that, from time to time, smoke would issue from the open ends of the pipe.
On the other hand, the smoke may have just come from a couple of these:
In other, non plumbing related news, a very nice fellow and a very loud jackhammer are taking apart the old slab in the garage. I am hoping that the plan calls for it to be replaced with concrete -- I don't think the plans call for a mud floor.
Technically, the concrete slab is all still there, albeit in very small pieces. I am not sure if my car has enough clearance to park over the mound of broken concrete, but it should not be a problem for Jenn's all-terrain vehicle.
Turns out I did not need to worry. By the end of the day on Saturday, all the broken up concrete was gone and the garage and entrance were cleaned up.
Next week: more plumbing and more wiring. I can't wait to see where the fire sprinklers are supposed to go.
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