TULSA'S WATER GOES DOWN THE DRAIN!

[heironymouspasparagus]

I got old galvenized pipe in my house. It was built in the 1950's.

You should change it out to copper.  Not from the health issues necessarily (although that might explain some things...) but to get better water pressure and flow.  Those old galvanized pipes are almost plugged solid now.  The flow rate is horrible.

[AquaMan]

You should change it out to copper.  Not from the health issues necessarily (although that might explain some things...) but to get better water pressure and flow.  Those old galvanized pipes are almost plugged solid now.  The flow rate is horrible.

I would have thought so too. Yet, my old galvanized pipes date to WWI and they still have the pressure to burst any hose I buy at the D'pot. I regularly clean the calcium and sediment from the faucet aerators, shower heads and W/D hookups. That helps. I heard the city actually has to adjust pressure downwards around town to keep from blowing up water heaters. Is that true?

[Red Arrow]

Luckily, there is an EXCELLENT alternative that doesn't pose any of the risks and makes tea that is sublime - never any bitterness.  Use the same container and process that you would with sun tea, but then place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Wow!  Did you think of that all by yourself?

Did you happen to look at the link I posted earlier?
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp
The refrigerator tea is near the bottom of the page.

[godboko71]

Eck, don't squeeze the bags, that will make the tea cloudy and bitter tasting.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Wow!  Did you think of that all by yourself?

Did you happen to look at the link I posted earlier?
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp
The refrigerator tea is near the bottom of the page.

I found your post after that... it is good idea, no matter what.  Tea is food, and bacteria will grow.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I would have thought so too. Yet, my old galvanized pipes date to WWI and they still have the pressure to burst any hose I buy at the D'pot. I regularly clean the calcium and sediment from the faucet aerators, shower heads and W/D hookups. That helps. I heard the city actually has to adjust pressure downwards around town to keep from blowing up water heaters. Is that true?

I don't know about water heaters blowing.  Never had one do that unless it was already rusted to the failure point.  Seems like there might be some kind of problem for that to happen.  I haven't thrown a gage on Tulsa water for so long (since early 80's), I don't know what they are running now.  

I would be very surprised if you pipes had not been changed sometime after WWII.  Even a 1" pipe could be very reasonably expected to corrode almost shut in 40 years.  A couple people I know in Maple Ridge have 1920-ish houses, with late 40's piping.  And that has gotten plugged in the last 5 or 10 years...  Just too much corrosion for too small a pipe...  

I really DO NOT recommend you opening up a pipe to look - it will cause trouble that doesn't exist now - but if you looked in the end of one of those pipes, I bet the hole would be very small.  Did I mention - don't open the piping just to look?  NO point is asking for trouble and a whole lot of grief like that would bring.

[Conan71]

I never thought of bacteria in tea.  Lesson learned: If they bring me my tea and it's got stringy brown things, promptly leave the restaurant.  If they've got bacteria in the tea, no telling what else they've failed to do in terms of sanitation and food prep.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I never thought of bacteria in tea.  Lesson learned: If they bring me my tea and it's got stringy brown things, promptly leave the restaurant.  If they've got bacteria in the tea, no telling what else they've failed to do in terms of sanitation and food prep.

I left about two inches of tea in the fridge when I went on vacation for a week and a half, a few years ago.  When we got back, there was a layer on top.  Lesson learned.  Was mildly surprised until I thought about it for a minute or two, but it makes sense.

[AquaMan]

I don't know about water heaters blowing.  Never had one do that unless it was already rusted to the failure point.  Seems like there might be some kind of problem for that to happen.  I haven't thrown a gage on Tulsa water for so long (since early 80's), I don't know what they are running now.  

I would be very surprised if you pipes had not been changed sometime after WWII.  Even a 1" pipe could be very reasonably expected to corrode almost shut in 40 years.  A couple people I know in Maple Ridge have 1920-ish houses, with late 40's piping.  And that has gotten plugged in the last 5 or 10 years...  Just too much corrosion for too small a pipe...  

I really DO NOT recommend you opening up a pipe to look - it will cause trouble that doesn't exist now - but if you looked in the end of one of those pipes, I bet the hole would be very small.  Did I mention - don't open the piping just to look?  NO point is asking for trouble and a whole lot of grief like that would bring.

I've lived in the house some 33 years. Not ruling it out, but I'm pretty sure this is original piping. The bathroom plumbing sits in about 6 inches of original concrete and tile. This past holiday I got tired of having only one outside hydrant so I added one to the other side of the house which necessitated opening a "T" connection near the main water line in the basement and adding new pipe. There wasn't any corrosion or calcification to speak of. It surprised me too. Other areas of the house like where the kitchen pipes are and where the W/D hookups are do show lots of buildup, so go figure. Maybe proximity, usage or pressure makes the difference.

Mostly these homes have had electricity upgraded instead of plumbing unless you're adding or remodeling kitchen and bath. At least for us po'folks.

[Conan71]

I left about two inches of tea in the fridge when I went on vacation for a week and a half, a few years ago.  When we got back, there was a layer on top.  Lesson learned.  Was mildly surprised until I thought about it for a minute or two, but it makes sense.

I wonder if a little lemon juice would preserve it longer?

[heironymouspasparagus]

I've lived in the house some 33 years. Not ruling it out, but I'm pretty sure this is original piping. The bathroom plumbing sits in about 6 inches of original concrete and tile. This past holiday I got tired of having only one outside hydrant so I added one to the other side of the house which necessitated opening a "T" connection near the main water line in the basement and adding new pipe. There wasn't any corrosion or calcification to speak of. It surprised me too. Other areas of the house like where the kitchen pipes are and where the W/D hookups are do show lots of buildup, so go figure. Maybe proximity, usage or pressure makes the difference.

Mostly these homes have had electricity upgraded instead of plumbing unless you're adding or remodeling kitchen and bath. At least for us po'folks.

One of the friends did a whole house "gut and rebuild".  Down to the studs.  Whew!  Massive job.  New everything all around.

One might be tempted to think back with nostalgia on the "good ole days" when construction was SO much better... well, some of the things in this 1921 place were downright scary!  They cut corners then as much as anyone today.  Several places in the house where they ran out of full length 2 x 4 for stud wall, so just took 3 shorter pieces, nailed them together end to end until they got the right length.  Ahhhh, it will be behind plaster, so no one will ever know...

[heironymouspasparagus]

I wonder if a little lemon juice would preserve it longer?

Don't know...never had a pitcher of tea last beyond a day except for that one.  I drink it too fast.  Plus another pitcher only costs a few pennies, so why keep stale tea around?  I just start from scratch every day.

[AquaMan]

One of the friends did a whole house "gut and rebuild".  Down to the studs.  Whew!  Massive job.  New everything all around.

One might be tempted to think back with nostalgia on the "good ole days" when construction was SO much better... well, some of the things in this 1921 place were downright scary!  They cut corners then as much as anyone today.  Several places in the house where they ran out of full length 2 x 4 for stud wall, so just took 3 shorter pieces, nailed them together end to end until they got the right length.  Ahhhh, it will be behind plaster, so no one will ever know...

Yeah, they had monday/friday employees and alcohol back in the good old days too! Some of their work was seriously overbuilt and intricately thought out. Other stuff was often done by the new guy and covered up with plaster. I like to envision the returning WWI vets glad to return to their trades having built my home.

My home seems to have been built with care and good materials which makes it hard to alter.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Yeah, they had monday/friday employees and alcohol back in the good old days too! Some of their work was seriously overbuilt and intricately thought out. Other stuff was often done by the new guy and covered up with plaster. I like to envision the returning WWI vets glad to return to their trades having built my home.

My home seems to have been built with care and good materials which makes it hard to alter.

I love the old styles.  And even when they cut corners, the results seem to stand up better than the newer stuff.  We re-built a foundation in a early 30's "shotgun bungalow" one time that had NO footing under the concrete blocks that formed the stem wall.  We dug it out and put in a good footing, so it will last a long time, but it had been that way for about 50 years (side wall tilting out after a while).

Biggest problem I see is that houses appear to be designed and built today for about a 50 year life.  Every house I have ever lived in has been at least 40 or so, leading at times to issues.  I think the older ones must have had a longer time frame in mind....even if the materials couldn't quite make it.

You probably have redwood siding on your house (unless it is all brick) and that should be very good for a long, long time, maybe 150 to 200 years, as long as the paint doesn't fail completely.  Even then, it would take a long time for the wood to fail.  So even if they put it together "carelessly", the underlying structure can be inherently forgiving.

[Teatownclown]

Toxic Showers and Baths
"You Get More Toxic Exposure
From Taking A Shower Than From
Drinking The Same Water."

http://www.chloramine.org/toxicshowersandbaths.htm

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