Old metal building

[threeputt]

I own a 3500 square foot metal building that was built in 1961. I still used it on occasion but the water has been turned off for years. It has old galvanized pipe which is stopped up and of course its under the 4 inch slab. The water meter is at the rear of building and restroom is at front about 75 feet away. I would like to have water to the restroom again. I now just take water to shop and pour in back of commode when I need to use it. I have been doing this for years. I also need water to do some work on my boat this fall. I could just install a faucet at water meter and use hose pipe for the work on boat. Any suggestions on the best way to get water back to front restroom ? I have read where Pex would work. The area I live in does get down pretty cold at times in the winter so I would have to drain it I am quite sure. I also plan on cutting off the water when I am not there with a lock on it. I am not planning on ever selling this old building . The building is 70 x 50 and still in good shape and serves what I want to use it for. A few leaks on the sky lights but I can fix that. I store two pontoon boats in the winter months and just need water when I am there working. Thanks for any tips.

 

[MoparTrucks]

Pictures man, pictures!

 

[ZRX61]

Copper pipe with plenty of lagging, Just plumb it from the meter to the growler along the inside of the walls.

 

[Lippyp]

^^^What he said, just surface run some copper pipe and insulate it well. Don't forget to add a draincock at the lowest point so you can drain it out easily. Ideally you want to add this over a drain or even just run it through the wall so it drains outside. Just put a slight slope on the pipe back to the draincock so it runs out with gravity. We did just this with the hot water pipe to our kitchen in the last house. It was under an original tiled floor in the utility room and started leaking so we cut it off and replaced it with some carefully routed surface run pipe that I then boxed in. was a lot easier and cheaper than disturbing a 100 year old tile over concrete floor which inevitably would have caused damp problems if we'd dug part of it up.

 

[finn]

Pix is superior to copper for this.

Freeze tolerance is better, installation is cheaper, quicker and simpler, and unattended pix isn't a target of tweeters/scrappers.

 

[uncletater]

I think Finn means Pex pipe.

 

[smokem2020]

I don't know what pex cost. But I would buy 100 ft roll of black water line. Run it on the ceiling close to a wall. Make drops where you want water. Easy to run, easy to drain. Cheap to fix if it does freeze.

 

[48RON54]

tweeters and scrappers oh my

 

[6768rogues]

If it gets cold, how do you keep the meter from freezing? If you have a warm area with the meter and the pipe to the toilet needs to go through an unheated area, you will have to slope it so it can drain and drain it every time you use it. Insulating it will do no good if it is in an unheated area. Water standing still in an insulated pipe going through a cold area will freeze.

 

[threeputt]

I will try and get some pictures of what I got in the next few days. The meters in our part of the country never freezes. It is below the ground deep enough in valve boxes. Once in a while we get down in the single digits but now often. I will show pictures of the inside also. Thanks for the suggestions. Pictures coming soon. Tom

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd cut a hole in the concrete near the water meter or where it enters and dig it down 4-6 feet. Put in a frost free hydrant, line the upper part of the hole with a piece of 18" field tile and fill with stone.

Now you have a permanent winter shut off for the water. Once that is done, just run some new water line from the hydrant complete with a hose bib, a line to the bathroom and some drains for the winter time.

 

[threeputt]

I decided to just install one water faucet at the rear of building. I had thought for sure the pipes under slab were plugged up but it was trouble down on the cities line. They got me water today and I just connected one 3/4 PVC pipe for the faucet. I did not chance connecting the pipe under the slab as it is 53 years . If I need water to a restroom I will just pipe overhead and connect from where I did the faucet. For now I have a 100 foot water hose and can do most of what I want to this fall. Thanks for the tips. Tom