Pipes and Wires

It is now safe to say that the guts of our house are finished.  Finished.  Finito.  Done.  Steve gets credit for the lion's share of these jobs.  He researched what he didn't already know, and sort of explained things to me as we went along.  By now, since it's been weeks since we worked on the pipes, I have forgotten most of what he said.  What I do remember is this:  The high pressure pipes are small, the drainage pipes large.  Primer is purple, high pressure glue is orange, and drainage glue green (though really it's clear).  As you might have already guessed my only real job was to glue and prime, which suited me just fine because Steve did a good job threading the pipes through the studs.  I particularly disliked that part because it felt wrong to drill holes through the house... like unmaking our hard work.  

Below is a picture of the high pressure pipes as they go toward the sink, hot water heater, and outside connection. 



Kitchen pipes.



My dad, Paul, started the electrical work, putting in most of the boxes, and after he left my brother-in-law, Paul, did everything else.  He did explain how electricy works, though the idea of it still seemed a little like magic, that is, until we had to thread a ton of wires through our house.  More holes in the wall, a pain to insulate around, and so complicated that it dispelled the magical feel entirely.  This is not to say that wiring was difficult, no, Paul seemed to have it all under control.  But Steve and I seemed to always need just one more outlet, another light fixture, or something we merely overlooked, so the wiring took a while.

I've added a few pictures, including: one outlet, two switches, and a light fixture.

Oh, and P.S. the wires are yellow, something else I learned.

Outlet.



Dual Switch.

Porch Light Fixture.



We ended up using black iron for the gas pipes (which is what you are supposed to use).  I fancied copper, first for water pipes and when that idea didn't fly, for gas.  I don't know why, I just like copper, but sadly we ended up using very little, and only on the appliance connections.

So what did I learn about the gas pipes?  Pink tape is wrapped around the thread, and the glue is globby yellow.  Yes, I administered this as well.  It was a bit frightening when all is said and done that perhaps we messed up, did something wrong.  When you buy a house you don't worry if it's got a gas leak, but trust me, when you build it yourself, you do.  We tested the pipes first, nothing burst thank goodness!  And after that we doused the iron pipe connections with this soapy stuff (transparent blue) and waited for it to bubble.  It didn't, so celebrations were in order. 

The photo below is of the space between windows where our heater will go.  You can see the gas pipes and electrical work, all insulated and ready to be walled in.  Yay!

And finally, a picture of the kitchen with all its pipes and wires, something of a mess really.  Just out of frame is the little gray breaker box for our circuits, and it is the last thing that needs work.  You can see the wire dangling out, waiting to be... hooked up or something.

The drainage pipes are easy to overlook, literally, since they are under the house.  I forgot to take pictures and had to run outside to do so.  So here they are!



Under toilet.




Under shower.




Under sink.



The drainage pipes were difficult, like putting together a puzzle without the box cover for help.  And once we finished we noticed that they hung crookedy and had to go back and fix it all.  Blerg.  But it was for the best, they turned out nicely, or however nice drainage pipes can be.