Repair/Replace toilet and kitchen sink supply valves and some piping

[DIY_Dylan]

Long story short. Bought an older home (1961) and all the old shut off valves have started to leak. House is single story on a crawl space.

This is my first home and I have little plumbing experience but I've done a fair amount of research in a short amount of time. I've replaced valves and spickets before. I'm familiar with plumber's tape but I've never had to cut any metal pipes or solder. Until now.

The piping is a hodge-podge of old original galvanized, a lot of which has since been replaced w/ copper (I found the old galvanized lines in the crawl space), and some PVC as well. I intend to utilize PEX for all replacements where suitable, and I have what I think is a decent plan but I'd like to get some sort of affirmation before I make any cuts in the morning.

My urgent leaks (there are numerous other smaller issues) are in the guest bathroom and underneath the kitchen sink. In the guest bathroom, the toilet supply valve is leaking, even when turned all the way off. The valve is soldered flush w/ wall to a stub out that comes from inside the wall btw that bathroom and a bedroom closet. The pipe that leads up to this valve is 3/4 in galvanized. The line that leads to this pipe is 1/2 in copper and the two are conjoined at a brass elbow. It looks like these connections were soldered as well.

I intend to cut the galvanized pipe above this elbow using a 3/4 in pipe slice, pull the valve out of the wall so that I can (maybe?) cut it off the stub-out, and then free the old galvanized supply pipe underneath the house. I would then cut the copper pipe just upstream of the elbow, install a push-to-fit SharkBite connector, and run pex up and out the wall of the bathroom, and install the new valve to my new PEX line. Will the PEX be able to bend like I want it to, up and out of the wall enough for me to install a new toilet supply valve without any issues? Do i need some sort of support for this bend? My goal is to not have to tear into the wall in the closet behind the bathroom. Tearing into the actual bathroom wall itself would be an even larger task as it would involve busting out tiles. Is this all a waste of time? Should I just buy a torch and remove the old valve, and replace it with a new compression type ball stop valve?

I was told I don't need any kind of special tools for the push-to-fit connectors, so I intend to do the same sort of thing to my cold water kitchen sink supply line. If it were the shutoff valve that was the only issue here, it would be simple because this one is a compression fitting from copper to plastic. However UPSTREAM of the cold water shutoff valve, there is an old copper ice maker line with a valve that you cannot turn off (so we've been wasting water through this line since we moved into the home), and recently that valve itself started leaking. So I believe I'm going to have to cut the copper pipe in this case as well. Since I'm working on this line, I want to install an in-line water filter and a new ice maker valve. This issue just got upgraded to urgent yesterday so I'm not sure the best forward plan for this yet.

I also intend to add a dishwasher and a garbage disposal to our kitchen in the near future as well. Is there any work that should be done to this cold water (or under sink in general) to prep for those projects in advance? The dishwasher will be installed in an island to be built near the sink.

https://imgur.com/a/hrz4Qwq

https://imgur.com/gallery/hrz4Qwq

 

[havasu]

Here are some of the pics you posted on Imgur. You currently have mixed metals, and dialysis is occurring. These joints will be dissolved soon, so I would recommend a full repipe. As far as the push on fittings, those are "Sharkbite" fittings. This is a band aid approach, and you my friend have a need for a tourniquet .

 

[DIY_Dylan]

Thanks for posting those pics here where they can be visible to the group. It'd be nice if you'd include what your "tourniquet approach" would be...

Since we have new copper for a lot of the lines, I'd like to keep that in tact and replace any existing galvanized pipe w/ PEX if possible.

I'm looking for advice along these lines. Don't tell me I need to re-pipe the whole house because that is simply not feasible for my time nor money budgets. I need to be able to fix these leaks today.

 

[havasu]

My tourniquet reference is that your house has so many issues, a full repipe is going to be your only fail proof fix.

Your house has alot of mixed metal connections, and through electrolysis of the mixed metals, these joints are failing. When they fail, you will be up a creek without a paddle. Your best bet is to identify what needs to be done immediately, shut down your water system, then use solder to repair the copper lines correctly. The joints between the galvanized and copper bust have dielectric unions, but since you are on a fixed budget, it would be cheaper to just start running pex to all locations, and deal with the holes in your wall later. You mentioned Sharkbite fittings but if you read through this forum, you will see them fail often. Also ask professional plumbers whether they would ever use them and about 99% of the professionals would not even use them as a door stop, and certainly not install them in a location where they cannot receive constant inspection so you can fix them when they fail.

Is your house a single story? How many baths?

 

[DIY_Dylan]

As I wrote in the first line of the post, yes the finished portion of the house is single story.

There are two bathrooms.

If you read my original post, you can tell that I intend to get rid of the galvanized and work w/ copper and PEX only in order to eliminate the mixed-metal issue that you keep citing.

If the SharkBite push-to-fit fittings are inadequate, I'd like to know what I should use to conjoin the existing copper pipe with the PEX I intend to install.

And I had never heard these negative points about SharkBite fittings before but I will certainly look into this.

I'm looking for advice on the subject as I am not an expert. You just keep telling me what sucks about my plan without providing any sort of better solution, considering my fixed budget.

 

[DIY_Dylan]

It's also worth mentioning I suppose that none of the pipes or fittings are leaking (currently). Only old shutoff valves in three different areas (laundry, kitchen, & guest bath).

 

[House Doc]

OK... What you have is a mess made worse by some DIYer that didn't have any knowledge of soldering copper. I've been a pro handyman for over 44 years and I try to repair when possible instead of replace as so many are prone to these days.
Being an "Old Timer" I am not that comfortable with Pex or Sharkbite fittings. ( A well soldered copper joint has "proven itself" to last 50 years. And I'm sure that I'll be gone before Pex or Sharkbite have reached that milestone. I'm NOT saying Pex or Sharkbite are Not good, just haven't proven themselves over the test of time.

Anyway I agree that the "iron/copper" connections must be addressed with dielectric unions or such. From your pics, whoever installed the copper never learned to solder or clean off flux.
On the 2 pipes coming out of the cabinet floor just cut them off below the fittings and install new "compression" valves (stops). If you want you can install a "T" for the icemaker line. I have NEVER seen a "saddle valve" like the one shown to last more than 10 years before becoming a problem.
I can't tell if the toilet stop is soldered or compression. If compression just replace with new compression stop. If soldered let me know and I'll share an old timer secret.

 

[DIY_Dylan]

Yes I kind of assumed the previous owners did a lot of this themselves bc a lot of other areas throughout the home reflect that as well, aside from plumbing. Anyways, thanks for your input. How does my somewhat modified plan sound below?

For the sink, I only need to address the cold line right now, which is 1/2" copper I believe. So I'm thinking to do as you said, cut just below that saddle valve, install a T for the icemaker line then another short length of either copper or PEX (still trying to decide on this) up to a 1/4 turn compression valve then attach braided stainless steel lines to the fridge and to the cold water faucets. Does this sound about right? I understand the stop valve will be compression so that won't need soldering if I go with copper for that short length, but will I need to solder at either end of that T for the ice maker line?

For the bathroom, the valve is soldered.

 

[havasu]

I apologize for sounding harsh. I too am just a old time handyman, and have crawled into dozens of attics to repair one broken pipe, when the entire piping is rotten beyond belief. The customer is always right, but they sign waivers that if the new connections leaks, it's their butt, not mine. I too am a bit old school for using PEX, but if you live in an area where rats frequent your house, DO NOT use rat poison, since it makes them thirsty and they will eat right through the PEX looking for water.

 

[TomFOhio]

It looks like that valve is soldered against the wall at the toilet. I have been doing this for a long time also but I am never to
old to learn something new by someone else. Can you share your secret with the rest of us. Thanks......