gungy

Wow, I didn't realize it had been over a week since I last posted. I'm sure it felt like longer than that for some of you, though.





So I've finally been able to get around to starting on the plumbing. I had to order some tanks, order some fittings, pick up this, get that... and all the while, I didn't really have a clear picture in my head of what I was going to do. I'll admit, for a few days there I was hesitating. Some of these things, such as the water tank or the shower walls, are expensive, and I don't want to cut holes in anything only to later realize that the plan would be better suited with those holes cut elsewhere! It wasn't until I started cutting holes, though, that the plan started coming together, so I'm hoping it'll all work out.

So, first, let's go back to where we left off last.



Here's the rough kitchen counter, slightly revised. As I said before, I wasn't happy with the length, so I cut it down some. I'm more satisfied with it as it is now. Also, while I was at it, I raised the cabinets up off the ground a few inches to allow for some foot room. Actually, I was allowing for foot room before, but then the entire cabinets were pushed back. Now just the bottom 3 inches are, which effectively means I have a little more depth to my cabinets (except at the bottom.) Also in this picture you can see the kitchen faucet, the hot water heater, and the water tank.



Here's a better shot of the water heater and the tank. Neither one of them is hooked up yet, but in this picture you can see the line for the hot water stretching its way over with the shut-off valve already attached. While we're under the counter...



...we can take a look at the bottom of the sink. All that funky jazz coming down from the top is for the kitchen faucet. It's got one of those fancy detachable heads that stretches out. I figured it might come in handy, given the limited size of the place. It also came with a free soap dispenser! Either way, two of those lines coming down are going to hook up to those t-joints off to the right. I think I'm going to skip putting individual shut-off valves on the kitchen sink and shower. Both of them connect so close to the tank as it is, I'll just have a general shut-off valve for the whole system right there. The place is pretty small and tight; I doubt I'll be giving up my by making that decision.



While we're looking at plumbing, here's what's going on behind the shower wall. The shower is actually all hooked up. Theoretically, if I start pumping water through that line, the shower will work. Of course, the sinks aren't ready, so if I start pumping water through the line now, water will pour out the connections for the sinks, so that's probably not a wise idea. Speaking of unwise ideas - electricians, feel free to cry about the switch being right next to the water hookup for the shower. At least it's only 12 volts going through there...



Here's what the inside of the shower now looks like. I still have to fasten the shower walls to the studs, but the handle is in place and the shower head is poking through. I'm considering attaching plex to the ceiling above the shower to keep steam in. Doing that will help protect the walls and will keep the shower warm without needing the hot water running all the time.



And here's the bathroom faucet. The sink's still just balancing there - I need to cut part of the wall down and put a stud in behind it for it to fasten to. The faucet is on, though, so if I cut off the caps to the water lines and connected a flexible line up, the sink would be ready!

So, the plumbing is coming along. Of course, none of the drain work is really done, so if I DO get the water flowing, it'll all just pool on the floor. Step at a time, step at a time! Tomorrow I'm either going to work on those drains or finish hooking the tank up, I'm not sure which. Once both tasks are done, though, I can start running water through the system and find out where ALL my leaks are! Joy.