plumbing/repiping galvanized with galvanized?

Question

Hi all,I have a not so severe plumbing predicament that I will
like to repair myself.My hot water pressure/flow has reduced
in the kitchen/bathroom.In the kitchen,when I tap the pipes
full pressure runs out for a minute with rust or brown
colored water then it slows back up.Runs good for sometime
for a couple of weeks on and off.The pipes sre galvanized and
are not long runs being a small house.This started when a hotwater heater that was removed and replaced with a new one.
It was so full of sediment that it backed up thru the pipes.There has been repair and water shut off before and this has never happened
so I know it was the tank.the cold water pressure is fine.I would
like to know if changing the supply lines will fix the the problem
temporary or permanently? Do I need to change every section
of the supply lines or part of it? thanks all

Answer 1

Generally, all that's required to fix this is to take the shut-off valves apart and clean them. Even if there are no shut off valves, the stirred up sediment has probably just flowed along the lines until it builds up at the first "collecting" point it hits. If you do want to replace the galvanize lines, it's not too bad of a job until the lines turn up into the walls. I've replaced the lines I could reach and then simply "rodded" out the inaccessible lines with the plain end of a snake and then flushed the rust out as well as I could. I've even gone out to the city access lid and removed their meter and forced a 3/8 heavy duty snake (plain end again) up through the underground main supply while I had a hose from the neighbor's spigot "back flushing" through the home's washing machine's cold water supply. I got pretty wet but once I flushed the faucets (about 5-10 minutes each) the water volume was like new almost. Don't forget to remove the threaded in screens at each faucet; sometimes if you're lucky that's the only problem (you really have to be living right for that to be the only problem though). Good luck.

Answer 2

If you are going to replace the pipes, I would consider using PVC and CPVC for the hot water. These will never rust and should provide you years of service.