I Plumbed My Own 3 Bedroom House and Failed Inspection. Here’s What I Learned

Comments · 406

• VE

  @VegetablesandJunkFood · 8 months ago

  Professionals fail inspections all the time. Good work

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• UN

  @UntetheredSoul4Christ · 3 years ago

  Plumber here, can't believe those two things were all that was wrong. There's a lot of code in plumbing and to DIY it and only have two things wrong is quite an accomplishment. Good for you!

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• CO

  @coreysaylor4736 · 7 months ago

  You shouldn't convert from 4 to 3 below the cleanout. Keep it 4 until the 4 cleanout, then go to 3.

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• EL

  @elcubano965 · 3 years ago

  If you're not making mistakes, you're not learning.  As a former DIY'er who then became a professional, this is how you become better. Your mistakes were relatively minor, if not annoying, and you should be proud of what you accomplished.  Municipal inspectors are paid to do what they do, and even professionals fail inspections from time to time.

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• DE

  @Deep_Divers · 3 years ago

  I give you a thumbs up for posting this video because you were willing to show where you made mistakes so others could learn. It shows strong character.

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• JL

  @jlizcano3317 · 3 years ago

  For anyone who does this, that 4 inch pipe needs to be brought up above the floor full 4 inch to the cleanout tee. You can then reduce to 3 inch above the floor. The reason for this is there is difficult  to properly clean out that 4 inch pipe below the ground should it become plugged with only a 3 inch cleanout opening as access.

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• DA

  @davidmcclain5180 · 3 years ago

  I think you should be pretty proud of what you accomplished.  The failed inspection points are things you have now learned and will be useful to you in the future.  Thanks for sharing your experience.

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• TN

  @tnwagn · 3 years ago

  Making mistakes is to be expected, nothing to be ashamed of. As a DIYer, only a few items being missed is something to be proud of.

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• RE

  @repairitdontwreckit4257 · 3 years ago

  As a retired plumber and plumbing inspector I think you did a pretty good job as DIY. I will make a few comments in a constructive way. Every where has different rules. Also, &nbsp;not all plumbing inspectors are created equal. Most are very good. The few others depending on there training can be pretty bad. <br>Where I worked the 4” cast below grade would remain the full size thru the floor with a 4” clean out above the slab and then it could be reduced to 3” to pick up what’s above. This can all be done in plastic. The fernco is an approved fitting so I wouldn’t have a problem with it. The powder room w.c requires a vent as water flowing past the fixture could siphon the water from the bowl. We call this indirect siphonage. In a small buildings it may not siphon but multi floor buildings it can. Where I worked that code didn’t have 2 sets of rules. The vent required for the w.c. in the powder room can be connected to the horizontal piece of 3”pipe just after the 90 degree elbow. That vent can the tie into other vents close by as long as it is above the flood level rim of the fixture it is tying into. You may have to increase the vent size after the WC vent is added. This way the plumbing downstream of the WC &nbsp;vent could remain. Less work. The closer the vent is to a fixture the better. Be careful where you drill holes thru the floor joists. Usually the building inspector is looking at that. The kitchen sink drain appears to be in a outside wall. Depending where you are if there’s a chance of freezing &nbsp;the drain should be protected with ridgid &nbsp;styrofoam.It works well in these situations. Good luck with the changes and hopefully you get it passed. At the end of the day you want the plumbing to work with no problems. In most situations if there’s a problem it’s usually discovered after the fixtures are connected. It then becomes a nightmare as the building is complete. That’s why the rough in inspection is so important. It may seem some of the details are a waste of time but from experience it’s worth it. Lastly, part of the rough in inspection usually requires that all the drains, waste and vents be filled up with water to check for leaks. Most plumbers hate doing it but it’s worth it.

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• AH

  @Ahj-n4l · 3 years ago

  &quot;If you aren&apos;t making any mistakes; you probably aren&apos;t getting very much done.&quot;<br><br>- Someone more experienced than me

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• AM

  @AmitGupta-ki4bt · 3 years ago

  It takes a lot of effort to do your own plumbing, kudos for that. It takes lot of guts to make a video about your mistakes and put it on the internet for others to learn from, hats off to you for that.

  4

• JE

  @jeffclark5268 · 3 years ago

  I think your next failed inspection will be all the cut studs scabbed back together and the holes in joists that are nearly the entire joist.

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