Destroying stem wall for plumbing?

[kristoff]

Is it "standard practice"-as my contractor claims-to allow the plumber to break pieces out of the stem-wall to accomodate the underslab plumbing?

see photo:

http://www.batizy.com/house/IMG_0980.JPG

What concerns me--besides seeming like poor practice--is how close this is to one of the anchor bolts.

 

[jheidt2543]

Generally speaking, the plumper sets sleeves in the wall prior to pouring concrete, sets a sleeve under the footing before the concrete is poured or core drills the holes after the forms are stripped. The holes are then patched water tight after the pipes are installed with hydraulic cement mortar. In this instance, it sounds like someone forgot about the pipes until after the walls were poured.

How is the plumber planning to repair your wall? If the anchor bolts are compromised, epoxy injection of the cracks may be a solution. Of course, the other option is to demo. the affected area and repour it at the plumbers expense.

 

[kristoff]

This is a tract home, and it looks like this is how they do all of them. Seems kinda shoddy to me. The lot super said they patch the stemwalls after the slab is poured. I think it sucks, and am interested in knowing what structural issues this may cause.

 

[rater57]

it is not standard practice to destroy something in order to construct something else. fixing this problem by embedding the plumbing vent (must be a vent; why would a drain line run in an exterior wall? that would be worse than a vent in an exterior wall in heating country) in epoxy or concrete or mortar, etc. would NOT be a good thing. the vent sees outdoor air temperatures and the temperature of the waste water in the drain line. the temperature difference means that vent line expands (elongates) and contracts (shrinks) every time hot water runs thru the drain. restraining the vent, especially at a bend - which is your situation - is bad. the other issue is how to prevent exterior water intrusion at the point where the stem wall is damaged. i'm sure your contractor has another industry standard bad practice to lay on you for that. i would move the vent. it seems he wants the vent to run up in an exterior wall. that is also bad. he could have run the vent to an interior wall and avoid all the bad things.

in your picture i also noticed what looks like copper water lines laying over the drain line. this is also bad. backfilling will bend and maybe destroy those lines. plus, may deflect the drain line down and create a low spot in the drain line; this is also bad. besides, its a code violation to cross plumbing lines one on top of the other like that. this is your second post about this contractor and you are still in the ground. sound like you should change builders asap. good luck.

 

[kristoff]

I understand and agree with that. Unfortunately, I don't know if any of the other builders are any better. Thanks for the tips--especially calling that plumbing issue to my attention.

 

[kristoff]

So, at this point, what is the recommended way to repair these chipped out sections of the stem-wall? There are several all over the place wherever the rough outs come up above slab.

 

[RDK]

I’m having trouble figuring out what is happening in the photo.

The black pipe looks like ABS which is only used here as a DWV (drain waste vent) pipe. Yet your photo shows a hose bib connected to the pipe, which implies a pressure pipe. Can you explain?

If it’s a DWV then there should be a cleanout at the bottom as well.

Also there appears to be large size bare copper wire in the photo. This is generally only used for grounds and one is enough.

The white pipe appears to be CPVC water pipe. This should not be crossing the DWV pipe.

Why could the contractor not simply have the 45 bend at the top of the concrete wall? This would eliminate the need for chipping out the concrete?

Is this an interior or exterior wall?


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[kristoff]

First, it's an exterior wall.

Second, that is the drain pipe for the kitchen sink (don't know why they have a hose bib on there right now).

Third, what you are taking as copper wire is copper supply line (Cerro Brand 1" to be exact). Presumably for the kitchen sink and drinking water system.

The 45º bend can't be above the stem wall since when the slab is poured, the pipes need to not protrude from where the framing will bolt on to the stem wall. (i.e. the plumbing will be completely in the wall).

I must say, I appreciate the feedback here. Keep it coming.

 

[ishvaaag]

In Spain we do much RC buildings infilled with attached masonry, and even if everyday less, "partition" (nonstructural) walls are or have been mostly as well masonry.

With these ways and where no doubling ceiling is available, the want of invisible mechanical services cause the things to become cramped. Partition walls I have seen truly distroyed by the later setting there of the pipes, and where correct it is the gypsum or mortar infilling and facing that restores integrity enough. The alternatives in the past and with such practices were not much, and only when a wall had some structural bearing the works' directors were more attentive to the ways. But to distroy to later perfect is a practice that has been ongoing for millenniums in the realm of construction. Likely the gremial division has something to do to it, since all would be wanting independence, which is not truly feasibe when all is to be integrated.