Advice for removing a washer connection

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ctviggen

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Location
Connecticut
I have to remove this washer connection in the basement (so I can insulate the walls with 2 inches of rigid foam insulation):

20210307_090644.jpg

I think it's 1/2 inch piping and I have everything I need to do it (pipe cutter, soldering materials, cleaning materials, pipe caps, etc.).

I'm on a well and can turn off the well pump and there's a shut off valve I can turn too (so the tank doesn't lose pressure). This is what's in the ceiling:

20210307_090657.jpg

If you see where the taped-on bar code is, this is where I was thinking of cutting the pipe and capping it.

These are the connections:

20210307_090741.jpg

This is my plan:

1) Turn off well pump, isolate pump and tank from system using shut off valve(s).
2) Put bucket under washer connection.
3) Open washer connection valve.
4) Open upstairs faucets to provide an air break and help drain water.
5) Cut the piping.
6) Remove the plastic pipe hangers so they don't get too hot.
7) Prepare the pipes and caps (clean inside and outside).
8) Flux and solder the caps onto the pipes.
9) Open the valve(s) for the well pump and turn on the well pump.
10) Check for leaks.
11) Close upstairs faucets.

Note: Some of these may not be in the exact order. For instance, I might close the upstairs faucets before turning on the well pump and checking for leaks, then open the faucets to remove the air.

Does this sound reasonable?

Concerns:

a) Am I going to be draining the entire hot and cold water systems?
b) Do I have isolate the water heater (also in the basement) from this?
c) Anything else?
 
A simpler and quicker method would be compression fittings with pipe caps, unless your intent is too drywall the ceiling.
In your "turn on sequence" turn on pump, open pressure tank, slowly open all faucets fed, flush all WC's, close faucets, low too high.
If the water heater is lower than the tank, it shouldn't be a concern.
Check later for leaks.
 
I try like hell not to have any pipes on an outside wall, but since there are already installed, it might be a whole lot easier to keep the pipes in place and insulate around them. It's below ground. Probably not a freeze issue.

You might be able to wrap the pipes with foam and use your rigid insulation around them.
 
My guess is there is enough spring in the pipes with the 90s in the ceiling that if you unscrew the valve from the wall it will move out the 2", or at least an inch and you can put a wood block behind it and cut the insulation to slip in behind the pipe.
 
First of, let me say... I LOVE PEX... what ever you do I would make sure you put a couple of ball valves in those line so next time you want to make a change... or God forbid you develop a leak, it’s a simple matter to isolate that particular circuit.
 
Thanks, all. Sorry -- I got delayed doing this. My plan was to come home Friday, do this, remove the wood, prep the wall (knock off some large pieces of concrete, paint with concrete sealant). Then install the insulation all day Saturday and Sunday.

Unfortunately, our ice maker in the fridge stopped working. It seemed to be trying to work, as we could hear it trying to fill over and over again. We replaced the line going to it, and that seems to have fixed it. But even a simple thing like this takes half a day or so.

Then, our "home theater" computer developed a software issue where we could no longer watch TV. Since we only have one TV, that was an issue. (I say "home theater" because it's really just in the living room, but it does run our TV, music, movies, home videos, etc.) That took the rest of Saturday, and now it's Sunday, and there's church and I have to work too (unfortunately).

Anyway, the previous owners of the house had a washing machine here, I believe. But there's a separate location (first floor) for the washing machine and dryer, so there's no use for this now.

Yes, we would like to drywall the ceiling at some point. Doubt this will happen, due to money constraints, but we still have hopes. So, everything I do is with the idea of drywalling the ceiling, so I'm trying to remove electrical boxes, etc.

This is a temporary fix, I think. We have hopes of putting a 1/2 bath in the basement, along with a "bar" area. If we can swing that financially, we've planned out a different area of the basement for this, and when we pay to have that done, I'll also have them look at this area to see what they recommend.

I have limited experience with plumbing, so I'd rather pay someone for major or "fine" work. I think this project would be too expensive for the end result, though, which is just to cap these temporarily.

PEX is a great idea, and I would do that in a heart beat if we had the time or cash. PEX would allow us to run the main water lines (not shown here) in the joists too, making it easier to drywall the ceiling.

As for the insulation, the pipe is too close to the wall to get a sheet of insulation behind it. I have both 1 inch and 2 inch think pieces of insulation. This is what I'm going for:

20210201_131806.jpg

If I do this part of the basement, that's about another 12 foot section that'll be done. After this, I have one wall where I have to take off some (a lot of) electrical, install insulation, build a wall to hold the electrical; then one part near the oil furnace, and that's it. A multi-year project finally done.

I'll see if I can post the steps I take. Won't be until at least this coming weekend, though. Trying to get this part done so we get the outside ready and maybe have some families over outside.
 
Forgot to mention. This house has an in-law apartment. The air handler for the first floor of the main house and the in-law was installed all the way on the other side of the basement, far away from the oil furnace and the outdoor AC units.

Our AC unit died last summer, and we bit the bullet and are having heat pumps installed. Of course, the coolant is such that the coils and lines have to be replaced anyway.

Years ago, we had put the in-law on its own (Mitsubishi) heat pumps, using those heaters/coolers that attach to the walls. The air handler no longer services the in-law and only services the first floor of the main house.

To the left of those water connections is where the oil furnace is.

What all this means is that since we basically have to have a "new" air handler, we are having the contractor move the air handler in front of those water lines, and near the oil furnace. This way, assuming we can recover from the cost of a completely new heating/cooling system, we'd be able to have a true "utility room", separate from the rest of the basement. Closing that off would provide some noise abatement. Assuming we can get the money/time/energy to do that.

With covid, the installer is having issues getting all the parts. But he's supposed to start at some point before the heat comes (in CT), and I want to get this part of basement insulated before he starts.
 
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