Supply Line

This weekend we also finished up the last of the supply line plumbing. We had a persistent leak that turned out to be a hairline crack in one of the brass fittings, and that kind of made us wary of every step. But it has to get done somehow.

I don't remember if I mentioned that we moved the big mixing valve downstairs. When we did our first runs of the supply plumbing it had all kinds of leaks and fusses, and it turned out to make more sense to have it in the crawlspace where if it leaked AGAIN (and it almost certainly would) it would leak into the sand.

So that is now downstairs, and the last remaining part of the supply to connect up is the faucet controller. In a normal faucet the supply is controlled by the handles, but this is an automatic faucet, so it has an electronic box that opens up the supply line when the motion sensor detects hands in the sink.

There are two things that connect to it: an electrical connection, and a warm water supply line (the hot water and cold are mixed in the big mixing valve down below, so the water is always the right temperature). Noel widened one of the two holes we'd drilled for the supply lines before, so the electrical conduit could get through it.

Installing the supply line was a little funky. There wasn't enough room to install it from below, so I ran the stretching tool on the tubing from above, then Noel guided the end onto the fitting from below. It takes seconds to make a connection with this system.

And then Noel connected the faucet controller, and we tested it with water under pressure (I stood there with a heavy towel at the ready, just in case).

And now we can have the supply plumbing inspected. Boom.

posted by ayse on 05/26/15