Totally get what you mean about missing the old-school look. I used to love those brass tags, but man, they’d turn into grime magnets in no time.
Been there, done that, and it’s never fun. I switched to those heat-resistant markers too—makes tracing lines way less stressful, especially when you’re half-asleep and just want to fix the leak and go back to bed. Guess it’s a tradeoff between style and sanity...anything’s better than guessing which line is which when you’re in a crawlspace at 2am.
Title: Finally Figured Out My Boiler Plumbing—Anyone Else Find It Tricky?
I get the whole “just label it and move on” thing, but I’m not totally sold on the markers yet. Maybe it’s just me being paranoid, but I always worry the writing’s gonna fade or rub off over time, especially in a damp basement. I had a friend who swore by those stick-on labels, but half of his peeled off after a couple years and he was back to square one.
I actually tried making my own tags out of those plastic plant markers (the kind you stick in garden pots). Not as classy as brass, but they don’t rust or get gross, and you can zip-tie them on. They’re not winning any style awards, but at least I can read them when I’m crawling around down there.
Funny thing is, when I first moved in, I thought all the pipes were labeled until I realized the previous owner just used different colored tape... which had faded to the same shade of grayish-brown. Ended up tracing every line with a flashlight and a lot of guesswork. Not my finest hour.
I do miss the look of those old brass tags though. There’s something about them that just feels solid and permanent, even if they’re a pain to keep clean. Maybe there’s a middle ground—like, some kind of durable tag that doesn’t look terrible but also doesn’t turn into a science experiment after a year? Or maybe I’m just overthinking it and should stick with whatever works.
Anyway, I guess there’s no perfect system. Just glad I can finally tell which pipe does what without playing plumbing roulette at 2am...
Honestly, I get the appeal of brass tags, but I’ve always felt weird about using new plastic for stuff like this. I ended up cutting old yogurt lids into strips and writing on those with a paint pen—surprisingly durable, and it’s just repurposed trash. Not the prettiest, but they’ve held up better than stick-on labels in my damp basement. Maybe not everyone’s style, but it works for me and feels a bit less wasteful.
I’ve done the same thing with old plastic containers—my wife laughs at my “yogurt tag collection,” but hey, they work. I tried masking tape once and it just turned into a sticky mess. Not fancy, but at least I know what’s what down there.
“my wife laughs at my ‘yogurt tag collection,’ but hey, they work.”
I get it. I use old bread tags for labeling pipes—way better than tape, and they don’t leave gunk everywhere. Not pretty, but it’s practical and keeps stuff out of the trash.
