Handy shortcuts for finding plumbing info quick
Yeah, I hear you on the labels. Half the time, I just grab a silver Sharpie and write right on the pipe—ugly, but it sticks around longer than any sticker. For spots that get wet or greasy, I’ve had decent luck with aluminum tags and a punch set, but that’s more work than most folks want to bother with. Colored zip ties are a lifesaver when you’re sorting out a rat’s nest of lines in a crawlspace. Neatness is nice, but if you can read it in the dark with a flashlight between your teeth, that’s good enough.
I’ve been using painter’s tape and a Sharpie for quick labels, but it’s true—those never last long if there’s any moisture. The aluminum tag idea sounds solid, but yeah, seems like overkill for just basic stuff. I do like the colored zip ties trick though; that seems way easier to keep track of than trying to read faded writing or peeling tape.
Curious if anyone’s tried taking photos of their pipes and making a sort of “map” on their phone? I started snapping pics under the sink and in the basement, then labeling them in an app, but it gets confusing fast if you don’t keep it updated. Wondering if that’s actually helpful long-term or just more digital clutter... Has anybody found a good system that works for tracking what’s what, especially after a few years go by?
Handy shortcuts for finding plumbing info quick
I’ve tried the photo thing too, and honestly, it started out feeling super organized—until I realized I had a dozen nearly identical shots of pipes and valves and couldn’t remember which angle was from where. Ended up with more confusion than when I started. Maybe if you’re really disciplined about updating the “map” every time you change something, it could work, but for me it just turned into another folder of mystery pics on my phone.
The colored zip ties are probably the best bang-for-buck trick I’ve found. I started using them after getting tired of re-labeling everything every spring when the tape peeled off or got gross. Just picked up a cheap pack at the dollar store and assigned colors to different lines—blue for cold water, red for hot, yellow for outdoor spigots, that sort of thing. Not perfect, but at least I know what’s what at a glance, even if I forget which valve does what.
I did try those plastic key tags with the little paper inserts once, thinking they’d be more durable than tape. Turns out, they get just as grimy and unreadable in a damp basement. Plus, half of them ended up on the floor after a year.
Honestly, I think unless you’re running a commercial setup or have some wild maze of pipes, simple is better. The more complicated my “system” gets, the less likely I am to keep up with it. Colored zip ties and maybe a quick note in my phone about which color means what—that’s about as fancy as I get these days. Anything more turns into a chore real fast.
If anyone’s cracked the code on a low-maintenance way to keep track of this stuff long-term, I’d love to hear it... but for now, I’m sticking with cheap zip ties and hoping for the best.
Just picked up a cheap pack at the dollar store and assigned colors to different lines—blue for cold water, red for hot, yellow for outdoor spigots, that sort of thing.
Totally get what you mean about the photo thing—been there, done that, and ended up scrolling through a sea of nearly identical pipe pics. The zip tie method is honestly underrated. I’ve seen folks try to get fancy with laminated tags or even QR codes, but in a damp crawlspace, simple wins every time. I do keep a running note in my phone too, just in case I forget what color means what (which happens more than I’d like to admit). Only thing I’d add: if you ever need to trace a line, those cheap paint pens can help mark valves directly—holds up better than stickers or tags in the long run.
Paint pens are a lifesaver, especially in basements where everything gets grimy. I’ve tried the fancy tags too, but they just end up unreadable or falling off after a few months. Colored zip ties are solid—cheap, quick, and you can spot them even in bad lighting. I’ve even used electrical tape in a pinch, though it doesn’t hold up as well if things get wet. Funny how the simplest tricks end up working best... high-tech stuff just doesn’t survive a crawlspace.
