Painter's tape is handy, but I'm not sure I'd trust it for anything involving water—even temporarily. I've had it peel off pretty quick once moisture gets involved. Maybe you've got better tape than me, haha.
"Grease pencils sound interesting, though; curious how well they'd hold up if things get damp..."
I've used grease pencils a few times, and they're surprisingly decent in damp conditions. Not perfect, but definitely better than regular markers or pens. The downside is they smudge easily if you accidentally brush against them. I usually end up with half the notes on my sleeve instead of the pipe...
Lately I've been using zip ties with little tags attached for labeling shutoff valves and pipes. They're cheap, waterproof, and easy to read even in tight spaces. Anyone else tried this? Curious if there's an even simpler solution out there that I'm missing.
Zip ties with tags sound pretty clever, actually. I've been scribbling directly on pipes with a Sharpie, thinking I'm a genius—until I realized half my notes faded or got covered in grime. Grease pencils were okay-ish, but yeah, smudging was a pain. Might have to steal your zip tie idea...seems like it'd survive my basement's humidity better than my handwriting does.
I've been down that Sharpie road myself—thought I was clever marking hot and cold lines until a leak turned my notes into abstract art. Zip ties with tags do hold up better, but I've also had decent luck with aluminum tape labels. Just scribble on them with a ballpoint pen, stick 'em on, and they survive moisture pretty well. Curious though, anyone tried color-coding pipes instead of writing labels? Seems like it might be quicker at a glance...
Color coding sounds good in theory, but what about low-light spots like basements or crawlspaces? Seems like you'd need a flashlight every time to tell red from blue or whatever. I've stuck with aluminum tape too—scribbles stay readable for years. Anyone found a solution for quickly ID'ing pipes in dim areas without fumbling around for extra lighting?
I tried color coding at first too, but honestly, it got annoying real fast in my basement—always squinting and guessing. Ended up wrapping some reflective tape around the pipes and just marking them with a thick Sharpie. Simple enough, and I can still read it even with minimal light.