I totally get the appeal of digital—it’s way easier to search a folder than dig through a box in the garage. But I’ve run into issues when old photos don’t show enough detail, or I forget to label them properly. Do you have a system for naming or tagging your files so you can actually find what you need later? I’m always worried about scrolling through a hundred “IMG_2023_06_15” files and not knowing which pipe is which...
I hear you on the “IMG_2023_06_15” nightmare. I once spent half an hour scrolling through what felt like a million nearly identical shots of the same copper elbow, trying to remember if that was the one behind the kitchen wall or the one in the basement crawlspace. Ended up crawling under the house just to check anyway—so much for digital efficiency.
What’s worked for me (most of the time, anyway) is getting super specific with file names, even if it feels a bit overboard. Like, instead of just “kitchen_pipe,” I’ll do something like “Unit3_kitchen_sink_hot_inlet_2022Dec.” Not pretty, but at least I know what I’m looking at later. I also started sticking a sticky note with a number or letter in the photo itself, especially when there are a bunch of pipes running together. Feels a bit like making a ransom note, but hey, it works.
Honestly, though, sometimes I think a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie would be less stressful than trying to outsmart my phone’s camera roll... Anyone else just give up and go back to paper diagrams sometimes?
Masking tape and a Sharpie have saved my sanity more than once. Tried the whole “photo everything” method, but then I end up with 40 pics of pipes that all look like they’re auditioning for the same role. I’ve actually started sketching little maps on scrap cardboard—ugly, but at least I know what’s what when I crawl back under there months later. Digital’s great until you’re squinting at thumbnails wondering if that’s the laundry drain or the main stack...
Totally get what you mean about the photos—
I tried color-coding tape once, thinking it’d be foolproof. Turns out, in dim light, blue and green look the same anyway. Now I just write right on the pipe or fitting with a Sharpie and make a rough sketch on the back of an old envelope. Not pretty, but at least it’s obvious what’s what when I’m upside down in a crawlspace six months later. Digital’s great until you forget which angle you took the photo from...“I end up with 40 pics of pipes that all look like they’re auditioning for the same role.”
Yeah, the color tape trick fooled me too—red and orange are basically twins in a dark basement. I’ve started using painter’s tape with big arrows and notes, but even then, my handwriting’s a mess when I’m wedged behind a water heater. Ever tried those label makers? Wondering if they hold up over time or just peel off after a few months.
