Honestly, sketching diagrams has saved me more than once, but even then, I've had surprises. Ever had trouble figuring out how to document plumbing when previous homeowners DIY'd their own eco-friendly upgrades? Those rainwater catchment systems can really throw you for a loop...
Haha, those DIY rainwater setups are the plumbing equivalent of a choose-your-own-adventure novel—you never know where you'll end up. Had one job where the homeowner proudly showed me their "ingenious" catchment system... turns out they routed rainwater straight into their hot water line. Step one: scratch head. Step two: politely explain why cold showers aren't an eco-feature. Step three: redraw the diagram... again. Diagrams help, but sometimes you just gotta laugh and roll with it.
Had a similar one recently—homeowner proudly showed me their "eco-friendly" greywater setup. Turns out they'd connected the washing machine drain directly into the sprinkler system... Step one: deep breath. Step two: explain soap suds aren't lawn fertilizer. Step three: redraw everything, again. Diagrams save sanity sometimes.
Had a neighbor who proudly showed me his "DIY rainwater harvesting" setup once. He'd rigged up a bunch of barrels to catch rain from the roof gutters—so far, so good, right? But then he casually mentioned he'd also connected the overflow directly into his basement sump pump drain line. Cue internal screaming.
I gently asked if he'd thought about what happens if that sump line backs up or clogs. He just shrugged and said, "Hasn't happened yet!" Famous last words...
Anyway, I totally agree diagrams are sanity savers. Every time I tweak something plumbing-related at home, I sketch it out first. Learned that lesson the hard way after spending an entire weekend tracing pipes through crawlspaces because I couldn't remember how I'd routed things a year earlier. Now I have a little notebook full of scribbled diagrams and notes like "DO NOT CONNECT HERE" or "Valve leaks slightly, replace soon." It's messy, but it beats guessing.
Honestly, documenting plumbing is one of those chores nobody appreciates until something goes wrong. Then suddenly you're thanking your past self for being cautious enough to jot down a few notes.
I've found taking quick photos with my phone helps a ton too. Sometimes my sketches don't make sense months later, but a photo clears things right up. Saved me from crawling back under the house more than once...
