I've tried stainless steel tags too, and yeah, they're solid. But honestly, even the best tags won't help if you don't keep them updated. I once spent half a Saturday tracing pipes because the tags were outdated after a remodel... lesson learned. Digital backups are great, but how do you guys remember to actually update them regularly? That's always been my struggle.
I've tried digital backups too, but honestly, remembering to update them is half the battle. I usually tell myself I'll do it right after finishing a project... and then promptly forget until months later when I'm staring at mystery pipes again. One thing that's helped me (a bit) is setting reminders on my phone—sounds silly, but it's better than relying on memory alone. Still not perfect though. Anyone found a better trick?
I've been there—reminders help, but they're easy to ignore. Lately, I've started scribbling quick notes directly onto masking tape and sticking it right on the pipes. Looks goofy, sure, but at least when I crawl under there months later, the info's staring me in the face. Beats playing plumbing detective every time...
I've tried the tape trick too, but after a while, moisture made my notes unreadable. Now I snap quick pics on my phone whenever I'm messing around down there. Saved me last month when I had to replace a valve and couldn't remember how I'd rigged it up before. Still felt like a plumbing detective, but at least I had photographic evidence this time...
Photos are handy, but phones can slip or get wet too. I usually sketch a quick diagram on waterproof paper—cheap, reliable, and doesn't leave me stranded if my battery dies halfway through a job...
