Still not convinced spreadsheets are my thing, though—I just scribble notes on the back of receipts and hope for the best.
Honestly, I get the spreadsheet hesitation, but I’ve found even a super basic one helps me keep track—just columns for “what,” “where,” and “date.” Doesn’t have to be fancy. Scribbling on receipts is classic, but those always seem to disappear when I actually need them... Maybe it’s just me, but paper scraps never survive more than a week in my junk drawer.
Scribbling on receipts is classic, but those always seem to disappear when I actually need them...
That’s exactly my problem—last winter I spent an hour digging through a shoebox for a note about which shutoff valve fed the upstairs bath. Ended up tracing pipes by hand anyway. Has anyone tried snapping photos instead? Wondering if that’s less hassle than spreadsheets or paper.
Title: Why Is Documenting Plumbing Connections Such a Nightmare?
Photos are a game changer, honestly. I used to keep a “plumbing notebook” in my truck—half the time it was buried under old gloves and coffee cups. Now I just snap pics with my phone before closing up walls or making changes. It’s not perfect (my camera roll is about 30% pipes and 70% blurry dog photos), but at least I can search for dates or locations.
One thing, though—photos don’t always capture the little details. Sometimes you’ll look back and think, “Wait, which valve is that?” If you’re doing this, try to include something recognizable in the photo—like a sticky note with the room name, or your hand pointing at the right part. Otherwise, it’s just another mystery pipe in a sea of copper and PEX.
I’ve met folks who swear by labeling everything with those cheap label makers. That works until the labels fall off or get covered in dust... or you forget what “VALVE B” means six months later. Spreadsheets sound organized but who has time to update those after every job? Half the time I’m lucky if I remember to put the tools away.
Honestly, documenting plumbing is like trying to keep track of socks after laundry day—no perfect system, just whatever helps you find what you need when you need it. For me, photos plus some scribbles on masking tape stuck near shutoffs have saved my bacon more than once. Just don’t trust your memory alone... learned that one the hard way after flooding my own basement years ago.
I totally get the struggle. Last year, I tried to map out all the shutoffs and weird junctions in my 70s-era house. My “system” was a combo of phone pics, blue painter’s tape, and a hand-drawn map on the back of a cereal box. It worked… until the tape peeled off and my map got tossed during a cleaning spree. Now I just keep a running note on my phone with descriptions like “weird T-joint behind dryer—feeds outside spigot.” Not perfect, but it’s saved me from a few panicked moments. Honestly, I wish there was a cheap, foolproof way to do this, but I haven’t found it yet.
Honestly, I’ve seen every “system” under the sun—sticky notes, color-coded zip ties, even one guy who used nail polish on his valves. None of it’s perfect. The problem is, houses from that era are a patchwork of fixes and “creative” reroutes. Even the pros get tripped up sometimes. I’m not convinced there’s a foolproof method unless you’re ready to shell out for a full schematic (and who does that?). Your phone note idea is probably as good as it gets for most folks. At least you’re not relying on memory alone... that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
