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Baja Mofufu, if you have stop valves under that sink, make sure that they are open all the way. How is the flow rate at your bathroom faucet?
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Mar 26, 2013 16:21
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kid sinister posted:Baja Mofufu, if you have stop valves under that sink, make sure that they are open all the way. Thanks, the stop valves are open all the way and though I haven't measured them, the flow rates from both bathrooms is fine. I was wondering if there's any minimum requirement because we've already had the landlord come out to look at the kitchen faucet, and he said that if water's coming out he's not going to do anything. The water around here is really hard and the last time we took off a faucet at my parents' house we needed a sawzall...so we were trying to avoid buying our landlord a new faucet and spending the time fixing it (both of us are at work 12h/day). But at this point it might be worth the frustration!
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Mar 26, 2013 17:55
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Baja Mofufu posted:Thanks, the stop valves are open all the way and though I haven't measured them, the flow rates from both bathrooms is fine. I was wondering if there's any minimum requirement because we've already had the landlord come out to look at the kitchen faucet, and he said that if water's coming out he's not going to do anything. The water around here is really hard and the last time we took off a faucet at my parents' house we needed a sawzall...so we were trying to avoid buying our landlord a new faucet and spending the time fixing it (both of us are at work 12h/day). But at this point it might be worth the frustration! Try cleaning the aerator. And if it doesn't work then try cleaning the ball valve.
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Mar 26, 2013 19:11
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If you are afraid of removing the aerator trying finding a way to soak it in vinegar . It will eat any calcium deposits with like an hour at most soak.
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Mar 28, 2013 02:23
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Thanks everybody, I fixed it. It's one of those kitchen faucets where there's a pull out sprayer attached to a hose; when I turned it over to get at the aerator it was kind of annoying to hold so I screwed off the sprayer from the hose. Nothing in the aerator but where the hose attaches to the sprayer there were all these tiny pieces of plastic caught in a filter. Not sure how that happened (probably from before we moved) but it's fixed now!
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Mar 28, 2013 17:38
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I have a weird toilet problem. Last night, after I used the toilet, I noticed that it kept making a very weak water flowing noise rather than the "normal toilet noise after flushing". I took the lid off the tank, and noticed that the water leaks from this circled area rather than coming from the white hose. So I turned the water off below the tank by twisting that handle and the water stopped leaking. Then I turned the water back on, and then the water started flowing like normal from the white hose and the water stopped leaking from circled part. When I flush again, I have to turn the water off and back on again to make everything work properly. Does anyone have any idea what's going on?
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Apr 1, 2013 00:45
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Hand of the King posted:I have a weird toilet problem. Last night, after I used the toilet, I noticed that it kept making a very weak water flowing noise rather than the "normal toilet noise after flushing". I took the lid off the tank, and noticed that the water leaks from this circled area rather than coming from the white hose. I had something similar, just replaced the flush tower or whatever the thing is called and it was fine...it was only around $10
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Apr 1, 2013 01:05
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I'm replacing an oven/range and the previous unit was so old there was no shutoff valve on the gas line; it was just hooked straight into the gas from the wall, so I need to install a shutoff valve. I also need to extend the gas line further up so the shutoff can actually be reached without moving the oven. I'm thinking running a piece of pipe up the wall to the shutoff valve, and then having a length of flex line to the stove. The existing pipe is black iron. Should I use that to continue the line or should I get galvanized or copper? If I need copper, is the barrier created by the teflon tape enough to prevent galvanic corrosion at the joint?
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Apr 9, 2013 00:13
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door Door door posted:I'm replacing an oven/range and the previous unit was so old there was no shutoff valve on the gas line; it was just hooked straight into the gas from the wall, so I need to install a shutoff valve. I also need to extend the gas line further up so the shutoff can actually be reached without moving the oven. I'm thinking running a piece of pipe up the wall to the shutoff valve, and then having a length of flex line to the stove. The existing pipe is black iron. Should I use that to continue the line or should I get galvanized or copper? If I need copper, is the barrier created by the teflon tape enough to prevent galvanic corrosion at the joint? It should be black iron all the way to the device where ever possible.
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Apr 9, 2013 02:54
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door Door door posted:I'm replacing an oven/range and the previous unit was so old there was no shutoff valve on the gas line; it was just hooked straight into the gas from the wall, so I need to install a shutoff valve. I also need to extend the gas line further up so the shutoff can actually be reached without moving the oven. I'm thinking running a piece of pipe up the wall to the shutoff valve, and then having a length of flex line to the stove. The existing pipe is black iron. Should I use that to continue the line or should I get galvanized or copper? If I need copper, is the barrier created by the teflon tape enough to prevent galvanic corrosion at the joint? You can use a flex line but those flex lines limit the btu's. If you extend the piping under the stove they sometimes have an access panel under the stove to hook up the gas line and that is where you should put your flex line and shut off valve. Use gas rated teflon tape, It's thicker and less stringy. Any normal pipe dope will work. Most of them are rated for gas if they are rated for plumbing that is pressurized. Though one thing to be forwarned if you some how gently caress this up and blow something up. Your H.O. Insurance will not cover it since you shouldn't be touching that piping if not licensed. Also install a drip leg right after the ball valve to catch any sediment coming out gas line. Though with natural gas I wouldn't be to afraid. I've seen the cap on a drip leg only hand tight on a water heater. It was leaking badly less then 12 inches form an open flame and never had a problem. But the mixture of gas to air ignition is a lot slimmer of a margin then LP.
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Apr 12, 2013 02:24
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British central heating question: the three-position valve on my hot water tank is starting to act up. Its a boss therm bmvp222, will any other manufactures three position 3x22mm valve bolt straight on? Is the wiring standard on these things?
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Apr 13, 2013 21:54
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I just restored water to my exterior after the winter is over and have a frost free sillcock that is now giving water hammer like symptoms when the valve isn't fully opened - the vibration appears to be coming from inside the faucet though, instead of at a 90 further down the supply. I reseated the vacuum breaker and noticed its washer was in kind of rough shape, so I've picked up a replacement and will be trying that. Is there anything else I should look at while I'm working on it? Thanks!
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Apr 16, 2013 18:23
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Cakefool posted:British central heating question: the three-position valve on my hot water tank is starting to act up. Its a boss therm bmvp222, will any other manufactures three position 3x22mm valve bolt straight on? Is the wiring standard on these things? jackyl posted:I just restored water to my exterior after the winter is over and have a frost free sillcock that is now giving water hammer like symptoms when the valve isn't fully opened - the vibration appears to be coming from inside the faucet though, instead of at a 90 further down the supply. I reseated the vacuum breaker and noticed its washer was in kind of rough shape, so I've picked up a replacement and will be trying that. Is there anything else I should look at while I'm working on it? Thanks! It sounds like the seat of the hosebibe could be chattering but it's only theory. Let me know what you find.
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Apr 17, 2013 01:42
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:I think they are mostly manufacturer specific but I'm honestly not sure. Turns out they are. The plastic gears in the motor head were stripped and I couldn't get another boss therm quickly so I bit the bullet and got a Honeywell. Twice the price but all metal gears with big cats whiskers microswitches. Swapping the valve body over destroyed a pair of pipe wrenches but other than that it went smoothly. Wiring was a direct swap.
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Apr 17, 2013 18:39
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I'm trying to install a new shower head but my current set up doesn't have the right type of adapter, any idea what kind of adapter I need to get this to fit? shower head I want to install: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spray-Saving-Amazing-Shower/dp/B002VKK08E my current set up: 
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Apr 19, 2013 19:19
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madkapitolist posted:I'm trying to install a new shower head but my current set up doesn't have the right type of adapter, any idea what kind of adapter I need to get this to fit? I think what you are looking for is something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-8-in-Shower-Arm-with-Flange-Set-in-Chrome-89179/100111390#.UXGd1LVOOSo
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Apr 19, 2013 20:41
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Goontastic posted:I think what you are looking for is something like this: This guy is right. You need to replace the shower arm too. It just unscrews out of the wall. Pick up some teflon tape too for the new arm pipe. Give the wall-end of the new arm 4 clockwise layers of tape. There's a trick for tightening shower arms without damaging the chrome finish. Insert a screwdriver down the head end of the pipe and you now have a handle to tighten it with. Also, why the hell is your shower head in the corner???
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Apr 19, 2013 22:54
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Ah! Thank you, this makes complete sense. I have no idea why its in the corner. This is a nearly 100 yr old san francisco house. Many fixtures in here confuse me. I'm sure I'll be back to this thread.
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Apr 19, 2013 22:59
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Wow that shower is weird that its in the corner. I'd move that for sure.
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Apr 24, 2013 00:03
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Anyone got any pro tips on prolonging the life of an ancient cesspool? The waterline is up near the inflow pipe, and it's requiring pumping more frequently than in the past (i.e. every 6 months instead of every two years).
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Apr 24, 2013 00:06
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I need to replace a faucet (no big deal, I've done it before), but the sink I'm replacing it on has no shut-off valves on the supply lines. The internet is leading me to believe that installing some angle taps is almost as easy as replacing a faucet, so I'm going to get those added in as well. We have some kind of iron-containing pipes. House was built in 1963, so whatever they were using then. Do these steps sound reasonable? 1. Shut off water at the curb (we have no whole-house shut-off). 2. Shut off the hot water heater, just in case there's siphoning from the next step and our tank empties. 2. Open other faucets in the house. 3. Remove the supply lines (and the old faucet). 4. Carefully remove the joiner-thingies from the rough-in pipes coming out of the wall. (I don't know if these are threaded or not, but I've got a hacksaw, new blades, and some emery cloth just in case.) 5. Clean rough-in pipes up. 6. Tape/dope rough-in pipes, and put on either the compression fitting angle taps or the threaded taps. (I bought both just in case! I don't need to do anything for a compression-fitting tap, though, right?) 7. Put new faucet on and attach new supply lines to new angle taps. 8. Turn on water. 9. Close faucets. 10. Light pilot on the water heater.
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Apr 24, 2013 02:52
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If you can id recommend a whole house shutoff while you have the water off at the curb, God help you if you get a leak where it's not after a shutoff on sat evening and it takes the water company 3hrs to respond.
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Apr 24, 2013 04:40
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Yeah, if you're draining down the house I'd take the time to put in convenient shutoffs, for tanks, taps etc.
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Apr 24, 2013 21:27
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tater_salad posted:If you can id recommend a whole house shutoff while you have the water off at the curb, God help you if you get a leak where it's not after a shutoff on sat evening and it takes the water company 3hrs to respond. Yeah if you don't have a shutoff in the house I would add one at this time. Are you sure there is Absolutely NO other shutoff? There should be a shutoff after the hot water heater.
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Apr 24, 2013 21:27
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Yeah if you don't have a shutoff in the house I would add one at this time. I can't find one. I went up to the attic to check (the tank is installed in a raised closet in the garage- usually pretty convenient, since the pilot light is a good height of the ground) and if we've got a shut off, it's buried in insulation. We're pretty handy with a street key, by this point in time. Even found a shelf bracket that's perfect for prying up the box lid! How hard/expensive is it to install a whole system shutoff? I'm still a beginner at plumbing stuff, so it may be worth it to me to get a plumber to do it depending on the price/work ratio.
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Apr 25, 2013 00:57
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effika posted:How hard/expensive is it to install a whole system shutoff? I'm still a beginner at plumbing stuff, so it may be worth it to me to get a plumber to do it depending on the price/work ratio. That depends entirely on how accessible your piping is where your cold water pipe enters your home.
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Apr 25, 2013 01:29
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kid sinister posted:That depends entirely on how accessible your piping is where your cold water pipe enters your home. Good point. There's about 18" of it very easily accessed in the attic as it goes to the hot water tank. The rest of it runs underground from the street to our garage, under the garage floor for a bit, then up through the wall into the attic.
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Apr 25, 2013 01:38
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effika posted:Good point. There's about 18" of it very easily accessed in the attic as it goes to the hot water tank. The rest of it runs underground from the street to our garage, under the garage floor for a bit, then up through the wall into the attic. If you can create an access panel in the garage where it goes up the wall I would recommend placing it there (ground floor, normal person height). You need to make sure you place the stop before any forks in the system (because some of it runs under your garage floor this may be impractical) Also if there is not a shutoff directly before the water heater I would also install one there.
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Apr 25, 2013 03:49
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:If you can create an access panel in the garage where it goes up the wall I would recommend placing it there (ground floor, normal person height). You need to make sure you place the stop before any forks in the system (because some of it runs under your garage floor this may be impractical) Good advice. I'll do some research on what I need- if installing the angle taps goes well, I might be able to get that done too this weekend.
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Apr 25, 2013 03:58
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Another UK central heating system question - how do I bleed air out of the system? I can and have bled the radiators but there's still air audibly coursing through the whole system.
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Apr 25, 2013 18:15
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Cakefool posted:Another UK central heating system question - how do I bleed air out of the system? I can and have bled the radiators but there's still air audibly coursing through the whole system. Are you sure you're not missing a radiator when you are bleeding them? I totally drained, flushed and refilled my heating (I have a combi boiler) the other day and bleeding it was easy. I top it right up at the boiler (to the top of the green bit on the pressure gauge), then turn the heating on for 5 mins. Then turn it off and work from highest to lowest. Top up the system if you run out of pressure and repeat until you can get right round without any air.
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Apr 26, 2013 20:36
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Semi-related (and apologies in advance for the gooniness of this post): Our apartment complex's water has been shut off twice in the last few months, once while the city was working on the roads nearby and this afternoon for some immediate repair that needed to be done in another unit. The first time, I flipped the gently caress out because I did not know anything about air residing in pipes after water has been off for some time. Today, our toilets, faucets, and showers sputtered a bit (some quite a bit) before returning to normal (I think.) I'm a total newbie when it comes to this stuff, and I am still pretty psyched out when I see water flowing incorrectly or hear strange noises when the toilet flushes the first couple times after the water is turned back on. What should I be learning or telling myself so that I know there is nothing to worry about in these instances?
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Apr 28, 2013 02:48
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Cup of Hemlock posted:Semi-related (and apologies in advance for the gooniness of this post): Our apartment complex's water has been shut off twice in the last few months, once while the city was working on the roads nearby and this afternoon for some immediate repair that needed to be done in another unit. The first time, I flipped the gently caress out because I did not know anything about air residing in pipes after water has been off for some time. Today, our toilets, faucets, and showers sputtered a bit (some quite a bit) before returning to normal (I think.) ...you've never lived in a 2 story house where someone flushed the toilet in the bathroom directly above you, have you? That sputtering sound is exactly what you heard: air escaping from the pipes through a constricted opening (aerator, shower head, tiny supply line). It's nothing to worry about and will go away once all the air has escaped. If you think about it, the exact same thing happens when you turn on a garden hose with your thumb over the end. Water hammer on the other hand can be a bad and potentially destructive sound...
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Apr 28, 2013 03:04
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kid sinister posted:...you've never lived in a 2 story house where someone flushed the toilet in the bathroom directly above you, have you? No hammering, thankfully. So there is no danger in having more air and water in the pipes at the same time? Just thinking that garden hoses are somewhat more flexible than most pipes!
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Apr 28, 2013 21:09
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Tomarse posted:Are you sure you're not missing a radiator when you are bleeding them? Definitely not missing a radiator. It's an older non-combi system that tops itself up via a header tank.
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Apr 28, 2013 22:54
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Cup of Hemlock posted:having more air and water in the pipes at the same time? huh?
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Apr 29, 2013 22:04
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kid sinister posted:huh? Like, doesn't the volume of water released (when you turn on the tap) remain constant, but the addition of air into the mix creates even more pressure?
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Apr 30, 2013 02:25
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Cup of Hemlock posted:Like, doesn't the volume of water released (when you turn on the tap) remain constant, but the addition of air into the mix creates even more pressure? Fluids are fluids. Unless it's a compressed air system for tools and such, air can only enter pipes at atmospheric pressure. Water in supply pipes is at a much higher pressure. If the air doesn't have a means of escaping, the water will squeeze the air into a smaller bubble until it's at the same pressure. Keep in mind that gases are more... springy than liquids when it comes to rapid pressure changes. In fact, in the old days plumbers actually built "air chambers" into the pipes intentionally near fixtures to help with water hammer. The problem with those air chambers was that ever so slowly all the air in them dissolves into the water. With no air to act as a spring to absorb that hammer, the hammer is heard and can cause damage anyway. That's why we use dedicated hammer arrestors now. They have dedicated seals and diaphragms to keep the water from entering. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Apr 30, 2013 |
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Apr 30, 2013 18:50
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kid sinister posted:Fluids are fluids. Unless it's a compressed air system for tools and such, air can only enter pipes at atmospheric pressure. Water in supply pipes is at a much higher pressure. If the air doesn't have a means of escaping, the water will squeeze the air into a smaller bubble until it's at the same pressure. Keep in mind that gases are more... springy than liquids when it comes to rapid pressure changes. Your explanations have helped a ton, mate. Thank you!
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May 1, 2013 02:19
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I recently changed our kitchen faucet (the old one was leaking and i hated it anyway), and when you turn the new one full blast on you get what I assume is some sort of water hammer or sputter for a few seconds that will eventually go away. The old faucet didn't do this, and I don't know how I could be getting air in the lines. No other fixtures do this. I don't know if it's something I should be concerned about or if I should just deal with it.
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May 3, 2013 03:44
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