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Hello! Posting here in hopes that someone might be able to help me out in trying to figure out a solution either fully or at least how to make the issue more manageable? I may be entirely off with certain bits of terminology, so apologies in advance. If there's anything I can clarify or whatever, please advise. And for all I know this may be multiple issues at once, I dunno! We've had a few issues with our plumbing. The main toilet has destroyed a few wax rings in a few months - as in, a few short weeks after installation of a new one, there are small broken shards of it able to be pulled from beneath it awkwardly. The big issue in part is that the toilet actually will at times leak from the base. Just a bit. However, twice now there seems to have been a greater problem with more things backing up - including water coming out of the tub and black gunk pushing out of the back shower drain. And with the floor flooding - the first time we caught it fairly quick, but a few weeks ago it happened while we were napping and flooded a significant portion of the house. Had a few plumbers out and gotten a few bits of information. The first time (before the more recent flooding) was a replacement of the wax ring, and then a replacement again with a stronger one after that one broke. Another was even less helpful than that. More recently, it seems to be assessed as a backup - the way our bathrooms are, they're back to back, and his suspicion was that any sort of block would cause other issues, up to water trying to get elsewhere if blocked up... including the base of the toilet, and to treat that as a sign of blockage. Which, ok, that made sense to me, and provided some tips to help flush the system a bit and avoid particular toilet paper etc. Except... it still seems like even without much use, the toilet seems to leak from the base sometimes... Any advice would be super appreciated because haha, I live in fear of another flood like that happening again and even the tiniest leak from the toilet makes me paranoid as gently caress right now while also being just... tired of trying to figure this out and paying to get mostly mixed shrugs.
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Dec 28, 2021 09:29
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Have you had anyone actually rod out your sewer lines all the way to the street? It doesn’t sound like that has been done. If your wax ring is failing within a couple months, then either your toilet wasn’t set right and so you didn’t get a good seal, or the frequent backups are causing it to fail early. I’d start with having someone camera, and clean you drain lines from your toilets all the way to the sewer main in the street. Companies like rotorooter do that, but you can probably find a local plumber for cheaper.
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Dec 28, 2021 15:04
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^^^ You are describing a partial blockage downstream of both toilets (the sink & shower both tie in to the same waste the toilets are on) which is resulting in water standing for some period of time in the drain line, and above the floor level/wax ring. Wax rings are not designed to seal against standing water. They will eventually fail on repeated submerging. You need to have your waste line cleared out, from snaking it on up to a power reamer or jetting. I’m hoping that all Roto-Rooter franchises haven’t succumbed to this, but absolutely do not sign anything they hand you until you have read it. They will try to upsell you water mitigation and/or new toilets or other BS, and signing may commit you to things that you don’t need or want. They will also press to have you submit a homeowners claim, which while not a bad option if you have significant enough damage from the prior overflow, should be your decision alone. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Dec 28, 2021 |
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Dec 28, 2021 18:03
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This may or may not qualify as a plumbing thing, but it's something you folks might know from experience. I want to replace this 20-year-old Moen contractor-grade roman faucet (forgive my cameo in the pic).  The knobs are just screw-down, the faucet itself is held on by a hex screw on the back and just pulls up and off. My problem is, even replacing it with another Moen I'm unsure if just any old thing, eg https://www.amazon.com/Moen-T4943BN...C28Y4QQB1H8703Z would drop down on top, or if I'd need to also swap out the internal parts to make it work. (That probably makes it more trouble than it's worth.) Is there a way to be sure before I order something? Are these actually more standardized than I think (or actually much less so)? Thanks all!
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Dec 28, 2021 20:45
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PainterofCrap posted:Wait it out. It melted overnight! No obvious damage that we can find, either. Yeah, built in the 1950s but we're still learning about houses and house structure (gariig is the husband). Thanks for the advice!
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Dec 28, 2021 21:05
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Huxley posted:This may or may not qualify as a plumbing thing, but it's something you folks might know from experience. You'd have to figure out what valve body it is - they aren't standardized enough to be able to say a 20 year old body will fit a new trim kit
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Dec 30, 2021 16:23
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devicenull posted:You'd have to figure out what valve body it is - they aren't standardized enough to be able to say a 20 year old body will fit a new trim kit I appreciate the response! Because I always hate when someone asks a question I have and it gets resolved but not answered, I have the answer to this. The customer support people at Moen were actually weirdly good. I sent them the same photo I posted here and within 2 hours they sent me a web link that I absolutely did not find on my own on their site, and included a link to their product page for the correct adapter. Moen posted:Thank you for your interest and support of Moen products. $12 on amazon and I should have it all in tonight or tomorrow.
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Dec 30, 2021 16:35
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Huxley posted:I appreciate the response! I've found that the big name plumbing companies are often like this. Grohe, Hansgrohe, Kohler, Moen, all have pretty good CS.
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Dec 30, 2021 18:10
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Figured this might be the best thread for this; One of the tenants in my duplex smelled gas coming off the dryer, her friend who is over cut off the gas at the cutoff that’s right there, and they’ve said gas smell went away. I’ve told her that if she smells gas to call the utility company asap to have someone check. Practically what’s my next step do I call out a plumber to look?
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Jan 1, 2022 22:03
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freeasinbeer posted:Figured this might be the best thread for this;
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Jan 1, 2022 22:18
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freeasinbeer posted:Figured this might be the best thread for this; If you want to try to find it yourself, mix up some dish detergent & water and apply it liberally to every joint & connection from the shutoff forward...although it could be the shutoff valve itself that's leaking. Another way is to sniff all of the fittings using a drink straw up one nostril. I'd find leaky shutoffs all of the time during inspections, on water heaters as well as furnaces; the worst offenders were the older all-metal (brass) ones. The mercaptan jumps right out at you, but the leaks were usually small & slow and had been going on for years. Otherwise, good luck getting the landlord out.
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Jan 1, 2022 23:19
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PainterofCrap posted:Otherwise, good luck getting the landlord out. In any case, definitely have the gas company come out. At least in my experience, they'll come out and assess it for free, and if it's an easy fix, they'll fix it as well. And then relight your water heater for you. It's a pretty great service. Maybe your gas co doesn't do that though.
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Jan 1, 2022 23:30
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Slugworth posted:Lol This really depends on the gas co and the technician, my wife smelled gas one day I was at work so just called the gas co to come out and check it, due to COVID they can't go into houses or garages, so they turned off the gas and said: dunno what's wrong but gas smell bad, call a Plummer  and lol it's Friday so can't turn it back on till at least Monday! Enjoy your cold showers and hope you have a microwave! Turned out it was sewer gas coming out of a dried out P trap in the garage. =\
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Jan 2, 2022 02:14
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Rakeris posted:This really depends on the gas co and the technician, my wife smelled gas one day I was at work so just called the gas co to come out and check it, due to COVID they can't go into houses or garages, so they turned off the gas and said: dunno what's wrong but gas smell bad, call a Plummer I had a similar experience when I bought my house. Prior owner did something that caused them to come out and lock it just before I took possession and to unlock it they have to come out and inspect your house to make sure there are no pilot lights or leaks inside. Well they couldn't narrow down the window to less than 8 hours and only scheduled appointments M-F so I had to use 8 hours of PTO to sit around and wait for the technician to show up which was absolute bullshit.
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Jan 2, 2022 02:34
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Rakeris posted:This really depends on the gas co and the technician, my wife smelled gas one day I was at work so just called the gas co to come out and check it, due to COVID they can't go into houses or garages, so they turned off the gas and said: dunno what's wrong but gas smell bad, call a Plummer My niece called one morning (pre-COVID) in a mild panic. She was smelling gas through the register on the second floor of her rowhome when the heat was running. Which sounded weird to me, but told her to call PGW (Philadelphia Gas Works). They came out & shut her gas off anyway because they could smell it too. I went over that afternoon, wormed around through her dungeon of a basement, and smelled it too. Checked all connections after turning the gas back on, cycled the furnace and got four good blue flames. I was maneuvering to open the sump pump crock, suspecting something got in & died, and my foot nudged this out from under the soil line:  Right in front of the return (intake). Definite mercaptan source... VVV https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Detector-Portable-Combustible-Explosive/dp/B07FSVCSSL VVV Although your sense of smell is best, really PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Jan 2, 2022 |
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Jan 2, 2022 05:35
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Is there an expensive gas sniffing device I can recommend to people who never used one before?
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Jan 2, 2022 17:50
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Nitrox posted:Is there an expensive gas sniffing device I can recommend to people who never used one before? This is a terrifying combination of words. What are you trying to do?
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Jan 2, 2022 22:34
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devicenull posted:This is a terrifying combination of words. What are you trying to do? I think they are looking for a "gas leak sniffer tool". I think Milwaukee makes one. No idea what it's actually called or what it's like price wise.
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Jan 2, 2022 22:36
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wesleywillis posted:I think they are looking for a "gas leak sniffer tool". I think Milwaukee makes one. No idea what it's actually called or what it's like price wise. Plumbing supply sells one for $200, and they're like 500 different ones on Amazon under 50 bucks. I'm just looking for recommendation Nitrox fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Jan 3, 2022 |
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Jan 3, 2022 00:18
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Nitrox posted:Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Also I meant to say inexpensive My wide's grandfather used to use a candle. Yes, it's just as bad of an idea as it sounds, but it does work. (DO NOT DO THIS. YOU AREN'T AN 80 YEAR OLD ITALIAN MAN AND ITS NOT 1965)
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Jan 3, 2022 00:53
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PainterofCrap posted:Wait it out.
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Jan 3, 2022 01:34
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 Is the short piece of pipe with a coupling on it just a tail piece that's been cut down? The threaded ring is cracked and no longer seals but I can't find this piece anywhere. Home depot says "they don't do it like this anymore" which was super helpful. Could I just replace it with a threaded tail piece and then cut it down to fit into the 90? Thanks! *picture didn't work I'm fixing it. Done. Sheeple fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Jan 3, 2022 |
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Jan 3, 2022 01:37
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Sheeple posted:
Are you talking about this part?  https://www.homedepot.com/p/NIBCO-1-1-2-in-ABS-DWV-Hub-x-FIPT-Adapter-C5803HD112/100345911 Or the metal threading of the bottom of the sink basin? Something like this?  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-Specification-Kitchen-Sink-Strainer-Stainless-steel-with-polished-finish-7044-104SS/207144333 SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Jan 3, 2022 |
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Jan 3, 2022 01:52
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SpartanIvy posted:Are you talking about this part? That looks like it might work. I can't really tell from the pictures if the threaded part is separate from the rest but it looks like the local home depot has some in stock so I'll go check tomorrow. The threaded collar on mine spins freely from the rest of the pipe and has a gasket in it. It's like a power steering line fitting, tighten the threads and it squishes the gasket against the sink drain.
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Jan 3, 2022 02:42
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Sheeple posted:That looks like it might work. I can't really tell from the pictures if the threaded part is separate from the rest but it looks like the local home depot has some in stock so I'll go check tomorrow. Also is there a P-trap out of frame? Is this a double sink setup? It may make more sense to convert this to a more common slip joint setup, but doing that and the cost involved would depend on what the stub out from the wall looks like, and what other plumbing is hooked up down there, if any. SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Jan 3, 2022 |
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Jan 3, 2022 03:00
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Motronic posted:My wide's grandfather used to use a candle. Yes, it's just as bad of an idea as it sounds, but it does work. (DO NOT DO THIS. YOU AREN'T AN 80 YEAR OLD ITALIAN MAN AND ITS NOT 1965) The leak detector tool is for a gift.
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Jan 3, 2022 03:45
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Arsenic Lupin posted:So, my house was built in 1931 in a very rural area (meaning likely not much attention paid to code, if there was a code). Does that mean it's probably balloon framed, and if so, what do I need to do to keep maintaining it? It's probably balloon. My house was built in 1930, and is. Rural or no, there wasn't much in the way of observed building codes for residential construction/framing back then. If it has a basement, the easiest way to tell if it's balloon is to look where the floor framing (joist) ends are. The floor joists will be sitting on the sillplates capping the perimeter wall; if it's balloon, you'll see the bottom foot or so of the wall studs, usually nailed to one side of the end of the floor joists. There will be an opening visible between the studs (the chase) where you can look up inside the wall; it'll be a fairly awkward look, it's sometimes easier to reach up in there. Those gaps between the studs go right up to the top of the wall framing at the bottom of the roof-line, however many stories. It is also typical to find the vent stack split off of the soil line, running up one chase and on through the roof deck. The risk is a fire getting into the chases, most commonly from the basement level. The chases will act as a chimney & light up the walls like a Roman candle. The easiest preventative is to tack plates of 5/8" solid wood or 3/4" plywood in or over the chases, sealing them off. You can also stuff them with something non-flammable.
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Jan 3, 2022 05:32
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While there are safety reasons nowadays to not do balloon framing, the reason it went out of style was the loss of easy access to 20-30 foot boards needed to balloon frame.
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Jan 3, 2022 05:46
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How bad of an idea is it to plumb my own gas line for a stove? I know very little about plumbing.
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Jan 3, 2022 06:35
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How confident and/or paranoid are you? From a practical standpoint, we need a lot more information. Like: where's the gas source & shutoff, how far do you need to bring it, are you going through the floors or walls, do you know the difference between galvanized steel pipe and copper, teflon tape and pipe dope, Vise-Grips or a Stillson wrench; do you have access to pipe-and thread-cutting equipment.
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Jan 3, 2022 07:02
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PainterofCrap posted:How confident and/or paranoid are you? We're not moved in yet, I'll be able to check the gas source on the 5th. P sure it'll be a pretty short run from the furnace in the basement. The basement has a drop ceiling to run conduit/hose and the kitchen is right above the furnace so likely going through the floor. I can tell the difference but don't know when to use which, yes, yes, and yes.
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Jan 3, 2022 08:52
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As a guy that did his own gas pipe work I would say you probably shouldn't take on the risk if you're unsure about it. The risk is huge and the cost to have a plumber do it is probably very good peace of mind. E: if it's that flex line stuff maybe it's more doable than rigid pipe, but I don't have experience with that.
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Jan 3, 2022 15:48
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SpartanIvy posted:
It is a double sink with a p-trap out of frame, with a dishwasher T and a vent stack. It's rather busy under there which is why I'm focusing on just hacking out that section. If I can't find that piece I'll look into changing it all, would be a pain though.
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Jan 3, 2022 17:31
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Sheeple posted:It is a double sink with a p-trap out of frame, with a dishwasher T and a vent stack. It's rather busy under there which is why I'm focusing on just hacking out that section. Consider converting to this for future ease of maintenance https://www.lowes.com/pd/Keeney-1-1-2-in-Plastic-Slip-Joint-End-Outlet-Continuous-Waste/1094317
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Jan 3, 2022 18:05
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So we recently had our house re-piped, and had the plumbers put in a line for an ice-maker. We finally got the ice-maker installed in our fridge and I went to go hook up the plastic line the plumbers left. From what I've read online I should use a brass compression nut, a brass insert, and a plastic ferrule. Unfortunately none of the brass inserts i've tried so far have worked on the inside of the line. They're all just a little too big. Did our plumber use some weird size line, or do I not even need an insert, and can just connect if with a plastic ferrule and brass nut? Here's the line and the smallest insert I could find:  And here's the port on the fridge that i'll be connecting it to. 
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Jan 4, 2022 04:14
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The line looks burred from cutting. Clean out the inside diameter with a utility knife or similar and see if it fits. It's hard to tell relative size from your pics, but I assume they are all really close.
Motronic fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Jan 4, 2022 |
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Jan 4, 2022 04:21
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FISHMANPET posted:While there are safety reasons nowadays to not do balloon framing, the reason it went out of style was the loss of easy access to 20-30 foot boards needed to balloon frame. Yeah, this house was built in logging country. Old-growth redwood logging country.
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Jan 4, 2022 04:37
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So I need a tool to cut the old flange off for a toilet I'm replacing, it's on the outside and has very little clearance, only even done ones on the inside and a multi tool or sawzall was easy enough but I don't have the room for either? I'm sure there is a simple thing I'm not thinking of atm. Pic for science. I didn't do the tilework, but for the POs credit, they did grout the entire flange in so that made things more fun. I also have no idea what is going on with the subfloor.  After thinking about it, I can just say gently caress it, cut off what I can and install an inside flange, any reason not to? On that note, anyone used the push to seal ones? Would make replacement in the future a lot easier, but would worry about any backup if it's not cemented in. Rakeris fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Jan 5, 2022 |
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Jan 5, 2022 04:39
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Just wanted to thank the plumbing thread for the advice. I replaced my bad piping with better piping Separated the garage sink and washing machine drains into the main stack, and ran a 25' snake down that pipe into the sewer pipes below. It solved the garage sink from filling up as much, but unfortunately not entirely. That cast iron pipe was pretty constricted from all the kitchen junk over the years. Got a professional to come in and hydro jet the line and now everything works perfectly! He was mentioning that the sewer drains outside our house are some sort of old paper material that ends up buckling and getting lovely over the years. He used his camera to scope the lines and showed me what they looked like, which was pretty cool! Unfortunately it's probably something we will have to replace, but it's good to know for the future. Thanks goons!
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Jan 5, 2022 23:50
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Now, that looks proper. Nice work
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Jan 6, 2022 02:08
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