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porkfriedrice posted:From what I've read, you're right, they aren't legal anymore. I think in this case the house dates from the 1940s and the cesspool was grandfathered in. It's more than gray water though, right? This is the only sewage system there, so the poop has to go somewhere. Septic system rules would apply: no chlorine or draino, as harsh chemicals kill the bacteria that breaks down the waste. Garbage disposals are bad, too, as food waste breaks down too slowly. If you have one, use it sparingly for foods that can't reasonably be disposed of any other way.
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Nov 20, 2010 11:22
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So I need help finding the leak in my toilet. First, I noticed the bowl would seem to lose about half an inch of water every so often when I looked. And anything in the bowl(piss, toilet paper) would seem to settle partially into the hole, rather that sitting like my other toilet. I would also occasionally hear my toilet run for 3-4 seconds. And my water bill just seems high for one guy. I put some dye in the tank but saw no leakage into the bowl. I turned the water off and after a few hours, the tank, but not bowl, would be empty. I replaced the flapper but the same thing still happens. There's actually still about 2 inches of water in the tank, above the flapper, and the bowl water is down about an inch. I can't see any leakage outside of the toilet. There's nothing on the floor. Any ideas? I really dread the idea of a leak somewhere along the pipe down in the ground somewhere.
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Nov 22, 2010 23:08
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Kung Fu Jesus posted:So I need help finding the leak in my toilet.
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Nov 23, 2010 00:07
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grover posted:Sounds like siphoning, which is indicative of a vent problem. Does it happen when the washing machine is draining or you flush another toilet or anything like that? Does what happen? If you mean the draining of the tank, then no. I only run the washer once a week and I just turned off the water Sunday night and woke up to an empty tank Monday. I haven't tried flushing the other toilet and running to check the wonky one yet. Edit: Just tried flushing the good toilet and didn't notice any movement of the water at all with the other one. Kung Fu Jesus fucked around with this message at 08:55 on Nov 23, 2010 |
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Nov 23, 2010 08:51
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Let’s see if I can explain this well enough. Issue: Low hot water pressure ONLY in upstairs bathtub. All water receptacles in the house spew out hot water as you would expect except my shower upstairs. The sink in the room is fine, as well as the other bathroom upstairs. The problem room is the farthest away from the hot water tank. The bathtub has the cheap faucet with the single handle mounted above it on the wall of the shower for control. All the way clockwise is off and "hot" is all counterclockwise. So when I turn the control all the way max hot its trickles out very slowly. It does put out enough pressure to hold the shower knob thing up. Once it makes its way up to the shower head (few seconds) it trickles out at the rate equivalent to the faucet head. As I turn down the temp (clockwise) the water pressure increases with the more cold water. A little bit back from max hot with the shower on I will begin to hear a "screaming" or "squeal" coming from the pipes. I can ether turn it hot again or more cold and it goes away. It does not make this noise when the shower is disengaged. In the mean time I just cranked the hot water tank temp up some so that the "warm" shower mix is not "hot" shower mix, but I'd like to fix it. It’s also a rental so if there is no real quick fix, I'll call the management company. The master valves for the shower are behind drywall, and I was too lazy to take the handle off because it would require removing re-caulking. I didn't want to mess with it if I was sending it off to the management company. I tried looking into it and the only things I could find was maybe the cartridge is bad. Since I don’t know too much about plumbing I figured I'd ask, so thank you for the help.
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Nov 30, 2010 02:06
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knowonecanknow posted:Let’s see if I can explain this well enough. You're going to have to pull the cartridge. It could be bad or just have something clogging it.
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Nov 30, 2010 05:20
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I'm having a plumber/gasfitter install a tankless water heater in two days. Is there anything I should look for while I'm here watching them do their work? It's a 180,000 btu unit which they're going to run a new 1" gas line for as my current line is maxed as it is. I am supplying the venting which is 3/5" concentric stainless steel. The water lines at the current tank are wiersbo pex. Thanks!
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Nov 30, 2010 08:40
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Ahz posted:I'm having a plumber/gasfitter install a tankless water heater in two days. Is there anything I should look for while I'm here watching them do their work? I wouldn't watch them because its annoying have a customer breath down your neck. But off hand pex shouldn't be with in 18 inch of the water heater. Well direct connected that is. So they usually have a flex connecting the water heater to the pex.
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Nov 30, 2010 16:51
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Yeah I won't be breathing down his neck, but I will be framing my basement while he works down there. Do you think it will matter that I don't have a dedicated 120v outlet nearby yet? I'll be installing one when I get started on electrical, but for now I plan to run an extension to the nearby outlet that powers the front-loader washing machine. One thing I have a question about is the venting. I purchased the stainless steel venting and I noticed the horizontal termination that vents out the side of my home is just a pipe within a pipe sticking out of the wall, like this =- When the vent is installed, would the pipe also have a cover or turn downwards or anything, or is a straight horizontal set of pipes sticking out of the wall a normal thing? I also intend to preinstall a packing 1/2" plywood sheet to the wall where he installs the unit, anything I should be aware of there? The unit doesn't come with valves to service and flush the unit, so I'll ask him to install that for sure.
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Nov 30, 2010 21:54
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Ahz posted:Yeah I won't be breathing down his neck, but I will be framing my basement while he works down there. Does yours just have a exhaust vent or is it intake and exhaust. If its just exhaust just let it shoot out horizontal. If there is an intake, turn that down and put a screen on it. To keep birds out and other curious animals. If it doesn't have built in valves ask him to install valves on intake and outlet of the heater so you can isolate it with ease if you ever need to service it.
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Dec 1, 2010 22:35
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Thanks. It's an exhaust and intake with a 3" exhaust pipe within a 5" intake pipe. I just found out that to meet code I can't have the exhaust shooting straight out at the property line, but they would pass me if I add a 90 elbow to the 3" exhaust portion and point it away from the property line. Any issues with this?
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Dec 2, 2010 00:03
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Ahz posted:Thanks. No it should be fine. Since it won't collect much. I dunno if its advisable to put a screen on it to keep critters out though.
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Dec 2, 2010 02:02
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Ive been an HT in the US Navy for 5 years now. Any of you guys get your start in any of the services?
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Dec 6, 2010 04:59
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Humblepieeater posted:Ive been an HT in the US Navy for 5 years now. Any of you guys get your start in any of the services? Whats an HT?
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Dec 6, 2010 05:29
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Well I'm annoyed now. I'm trying to stop a leak in my Delta shower, I think the model is Monitor 1700 if it matters, and the damned nut won't come off, Here's what it looks like: Click here for the full 1024x768 image. If I'm not mistaken I need to take out that greenish-bronze nut that will allow me to yank out the cartridge. If I'm not mistaken, it unscrews in the conventional way (counter-clockwise) But I can't unscrew the damned thing, it's stuck tight. I'm using a fuckoff-big pipe wrench and have pulled so hard I flex the copper on the other side (I do NOT want need to take the wall off, so I'm kinda careful). I've let it sit in a washcloth soaked overnight in vinegar, then tried CLR. Still stuck. The only other thing that occurs to me is to hit the nut with a blowtorch while keeping ice on the rest of the assembly to get the nut to expand. But if I do this I'm afraid I'll melt the cartridge, I only have the seats/springs kit (or maybe just seats/gaskets, I forget). Either way if I melt the cart I'm in for a world of hurt. Suggestions anybody?
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Dec 7, 2010 17:18
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Remulak posted:Well I'm annoyed now. I'm trying to stop a leak in my Delta shower, I think the model is Monitor 1700 if it matters, and the damned nut won't come off, Here's what it looks like: One trick is putting channel locks on the base of the shower body and then twisting the nut with another wrench. If you back the body properly it wont be able to spin at all. You may need to cut some fiber glass back. Make sure you cut less then the shower trim plate will covers.
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Dec 7, 2010 17:50
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:One trick is putting channel locks on the base of the shower body and then twisting the nut with another wrench. If you back the body properly it wont be able to spin at all. You may need to cut some fiber glass back. Make sure you cut less then the shower trim plate will covers.
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Dec 7, 2010 17:57
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Remulak posted:This is good. Can you just confirm that is a damned nut, it's on so tight I'm starting to doubt myself and wonder if the loving thing is welded on! Ya I am pretty drat sure its a nut, give me like a 45 degre angle of it so i can see the nut and body. I honestly havent seen a delta single handle style handle that isnt like that.
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Dec 8, 2010 00:54
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Remulak posted:This is good. Can you just confirm that is a damned nut, it's on so tight I'm starting to doubt myself and wonder if the loving thing is welded on! I've run into this same issue on a Delta. I can confirm that it is a nut, and follows the left-loosy righty-tighty rule. I fought with mine for a while. I was using channel locks, and when I was grabbing the nut, it was actually clamping the nut to the threads. I ended up using a small squirt of WD-40 and, believe it or not, a lot less pressure, and the thing finally came off. It ended up being about finesse, not brute force.
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Dec 8, 2010 03:17
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Ya I am pretty drat sure its a nut, give me like a 45 degre angle of it so i can see the nut and body. I honestly havent seen a delta single handle style handle that isnt like that.  Click here for the full 1549x1593 image.  Click here for the full 648x484 image. I was really starting to wail on it just now, note the striped brass. Should I be screwing it clockwise or something instead? All of the delta stuff online shows it as a nut, but drat it's stuck like nothing I've dealt with before, at last in a new house. I've done full redos of iron pipe in a 20's house and had to use a blowtorch, but this shower is almost new, and I just wanted to fix a loving leaky faucet. dammit.
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Dec 8, 2010 03:19
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insanity74 posted:I've run into this same issue on a Delta. I can confirm that it is a nut, and follows the left-loosy righty-tighty rule. I fought with mine for a while. I was using channel locks, and when I was grabbing the nut, it was actually clamping the nut to the threads. I ended up using a small squirt of WD-40 and, believe it or not, a lot less pressure, and the thing finally came off. It ended up being about finesse, not brute force.
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Dec 8, 2010 03:20
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:If the pulsing continues i have one other idea. But either way the cartridges are bad since you said both valves leak. I want to hear your other idea. I have this pulsing too - the frequency is 1-4 pulses per second, depending on the flow rate. It happens whenever there is water running regardless of the fixture, and shutting off the recently replaced toilet doesn't seem to make a difference. It's like a little "tap- tap- tap" in the water lines.
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Dec 8, 2010 05:03
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Well, I'm still not sure whats wrong with my toilet. I can't find the leak. I've turned off the water for now. When the tank drains, about 2 inches of water remain in the tank, above the flapper. If the leak was the flapper or the base of the tank, it should have drained completely. I can't see any holes or seams at the water line so I'm confused on why it stops draining at that point.
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Dec 8, 2010 05:59
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slap me silly posted:I want to hear your other idea. I have this pulsing too - the frequency is 1-4 pulses per second, depending on the flow rate. It happens whenever there is water running regardless of the fixture, and shutting off the recently replaced toilet doesn't seem to make a difference. It's like a little "tap- tap- tap" in the water lines. I had to go back a couple pages to remember what i was talking about. But I think I was going to suggest installing a hammer arrester or just use a T with a verticle piece coming off of it with a cap to trap air.
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Dec 8, 2010 07:28
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Kung Fu Jesus posted:Well, I'm still not sure whats wrong with my toilet. I can't find the leak. I've turned off the water for now. When the tank drains, about 2 inches of water remain in the tank, above the flapper. If the leak was the flapper or the base of the tank, it should have drained completely. I can't see any holes or seams at the water line so I'm confused on why it stops draining at that point. How often does the water appear?
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Dec 8, 2010 07:29
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Well insanity174 wins, the pipe wrench clamps down on the threads so it didn't move. I gotta stop treating all plumbing like century-old iron. I didn't damage anything in the process, which is nice, but did manage to reverse hot and cold some, I'll fix that tonight (I hate finishing projects at midnight).
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Dec 8, 2010 14:57
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Thanks Rd Rash! I have another question about the flapper thing in my toilet. I just replaced the flapper a few months ago from some cheap china blue plastic thing that warped and wouldn't seat properly with a new $8 USA® made one and now that it's really cold out (-20C), the water in the toilet tank is so cold I notice the flapped doesn't always drop down to seat unless we jiggle the handle. I believe the ice cold water in the toilet tank has contracted the plastic on the hinges a bit and making the whole thing a bit tight. What is a good solution to having the flapper fall down and seat better? I was thinking of putting some kind of permanent weight on the flapper that won't be able to fall in and clog the drain. Also the chain for the flapper seems like a decent length for opening and allowing the flapper to close as well.
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Dec 8, 2010 21:04
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Ahz posted:Thanks Rd Rash! I've never had that problem. What brand did you use? It sounds like if you install a better flapper it shouldnt have this problem. Also does the chain have some slack in it. You never want them tight between the flapper and lever.
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Dec 8, 2010 22:39
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I forgot to ask. I have a tankless unit that runs at 180,000 BTU for my small 3 washroom house. I have it set at 140F right now and there is a mixing valve that mixes the output of the tankless with cold water to balance pressure or something. I was wondering which is more efficient or useful, I know I don't need full 140F water as it's definitely hotter than I needed with the previous water tank, but should I just adjust the mixing valve and leave it at 140, or lower the tankless unit and close the cold side of the mix out? Thanks!
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Dec 8, 2010 22:42
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:I've never had that problem. What brand did you use? It sounds like if you install a better flapper it shouldnt have this problem. Also does the chain have some slack in it. You never want them tight between the flapper and lever. The chain has slack for sure. But I figured by buying the fanciest red rubber flapper that I wouldn't have issues. Granted this one never seems to warp, but it's annoying how slow it is to shut in ice cold water. I could buy another one I suppose, but then I would be admitting defeat and my wife would also be annoyed that I spent $$ on the high grade flapper which turns out to suck compared to the $5 one she said I should buy. EDIT This is the one I bought. http://www.drillspot.com/products/353185/Fluidmaster_Inc_501_Red_Toilet_Flapper
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Dec 8, 2010 22:44
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Hey, on that web page I saw a wax-free toilet seal thingie. Do those work? Are they easy to use? The wax ring was a messy pain in the rear end when I replaced my toilet last month. I will grab a couple of the arrestors for the pipe noise, by the way, thanks.
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Dec 8, 2010 23:35
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Ahz posted:The chain has slack for sure. But I figured by buying the fanciest red rubber flapper that I wouldn't have issues. Granted this one never seems to warp, but it's annoying how slow it is to shut in ice cold water. Thats a decent brand. I can't see why it would be having an issue. slap me silly posted:Hey, on that web page I saw a wax-free toilet seal thingie. Do those work? Are they easy to use? The wax ring was a messy pain in the rear end when I replaced my toilet last month. I have them but have never used one. How was the wax ring a pain. You scrap off old wax ring. Clean up toilet bolts. Put new wax ring on flange. Set toilet down on it. Sit on toilet and squish it down .(if toilet doesn't squish down add one more wax ring.) Also don't buy the arrestable they sell ,I'd make them. The ones they sell are expensive. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 00:07 on Dec 9, 2010 |
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Dec 9, 2010 00:05
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Whats an HT? Hull Maintanacne Technician. Our primary job is maintaning the ships sewage/waste water systems, and metal working which includes welding, brazing, cutting ect ect. Ask me about what we found in the sewage discharge pump the first time my ship got underway.
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Dec 9, 2010 07:56
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I have a thermostatic shower. In the summer it's perfect, temperature range is from too cold to too hot. But in the winter it only becomes just warm enough. I have a normal mixer shower upstairs and that is fine in the winter. So I know that the supply of hot water is hot and at a pressure great enough so the thermostatic shower should be able to supply hot water. It's just that it doesn't. I've tried opening up the temperature control side but it seemed like I couldn't change anything to increase the max temperature side. I think that maybe even at the hottest setting it is just letting in too much cold water. How do I fix this? Can I completely open it up and change a setting. Or can I get some small low profile device to restrict the cold water supply? Or do I just need to buy a new shower?
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Dec 9, 2010 14:59
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Humblepieeater posted:Hull Maintanacne Technician. Our primary job is maintaning the ships sewage/waste water systems, and metal working which includes welding, brazing, cutting ect ect. Ask me about what we found in the sewage discharge pump the first time my ship got underway. I am guessing you found tampons? But regardless lets hear the story. Unparagoned posted:I have a thermostatic shower. In the summer it's perfect, temperature range is from too cold to too hot. But in the winter it only becomes just warm enough. Do you have problems anywhere else in the house with hot water? If so, what type of water heater do you have? What brand of shower valve do you have?
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Dec 9, 2010 16:24
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Ahz posted:The chain has slack for sure. But I figured by buying the fanciest red rubber flapper that I wouldn't have issues. Granted this one never seems to warp, but it's annoying how slow it is to shut in ice cold water. If you have a drill bit that is a teeny tiny bit larger than the existing hole, you can enlarge the hole for the hinge a bit to allow it to pivot better. Could be that you got a slightly defective one.
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Dec 10, 2010 06:20
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iForge posted:If you have a drill bit that is a teeny tiny bit larger than the existing hole, you can enlarge the hole for the hinge a bit to allow it to pivot better. Could be that you got a slightly defective one. I never thought of that! Yes I'll try it tomorrow, thanks! Also Rd Rash, any help on my question above about the mixing valve?
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Dec 10, 2010 07:49
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:I am guessing you found tampons? But regardless lets hear the story. The only problem elsewhere with hot water is that it's too hot. We have a combi-boiler and the hot water setting it set to the highest in winter. I don't know about the brand of shower we have, it was there when we moved in and hasn't got a name on it. It looks pretty much like this http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/showers/unbranded-thermostatic-shower-mixer-brass-chrome.asp
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Dec 10, 2010 14:43
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Ahz posted:I forgot to ask. Sorry I totally missed this post. Unless its code required to have a mixing valve. I am unsure why they would put one on a tankless water heater. You could try to turn the tankless water heater up to 120 and then turn the mixing valve all the way up which would almost bypass it all together and see if that meets you needs. Let me know how it turns out
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Dec 10, 2010 18:37
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Unparagoned posted:The only problem elsewhere with hot water is that it's too hot. We have a combi-boiler and the hot water setting it set to the highest in winter. I don't know about the brand of shower we have, it was there when we moved in and hasn't got a name on it. It looks pretty much like this http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/showers/unbranded-thermostatic-shower-mixer-brass-chrome.asp Whats a combination boiler? Are you talking about a water maker and boiler? To fix the to hot of water problem , you could throw a mixing valve on the water maker. Since you don't want to gently caress with the boilers controls if its also used to heat your house. The shower valve could be some cheap homedepot thing that broke. Other then that I am out of ideas right now.
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Dec 10, 2010 18:48
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