|
Not that I want to make you worry any more then you already are, but the worst part is that the ground is frozen, which means it takes even extra time and effort for them to dig it up, which in turn means more $$$ for you. This reminds me of a Dirty Jobs episode where Mike visits a plumber in Alaska.
|
#
?
Feb 12, 2010 16:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 01:14 |
|
|
slap me silly posted:Hah, just what I need to hear now that we've established I have a cast iron sewer pipe and it's loving freezing in these parts. Methylethylaldehyde posted:gently caress freezing ground. The cast iron sewer pipe loving up and broke under the house because of freeze/thaw pressures. I just paid $180 to get the fucker snaked out after a tidal wave of poo poo colored water flooded into my garage after taking a shower and doing a load of wash. Regardless, $15k seems ridiculous. Digging up and patching concrete isn't nearly that expensive! The real problem is finding exactly where the pipe is leaking; someone with the right equipment should be able to find it pretty easily, though. I don't see this costing more than 2 grand, tops. Probably cheaper than that. grover fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Feb 12, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 12, 2010 18:03
|
|
|
grover posted:It the pipe is at the proper depth, it shouldn't freeze. Certainly shouldn't break the pipe, even if it's shallow, because the only way it could do that is for the entire pipe to fill completely full with water and freeze, and have the hydraulic pressure burst the pipe, and even then, iron pipes are incredibly strong. I think the freeze/thaw thing is bullshit. Probably the house settling or the pipe rusting through or destroyed at an elbow with a power snake, or a combination of the three. I'm interested to see what comes of this. It's not that the pipe itself freezes, it the ground around it that'll freeze, and if the ground isn't uniformly compacted, or doesn't uniformly freeze, it can but shear pressure on the pipe, and BAM, broken pipe. Gotta dig a trench to the street 8-12 feet down. That's a big loving backhoe, and a huge metric fuckload of dirt that needs a place to go. $255 to send a camera down and determine exactly where the break is, then it all comes down to how much of a pain in the as getting to the break will be to repair it. On the plus side, the plumber is licensed and bonded, and nothing we have done could have caused it! Methylethylaldehyde fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Feb 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 05:59
|
|
|
Methylethylaldehyde posted:Gotta dig a trench to the street 8-12 feet down. That's a big loving backhoe, and a huge metric fuckload of dirt that needs a place to go. Also, most certainly NOT freezing if it's that deep.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 06:17
|
|
|
grover posted:Is it REALLY that deep? Usually, the laterals are fairly shallow (1-3') and only dive deep near the street. Even if it is 8-12', that's still not $15k, that's a few hours of backhoe work; shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks for moving the dirt. Alaska, pipes have to be down that far when they leave the house, otherwise you end up with pipes that break because of the temperature differential between the frozen ground outside and the warmer soil under your house. As per the plumber who just did one last week, they're usually 8-12 feet down depending on the house's location and what kind of soil is present.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 06:25
|
|
|
grover posted:Is it REALLY that deep? Usually, the laterals are fairly shallow (1-3') and only dive deep near the street. Even if it is 8-12', that's still not $15k, that's a few hours of backhoe work; shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks for moving the dirt. I'm guessing it was poorly graded or flat some spots. The cast iron had water sitting in it which cause it to rust through. Roots attached to the water helped collapse the pipe and you end up with a root ball and collapsed pipe.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 06:26
|
|
|
Methylethylaldehyde posted:Alaska, pipes have to be down that far when they leave the house, otherwise you end up with pipes that break because of the temperature differential between the frozen ground outside and the warmer soil under your house. As per the plumber who just did one last week, they're usually 8-12 feet down depending on the house's location and what kind of soil is present. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 06:26
|
|
|
grover posted:Oh! You didn't mention that Yeah, and that was how much it cost for the crew of 10 guys and all the machinery rental fees. The trench needs those metal spacer plates to avoid collapse, it's all kinds of loving retarded to get to that pipe. Edit: which is why the fuckwits who built this house used the cheapest, smallest pipe they could get away with, and just buried it in the yard, as opposed to putting proper drainage around it like sand and crushed gravel to avoid the freeze pressures. Methylethylaldehyde fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Feb 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 06:46
|
|
|
Methylethylaldehyde posted:Yeah, and that was how much it cost for the crew of 10 guys and all the machinery rental fees. The trench needs those metal spacer plates to avoid collapse, it's all kinds of loving retarded to get to that pipe. Do you run water storage tanks up in Alaska or are you on the city water lines?
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 06:56
|
|
|
Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Do you run water storage tanks up in Alaska or are you on the city water lines? Anchorage, city water and sewage. They just have to bury them really deep, because the ground will freeze 4-8 feet deep in a bad winter.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 07:35
|
|
|
Methylethylaldehyde posted:Anchorage, city water and sewage. They just have to bury them really deep, because the ground will freeze 4-8 feet deep in a bad winter. Ya i understand i was just curious cause i saw a show on discovery where they delivered water to people in alaska and i thought it was pretty cool.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 07:37
|
|
|
Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Ya i understand i was just curious cause i saw a show on discovery where they delivered water to people in alaska and i thought it was pretty cool. That's way the gently caress out in the bush, where you're lucky if the mails shows up twice a month.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2010 07:49
|
|
|
I'm in contract to buy a 1920 San Francisco Bay Area home with copper plumbing Id like to get a full inspection done: Would you guys recommend going with a general inspector who does everything or hire individual tradespeople (ie plumber for plumbing)
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2010 06:20
|
|
|
dwoloz posted:I'm in contract to buy a 1920 San Francisco Bay Area home with copper plumbing Or, you can just pay for the general home inspection and see how comfortable you are with his/her report and go from there. If they indicate problems in certain areas, you can have a pro come in and look at them closer, give price quotes, etc.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2010 18:15
|
|
|
You could give a call to a few reputable real estate agents in your area, or hell, even your local county's building code office, and see if they have any recommendation for good inspectors that know what they are doing.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2010 20:34
|
|
|
grover posted:Building inspectors pitch themselves as jacks-of-all-trades and might know some about some of the trades, but they can't hold a candle to actual experts. For what it's worth, my home inspector was a P.Eng and didn't spot the following, in one bathroom alone: -Duct taped pipe joints -Incorrect plastic/lead/iron joints -toilet leaking under floor -sink leaking under floor -mold covered drywall behind 3 walls You might have more luck, and get better information by going to your municipality, and asking for the permit information for all previous work. If there aren't any since the home was built, and everything is original, at least you know it's up to code for 1920. Probably it isn't original, so a lack of permits might tell you you need to look deeper, too.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2010 12:55
|
|
|
mr.belowaverage posted:For what it's worth, my home inspector was a P.Eng and didn't spot the following, in one bathroom alone:
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2010 23:23
|
|
|
grover posted:Please tell me he was electrical or environmental, and not a plumbing P.Eng... Pretty sure it wasn't plumbing, but my point is, inspectors don't open walls or floors or anything. If it's not obvious, it's not noted by your average home inspector.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2010 07:40
|
|
|
Unless a home owner has a lot of experience in a trade he wont catch much in my experience. My friends house had stupid plumbing poo poo done that was so retarded i didnt realize why he missed it. For plumbing go do some checks. Grab ahold of each P trap see if it moves. It shouldn't move at all. (Don't strong arm it obviously) Inspect shower and tub drains. Make sure the metal strainer of the drain doesn't move.Crawl up int he attic and check roof flashing. You shouldn't be able to see any light around any roof jack.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2010 09:50
|
|
|
I bought a house and moved in about a year ago, had it inspected everything was great, house built in the 40s and well taken care of, really solid. However between the inspection and me moving in a new septic was put in, which is fine done it was by a reputable septic company and now the septic can never back up again. My first home purchase and I hosed up not watching this poo poo like a hawk. First the old septic pipe was not sealed off properly so basically they created a tile that drained water from the outside to my basement, nice. Then the plumbing job the guy did inside the house sucks, which was done by the homeowner I'm assuming. He was some kind of general contractor, definitely not a plumber. The old septic was actually lower than the basement, new septic is only a few feet below ground level. Obviously this meant a major change for plumbing in the basement. First he dug a drainage pit, plastic liner, and the washer/softner/kitchen sink drain into it. However I don't think it's properly sealed up it just has a cover and I know it doesn't have a proper sewage pump either just a sump. What is the proper way to seal this thing up? Next he tied the bathtub drain into the sump pipe to the septic so obviously it sucks the trap on the bath out so I get to listen to the bathtub gurgle like a demon is coming out of it everynight. You know instead of typing anymore of a book I will post pictures tommorow, it will show the insanity or stupidity much better than I can explain. I just would really like to fix everything properly so I can finish the basement and not worry about this half-rear end stuff that was done.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2010 10:45
|
|
|
Inspecting a potential home purchase and had a plumber out today to camera the sewer lateral. He couldn't fit into the space where the cleanout was so he had me do it (uh, discount please?). Ended up not being able to get the camera in, couldn't make it around the bends of some shoddy work done on the addition. Plumber is coming back tomorrow to cut a hole in the line and run the camera through there. Going to cost triple now though, ugh
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2010 04:06
|
|
|
I haven't been able to figure out why the water temperature in my shower always follows this pattern from the time I turn it on: 0-2 minutes: warming up from cold as expected 2-4 minutes: comfortably warm, I get in now 4-15 minutes: it suddenly gets cold, barely tolerable, but there's obviously still at least some hot water coming in 15+ minutes: it suddenly warms up, and gets warmer than it initially had been. It stays nice and warm as long as I need it. I'm renting a year old apartment with a year old water heater within the unit. I've got the temperature cranked almost as high as it'll go, but for all I know that could be part of the problem. I've been gradually cranking it up from the mid-level setting it started on to try to fix this, but it doesn't seem to help.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2010 01:32
|
|
|
Could be a bad shower cartridge or bad cartridge in a faucet that is letting the cold cross into the hot while you're showering. Try testing a faucet to see if it does the same thing.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2010 02:23
|
|
|
We suddenly lost hot water pressure in our house this weekend. We woke up, and the hot water at every faucet in the house was just a trickle. Here's what I've gone through trying to isolate the problem: *Cold water pressure is fine everywhere. *Cold water into the water heater is fine. *Hot water outlet from the water heater is fine. (I disconnected the hot-out from the water heater, and put it in a bucket, and turned back on the cold-in, and it sprayed out at seemingly full pressure.) *I've flushed the water heater by opening the drain valve with the cold-in turned on. *I tried 'backflushing' the hot water pipes by closing off a faucet (penny in the aerator), turning off the cold-in at the water heater, then opening the hot and cold valves at the plugged-up faucet, forcing cold water back through the hot water pipes to the water heater. Any ideas? It seems the problem is in the hot water piping, beyond the water heater, and I'm wondering if it's a bit of mineral deposit broken loose and plugging something. What can I do if that's the case? I've read a bit about having an 'airlock', is that a possibility? How do I fix that?
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2010 22:13
|
|
|
AustinJ posted:We suddenly lost hot water pressure in our house this weekend. We woke up, and the hot water at every faucet in the house was just a trickle. Here's what I've gone through trying to isolate the problem: But it sounds like chunks of your dip tube are clogging the pipe. When you pull the aerobatics do you see white chunks in them? If the answer is yes then its dip tube chunks. If the answer is no then glavy line may have built up rust and clogged itself. One way we unclog a plugged hot line is pulling the shower cartridge. Having one person hold there finger over the cold port in the shower valve while the other person turns the main water on for a couple seconds then quickly off to cause a water hammer. We do this a number of times and see what we can get out. We also blow air through the shower cartridge into the hot line and into another fixture. A compressor works great for this, obviously dont go over board and put a huge amount of PSI into the pipes with the compressor or you may cause other issues.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2010 23:11
|
|
|
Yeah, I'm not sure what the pipes are, either. I think the house was built around the 50s, so it could be galvinized, but the piping that I can see by the water heater, where it disappears into the wall, is copper. I don't see any white chunks in the faucet aereators... Here's another question. From the top of the water heater, there's a flexible copper pipe section, which then attaches to a solid copper pipe which goes down into the wall near the floor. At the connection from the flexible part to the solid part, there's what looks like a ball check valve. When I pull that flexible part off, then look into the solid part, I see what looks like a marble blocking the way. Could this part have gone bad, and is not opening up like it's supposed to? (I know pics would help greatly here, I'll see if I can dig up my camera) Edit:  Turns out that thing which kinda looked like it was a marble stuck in a reducer fitting, which I assumed must have been a ball check valve, was, in fact, a marble stuck in a reducer fitting. That might explain the reduced (nonexistant) water pressure... The guy at the plumbing store thought the marble must have come from the actual ball check valve on top of the water heater. He said don't bother replacing that valve. So I have hot water again! Yay! Thanks for the help, Rd Rash. AustinJ fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Feb 22, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2010 23:37
|
|
|
Took longer than a day but here is the pics of my basement plumbing fiasco. Excuse the crappy cell phone pics and editing. First one shows the pit setup, I want to know the right way to seal it up, I'm assuming if its sealed up it will need the vent? Second is how the bathtub goes into the sump output, so it sucks the trap out. I am wanting to take that bath drain straight across to the sink to eliminate the problem, do I need to worry alot about slope for that short of a jump? Third is just  I would love to tuck this plumbing up so most of the area could be drywalled, but I'm guessing 1 1/2" is too large to run through joists? Also I would like to install a bathroom downstairs. I am considering an upflush system which means I'd have to tie in a 2" somehow to that main. I really hate how they did the main setup I don't see an option other than redoing it? Would I be better off tearing up the floor and running a drain to the pit? So any ideas, opinions, or suggestions would be great.  Click here for the full 480x640 image.  Click here for the full 800x600 image.  Click here for the full 800x600 image.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2010 01:32
|
|
|
auxout posted:Took longer than a day but here is the pics of my basement plumbing fiasco. Excuse the crappy cell phone pics and editing. First one shows the pit setup, I want to know the right way to seal it up, I'm assuming if its sealed up it will need the vent? Second is how the bathtub goes into the sump output, so it sucks the trap out. I am wanting to take that bath drain straight across to the sink to eliminate the problem, do I need to worry alot about slope for that short of a jump? Third is just 1) I am unclear what a pit is? But yes every fixture will need a vent. 2) Since the plumbing is obviously newer I'd check the vent for the tub. It sounds like its clogged and that's why it keeps sucking the trap dry. If you choose to re run the drain I wouldn't suggest taking it through the 4 joist that are side by side. Since obviously that is a load baring point. Yes you still need to drain it at 1/4 per foot or you will have a issues of it clogging up in the future. 3) I dont really see whats wrong here. Its all to code and not to bad of an eye sore. If you're really hating it just cover over it because it all works just fine.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2010 02:48
|
|
|
1) sewage basin? Waste water drains into it sump pumps it out. Sorry I am not sure of the correct term. Also this thing isn't sealed I don't think its the correct type of basin no gasket on the rim no way I can really see to seal it up I think it's meant for a sump not sewage. Lid just sort of snaps on doesn't seal. 2) I'm not planning on going through the main beam. Over it I think I will be able to get sufficient slope. Also to clarify the problem is when the sump runs it sucks the trap on the tub out, vacuum effect. The tub drains fine on its own. 3) Not the pvc, just thought the copper run was an interesting exercise, must've had extra 90s to use. The 1 1/2" through joists question was about just regular joists, in some other areas I'd like to tuck it up just wondering what is too large to run through joists. Also since I have to tie a 2" into that main, unless I tear up the floor and connect to the basin. auxout fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Feb 23, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2010 03:17
|
|
|
auxout posted:1) sewage basin? Waste water drains into it sump pumps it out. Sorry I am not sure of the correct term. Also this thing isn't sealed I don't think its the correct type of basin no gasket on the rim no way I can really see to seal it up I think it's meant for a sump not sewage. Lid just sort of snaps on doesn't seal. 1) Usually sumps will have a thing rubber seal to seal them up. I'd look at manufactures website to see what they offer. Other then that i cant really offer any advice 2) I'd still inspect the vent for the tub. A sump shouldn't suck it dry that easily since most sumps are only vented with 1 1/2 pipe. Also when running the new drain on the tub use long sweep 90's when its flowing verticle to horizontal. If its flowing hori to vertical a standard 90 will work. 3) Ya the 90's do look ugly and the solder joints look horrible but if its not broken i wouldnt gently caress with it. Its amazing the poo poo people do though when plumbing.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2010 03:25
|
|
|
Well I checked out the tub & sink more carefully and as far as I can see they don't have a vent. If I remember right there was a drum trap on the old plumbing, guessing it was original from the 40s. In pic 2 is where the cast iron pipe used to be vertically and everything drained into it. So as for fixing this obviously venting tub & sink through the roof would be best but I would like to avoid loving with the roof. When I finally redo the bathroom is an AAV an option or running the tub & sink vent over to the toilet stack vent? Is there a good plumbing book anyone could recommend for residential stuff with examples? I actually read a bit of the IPC. I now understand why so much stuff is done so wrong.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 00:55
|
|
|
I'm having an issue with my water heater, and I have a theory on how to fix it, but I want to run it by you guys here first to see if there are any potential pitfalls with it. My problem is, the cold taps in my kitchen sink and utility room sink run extremely hot for the first few seconds after I turn them on. The reason for this is that I have a thermostatic mixing valve on the hot output of my water heater, and it's bleeding hot water back through the cold input. The pipes coming out of the water heater get so hot that I can't touch them. Anyway, what I want to do to fix this is install a heat trap on the cold water input to the mixing valve. I already have traps on the main cold input to the water heater, as well as the hot output (between the heater and the mixing valve). I'm not an expert at these mixing valves, so I want to make sure I won't damage it by installing a heat trap on the cold input. Here's what the plumbing on the heater looked like: I added the heat traps after I took this picture, in place of the brass nipple on the hot output, and between the valve and the vacuum breaker on the cold input. If I add a third trap to the top of that mixing valve, will it cause any problems? I suppose I'll just do it anyway and see what happens.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 17:15
|
|
|
auxout posted:Well I checked out the tub & sink more carefully and as far as I can see they don't have a vent. If I remember right there was a drum trap on the old plumbing, guessing it was original from the 40s. In pic 2 is where the cast iron pipe used to be vertically and everything drained into it. So as for fixing this obviously venting tub & sink through the roof would be best but I would like to avoid loving with the roof. When I finally redo the bathroom is an AAV an option or running the tub & sink vent over to the toilet stack vent? You can use the vent for the toilet to vent the sink and the tub. It should be 2 inch pipe so you can vent the toilet and the tub on it. I do not know any books that give good examples for plumbing but ifu take a picture of your upstairs i can get an idea what you're working with. To get by for you now you can use a studder vent. It will be a temporary fix. They usually carry them at home depot.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 17:49
|
|
|
Mthrboard posted:I'm having an issue with my water heater, and I have a theory on how to fix it, but I want to run it by you guys here first to see if there are any potential pitfalls with it. My problem is, the cold taps in my kitchen sink and utility room sink run extremely hot for the first few seconds after I turn them on. The reason for this is that I have a thermostatic mixing valve on the hot output of my water heater, and it's bleeding hot water back through the cold input. The pipes coming out of the water heater get so hot that I can't touch them. Anyway, what I want to do to fix this is install a heat trap on the cold water input to the mixing valve. I already have traps on the main cold input to the water heater, as well as the hot output (between the heater and the mixing valve). I'm not an expert at these mixing valves, so I want to make sure I won't damage it by installing a heat trap on the cold input. Here's what the plumbing on the heater looked like: It shouldnt cause any problems. But it sounds like you're mixing valve is bad. It looks like a Honeywell mixing valve. They usually have internal check valves in them to prevent back flow. If water is going backwards it could very well be a bad check valve. The problem is a new mixing valve runs around $100 dollars so its not to cheap. How old is the house, and where is it located (city water or on a well)
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 17:55
|
|
|
Rd Rash 1000cc posted:It shouldnt cause any problems. But it sounds like you're mixing valve is bad. It looks like a Honeywell mixing valve. They usually have internal check valves in them to prevent back flow. If water is going backwards it could very well be a bad check valve. The problem is a new mixing valve runs around $100 dollars so its not to cheap. The house is just over 5 years old, and I'm on city water. After I posted, I did a little more digging and the plot has thickened. I was thinking, why would I need I mixing valve in the first place? The house is practically new, and both showers both have their own anti-scald valves. I pulled off the bottom element cover to check the temp, and found that they set the temp at 145.  So here's what I'm thinking. When the house was built, it was originally spec'ed at a 50 gallon heater, but there was some promo with the electric company where I could get a 105 gallon Rheem lifetime heater if I hooked it up to their off peak meter. My theory is this: They only run the heater at night, and then let the thick insulation in the tank keep in the heat during the day. That's why they heat it so hot, so it takes longer to cool down. But you can't just pump 145 degree water to the shower, so they installed that mixing valve to temper the water back down to a tolerable 120 degrees. Does that sound like something they might do? I remember it took forever for the heater to warm up last month when I finished the laundry room and had to drain, disconnect and move the heater. I just figured it was because it was heating 105 gallons of water. But maybe it wasn't heating it at all. With all that said, here's my new idea. Remove the mixing valve and hook the heater up directly to the hot output, with a heat trap in place. Then, turn the temp down to 120. According to their website, the heater should only lose 5 degrees of heat in 24 hours, so there shouldn't be any need to heat it to 145. How does that sound?
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 18:39
|
|
|
That sounds very likely- no other reason you'd put in a mixing valve in this situation, especially considering the size of your tank and cost of the mixing valve. Tanks lose surprisingly little energy through the insulation, so unless you need to heat the water overnight with cheap electricity, you might as well remove the valve and eliminate that point of failure. You can go hotter than 120F, but I wouldn't go above 135F, the scalding risk is too high. You can always test and adjust to your liking, too. 
grover fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Feb 28, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 19:02
|
|
|
Actually certain states require mixing valves by code. As of 2008 Washington requires mixing valves on all water heaters. The reason the water heater took forever to recover is its an electric water heater. They have horrible recovery times. You do get a little bit more water if you heat up the tank higher. It will mix it down to 120 +/- 10°. With the water at warmer temp it requires less volume to mix it to the required temp. edit: the reason i believe its the internal mixing valve in the mix valve. When one starts to stick the water will take the path of least resistance. If it can go back out the cold side because it has less resistance it will. It may not be sticking fully which explains why you your problem only occures at first. Also do you have a recirc system for your hot water? Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Feb 28, 2010 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2010 19:08
|
|
|
There's no recirculating system in my house. Sometimes I wish I had one, the sink in my bathroom takes forever to get hot. But that's a project for another day. I installed the second heat trap on the mixing valve, but the cold water is still getting hot. My next plan is to remove the mixing valve completely and see what that does. But that will have to wait until tomorrow, when I can get the fittings I need. First I have another plumbing issue to deal with. My wife has been complaining that her showers aren't as hot as they used to be. I'm guessing it's something in the shower valve, with all times I've shut off and turned on the plumbing in the past month, there's probably some sediment or something in there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2010 03:26
|
|
|
Mthrboard posted:There's no recirculating system in my house. Sometimes I wish I had one, the sink in my bathroom takes forever to get hot. But that's a project for another day. I installed the second heat trap on the mixing valve, but the cold water is still getting hot. My next plan is to remove the mixing valve completely and see what that does. But that will have to wait until tomorrow, when I can get the fittings I need. First I have another plumbing issue to deal with. My wife has been complaining that her showers aren't as hot as they used to be. I'm guessing it's something in the shower valve, with all times I've shut off and turned on the plumbing in the past month, there's probably some sediment or something in there. If the house is only 5 years old there shouldn't be any sediment in there. You can pull the aerator on any sink and see if they're have anthing in them. But i imagine they will be completely clean. It could be a bad cartridge on the shower itself but 5 years i cant imagine it already going out. Unless you have really hard water that's highly chlorinated. (Chlorine eats rubber)
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2010 04:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 01:14 |
|
|
Rd Rash 1000cc posted:If the house is only 5 years old there shouldn't be any sediment in there. You can pull the aerator on any sink and see if they're have anthing in them. But i imagine they will be completely clean. Well, as far as the shower goes, I took apart the valve, and everything was completely clear that I could see. I reassembled everything, turned it on, and now the water is piping hot. Maybe something was out of whack previously, who knows.  As for the water heater, I removed the mixing valve, in the process I noticed that the valve was completely frozen, I couldn't turn it a millimeter in either direction. I turned the temp down to 120, and that seems to be working fine for now too. The cold water is finally cold...and it's noticeably colder than it was before, now that there's no hot water mixing with it. The hot water isn't quite as hot as it got before, but it's still plenty hot for me. Now I just have to wait for the next heavy use day to see if the water still stays hot throughout the day.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2010 05:01
|
|