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Mammon Loves You posted:I'm filled with shame. I've been abusing the poo poo out of my garbage disposal for years putting all kinds of foods and oils and fats down it. Now I've got a very slowly draining sink that takes a couple minutes to back up initially. A whole bottle of Drano and waiting overnight didn't do anything to help. Cleanouts are always on the clogged end. That's kind of how clogs work: you don't need to "clean out" open pipes... If the drain is slow and not completely blocked, then just wait like a day and don't use that sink or anything else above that stack. The water should go down eventually. You might not even have to use that cleanout. Can you enter the pipe anywhere else, like up by the sink? If you used a whole bottle of Drano, then wear some rubber gloves while doing this.
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Oct 19, 2012 22:49
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I asked in the general questions thread before thinking "duh, the plumbing thread might be a better spot", but here goes: We have an older water heater that was here when we bought the house a couple years ago, its 18 years old now. I just noticed a few minutes ago that there's a very slight leak around a panel about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way down the unit - I'm sure that's not a good sign. Its a 40 gallon electric unit. We're not doing anything interesting with respect to hot water, just the usual (shower, dishwasher, sinks) but having never had to purchase a new water heater, I don't really know what I'm looking for. I'm sure I could go the standard route and just get a nearly identical replacement, but I was looking around at some of the on demand heaters that Amazon has for around the same price as just a tall, generic heater, but I really don't know enough about what I'm looking at to know if its going to give me what I need. We haven't had any problems with the output of the existing water heater, with the exception of it seemingly taking forever to actually get any hot water to where its going. Once it gets there, its nice and toasty and I don't recall a time when we've ever run out of hot water. Just recently, there's been some air in the line, but I'm assuming that's connected to the leak we've developed at the heater. So, before I slide my pants halfway down my crack in order to work on this, can anyone offer some guidance or recommendations? For reference, here's the unit on Amazon I was looking at - will this work for what I need? http://www.amazon.com/Rheem-RTE-13-Electric-Tankless/dp/B003UHUSGQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen-bath&ie=UTF8&qid=1350701925&sr=1-1
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Oct 20, 2012 04:13
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stimpy posted:can anyone offer some guidance or recommendations? You may want to get some help over for when you drag that old water heater out of the house, especially if it's in the basement. You may want to go rent an appliance dolly too. Electric water heaters build up very large amounts of hard water and sediments inside their tank over time, with pieces so large they won't pass out the drain. Basically, it makes them heavy as poo poo even when empty of water.
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Oct 20, 2012 19:23
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Mammon Loves You posted:I'm filled with shame. I've been abusing the poo poo out of my garbage disposal for years putting all kinds of foods and oils and fats down it. Now I've got a very slowly draining sink that takes a couple minutes to back up initially. A whole bottle of Drano and waiting overnight didn't do anything to help. Snaking through grease is a bitch , you can use hot water and a snake to get through it. I havent tried any of those cleaners so I can't say for sure.
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Oct 21, 2012 08:40
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I'm trying to remove my toilet supply line, but the plastic end of the line is stuck. The plastic nut on the toilet is easily tightened/loosened, but when I try to unscrew the portion of the line that is just supposed to be hand-tightened, the entire assembly rotates (including the float cup and supply inside the toilet). Any tips for getting this off, other than a hacksaw?
Papercut fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Oct 22, 2012 |
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Oct 21, 2012 23:38
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Mammon Loves You posted:I'm filled with shame. I've been abusing the poo poo out of my garbage disposal for years putting all kinds of foods and oils and fats down it. Now I've got a very slowly draining sink that takes a couple minutes to back up initially. A whole bottle of Drano and waiting overnight didn't do anything to help. This is a legit case where my broken-record advice of "2 pounds dry lye crystals in the drain chased with 1 quart boiling water" will work like a sumbitch. Stand back and don't get sprayed in the face with your new drain-soap.
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Oct 22, 2012 05:46
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We're looking to remodel our kitchen, and I really want to move the sink in front of the window. See crappy diagram: I've heard this type of thing can get hugely expensive. Do you guys agree? I'm willing to pay $500 or less, approximately. If it gets into the thousands, then we'll forget it. What do you guys think? Is this a ridiculously complicated job, and therefore I should give up all my hopes and dreams? (I'm talking about moving the pipes alone. We'll do all the demo, unhooking the current sink and hooking up the new one, etc.) May be useful to note we have a crawl space. Thanks! I hope this is the right place to post this.
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Oct 22, 2012 08:44
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grapey posted:We're looking to remodel our kitchen, and I really want to move the sink in front of the window. See crappy diagram: If you're talking about having a pro doing it, it's probably going to cost at least $500 in labor (since they'll have to move the plumbing around. Even moreso if there isn't easy access to the plumbing (is this first floor, with a basement underneath?) As a DIY, I'd say it's doable for under $100. Either way, you're going to have to either move/rearrange the countertops, or replace them entirely, since you'll have a sink-sized hole in your countertop.
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Oct 22, 2012 15:05
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Papercut posted:I'm trying to remove my toilet supply line, but the plastic end of the line is stuck. The plastic nut on the toilet is easily tightened/loosened, but when I try to unscrew the portion of the line that is just supposed to be hand-tightened, the entire assembly rotates (including the float cup and supply inside the toilet). Any tips for getting this off, other than a hacksaw? That whole assembly in tank poking through the hole in the tank bottom is called the "fill valve". Do you see that nut above the one you're having trouble with? That should be tightened with tools to keep the fill valve in place, not to mention keep the tank from leaking out that hole. You should be able to salvage the fill valve. Try this: use a pair of channel-lock pliers to tighten that higher nut until it's snug, then try the pliers on the bottom nut. You may have to use the pliers in your left hand while reaching into the tank with your right hand to hold the fill valve in place.
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Oct 22, 2012 20:48
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Dragyn posted:If you're talking about having a pro doing it, it's probably going to cost at least $500 in labor (since they'll have to move the plumbing around. Even moreso if there isn't easy access to the plumbing (is this first floor, with a basement underneath?) Thanks! It's the first floor with a crawl space underneath. And it'll be done in conjunction with an entire kitchen remodel, so everything will be torn apart already. My husband is pretty handy, but he feels like this project is out of his scope. If we could really do it for a few hundred bucks, I think he might go for that.
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Oct 22, 2012 21:42
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grapey posted:Thanks! It's the first floor with a crawl space underneath. And it'll be done in conjunction with an entire kitchen remodel, so everything will be torn apart already. I think the actual cost is going to vary a fair bit based on the type of plumbing (PEX vs copper) and what you're gonna do about the countertops. Either way, there's probably going to be some tool investment if he doesn't already have a decent set of plumbers tools. Otherwise, it's really just a matter of what your time is worth.
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Oct 22, 2012 22:05
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kid sinister posted:That whole assembly in tank poking through the hole in the tank bottom is called the "fill valve". Do you see that nut above the one you're having trouble with? That should be tightened with tools to keep the fill valve in place, not to mention keep the tank from leaking out that hole. Yeah I tried that but didn't include it in the video. It sounded like the plastic up top was cracking so I stopped, but maybe I'll try again with my wife holding the fill valve so I can concentrate on the bottom portion, and if it breaks I'll just replace the whole assembly.
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Oct 22, 2012 23:34
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Dragyn posted:I think the actual cost is going to vary a fair bit based on the type of plumbing (PEX vs copper) and what you're gonna do about the countertops. Either way, there's probably going to be some tool investment if he doesn't already have a decent set of plumbers tools. Our pipes are actually galvanized steel--house was built in the 50s. My husband says he's worried that a plumber would cut into them and find a ton of problems resulting in us having to replumb the house or something.
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Oct 22, 2012 23:38
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kid sinister posted:You may want to get some help over for when you drag that old water heater out of the house, especially if it's in the basement. You may want to go rent an appliance dolly too. Electric water heaters build up very large amounts of hard water and sediments inside their tank over time, with pieces so large they won't pass out the drain. Basically, it makes them heavy as poo poo even when empty of water. Yeah, my dad has volunteered to come help - he's replaced a few of them before, so should have that covered, but thanks for noting that. I was really most curious to see if anyone had any thoughts on the instant heater I was looking at, as I'm still not sure if its going to be able to meet my needs.
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Oct 23, 2012 02:45
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So I had to replace the kitchen faucet because it was leaking a ton of water out around the base, and was getting under the faucet and drowning the cabinets underneath. Faucet replacement went fine, however when I turned the water back on, the shutoff valve on the hot water line decided it hated me and began spewing water everywhere. Valve in question (picture is actually upside down)  This is the only place I've ever seen that kind of water pipe (it's not PEX or PVC, not sure what it's called), so I don't even know what to look for at the hardware store or what's involved in replacing a valve on it. Any advice?
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Oct 25, 2012 03:56
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The piping below the valve looks like a form of pex. I think I see a crimp ring.
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Oct 27, 2012 22:30
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:The piping below the valve looks like a form of pex. I think I see a crimp ring. That looks strangely like a faucet supply line with an inline valve crimped into it... Maniaman, what else does that line attach to?
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Oct 29, 2012 15:24
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I have copper plumbing throughout my house and the washers have been installed for 3 years now. My washer started causing some jackhammer noises on my pipes yesterday. When the washer opens the tap (I believe it's only the hot, but not 100% sure yet), it doesn't pull the water "smoothly" but rather in bursts like a machine gun. Because of that, it seems like it's causing the pipes to vibrate so I hear the noises throughout my house. It sounds as if the pipes are loose and not properly mounted, but since the water isn't being called smoothly by the washer the pipes move around. Is this a plumbing issue, or should I check the washer in more detail? If it's the washer, I'm thinking I need to clean the inlet filters, but wanted to make sure it wasn't a more serious issue.
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Oct 31, 2012 04:47
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Bank posted:I have copper plumbing throughout my house and the washers have been installed for 3 years now. My washer started causing some jackhammer noises on my pipes yesterday. When the washer opens the tap (I believe it's only the hot, but not 100% sure yet), it doesn't pull the water "smoothly" but rather in bursts like a machine gun. Because of that, it seems like it's causing the pipes to vibrate so I hear the noises throughout my house. You need to install a water hammer arrestor. You can buy one or just make a T fitting with a capped outlet running vertical to make one yourself.
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Oct 31, 2012 05:36
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I just failed inspection because: Heating and Plumbing 7.1 - Adequacy of heating equipment Install extension relief valve hot water Could someone tell me what that means? I'm guessing they want me to run an overflow pipe from the pressure relief valve on top of the water heater, but not 100% sure. I can't get a hold of the inspector to clarify. GE 40 gal electric with pressure valve on top, 2 shut offs, simple stuff. Any help is appreciated. Nitrox fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Oct 31, 2012 |
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Oct 31, 2012 05:56
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kid sinister posted:That looks strangely like a faucet supply line with an inline valve crimped into it... Goes from the faucet down into the crawlspace. I haven't traced it beyond that. That same type of pipe is everywhere.
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Oct 31, 2012 16:18
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Nitrox posted:I just failed inspection because: Code in washington atleast with the UPC says either the t/p has to either be pointed at the floor but left 6 inches above if its near a floor drain. Or Plumbed outside or to a drain. Do you have a floor drain in the same room?
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Nov 1, 2012 04:18
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Code in washington atleast with the UPC says either the t/p has to either be pointed at the floor but left 6 inches above if its near a floor drain. Or Plumbed outside or to a drain. Do you have a floor drain in the same room?
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Nov 1, 2012 04:58
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Thanks for the advice on the blocked bathroom sink, but it didn't work. Took apart the whole thing to the wall, and ran a snake down into there, but no blockages anywhere in it. This is especially weird considering my bath drains fine, and I was lead to believe that an unknown blockage far back in the pipe would also affect the bath draining... Any idea what's going on?
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Nov 1, 2012 17:39
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Nitrox posted:It's a concrete floor in unfinished basement. I'm 99.9% sure they just want it dumping onto the concrete. Experto Crede posted:Thanks for the advice on the blocked bathroom sink, but it didn't work. Took apart the whole thing to the wall, and ran a snake down into there, but no blockages anywhere in it. This is especially weird considering my bath drains fine, and I was lead to believe that an unknown blockage far back in the pipe would also affect the bath draining... Are you sure the snake went down the T in the well. Sometimes they bend weird and go up the vent. You can also run a drain bladder. They are found at lowes or home depot. They work well, but make sure you shove them into the fitting and dont keep presure on them constantly. Just apply it for 5 sec then let it die back down. If you just turn them on a leave it they can pop. Watch out for pressure blow back when you turn them on intermittently.
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Nov 2, 2012 05:56
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So I wanted to wash my widows after I got home from work. I rent the place so I have no idea who put locks on the pipes (they reroute the water so it won't go in a hose (wtf?). So I took a pair of vice grips and tried ot get it off and split the stem of the spigot. I shut off the main line to stop the water.  So I called my landlord and he's pissed (rightfully) and can't get anyone out till tomorrow. Is there an easy fix for this I can do myself? Or is it best to just tough it out and pay the plumber out of pocket? How much should it cost, time labor materials? Here's a bonus pic of the split  I know I'm a dumbass idiot and whatever, but I'm pretty capable and good with my hands!
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Nov 2, 2012 22:08
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Wow that is crazy. Thats going to be a pain to unsweat. I honestly cant way sho much that will cost. Since he may have to unsweat that entire T fitting and replumb all of it.
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Nov 3, 2012 15:53
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So I took a shot at it, how'd I do? Home Depot sold a kit with the torch, no-lead solder, flux and a brush, some sandpaper and a pipe cutter later I walked out the door 30 bucks poorer, but the water is on and no leaks. Gonna check it every hour or so, but is there a time when I'll stop worrying?
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Nov 3, 2012 17:31
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maniacripper posted:So I took a shot at it, how'd I do? That actually looks great. Was it a pain in the rear end to unsweat the old pipe and not have it shear off in the fitting? edit: And I wouldn't worry about checking it every hour. If it doesn't leak now you did it right. And it obviously isn't just a capped joined so you got solder throughout most of the joint. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 08:37 on Nov 4, 2012 |
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Nov 4, 2012 08:32
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I actually did just rip the 1/2 stem completely off after a while because it wouldn't unsweat. I was heating the broken side to avoid unsweating the other two connections and I spent along time with the heat on it, but no go. After ripping it off I had just enough remaining to get a hold of the leftover piece with some vice grips. Then I gently heated the pipe from the inside and after about 30 seconds it popped right out. I was so happy it's hard to put into words. The rest was simple. Thanks thread!
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Nov 4, 2012 15:32
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maniacripper posted:I actually did just rip the 1/2 stem completely off after a while because it wouldn't unsweat. I was heating the broken side to avoid unsweating the other two connections and I spent along time with the heat on it, but no go. After ripping it off I had just enough remaining to get a hold of the leftover piece with some vice grips. Great job, that explains why the paint wasn't burn on the outnside.
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Nov 5, 2012 00:33
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So I recently realized that part of my house is plumbed with polybutylene pipe. This is clearly a very bad thing and I don't want to just wait for it to burst and flood the basement. Luckily the pipe does not run behind any finished drywall or anything like that since it tees off from the water line in the basement and into the crawlspace under the addition. I can access the PB pipe just fine in the unfinished basement, but then it runs to the crawlspace it goes through holes in the joists for roughly 15' where I cannot access. What would the typical repiping method be here? Do I put an internal coupler between the PB and the new PEX to pull it through the same holes? I'm confident between myself and my plumber buddy this can be done easily, but I want to make sure we go about this the easiest way. dinozaur fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Nov 5, 2012 |
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Nov 5, 2012 01:44
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On the same topic - my friend just learned that his 80's-era place is plumbed with polybutylene when massive amounts of mold happened to the basement after a hot water line broke. Should he just go ahead and replumb the whole thing now?
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Nov 5, 2012 03:51
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Does anybody have any idea about how I can join a bit of perforated land drain into the combined sewer/rainwater underground drainage system in my house/garden while fitting a trap AND when I don't have enough depth in the sewer and the land drain to get much more drop between the two than (the minimum) 1:100. All the 110mm underground drainage traps/silt traps I can find need more drop that I have as the inlet is always fully above the outlet. Surely something with a baffle should be available meaning that i could come in and out at roughly the same level?
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Nov 5, 2012 21:51
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dinozaur posted:So I recently realized that part of my house is plumbed with polybutylene pipe. This is clearly a very bad thing and I don't want to just wait for it to burst and flood the basement. Luckily the pipe does not run behind any finished drywall or anything like that since it tees off from the water line in the basement and into the crawlspace under the addition. I can access the PB pipe just fine in the unfinished basement, but then it runs to the crawlspace it goes through holes in the joists for roughly 15' where I cannot access. Tomarse posted:Does anybody have any idea about how I can join a bit of perforated land drain into the combined sewer/rainwater underground drainage system in my house/garden while fitting a trap AND when I don't have enough depth in the sewer and the land drain to get much more drop between the two than (the minimum) 1:100. slap me silly posted:On the same topic - my friend just learned that his 80's-era place is plumbed with polybutylene when massive amounts of mold happened to the basement after a hot water line broke. Should he just go ahead and replumb the whole thing now? It all depends really. How accessible is it. I mean if you're there and have the tools, i'd recommend it.
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Nov 6, 2012 06:43
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I'm not there, I dont have the tools, and I aint doin it. It's pretty accessible - everything's in a 4-foot crawl and apparently all the fixtures except the showers are coming up through the floor rather than in the walls. He was quoted 5 grand (1500 s.f., 2 bath).
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Nov 6, 2012 06:49
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:If you grade it flat it won't drain correctly. I'm not sure in your application a sump pump would be reasonable . But I am not sure I understand the question fully. My drainage is running in this: http://s7g1.scene7.com/is/image/BandQ/5055149930782_001c_v001_zp I have a length of this: http://www.lbsbuyersguide.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/L/D/LDP2150_13.jpg Which I want to join into it. Both pipes are at the same sort of level such that I could join them straight up with a union and it would have enough drop to work fine for rainwater. However I need to put a trap in the middle. Preferably one i can easily clean out! I cant seem to find a ready made plastic trap that would do this. So far my only thinking is that i can just make a U trap myself out of 2 T pieces and 2 90 degree bends. (2 T piecess so i can get in there and clean it out as opposed to just using 4 90 degree bends)
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Nov 6, 2012 09:26
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Alright folks. I am back .. again with this home i called poo poo hole. The whole house plumbing is fine and does not seem to have a drain issue. However, my washer drain pipe is overflowing. it worked fine until about a year ago; it started overflowing but turned out it iced up a little bit and hot water cleared that poo poo up quick! So fast forward to 2 weeks ago... Everything was draining fine and now it is overflowing; as if its not draining fast enough. My wife needed laundry done so every spin or rinse cycle, I would hold the washer drain pipe until i hear and see the water coming up. I would then turn off the washer.. wait 5 seconds and do that. THEN 2 days ago --- all of the sudden, it started filling up real quick! Like less then 4 seconds of draining and its full... and I mean splashing wish i was a kid in a pool overflowing. I did notice something weird... when it filled up that quick, i could see it come up, then drain down, then like a wave, come back up a bit then go down and so forth. So any idea? Do i need to go ahead and just call a plumber to fish that drat drain? Anything I can do? Its a almost brand new home. Only 7 years on it. Its on slab and in the attic i do see a dedicated vent line. Thanks!!
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Nov 8, 2012 02:09
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Maybe there's a bees' nest in your vent line. (Note: not a plumber.)
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Nov 8, 2012 02:53
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I was debating if it could be vent related but I wasn't sure.
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Nov 8, 2012 03:35
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