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Motronic posted:Heat. (for getting the clean out loose). When penetrating lube doesn't work it's time for the torch. Even a propane torch would be likely to help a whole lot. And if that doesn't work, get angry at it with a big monkey wrench. You'll probably end up destroying the plug and will have to replace it, but it will be removed!
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Oct 13, 2013 18:47
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Hot drat pex is practically FUN. I love those quick connects, hopefully they're water tight. Sure they're more expensive than pvc fittings, but I only needed three total instead of I don't even know how many I had for the pvc line. Oh, and I solved my drain valve issue: I just grabbed a quick connect end cap. During the summer, I'll leave the cap on, and come winter, I'll just pop open the drainage tile and pull the cap off. Sure there's a chance I could lose the cap, but it's fairly unlikely and that fitting, at least, is cheap.  Anyhow, I basically redid that entire portion of the project (all the plumbing) in an afternoon instead of the dicking around with it I'd been doing off and on all week. I'm waiting for some silicone to cure a little more on my port through the wall and then I'll put this last fitting on and be 100% done, since I've already filled the trench back in and put all other fittings on. Woo! Thanks, all.
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Oct 13, 2013 22:39
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Dear Plumbers- please help me. I will tell you of my problem in the way of several open letters, written to my old, hosed up bath-tub (one of these is on the forum already). ---- Dear Bathtub, What have I done to deserve this? How have I wronged you enough for you to do this to me? Do you feel that you're protecting us from some great evil by clogging up so badly? It's been three days, Bathtub- THREE DAYS. Three days, three different kinds of drain-cleaners, one pipe-sticky-downy-snake, and I only have one more kind of snake (yes, Bathtub. Now I own TWO) to try. I've used hot water, cold water...I've plunged you hard enough to dislodge a breach-birth from some woman's hoo-hah, which only shot water out of the little drainy thing underneath the faucet, and yet still... ...still, you betray me. If this doesn't work, I swear. I would have taken a hammer to your fragile body already if you weren't made of cast iron instead of Porcelain. Now, you sit in that hot water that didn't flush like the drain cleaner wanted it to and think about what you've done. When I come back upstairs I'm snaking a 25 foot coil down you, and if that doesn't stop this temper tantrum I will dismantle you, pipes and all, and donate you to a HOMELESS SHELTER!!! Sincerely, Your Master...a person who only asked for a bath-tub that works for more than a year without some sort of catastrophic accident happening to it.  ---- Dear Bathtub, Not only did the Snake pull nothing out, absolutely nothing (and never fully extended because something seemed to stop it), but you are still somehow stuck. How are you incapable of draining without having any sort of clog in you?! Every time I tried to snake the snakey thing down further, all I heard was clicking- it didn't seem to GO any further, and that makes me want to strangle you. What the hell, Bathtub. You win for tonight- I'm stumped and exhausted. I think I need outside help. I think I need mental Help. See you in hell, Your Master- the chick who is giving up on you and using the downstairs shower. I am so disappointed in you. ---- So, any suggestions, ideas? I'm the 'man' of my house and I'm kinda scrawny. I have basic tools and no knowledge of plumbing. I have no money for a professional- I just want to know why the gently caress it's doing this to me. At least if I know I can TRY to fix it, or call my uncle and beg him to fix it...or, you know, just set the house on fire. God Damnit, Bathtub. God. Damnit. 
Freakbox fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Oct 14, 2013 |
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Oct 14, 2013 01:49
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Have you cleaned the area from the air gap/lever thingie hole? Is the slidey tube thing moving freely? I know my language and terminology may have misled you but I art naught a plumber. Ferrily. Hitherto.
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Oct 14, 2013 03:02
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Tell me where the air gap/lever thingie hole is and I will clean that bitch. I have gloves and safety goggles. It's the thing below the faucet that drains when you overfill your bath-tub like a huge douchebag, right? EDIT: I took the thingie-hole cover below the faucet off; it seemed to be free of debris. I tried to stick a the snake down it, but it was stopped, once again, and kept hitting against something that made a distinctly metal, i-hate-you-ish sound.  Is something stuck closed or broken? Do these pipes have...valves or something? Ugh, Plumbing.
Freakbox fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Oct 14, 2013 |
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Oct 14, 2013 03:19
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If you have a lever (or did and it has been abandoned in there) there is a linkage that has a piston thing on the end that prevents the tub from draining. That linkage can get all gunned up and can also jam the piston.
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Oct 14, 2013 03:52
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i have a panel I can remove from the wall behind the bath-tub- if I did that would I be able to find it amongst all the pipes and whatnot? I know that's what has been removed before to fix pipes and look at poo poo; my uncle and older brother fixed a leaky pipe back there a couple of years ago (they replaced it). They could have left something in there- my old drain did the drain//don't drain thing. This new one just unscrews to drain.
Freakbox fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Oct 14, 2013 |
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Oct 14, 2013 04:01
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Freakbox posted:i have a panel I can remove from the wall behind the bath-tub- if I did that would I be able to find it amongst all the pipes and whatnot? Take a picture and it might be pretty apparent what you're hitting with the snake/where the problem might be. If your house is anything like mine, you have an older canister trap that may need emptied.
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Oct 14, 2013 16:02
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The second story of my house was built in the 60s/70s, so some of the pipes are older. I think thus far we've been replacing them as they fail. It rained like hell and gave me a migraine, so tomorrow pipefest will commence.  I hope I find something.
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Oct 15, 2013 01:09
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Water softener question. I got a new water softener, Capital Windsor series 24K grain, installed in early 2012 but have always had issues with my water being softened irregularly. I have hard water from a well and some iron in it as well. I use Morten system saver salt pellets, never more than two bags/80 lbs, but after a while the pellets turn into pure mush at the bottom of the brine tank and I have to clean it out. I called the manufacturer and they said to use solar salt though my plumber said to use the regular Morten. Is this usually the recommended solution? Also, what would I do with the old salt? Would it be safe to wash down the drain into my septic tank? Find some ground I never want vegetation to grow on again? Or would I need to take it to a hazardous waste facility? The haz waste page of my local township doesn't mention water softener salt and neither does the company that does garbage collection in my area.
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Oct 15, 2013 21:02
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MH Knights posted:The haz waste page of my local township doesn't mention water softener salt and neither does the company that does garbage collection in my area. Because it's SALT, not nuclear fissile material. Throw it in the trash or put it down the drain (you do realize this is where the salt goes during a regen cycle, right?).
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Oct 15, 2013 22:55
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MH Knights posted:Water softener question. I got a new water softener, Capital Windsor series 24K grain, installed in early 2012 but have always had issues with my water being softened irregularly. I have hard water from a well and some iron in it as well. I use Morten system saver salt pellets, never more than two bags/80 lbs, but after a while the pellets turn into pure mush at the bottom of the brine tank and I have to clean it out. I called the manufacturer and they said to use solar salt though my plumber said to use the regular Morten. Is this usually the recommended solution? you can use it to salt your walk in winter, and no I'm not kidding.
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Oct 16, 2013 00:37
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Indolent Bastard posted:you can use it to salt your walk in winter, and no I'm not kidding. And give yourself a spa treatment bath when you come back in from the cold.
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Oct 16, 2013 04:40
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Lenins Potato posted:You can use PVC on potable water. It's used all the time. They even use it on water mains. You can't use PVC for hot water, but you can use CPVC on hot water. PVC and cpvc are junk. Don't use them. They are cheap and become brittle over time. In UPC code pvc can't be used inside of a building.
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Oct 17, 2013 04:54
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ShadowStalker posted:Yes, PEX can be concreted in. The radiant heating installed in concrete is usually PEX unless they use the electric mat types. Its a heat pex usually with a special barrier. Uponor makes the one i'm familiar with.
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Oct 17, 2013 04:55
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MH Knights posted:Water softener question. I got a new water softener, Capital Windsor series 24K grain, installed in early 2012 but have always had issues with my water being softened irregularly. I have hard water from a well and some iron in it as well. I use Morten system saver salt pellets, never more than two bags/80 lbs, but after a while the pellets turn into pure mush at the bottom of the brine tank and I have to clean it out. I called the manufacturer and they said to use solar salt though my plumber said to use the regular Morten. Is this usually the recommended solution? Sounds like it's not the salt but the softeners settings. Have you got your water tested and found out what your hardness and PPM (parts per millin) of iron are? And how is your water quality after the softener. If you still get discolored water it could be other things depending on color. I'd suggest using a pellet salt since they have less likely chance to bridge.
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Oct 17, 2013 05:00
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:PVC and cpvc are junk. Don't use them. They are cheap and become brittle over time. In UPC code pvc can't be used inside of a building. For the port through the block wall, I just cut my existing pvc off on both sides, ran the pex through, and packed it full of an indoor/outdoor silicone waterproofing sealer I had. I'm pretty sure it'll hold fine for a good long while. I read that those quick disconnects aren't supposed to be in contact with dirt. Are the brass hose-barb-ish-style fittings allowable for dirt? Right now, I have this silly little shroud buried underground at the T that goes to my storm drain which has made a little sarcophagus for the T, but I know the dirt and muck will work its way in there eventually and so I'd rather replace it with a fitting that can handle being in contact with the dirt.
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Oct 17, 2013 05:04
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Bad Munki posted:I ended up swapping the whole thing for pex, anyhow. Worked freakin' great. No union of any type can be buried(quick disconnects). So i'd recommend hard piping it.
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Oct 17, 2013 05:41
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MH Knights posted:Water softener question. I got a new water softener, Capital Windsor series 24K grain, installed in early 2012 but have always had issues with my water being softened irregularly. I have hard water from a well and some iron in it as well. I use Morten system saver salt pellets, never more than two bags/80 lbs, but after a while the pellets turn into pure mush at the bottom of the brine tank and I have to clean it out. I called the manufacturer and they said to use solar salt though my plumber said to use the regular Morten. Is this usually the recommended solution? I viewed the link now and see most likely a company installed it. This is a fleck head put on a tank so it's simple to set up. One other question is what makes you think you get soft water on occasion?
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Oct 17, 2013 05:44
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So, my toilet started moving around. Unbolted it, and lifted it up to replace the wax ring, check the flange.  Wasn't there supposed to be a flange here somewhere? What the hell were the bolts connected to?
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Oct 21, 2013 17:34
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:I viewed the link now and see most likely a company installed it. This is a fleck head put on a tank so it's simple to set up. One other question is what makes you think you get soft water on occasion? I notice when my soap lathers better and I can taste, when brushing my teeth, the difference. I removed the brine well and the bottom fell off due to the amount of slush that was in it. I disassembled the well, cleaned it out, cleaned the brink tank, put everything back together and put to 40lb bags of solar salt in the brine tank. I am noticing a difference but will see how things go in the long run. I called manufacturer and they had me turn the water hardness setting up and have it set to regenerate at least once a week.
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Oct 21, 2013 21:18
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MH Knights posted:I notice when my soap lathers better and I can taste, when brushing my teeth, the difference. it could be a number of different things. It could be your water got harder this time of year. Usually a dirty brine tank won't give it to much less of a salt dosage. But its all possible.
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Oct 22, 2013 03:02
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So my toilet had clogged up today to what seemed to be a normal flush. Plunged it off and on, and then after a while water started coming from the base, so that wax seal is dead. Picked up a short toilet auger and the new wax seal. Couldn't get the clog with the auger so I decided just to remove the toilet to see if it's just passed it, as all my other drains in that bathroom are working fine. After getting the toilet off I am treated to what looks like a fibrous seal instead of a wax one, so I scrape it a bit...nope, there's wax, possibly some kind of reinforced? So I lift the ring off, and a whole 5ft of roots comes with it.  Edit: I'm really happy this occurred in just the toilet line, as my dad mentioned if it was in the main line I may have gotten to experience one lovely shower. Almost exactly like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9O0UNTWAGs Superedit: Ok, after a bunch of googling it looks like my roots came from outside the flange, through the wax ring, and into the drain. In the morning I'll pick up some of that root killer and see which tree gets my hatred. I'll also make sure my toilet is better seated as it could move before. Bondematt fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Oct 22, 2013 |
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Oct 22, 2013 06:36
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Ive heard good reviews of the wax free rings. I haven't tried them yet but i've been looking for a reason. While a little more expensive I'd suggest one, since they are used with o rings and adhesive. I've seen wax rings give out after 15 years. But this was major use when they give out.
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Oct 22, 2013 07:26
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Freakbox posted:The second story of my house was built in the 60s/70s, so some of the pipes are older. I think thus far we've been replacing them as they fail. It rained like hell and gave me a migraine, so tomorrow pipefest will commence. Did you ever resolve this issue, or did the tub win and you just elected to off yourself?
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Oct 22, 2013 15:16
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Can I replace this threaded adapter with a threaded union piece here?  The reason I want to do this is because the threaded piece is leaking around the threads, and this is the second time I've had to redo that piece(first time was because the cement joint was lovely and leaked). That first picture is the hot water supply to a shower. Is it illegal and/or a bad idea to use that union piece there instead?
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Oct 22, 2013 20:35
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Do you have teflon tape on that threaded adapter?
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Oct 22, 2013 20:48
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Cosmik Debris posted:Do you have teflon tape on that threaded adapter? I do. There's also a rubber ring in there that came with the adapter.
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Oct 22, 2013 20:52
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Ok. Also I can't quite tell whats going on there. Is that piece with the wrench fitting on it just a female adapter? Or is the threaded piece connecting it to the flange part of the same piece? It looks from this angle like you have a flanged female piece coming out of your shower with a small, approx 1.5", threaded male piece going into it (with no wrench fitting if im seeing this correctly). The other side of that male piece appears to connect to a female threaded adapter and then is cemented into the rest of the pipe work. Is that the case? The fact that you are suggesting a replacement female threaded adapter leads me to believe that this is the case. If so, (and I fully admit I may be misunderstanding whats going on there) but why not just use this piece (male threaded adapter) and do away with the female threaded adapter?  The threads on the flanged piece are throwing me off.
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Oct 22, 2013 21:34
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Cosmik Debris posted:Ok. Also I can't quite tell whats going on there. Is that piece with the wrench fitting on it just a female adapter? Or is the threaded piece connecting it to the flange part of the same piece? It looks from this angle like you have a flanged female piece coming out of your shower with a small, approx 1.5", threaded male piece going into it (with no wrench fitting if im seeing this correctly). The other side of that male piece appears to connect to a female threaded adapter and then is cemented into the rest of the pipe work. Is that the case? The fact that you are suggesting a replacement female threaded adapter leads me to believe that this is the case. The threads are part of the shower faucet.  The pipe comes up into the 90 degree bend, bend connects into another short piece of pipe, then to a female threaded adapter, and then onto the male threaded shower faucet. I want to replace the female threaded adapter with that union piece because the current setup requires me to cut through the pipe to take it apart. I already need to take it apart again because there is a slow leak from the connection of the female thread adapter to the faucet. Edit: All the non-threaded joints are held together with cpvc cement.
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Oct 23, 2013 01:16
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I think you will be ok to do what you are suggesting, but the pvc adapters shouldn't be leaking in the first place obviously, so I dont think the materials are hte problem so much as your specific pieces. If switching to brass fixes your problem, then simply replacing the female adapter with an identical one would have probably worked as well. Futhermore, if this doesn't fix your problem, then the problem lies in the threads on the flanged piece and that will have to be replaced as well. Generally speaking, I like to stick with one type of pipe material once I convert, but there is certainly nothing stopping you from putting a brass fitting in there. The only thing that you should watch out for is crossthreading or stripping the threads on the shower flange. With brass to pvc, you will have to be very careful how much torque you put on it, too little and it will leak, too much and you'll strip the pvc fitting.
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Oct 23, 2013 13:48
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One thing I didn't know before my recent project was that when going from plastic to metal, the metal fitting should always be the female one.
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Oct 23, 2013 13:59
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I don't know if this has already been mentioned, but is it possible to go from galvanized to pex and then back to galvanized in a hot water radiant system? I need to move a cast iron radiator about 5 feet and the lines are wrapped in what's probably asbestos so I'd rather just run pex from the end of the existing pipe. I would also like to avoid the look of pex coming out of the hardwood floor and into the radiator so I was going to attach a short section of pipe back on the radiator and connect the pex under the floor. Does this sound doable?
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Oct 27, 2013 07:47
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It is possible but you have to use special heat-pex that has an oxygen barrier.
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Oct 27, 2013 18:17
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I wasn't aware they even made a type of pex that could handle steam lines, I had only ever seen the regular 180 degree type.
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Oct 28, 2013 13:47
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Cosmik Debris posted:I wasn't aware they even made a type of pex that could handle steam lines, I had only ever seen the regular 180 degree type. Oxygen barrier PEX is still 180 degrees, it's just made for closed loop systems. If his radiators are steam it's a no-go, but some are (or have been converted to) more traditional hydronic heat. The problem there is stil that some of that stuff is run at about 180-185 so you're pushing the design limits of the PEX. Unless you have a long loop you need to run it hot to get enough temperature differential for the small radiating surface to actually heat the room. This is unlikely to be the case with just radiators, but can be with a well designed baseboard setup.
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Oct 28, 2013 15:34
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My basement leaks. It doesn't flood, but when it rains like a bastard we get 4+ gallons of water on the floor to mop up. The water is gaining access by honeycombing through the lower part of the poured concrete foundation and up through the slab in one corner of the basement. It seems that the water is traveling underground, hitting the foundation, traveling downward and then pushing into some weak spots in the concrete. We have taken to coating the interior of the foundation with Quikrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher (The original pour is very rough, you can see lots of aggregate and it is not very even) and then using Behr basement paint all in an effort to help build a barrier inside. The next step is to attack the outside. We intend to expose the foundation at the rear of the house (about 5-6 feet down) then coat it with the same Vinyl material and then apply an appropriate exterior barrier paint/tar/something and possibly a membrane. What is the general consensus about below grade paints and membranes? Also, while we have the hole dug it only seems sensible to install weeping tile to divert the water away from the spots it is seeping in. What kind of weeping tile is preferred? I intend to use the black corrugated stuff with a nylon sock over it. The last issue is where do I send the water once it is in the weeping tile? Can it just be left underground somehow or do I need to move it to the surface? If I need to get it up to the surface would an exterior sump do the job and if it would how do I start figuring out what sump pit and pump I want? Can the weeping tile be tied directly into the sump pit? What else do I need to know about sumping? Here is a sketch of the house: Brown=dirt Grey=concrete foundation Blue= where the water is seeping in Red=brick Green=wood siding Black=windows Pink= future weeping tile Orange= possible sump area 
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Oct 28, 2013 15:41
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Do you not have a sump pump? If that's the case, start by installing a sump pump.
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Oct 28, 2013 16:51
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Bad Munki posted:Do you not have a sump pump? If that's the case, start by installing a sump pump. I don't. I also don't want one inside if I can get away without it. I would need to cut a hole in the concrete floor to install it and I'd rather not let water into my house just to pump it out. Hence my question about an outdoor pit.
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Oct 28, 2013 16:59
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Indolent Bastard posted:I don't. I also don't want one inside if I can get away without it. I would need to cut a hole in the concrete floor to install it and I'd rather not let water into my house just to pump it out. Hence my question about an outdoor pit. How is the grade around the house? Gutters workiing well? Is water moved away from the house? Could you consider a rain garden as a place for water to go? Have you tried drylok on the walls? EvilMayo fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Oct 28, 2013 |
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Oct 28, 2013 17:27
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