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Chas McGill posted:He told me that the drainpipe doesn't have enough of a gradient and that the flange is too far away from the wall to fit a modern toilet. I don't think the slope of the drainpipe relates to fitting a new toilet, but he said it was something we should sort out before there are any problems. Did you mean "too close to the wall"? How far in inches is that? It's possible that there wouldn't be enough of a slope. What's that floor made of? How hard would it be to access the pipes underneath? I see someone already put in an access panel for the cold water pipe. If that slope has to be corrected, then you might as well cut a new hole in the floor for a new toilet flange at the proper wall distance for a modern toilet. Of course, you will most likely need to patch the hole in the floor where the old flange was. Do you have any extra matching tiles lying around somewhere? If you go the tile route for a floor repair, then you will have to wait for the tile adhesive and grout to dry before placing the new toilet down. If this is the only toilet in your home, then you might not be able to go without a shitter for too long. Then there's the issue of smell. Toilets have their own traps built in to keep sewer gas from entering your living space. If you take a toilet off the flange, then there's nothing from keeping that fart gas from coming in your home. You can usually stuff a rag or two in the flange though to keep the smell down. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Feb 2, 2014 |
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Feb 2, 2014 19:29
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kid sinister posted:Did you mean "too close to the wall"? How far in inches is that? Yeah too far away isn't a problem, it just means more space between tank and wall. You can't not install a toilet because it's not too close to the wall.
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Feb 2, 2014 19:31
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kid sinister posted:Did you mean "too close to the wall"? How far in inches is that? The distance between the toilet and the wall is about 6" or so. The flooring is just cheap linoleum at the moment, so ripping it up isn't too much of an inconvenience. Apparently the problem is that he couldn't raise the pipe from within the bathroom, possibly because of some obstruction on the way out through the apartment. He said he'd have to open up the floor in the bedroom adjacent to the bathroom in order to find out what's going on. Hence the extra £800 (inc. materials) and having to empty the bedroom for however long it takes. Sorry about the vagueness - I didn't completely understand what the plumber's reasoning was at the time and I evidently haven't remembered it particularly well, either.
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Feb 4, 2014 12:03
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Chas McGill posted:The distance between the toilet and the wall is about 6" or so. The flooring is just cheap linoleum at the moment, so ripping it up isn't too much of an inconvenience. Apparently the problem is that he couldn't raise the pipe from within the bathroom, possibly because of some obstruction on the way out through the apartment. He said he'd have to open up the floor in the bedroom adjacent to the bathroom in order to find out what's going on. Hence the extra £800 (inc. materials) and having to empty the bedroom for however long it takes. Apartment? You're a renter? In the US, built in fixtures like that are typically the responsibility of the landlord. Well, except for clogs usually, and even then, sometimes the renter is bound by the lease to only hire the landlord-approved plumber to unclog it. Also in the US, if you asked your landlord to exchange the toilet because you didn't the old one, he'd say "tough poo poo." That's odd about going through the floor to get to the pipes, unless you're on the bottom story with a cement slab underneath. Typically the easiest way to access the pipes is to go through the ceiling from the story underneath. Drywall and plaster are easier to repair than floors, plus you don't need to clear furniture off a ceiling. The only reason I can think of doing it from your apartment would be to not disrupt your downstairs neighbor's apartment.
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Feb 4, 2014 22:17
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I own the place so I can do what I like with it, but the other flats in the building are owned by a landlord who rents them out. I'm on the top floor and I'm honestly not sure whether or not the place under mine is currently occupied. It's an old (150+yrs) Scottish tenement, so there are always surprises when you knock a wall down or open up the floor. When we were getting the shower redone the plumber discovered an old water boiler behind the plaster that the previous owner either hadn't been aware of or hadn't bothered removing. This means that the bathroom is about a foot longer than before - a significant difference given how small it is.
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Feb 4, 2014 22:37
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I bought a new house and moved in three weeks ago. My basement drain started overflowing a few days ago, it was fine before that. It overflows whenever we use large amounts of water (laundry, shower, dishwasher) and it started doing this only a few days ago. I have a few theories, curious what you folks think: 1) Maybe my plumbing has a vent on the roof and it's blocked. We've had several feet of snow in the last week and lots of wind. Not sure how much this would actually affect a the plumbing in the house though? 2) Perhaps water freezing in my main drain, it's been very cold lately. 3) One of the four trees in my yard is encroaching on the drain - I'm not sure if that by itself would suddenly cause issues but maybe in conjunction with another problem. Not sure what else it could be, any ideas? edit: I mean other than the obvious - maybe I have a clog in my main drain before it gets to the sewer line. Cold on a Cob fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Feb 10, 2014 |
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Feb 10, 2014 02:01
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Probably time for a plumber to run a rooter. It's unlikely that your vent is blocked enough to cause an issue or your drain is frozen. Don't call rotorooter call mister Fred's plumbing service where they charge by the hr not the foot.
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Feb 10, 2014 02:20
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Yeah I figure it's probably the obvious. I've scheduled a plumber for tomorrow to take a look. Thanks.
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Feb 10, 2014 02:36
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tater_salad posted:Don't call rotorooter call mister Fred's plumbing service where they charge by the hr not the foot. Does the closest Rotorooter to you seriously charge by the foot to cable a line? That's nuts! The three nearest me all charge by the hour.
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Feb 10, 2014 03:26
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Jadunk posted:Does the closest Rotorooter to you seriously charge by the foot to cable a line? That's nuts! The three nearest me all charge by the hour. I've never used them (I literally have plumbers next door) but a co worker has used them and he was charged by the foot it wasn't cheap.
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Feb 10, 2014 04:14
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Cold on a Cob posted:Yeah I figure it's probably the obvious. I've scheduled a plumber for tomorrow to take a look. Thanks. I used Roto Rooter. He found a root blockage about 35 feet out, after he cleared that he went out 60 feet just to be sure. Water seems to be draining fine now. Also they charged by the hour and the total cost came to less than $200 including tax so I'm happy with that. Are those root control products I see at hardware stores worth using? Like this: http://www.homedepot.ca/product/root-away-946-ml/982867
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Feb 10, 2014 18:56
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Cold on a Cob posted:I used Roto Rooter. He found a root blockage about 35 feet out, after he cleared that he went out 60 feet just to be sure. Water seems to be draining fine now. I can not speak to that specific product as the only one I have experience with is RootX but I know that RootX works great, one of the cities near me actually owns the sewer lateral once it is past the property line and they use RootX to great effect. (once they started using it on their lines they were able to go longer without cleaning and it extended the time before repair/replacement was necessary by years) Basically yes, they can be worth using but you need to figure out which one to buy.
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Feb 11, 2014 05:40
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My toilet is leaking from where it connects to the water supply. Not my pic but basically this is under the cistern. Currently we have the little valve pictured closed and are flushing with a bucket soviet-style! As soon you open the valve it starts dripping from either under or over the grey bumpy nut. I've tried loosening it but I don't have the tools right now. I'm gonna get some more tools from my dad the weekend, but I'm having a hard time finding replacement parts. I'm guessing the gasket is hosed? The plastic nut is screwed really loving tight, so I think the previous owners may have just tightened it like hell when it started leaking. I'm not in the us, but I think this could be a part of the fluidmaster? Would the gasket be a spare part for it? Or is it a completely separate thing? Having a hard time finding it on the internet.
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Feb 12, 2014 18:49
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Last couple of toilets I fixed, that was integral with the bottom of the valve assembly. Just get the flushmaster kit or whatever and replace the whole shebang. It's not too pricey, nor too hard to do. But you may need a wrench.
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Feb 12, 2014 21:17
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Another toilet tank problem. I've noticed the toilet has a weak, long flush. All of the water in the tank comes out, but it does so relatively slowly compared to most toilets I've used. I've cleaned the holes under the rim (of which there are only 3 at the back of the toilet) but it hasn't made much difference. I have a suspicion that the flap between the tank and the pipe down to the toilet isn't opening properly but I'm not sure how to test it. I've also considered widening the holes so there's a consolidated jet coming out, but I'm not sure that would actually be more effective in terms of fluid dynamics.
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Feb 12, 2014 21:51
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Take the top off the tank and pull the chain or flap up by hand next time you want to flush. If that does the trick, you probably need to adjust the chain and flush handle. That's a pretty common problem. On the other hand it's almost never due to a problem with the holes in the rim.
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Feb 12, 2014 22:57
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I am a bit stumped about a frozen and broken pipe at my parents house. There was a week of below zero temps here (Colorado) and this is when we think the pipe froze. The pipe is for an out door water tap on the below ground level of the house. The tap is on the outside wall and passes through about 2.5" of concert (outside wall of house) and goes into the inside wall and up the wall to the main floor to what we think is the main floor bathroom. Here is where I am not sure what is going on. We found the pipe was broken when the outside tap was turned on as it had warmed back up and my mom wanted to water her dead plants. Quickly we noticed the carpet wet and can clearly see the water coming from under the baseboard as we had pulled up the carpet and the pad. But once the tap is turned off the water stops flooding in and there is no other noticeable problem with the pipe or tap. So far the tap has not been used for over a week and no more water has leaked and there is no sign of the walls having any water damage. Does any one have an idea of what the problem is?
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Feb 13, 2014 05:24
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Unknownmass posted:I am a bit stumped about a frozen and broken pipe at my parents house. There was a week of below zero temps here (Colorado) and this is when we think the pipe froze. The pipe is for an out door water tap on the below ground level of the house. The tap is on the outside wall and passes through about 2.5" of concert (outside wall of house) and goes into the inside wall and up the wall to the main floor to what we think is the main floor bathroom. Here is where I am not sure what is going on. We found the pipe was broken when the outside tap was turned on as it had warmed back up and my mom wanted to water her dead plants. Quickly we noticed the carpet wet and can clearly see the water coming from under the baseboard as we had pulled up the carpet and the pad. But once the tap is turned off the water stops flooding in and there is no other noticeable problem with the pipe or tap. So far the tap has not been used for over a week and no more water has leaked and there is no sign of the walls having any water damage. Does any one have an idea of what the problem is? Is this a frost free sillcock? "Frost free" models don't warm the water or anything. They have their shut off valves located at the very tip of their entrances, far enough back from the cold outside to prevent the water ahead of the valve from freezing. When you shut off a frost free sillcock, in theory the water still left inside it between the valve and the exit spout should drain out via gravity. However, if you leave a hose attached to it that's higher than the sillcock, or sometimes even if that sillcock was installed at an upwards angle, then the water inside just can't drain out. Given trapped water and a cold enough day, that water can freeze and burst the frost free sillcock. Here's the kicker though. Remember how I said that the shut off was located at tip? If the pipe burst behind that valve, then you wouldn't discover it until it unfroze and you opened that sillcock. The bad news is that you will need to open up that finished wall to get to the pipes. You should be able to replace it yourself though. How's your pipe soldering and drywall mudding? Lesson learned: remove your hoses in the winter!
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Feb 13, 2014 21:17
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The spigots at my house (and every house. I've lived in) have little plastic caps that are perpendicular to where the water comes out...vacuum breakers to prevent back flow. Does yours (green on this one: http://0.tqn.com/w/experts/Plumbing-Home-1735/2011/07/hose-spigot.png). If so, in my experience if that goes bad water goes out of that instead of the spigot and from what I understand it could potentially siphon water from the hose which would come out there. Is it possible that is happening to you and flowing back into/toward the house somehow? Should be easy to check, but something I have overlooked before. If it is bad, the replacement is only a couple bucks.
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Feb 14, 2014 01:31
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Thanks for the replys. I will be checking on both ideas and hope it is not to hard of a repair. The dry wall fixing is not hard as I got plenty of practice when the whole basement flooded 4 months ago and several walls had to be replaced. But texturing the walls is a whole other issue.
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Feb 15, 2014 05:47
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So there was a filter under the plastic nut. Nevermind that you wouldn't need to filter the water here. Swapped it for a rubber washer. It stopped leaking, but now the plastic nut that's against the porcelain started leaking. http://imgur.com/CAw203q I fixed that and the lower one started leaking! Yay. http://imgur.com/0Jj3Q1o http://imgur.com/XwXxEhy This is the washer that sits inside the tank between the fluidmaster and the toilet. Going to change it tomorrow. Other that that I'm not sure what to do.
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Feb 15, 2014 17:57
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Sistergodiva posted:So there was a filter under the plastic nut. Nevermind that you wouldn't need to filter the water here. Swapped it for a rubber washer. It stopped leaking, but now the plastic nut that's against the porcelain started leaking. You probably ended up twisting the threaded portion that the lower one connects to while you were tightening the upper, it happens. Once you replace the washer that sits inside the tank, tighten nut that holds the fill valve in place by hand plus a turn or so with a wrench. Then tighten the lower one by hand, and a turn or so with a wrench while reaching up and around and holding the fill valve to prevent it from turning.
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Feb 16, 2014 01:11
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Hello DIY forum I will be posting here a lot because I am renting a house owned by a guy who thought himself a handyman but it turns out he's worthless at that poo poo. Q: one of the two taps in my house tastes & smells weird. Not like rotten eggs, just sort of metallic. The pipes are reasonably new (I think) and the hot water heater is from 2006. Could it be crap in the heater? Why would it only be one tap? we have hard water and all sorts of problems with it, don't know if that's related.
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Feb 16, 2014 04:00
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Blackula69 posted:Hello DIY forum I will be posting here a lot because I am renting a house owned by a guy who thought himself a handyman but it turns out he's worthless at that poo poo. Try cleaning out or replacing the aerator. Most likely cause is some poo poo caught up in there.
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Feb 16, 2014 08:47
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Jadunk posted:You probably ended up twisting the threaded portion that the lower one connects to while you were tightening the upper, it happens. Once you replace the washer that sits inside the tank, tighten nut that holds the fill valve in place by hand plus a turn or so with a wrench. Then tighten the lower one by hand, and a turn or so with a wrench while reaching up and around and holding the fill valve to prevent it from turning. Ah thanks! The hardest part is fitting a wrench in there, there is like a 5 degree angle where I can fit the wrench without it hitting the wall or the toilet.
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Feb 16, 2014 10:56
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Jadunk posted:Try cleaning out or replacing the aerator. Most likely cause is some poo poo caught up in there. Seconding something weird is caught in your faucet. If it's not at the aerator, try the valves in the fixture. Hard water just clogs things up, mostly at water exits like aerators and shower heads. If you have low flow or little jets spraying in directions they shouldn't, then take that aerator or shower head off and dunk them in a glass of vinegar overnight. Other than that, hard water tends to collect in the tanks of electric water heaters. Given a decade or so, it can take up so much space in that tank that there isn't much room left for hot water. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Feb 16, 2014 |
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Feb 16, 2014 21:31
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I've got a clogged bathroom sink. House was built in '57 and the original drain pipes are gal. I'm having a hard time getting the trap arm off the wall fitting to snake the drain. There's a ton of pipe dope on this loving thing and it looks like some oxidation as well. I took off the nut and tried some rotational force but it didn't budge. This is just a compression fitting, right? It should just pull off, right? Any ideas on how to get the pipe off? Heat maybe? I'm worried about applying too much force because I have no idea what the strength of the gal pipes in the wall are at this point. 
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Feb 17, 2014 01:59
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stupid puma posted:I've got a clogged bathroom sink. House was built in '57 and the original drain pipes are gal. I'm having a hard time getting the trap arm off the wall fitting to snake the drain. There's a ton of pipe dope on this loving thing and it looks like some oxidation as well. I took off the nut and tried some rotational force but it didn't budge. This is just a compression fitting, right? It should just pull off, right? Any ideas on how to get the pipe off? Heat maybe? I'm worried about applying too much force because I have no idea what the strength of the gal pipes in the wall are at this point. The brass trap arm should tear long before anything inside the wall gets screwed up. (and if it doesn't the pipes inside the wall were likely already leaking or would have soon) Yank on it hard, if it's still not giving way what I have done before is cut it off with about 1" left sticking out, hammer the jaws of needlenose pliers in between the trap arm and the drain line, grip and spin. Basically the goal is to spin the needlenose and tear the brass, it should wrap around the pliers. Kind of a pain in the rear end but the best solution I have come up with yet to trap arms that will not come out. (I haven't personally had any luck using heat when yanking / twisting wouldn't do)
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Feb 17, 2014 07:02
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Posting here with an HVAC question since the two topics seem related (or at least I always see both on a contractor's truck). I'm replacing my register grilled due to age and dirt. How can I tell whether I need 1-way or 2-way and whether straight or curved blades are better? I'd really like to use a decorative grill, it blows the air straight forward instead of left/right/both like I have now. I don't want to make a change that causes it to be harder to heat and cool my home. This is what I'm considering: http://www.amazon.com/Decor-Grates-...r+grates+6+x+10
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Feb 20, 2014 04:50
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Jadunk posted:I can not speak to that specific product as the only one I have experience with is RootX but I know that RootX works great, one of the cities near me actually owns the sewer lateral once it is past the property line and they use RootX to great effect. (once they started using it on their lines they were able to go longer without cleaning and it extended the time before repair/replacement was necessary by years) Basically yes, they can be worth using but you need to figure out which one to buy. I did more research and RootX is foaming and Root Away is not. I already bought two pounds of Root Away so I'll use it for now but I'm going to look into getting RootX - I expect it will work better since it is foaming and will fill the pipes. Since I posted that I had another blockage, so I had to call roto rooter in today to take another pass at my drainpipe. This time I had him use the camera too and I learned that my main drainpipe is in rough shape. The pipe consists of 4' clay segments and the tree in my front yard has grown roots into three joints. Two of them were very thick with roots. He used a 4" cutter and took out a lot of them but he couldn't get them all. The pipe segments have also shifted around a bit, resulting in edges of pipe sticking up 1/4" or so, blocking flow a bit. Because of all of these factors, he's recommending that we look at replacing the drainpipes with longer pvc segments to help prevent further root encroachment. Based on what I saw I'm inclined to agree but if you folks have an opinion I'd love to hear it since this will probably cost a few thousand at minimum.
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Feb 23, 2014 04:31
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Cold on a Cob posted:Because of all of these factors, he's recommending that we look at replacing the drainpipes with longer pvc segments to help prevent further root encroachment. Based on what I saw I'm inclined to agree but if you folks have an opinion I'd love to hear it since this will probably cost a few thousand at minimum. That's the right way to solve this problem for good (or at least a whole lot of years - nothing is forever, and your existing pipe is proof of that).
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Feb 23, 2014 17:49
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Motronic posted:That's the right way to solve this problem for good (or at least a whole lot of years - nothing is forever, and your existing pipe is proof of that). That goes for home maintenance in general.
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Feb 23, 2014 21:28
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My guest bedroom shower has a leak on the knob for cold. It drips out behind the knob when the water is on and for a minute or two afterwards. I assume there is something copper back there because it is leaving a bluish/green trail where the water drips. I know basics as far as plumbing goes but this is a new one for me. Where should I start?
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Feb 24, 2014 00:52
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Rubiks Pubes posted:My guest bedroom shower has a leak on the knob for cold. It drips out behind the knob when the water is on and for a minute or two afterwards. I assume there is something copper back there because it is leaving a bluish/green trail where the water drips. I know basics as far as plumbing goes but this is a new one for me. Where should I start? Identify the make/model of faucet (or take a picture and to a hardware store) and figure out if you can get replacement parts. You may need to disassemble it and bring in what's left of the parts to match things up if it's old or uncommon.
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Feb 24, 2014 02:00
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Rubiks Pubes posted:My guest bedroom shower has a leak on the knob for cold. It drips out behind the knob when the water is on and for a minute or two afterwards. I assume there is something copper back there because it is leaving a bluish/green trail where the water drips. I know basics as far as plumbing goes but this is a new one for me. Where should I start? If it only leaks when the water is on, then the packing washer is leaking. You might only need to tighten the packing nut back down. Here's the short version: 1. Remove the handle. On most models you need to remove the cap first with a knife or something and then there's a screw underneath. 2. Remove the escutcheon. These usually just unscrew. 3. You see that big nut surrounding the stem? Tighten that down a quarter turn or so. You should be able to test for leaks now. Just put the handle back on the stem without its screw and open the cold valve. If there's any more trickle, try tightening down that packing nut a little more. If it doesn't improve or gets worse, then you may need to replace the packing washer. Let us know and we'll tell you how to do that.
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Feb 24, 2014 17:39
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If you're going to do this, best to turn off the water for the house. If something goes wrong you will have the cartoonish burst and sideways jet of water from the faucet.
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Feb 25, 2014 14:38
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Newbie question. I ripped out a vanity recently and I'm in the process of replacing it with a smaller belly sink. Unfortunately the tailpiece of the new sink doesn't line up with the existing P-trap. It's real close, but it's off by maybe an inch. The sink isn't mounted to the wall yet so I have a bit of horizontal flexibility, but I would need to bring it too far away from the wall to bring the tailpiece straight down into the trap. I was wondering what the simplest/cheapest way would be to connect the two. Should I cut out the existing P-trap and get one of those flexible J-bends? I'm in Canada, so parts I can find at Home Depot, Kent, or Canadian Tire would be great. Image: http://i.imgur.com/dHlIHkP.jpg
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Feb 25, 2014 18:13
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WeaselWeaz posted:Posting here with an HVAC question since the two topics seem related (or at least I always see both on a contractor's truck). I'm replacing my register grilled due to age and dirt. How can I tell whether I need 1-way or 2-way and whether straight or curved blades are better? I'd really like to use a decorative grill, it blows the air straight forward instead of left/right/both like I have now. I don't want to make a change that causes it to be harder to heat and cool my home. That particular grille will restrict airflow quite a bit-- the effect on your system as a whole will be determined by the amount of restrictions elsewhere and the capacity of the ductwork. One grille is unlikely to affect much except comfort in the room you're putting it in (which may be mediated by the airflow to it from things like doorways) but replacing all of them would likely cause actual problems unless your duct system is oversized (it probably isn't).
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Feb 25, 2014 18:30
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Kaf posted:Newbie question. I ripped out a vanity recently and I'm in the process of replacing it with a smaller belly sink. Unfortunately the tailpiece of the new sink doesn't line up with the existing P-trap. It's real close, but it's off by maybe an inch. The sink isn't mounted to the wall yet so I have a bit of horizontal flexibility, but I would need to bring it too far away from the wall to bring the tailpiece straight down into the trap. You have 3 options. The easiest would be to install a flexi-drain pipe vertically down to your existing trap. I don't like those since they have little areas off to the side for nasty things to get stuck in. The second and third options both would require you cutting off that 90 degree elbow pointing down. Option 2 is to install a repair trap. Option 3 is to install a marvel adapter/fitting on the drain pipe along a new P-trap kit. I would prefer option 3 since marvel adapters allow for the most maneuverability in attaching sinks to drains including future renovations, but check your local plumbing codes first. Some places only allow marvel adapters for kitchen sinks.
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Feb 25, 2014 19:25
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Qwijib0 posted:That particular grille will restrict airflow quite a bit-- the effect on your system as a whole will be determined by the amount of restrictions elsewhere and the capacity of the ductwork. One grille is unlikely to affect much except comfort in the room you're putting it in (which may be mediated by the airflow to it from things like doorways) but replacing all of them would likely cause actual problems unless your duct system is oversized (it probably isn't). Ok. So how do I find and pick not lovely registers and returns? Just try to match as closely what I currently have? I need 6" x 10". I want to replace 7 registers and 5 returns
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Feb 27, 2014 02:48
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