|
Hot water heater question. My gas hot water heater is old - almost 20 years. I'm looking to replace it sometime after New Years, but I need a fix until then. Over the last week or so the drain valve has been slowly dripping slightly more than it has in the past. It has always dripped a very tiny amount onto the concrete - there is no pan underneath - but never enough that it wouldn't evaporate overnight or whatever. I noticed a slightly bigger spot than normal over the past weekend, but figured it was just a result of having in-laws in town for the holiday and the heater getting way more action than usual. Well yesterday/overnight it didn't completely break, but it leaked enough that it reached the floor rug in the room (on concrete), and completed soaked the thing. Based on what has dripped off the rug and what I vacuumed up, it was maybe ~2 gallons over the last 24 hours. Cleaned that mess up this morning, tightened the drain valve (still drips a tiny amount), and got a bucket for the drip. My main question - I want to drain the hot water heater and replace the broken plastic valve with a brass one. Does the draining/refilling process put a serious strain on the unit? I can only assume it's never been done once in the thing's life.
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2015 15:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 04:34 |
|
|
Voodoo posted:My main question - I want to drain the hot water heater and replace the broken plastic valve with a brass one. Does the draining/refilling process put a serious strain on the unit? I can only assume it's never been done once in the thing's life. No, it doesn't strain it and, in fact, you should be doing that somewhat regularly to flush it out. I've heard annually is a good plan. Just make sure it's off and let 'er rip.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2015 15:49
|
|
|
And while it probably need to be replaced just based on age/efficiency, you may find that it works a whole lot better once you do this. You'll see sludge coming out of the bottom. Keep filling it up part way and draining until the sludge stops if you don't get it all on the first drain. And if you need to keep it going for longer, look for the sacrificial anode and replace that as well. If it hasn't eve been done it's probably totally gone.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2015 16:39
|
|
|
Motronic posted:And while it probably need to be replaced just based on age/efficiency, you may find that it works a whole lot better once you do this. You'll see sludge coming out of the bottom. Keep filling it up part way and draining until the sludge stops if you don't get it all on the first drain. This. Be glad you don't have an electric water heater. The magnetic field from the electricity actually makes the dissolved minerals collect together and sink to the bottom of the tank. The biggest pieces will be as wide as your thumb, big enough to clog the drain valve. In those cases, you have to unscrew the valve out and fish around in the drain hole with something strong enough to break up the chunks.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2015 20:12
|
|
|
I have been losing water pressure randomly through the whole house over the last few years. It's become more noticeable over the last few months, and now it's nearly every day I have poor water pressure, usually after not using the water for hours (such as coming home after a long day at work and wanting a nice hot shower only to be met with a third-world country drip). When I say random, I mean random. For example, I was doing LAUNDRY FOREVER last weekend and had full pressure water filling up the washing machine for many loads, then all of a sudden one load had no water pressure and took 45 minutes (!) to fill up the basin. The next load 2 hours later had full water pressure again. Taking a shower later that night, very little water pressure. Wtf? Hot and cold water both work out of all taps, but when running any faucet anywhere, I get a very poor flow. If I let the water run for a while, it might kick up a little bit more pressure, but not enough. I couldn't take a shower this morning. I took the shower head off and the water was barely streaming out of the pipe. I called the water company, they basically said "it's your problem, not ours, there are no leaks recorded for your neighborhood" (wtf) and to check the water pressure regulator thingy. I've had father-in-law take a look last weekend, and he says the pressure regulator valve is old and needs replacement. He recommended not increasing the pressure ... thing... in case the pipes get over-pressurized and burst? The entire plumbing system is 5 years old since I gut and renovated the entire house. It shouldn't need replacement already... Wat do? I don't want to pay a plumber $75+ to turn a screw to give me more pressure, but I also don't want to do it myself and then have to pay said plumber $750+ to replace all the burst pipes...
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2015 05:09
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:I have been losing water pressure randomly through the whole house over the last few years. It's become more noticeable over the last few months, and now it's nearly every day I have poor water pressure, usually after not using the water for hours (such as coming home after a long day at work and wanting a nice hot shower only to be met with a third-world country drip). When I say random, I mean random. For example, I was doing LAUNDRY FOREVER last weekend and had full pressure water filling up the washing machine for many loads, then all of a sudden one load had no water pressure and took 45 minutes (!) to fill up the basin. The next load 2 hours later had full water pressure again. Taking a shower later that night, very little water pressure. Wtf? Get a pressure valve to screw onto a hose bib and check your pressure. You will be fine turning it up to 80 psi 100psi at max. But if the pressure reducing valve(prv) is only 5 years old. I can't imagine it needs to be replaced. Sometimes they have a pre filter screen in them that can be cleaned. Can you take a picture of the PRV?
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2015 07:30
|
|
|
As someone who had to replace a ~7 year old pressure regulating valve within the last year, it can happen. What brand is the old one? Don't make my mistake and put in whatever poo poo brand Home Depot/Lowe's/Ace/etc sells, Cash Acme I think it is. What a piece of poo poo. After two of them were totally not working (pressure fluctuations, horrible fluttering water hammer unless the main valve was set to a trickle) I put in a zurn wilkins and had zero issues whatsoever, works great. That being said, I would expect more consistent symptoms if it were crapping out on you. Ideally, if it were me, I'd like to have a pressure gauge right before (and why not, how about after) the pressure regulator. Then, next time your flow goes to poo poo, you can see what the pressure is coming into the house, and confirm that you're actually getting an ample supply. That's going to cost a few bucks and require some soldering, though, so if you're not comfortable with that--which I get the impression you're probably not--you're looking at bringing in a plumber. :/
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2015 17:16
|
|
|
Any thoughts on foul smelling water coming from only one sink?
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2015 18:39
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Any thoughts on foul smelling water coming from only one sink? From the faucet, or the drain? Is the trap full?
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2015 19:08
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Is the trap full? Is there a trap? 
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2015 19:09
|
|
|
There definitely is a trap. My first thought was the drain as well. I haven't looked at it myself yet. I have a tenant who insists it is the water from the faucet. He says it goes away after a few minutes of the water running.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2015 20:10
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:There definitely is a trap. My first thought was the drain as well. I haven't looked at it myself yet. I have a tenant who insists it is the water from the faucet. He says it goes away after a few minutes of the water running. Honestly, I would go see for myself. Smelly water usually affects all faucets. Check all these: 1. if it's well water 2. if all the faucets stink 3. if just the hot or cold water stinks 4. if you can smell the water stinking, fill up a glass and step into a room without a faucet. Does the water still stink?
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2015 21:25
|
|
|
If it goes away within a few minutes of water running it seems most likely that the trap is siphoning for some reason and the smell is sewer air coming back up.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2015 00:29
|
|
|
If the smell is from the water itself it would be pretty unusual for the only place they notice the smell to be a sink faucet unless that faucet has an inline filter that the others don't. (a housing development near me had inline filters put in by the builder under the lavi sinks only, people never thought twice about them until their water was discolored or foul smelling) Typically if the smell is in the water itself the place my customers usually notice is in the shower. Do what kid sinister suggested and get back to us.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2015 00:50
|
|
|
I've had it with my double sink drain piping in the kitchen. It just started leaking again, after I had "fixed" it for all of 18 months with the regular suspect lovely plastic kit from the hardware store. Seemed good enough so I left it. I need real parts, not "schedule lol" pvc. Can one of the plumbers suggest what I should be ordering or if Home Depot/Lowes has something worth a poo poo. I'm looking for a quality new "everything" from the tail pieces down and I'm not afraid to spend money on something that will last, but don't know what that might be at this point unless I use one of my contractor friends names to get into a proper plumbing supply place. And even then I don't know what to ask for. Should I be going with metal or are there PVC alternatives that aren't a mess of lovely screw on slip joints with lovely seals made for Joe Homeowner who doesn't know how to glue pvc? Edit: sorry, 1 1/2" "end outlet" style (I think that's what it's called ..... waste pipe under the right side sink). No disposal. No dishwasher hookup required. Motronic fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Dec 7, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2015 04:02
|
|
|
I recently changed my partially clogged two sink drains and asked my plumber buddy about going with the pvc or abs pipe that you glue together. He basically said it's superior to those slip washer joined drain kits, but the glue takes longer to set up and if you gently caress up you have to cut the hosed piece off.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2015 07:37
|
|
|
The Gardenator posted:I recently changed my partially clogged two sink drains and asked my plumber buddy about going with the pvc or abs pipe that you glue together. He basically said it's superior to those slip washer joined drain kits, but the glue takes longer to set up and if you gently caress up you have to cut the hosed piece off. Glued is the way to go. I like to use as much glued as possible and use a no-hub coupling to attach to existing piping coming out from the wall when possible. As an important not do not use a plastic female adapter to thread onto metal coming out from the wall, it's illegal and a terrible idea. Oh, and use a glue by glue trap, don't use a union trap. When you have a no-hub coupling and one or two slip joint nuts you can drop the whole assembly to clean it out if the trap gets clogged and that's another failure point eliminated.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2015 08:37
|
|
|
Motronic posted:I've had it with my double sink drain piping in the kitchen. It just started leaking again, after I had "fixed" it for all of 18 months with the regular suspect lovely plastic kit from the hardware store. Seemed good enough so I left it. Wow... Motronic needs DIY help??? I never thought I'd see the day. Why don't you post a picture of what you got first? I got a feeling you hulked out with a wrench and cracked one of the nuts. They put wings on those nuts for a reason.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 00:55
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Wow... Motronic needs DIY help??? I never thought I'd see the day. I sujk as plumbing on the waste side. At least on the fresh side you know when you hosed up really soon since it's pressurized. (I also suck at a lot of other things, but you don't see me giving people advice on them) And I know when to call in reinforcements. Yes, I probably hulked the poo poo out of what I have. I also threw some teflon tape on the tailpiece and slip joint of the right sink and it's not leaking now. But this is still hardware store crap. This is what I'm dealing with:  As mentioned, been absolutely fine for months. I may have dumped a gallon and a half of nearly boiling water in the sink last night before it started leaking. That amount may be more than normal, but I don't feel like I need to not do that and am willing to buy the right poo poo to make that not my problem. (we're italian.....don't judge our pasta boiling and pot-reusing to make cream sauce needs)
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 01:35
|
|
|
Motronic posted:I sujk as plumbing on the waste side. At least on the fresh side you know when you hosed up really soon since it's pressurized. Yikes, an S trap. Well, I can tell you that the reason your parts are leaking is because that end outlet tee is installed upside down. With it flipped like that, it will act as a second trap for the sink on the left. Flip that tee, get yourself a new sink tailpiece, a 6 inch one looks like it would work, cut it to fit and replace that top drain on the right side. Also, check all the nuts and slip washers to see if any are cracked from overtightening. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Dec 8, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 03:17
|
|
|
I'm living in a duplex rental and the sink seemed to be working fine, however after a 2-week visit to my parents, it's now totally clogged. The bathroom (only other room w/ water in the APT) is fine, haven't checked the washer/dryer (hooked up on the opposite side of the kitchen from the sink). The only thing I've done since being home with it (got home last night, went to bed instantly) has been to clean a few dishes (scraping the leftovers into the trash) and running the plug-in dishwasher (which attaches externally to the water supply, draining into the sing w/ no dishwasher but a filter on the drain). It's a 2-sink setup, and plunging one sink pushes the water out of the other drain. The neighbors have had problems to the point where their kitchen was flooding and the previous neighbors had to get our driveway ripped up to replace that plumbing. Is there anything I can do or should I just let the landlords know?
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 04:47
|
|
|
GobiasIndustries posted:I'm living in a duplex rental and the sink seemed to be working fine, however after a 2-week visit to my parents, it's now totally clogged. The bathroom (only other room w/ water in the APT) is fine, haven't checked the washer/dryer (hooked up on the opposite side of the kitchen from the sink). The only thing I've done since being home with it (got home last night, went to bed instantly) has been to clean a few dishes (scraping the leftovers into the trash) and running the plug-in dishwasher (which attaches externally to the water supply, draining into the sing w/ no dishwasher but a filter on the drain). It's a 2-sink setup, and plunging one sink pushes the water out of the other drain. The neighbors have had problems to the point where their kitchen was flooding and the previous neighbors had to get our driveway ripped up to replace that plumbing. Is there anything I can do or should I just let the landlords know? Sounds like you need your drain snaked. Also, side-by-side or over-under duplex? Which unit is yours? Check your lease agreement. Sometimes, the renter is responsible for drain clogs.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 04:57
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Sounds like you need your drain snaked. Also, side-by-side or over-under duplex? Which unit is yours? Whoops, sorry: over-under, I'm over. I'll check the lease to see what's up; if I wake up and the buildup seems to have dissipated overnight, is snaking it myself viable (I work from home and it's a slow season right now)? I would rather buy stuff and learn how to fix this myself than call the landlords about it as I can both learn something and not risk this being a reason for my rent to go up again.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 05:14
|
|
|
GobiasIndustries posted:Whoops, sorry: over-under, I'm over. I'll check the lease to see what's up; if I wake up and the buildup seems to have dissipated overnight, is snaking it myself viable (I work from home and it's a slow season right now)? I would rather buy stuff and learn how to fix this myself than call the landlords about it as I can both learn something and not risk this being a reason for my rent to go up again. Oh good. If your drains are clogged and you have an upstairs neighbor, it's possible that their drains will flow fine... right into your unit. Anyway, assuming your unit layouts are the same, check with your downstairs neighbor and see if their kitchen drains are slow too. If that unit is vacant... woah boy.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 05:30
|
|
|
Motronic posted:I've had it with my double sink drain piping in the kitchen. It just started leaking again, after I had "fixed" it for all of 18 months with the regular suspect lovely plastic kit from the hardware store. Seemed good enough so I left it. My experience with big box is that their metal drain plumbing is, in fact, paper-thin crap. You should be able to walk into any plumbing supply house and get heavier-gauge copper or brass / cast bronze fittings in any size...at least, that has been my experience in PA and NJ. Hell, in NJ, they sold me an entire HVAC system. I did have to ask around. But for plumbing? Or electrical? I've never been refused service or a sale because I wasn't licensed. kid sinister posted:Yikes, an S trap. Isn't the slip joint over the tailpiece going through the floor on upside-down? Shouldn't that run coming up through the floor have a 180 bend in it & be male-threaded on the end? PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Dec 8, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 06:01
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Yikes, an S trap. Well, sheeeeeit. Thank you. PainterofCrap posted:My experience with big box is that their metal drain plumbing is, in fact, paper-thin crap. You should be able to walk into any plumbing supply house and get heavier-gauge copper or brass / cast bronze fittings in any size...at least, that has been my experience in PA and NJ. The whole thing is paper thin crap. Just gonna go to the closest plumbing supply and tell them I'm picking things up for one of my buddies, who I'll call beforehand. Appreciate the advice. Did I mention I hate waste plumbing? Also, I bet you were sold a Goodman. Amirite? Amirite?
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 16:43
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:Isn't the slip joint over the tailpiece going through the floor on upside-down? Shouldn't that run coming up through the floor have a 180 bend in it & be male-threaded on the end? Actually, the bottom section of most slip joint S traps are like that. Motronic posted:Well, sheeeeeit. Thank you. If you're going to go to all this trouble, then do it right and get rid of that S trap. Put in a P trap with either a proper vent, or an AAV if your local code allows them.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 18:07
|
|
|
If you ever have to work on slip-joint waste piping under sinks again just remember that it should be able to hold running water at hand tight (if you've got half decent hand strength) tighten it an extra quarter to half turn just to make it less likely it will loosen over time.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 18:34
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Oh good. If your drains are clogged and you have an upstairs neighbor, it's possible that their drains will flow fine... right into your unit. Just got the word from the downstairs neighbors, no problems whatsoever. I removed everything from the p-trap to the solid metal pipes going into the wall and they are all 100% fine, not even a hint of buildup. Called the landlords, they're sending someone tomorrow AM to snake the drains. The apt has a history of bad piping; two years ago they had to tear up the pipes in my unit's bathroom all the way out to the driveway, and a few months ago the tenants below had their washer back up and start flooding out. I'm guessing just let the plumber take care of this one?
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2015 19:51
|
|
|
GobiasIndustries posted:Just got the word from the downstairs neighbors, no problems whatsoever. I removed everything from the p-trap to the solid metal pipes going into the wall and they are all 100% fine, not even a hint of buildup. Called the landlords, they're sending someone tomorrow AM to snake the drains. The apt has a history of bad piping; two years ago they had to tear up the pipes in my unit's bathroom all the way out to the driveway, and a few months ago the tenants below had their washer back up and start flooding out. I'm guessing just let the plumber take care of this one? I would. Sounds like you got a clog in the stack somewhere between the stories. Worst case scenario is that the plumber would have to snake down from the vent on the roof. I doubt your landlord would want you walking around somewhere you could break your neck if you slip.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2015 06:08
|
|
|
Motronic posted:
Yes, the handyman's friend. Has run flawlessly for six years, even though I installed it myself*. ...so it'll die soon, and I'll have Y O U to blame! *except the AC charging part, which cost twelve cases of Bud + materials for my (licensed) neighbor to do
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2015 07:48
|
|
|
What the heck kind of driver bit is used for this (and where can I get it)? It's for an automatic flash valve on a wall urinal. I called Delta, and they don't sell the 8-point key that's needed for servicing the unit. I even visited a local plumbing supplier, and they weren't able to find a retailer, for it. I think it's a double-square drive bit? melon cat fucked around with this message at 08:17 on Dec 9, 2015 |
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2015 08:09
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:Yes, the handyman's friend. Has run flawlessly for six years, even though I installed it myself*. They have a bad rep because they are often installed by plumbers. I've had one in my barn for 6 years now. It's improperly installed in an unconditioned space. When it's under 15 I have to jam a lightbulb in it for 10 minutes each morning to get it thawed enough for the draft detection to work. And it's still trucking for both heat and AC. It's middle of the road quality with good parts availability from basically the only company who will sell something outside of their cartel (dealer network) which is probably why the pro houses hate them so much. I'd buy one again.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2015 16:11
|
|
|
melon cat posted:What the heck kind of driver bit is used for this (and where can I get it)? It looks like it's a semi stripped double square. I always just use a regular square bit of the right size on those.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2015 21:41
|
|
|
What is the best plunger for a toilet? I have one of those orange plastic accordion ones, but sometimes have trouble making a good seal on the bowl.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2015 20:33
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:What is the best plunger for a toilet? I've always wondered this too. I need to replace mine due to it's poor design. It retains water between the inner and outer walls of the rubber bit.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2015 20:41
|
|
|
Motronic posted:They have a bad rep because they are often installed by plumbers. I've had one in my barn for 6 years now. It's improperly installed in an unconditioned space. When it's under 15 I have to jam a lightbulb in it for 10 minutes each morning to get it thawed enough for the draft detection to work. And it's still trucking for both heat and AC. Hmmm. Enjoyed the house one so much I bought the smallest high-efficiency downdraft unit they make to heat my garage...installed it in the walk-up loft (an unconditioned space) and it has not failed to work through five somewhat brutal winters...that I am aware of. Yet. Then again, I cut a hole in the loft floor & just dropped it on there, with no ducting or nothin' so maybe it's getting enough ambient heat from below to keep it happy. Stay tuned.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2015 04:48
|
|
|
kelvron posted:I've always wondered this too. I need to replace mine due to it's poor design. It retains water between the inner and outer walls of the rubber bit. You are supposed to have the "inner wall" pulled out when plunging a toilet.  I have one like the plunger on the right, and the inner wall part will fold into itself and trap the gross toilet water. I wash out the thing with some soap in toilet water then transfer it to a bucket.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2015 09:31
|
|
|
Oh I never noticed this thread. First year apprentice here.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2015 20:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 04:34 |
|
|
Nostalgia4Murder posted:Oh I never noticed this thread. First year apprentice here. Did they teach you about minimum exposed buttcrack yet?
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2015 20:30
|
|