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Thinking beyond the fallout of the leak itself: my brother-in-law is going to see if he can possibly get through the corrosion, separate whatever piping needs to be separated, and replace it. He's not terribly optimistic about it, so he's already bracing us for buying a new one. (He actually repairs stuff like this for a living, has done similar work before, and knows his limits.) Oh, one other note: he said the breaker did not trip -- we had to turn it off -- which might be important. (In a bad way, I think?) There is actually already some stuff down there that could potentially be used to replace the piping. You can see some of it in the picture, it's the red tubes. They're not connected to anything. In fact, there's additionally a whole roll of that (and a roll of PVC) still shrink-wrapped down there. We're pretty sure the previous owner (a landlord) was planning to get some of this stuff replaced, but ditched it as soon as we put in the offer on the house. Anyway... Does replacing just some of the pipe sound like it could be a plausible fix? Or if we end up having to get a new one, what are the standard recommendations? I don't think we have the means to upgrade to tankless, but I'm not really sure.
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Nov 4, 2020 14:30
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I wouldn't expect the breaker to trip from that failure. I would expect that water heater to need replacement. I doubt your BIL will be able to remove the threaded adapter going into the tank successfully, it looks like everything there is going to be pretty corroded. I wouldn't waste a lot of effort trying to dry out the crawlspace. I'd try to get the standing water off the moisture barrier and straighten it back out over the ground. If the weather is not freezing (and based on your exposed plumbing I'd guess you live somewhere temperate) make sure your vents are open. Crawlspaces over dirt are damp or worse every time it rains, that's why they're supposed to have plenty of ventilation. E: also, regarding potential replacement, you're going to be limited by the size of your crawlspace opening and the maximum height where the tank is located. Without knowing your property's layout, I'd suggest looking into relocation if at all possible. angryrobots fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Nov 4, 2020 |
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Nov 4, 2020 14:57
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Ok thanks. I know I'm asking a lot of questions that can't be answered online, just trying to get my bearings and as much information as possible. It is indeed a pretty drat small crawlspace. My BIL noted that the tank is on the dirt and really shouldn't be, but at the same time it's hard to figure out a better place for it. If we buy a new one he recommends a shorter (but fatter) profile. I'm pretty sure we've left the vents open but I'll make sure of it when I can.
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Nov 4, 2020 15:34
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On the dirt because the top of it is already scraping the framing. You need to take the whole thing out, get a new one, put all pipes and fittings on it first, then install in one piece. Still, it's a tiny heater, You may be better off with the tankless setup or relocating to a new location so you can accommodate a larger tank
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Nov 4, 2020 16:22
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I have a (I think the right name is) sill cock that is leaking. Somewhat like this: https://www.wayfair.com/BandK-Indus...khoCDHwQAvD_BwE I’ve tried tightening the packing nut outside the house but it is still dripping enough to keep the sidewalk wet. Do I need to call a plumber or is there something more I can do. Ceiling inside is finished drywall.
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Nov 4, 2020 20:42
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Sir Lemming posted:Follow-up, I'm under the impression that a shop vac is more for a concrete floor or other surface like that, whereas this is basically dirt. Is it still a good idea? Yes, still try the shop vac to remove as much water as you can. Probably not worth digging up mud or anything, but every bit of straight water you can remove from the area with that little effort will be worthwhile. It looks like at least some if it is/was pooling on those plastic sheets, for example. As mentioned above, throwing a humidifier and some fans down there afterward might be a good idea too.
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Nov 4, 2020 21:35
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opengl128 posted:We have a tub basin pump deal in our basement to pump water out of the laundry sink down there to the overhead sewer line. The switch failed today and the pump runs non-stop. I opened it up but it's a complete horror show in there of black slime I guess from 10 years of dirty laundry water and cleaning litter boxes. It's so nasty I'm not going to even bother attempting to repair or replace the switch. Motronic posted:Unions: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Pipe-Fittings-Fittings-PVC-Fittings/Union/N-5yc1vZ1z18i3xZ1z114xb TacoHavoc posted:I'd probably throw unions on there, I just have an aversion (right or wrong) to ferncos. devicenull posted:Put them at different heights on each pipe, so you don't run into the other one when trying to tighten them. Cheers all! Unions worked a treat. And I was SUPER glad I put them in when the float didn't activate on my first test fill (had too much slack on one of the power cables and it was getting snagged) and I had to open it back up. Which was super easy now that I could unscrew the two unions! Only snag I ran into, even though the new tub was seemingly identical to the old one, the vent and discharge ports were reversed so I had to swap the directions of each once they left the tub so it's not as neat looking. But who cares it's in the basement. 
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Nov 6, 2020 00:00
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It looks like your pipes are drunk. But who cares, as long as it works and it serviceable.
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Nov 6, 2020 00:25
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The water heater guy has logged on again. So we managed to replace most of the piping that was corroded and/or part of the same piece, but when the new piping is placed onto the old nozzle of the water heater (I'm not sure what it's called, sorry), it still leaks, basically like there's still a gap between the new and the old. No matter how much we press the new pipe down, it still doesn't quite seal, for lack of a better word. (This picture was taken before the pipe was completely connected which is why it's hanging a little) Is there an up-to-code way of addressing this? I'm starting to read some stuff about "pipe dope" and "teflon tape" and it almost sounds like it could be exactly what I need. But I wanted to get some actual opinions about it. If we can't do something like that, then we're looking at a new water heater. (Which also means we might be removing the frame and even some bricks of the crawlspace door because we seriously have no idea how they got anything down here originally.)
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Nov 7, 2020 12:39
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Sir Lemming posted:The water heater guy has logged on again. So we managed to replace most of the piping that was corroded and/or part of the same piece, but when the new piping is placed onto the old nozzle of the water heater (I'm not sure what it's called, sorry), it still leaks, basically like there's still a gap between the new and the old. No matter how much we press the new pipe down, it still doesn't quite seal, for lack of a better word.
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Nov 7, 2020 13:35
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Slugworth posted:Phone posting, so apologies if I'm mistaken - Those are shark bite fittings, right? And you're saying it's leaking at those connections? If so, no, pipe dope or teflon aren't gonna help. Get the shark bite removal tool, take your joint apart, debur both pipe ends, sand and clean them real nicely, try again. Sorry, I have absolutely no clue. My brother in law did the work. But to clarify, it's leaking at the very end where it goes into the water heater. (See one of my posts on the last page for a picture of what it originally looked like.) We removed a very corroded length of pipe (with valve and a 90 degree end) and replaced that. But it seems like the new pipe and the old piping of the heater itself are just not totally sealing with each other. E: BIL says this is not a threaded connection so those things won't help. I may have been reading an article that was about the pressure valve, which I guess might be threaded? So yeah, we're probably out of luck. Sir Lemming fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Nov 7, 2020 |
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Nov 7, 2020 13:38
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The fittings on the water heater itself are female-threaded, so your BIL had to have installed male threaded —-> sharkbite adapters there. It’s either leaking at the threads, or the fittings on the water heater itself have corroded out. If it’s the former, then disassembling the pipe and properly sealing the threads should stop it. If it’s the latter: you need a new water heater. Based on the amount of damage on the case, the PO crammed it through the opening in the brick. Find another way; don’t do that again.
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Nov 7, 2020 15:14
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Yeah it's very corroded, which ultimately is almost definitely the source of the problem and can't be fixed. Just exploring all options. But there's probably no way around it. He did try removing the fitting itself (as a last resort) but no luck. We plan to buy a slightly smaller one (38 gal instead of 40, and dimensionally just all around less tall) to be able to get it through the crawlspace; based on measurements we're pretty sure we can just barely do it. We probably have to remove the door frame and we're prepared to take out this little brick stoop thing if we have to. And yeah, it occurred to us that that might be the source of the dents. Thanks all. I needed to run these ideas by someone just to feel better about buying a new heater, if nothing else. I'm still pretty sure the new piping we got is gonna save our necks in the long run. Edit: lol  I wish I could say we're upgrading to an ideal situation, but it will definitely be better than this. Fortunately only needed to cut one board of the crawlspace frame Sir Lemming fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Nov 7, 2020 |
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Nov 7, 2020 15:41
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Sir Lemming posted:Yeah it's very corroded, I was going to say your original picture showed a ton of rust at the base of the unit. Glad to see it is where it belongs now.
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Nov 7, 2020 19:43
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Anyone have experience with tankless/on demand water heaters or even better, tankless water heater/home heating combos? We have a gas fired water heater that's 6 or 7 years old, so we're planning to replace it in the spring (hopefully before it shits the bed and gives me an excuse to unfinish the basement) and go tankless to free up some space. Is there an HVAC thread where the house heating/cooling part would be better answered? The gas fired forced air furnace is about 15 years old so it would be great to ditch that thing at the same time and do a combo with the water heater. Still trying to figure out if we should go to in floor radiant heating at that time and if so, how to handle air conditioning.
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Nov 7, 2020 23:22
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Is it safe to put a sharkbite>PEX-A fitting underneath my house? This would solve a huge problem for me and make it easier than learning to sweat copper and buying a torch and hoping I don't burn my house down.
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Nov 8, 2020 00:15
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Are tubs that are part of showers, generally, the same length? It seems like all of them are pretty small. Folks can’t lay down in ‘em. Is there a good reason why bathroom tub/shower combos are that length? Like maybe bathrooms are made as small as ADA allows, and the tubs are designed to fit in that area?
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Nov 14, 2020 00:25
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People were smaller 130-years ago. Although this does not explain why, in Europe generally but in France specifically, large deep tubs were common. US tubs are tiny. I haven't been able to take a bath in one since 1974. No, shower bases typically are square; however, you can easily find a shower base that is made for the footprint of a standard American tub. It may have to be ordered
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Nov 14, 2020 01:08
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Ornery and Hornery posted:Are tubs that are part of showers, generally, the same length? Almost universally 5ft, though you can sometimes find 6ft. Any larger than the standard 5', and usually you'd switch to a deep jetted tub where tall people can sit more upright and still be mostly underwater. I'm sure it was just another one of those compromises that became standard. A balance of the amount of water you'd need for bathing children, but just long enough that an adult can sit in to bathe. A 6'3" man stretching out in the tub was never a big design decision.
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Nov 14, 2020 02:17
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B-Nasty posted:A 6'3" man stretching out in the tub was never a big design decision. My feelings as a 6’ 4” person -  
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Nov 14, 2020 04:46
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I am 5'4 and I still think 5' long tubs are bullshit, no matter the depth.
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Nov 14, 2020 05:24
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At 5'9" it's never been an issue because it's never occurred to me that I should lay completely flat in my bathtub.
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Nov 16, 2020 03:41
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I just want a tub where my I can sit on my rear end in a reclined position and have my knees be underwater at the same time.
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Nov 16, 2020 05:10
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I always said that I'd never attempt a plumbing job by myself, but I figured anyone could install a garbage disposal, right? All I really knew about plumbing going into this was that I needed a P trap somewhere between the disposal discharge and the wall. I spent a long time standing in the plumbing aisle at Home Depot completely overwhelmed by all of the similar-looking white PVC pipes. The previous drain looked like it was connected using a series of "screwed on" pipes, rather than "cemented together" pipes, so I ended up I buying the generic bag of "all the 'screw on' pipes you need to install a disposal." I took two pipes out of that bag, cut one of them, and installed them as pictured. As constructed, the water sits at approximately the blue line and I can look down the drain and see standing water. If I turn on the disposal I can reduce the water level in the disposal enough that I can no longer see it looking down the drain, but I think it's only going down by an inch or two. Either way, the red circled joint is already failing after just one day. I need to find another way or admit defeat and uninstall the whole thing. Aside from this loving maze of a drain pipe that I installed, I think my primary issue is that the discharge pipe from the disposal is below the outlet in the wall, such that my water has to actually travel uphill after it goes down the drain. Assuming that the height of my disposal discharge pipe is fixed and I'm not willing to dig into my plaster walls from 1946 to lower the wall pipe, what's the best way to proceed here? With more time, I think I can Tetris a more direct line between the discharge pipe and the wall pipe, but if it's going uphill anyway, will that even solve my issue? Is it OK to have the disposal drain pipe come out horizontally rather than pointed downward? I guess my best idea so far (probably horrible) is to just turn the disposal discharge pipe sideways, figure out how to install the p trap right there, and then do a line directly to that wall outlet. So I'd still have the "water going uphill" problem, but at least the total amount of water that's stuck in there is way less. Obliviously I'm pretty lost here. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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Nov 16, 2020 16:40
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Blakkout posted:Aside from this loving maze of a drain pipe that I installed, I think my primary issue is that the discharge pipe from the disposal is below the outlet in the wall, such that my water has to actually travel uphill after it goes down the drain. Assuming that the height of my disposal discharge pipe is fixed and I'm not willing to dig into my plaster walls from 1946 to lower the wall pipe, what's the best way to proceed here? You can't fight gravity - you have open the wall and lower the trap arm. Ain't no way to hack that situation, that disposal should've never been installed there. Only other option is to get rid of the disposal completely and switch to a basket strainer.
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Nov 16, 2020 17:31
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That, or raise all of the base cabinets a couple inches. The leaking joint may be because it's submerged constantly - but it shouldn't leak at all. It's either still a bit loose (hand-tighten it only) or the gaskets are installed in the wrong order. e: consider lookng into low-profile units. https://medium.com/@thedisposalguys/best-low-profile-garbage-disposals-e7c7a4bdd9f9 You might just get lucky.
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Nov 16, 2020 19:40
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Thanks guys.
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Nov 16, 2020 19:45
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Blakkout posted:I always said that I'd never attempt a plumbing job by myself, but I figured anyone could install a garbage disposal, right? By the way this is an awesome post with all the relevant details. You even did the right thing of just buying everything because who the heck knows what you need and can return most of it. That picture is way too clean and well labeled. I was secretly hoping it would be some kind of eldritch horror using the whole bag of parts. Next time...
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Nov 16, 2020 21:53
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I know you said you didn't want to go into the plaster wall, but I think that's your best bet. Especially if you think that pipe goes straight down.
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Nov 16, 2020 22:38
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Yeah, the pipe does go straight down, so I think it's probably best to call a professional and have him dig in there.
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Nov 16, 2020 23:06
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Two weeks before we're due to move out of the house and put it on the market, the kitchen & laundry sinks stop draining. These drains have always been a bit of an issue, so I called the guy and he runs the snake, but the drain doesn't drain. He says he thinks it's a broken pipe. Today I had another guy out to get a second opinion, and he concurs. The home is about 60 years old and built on a slab in Albuquerque NM. I believe the pipes are cast iron. The break seems to be somewhere on the line from the sinks, rather than in the main sewer line, because the bathrooms all work fine while the sinks don't drain at all. It seems like all the plumbers in town are busy, to the point that we're probably going to have to wait until next week to get the work done... which is when we're supposed to be leaving the state. Should I shuffle moving truck reservations and such in order to be here while they're tearing into my poo poo, or should I just go, let them get in via the realtor's lockbox, and arrange somebody to come replace the torn up floor when they're done? (not like I'd be replacing the floor myself even if I were here...) How likely is it that they get in there and say, whoops boy the whole pipe is toast, we're going to have to tear up all the way to the kitchen?
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Nov 17, 2020 01:55
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I'd call someone with an inspection camera so you can find out exactly what and where the problem lies. The rest of your questions are more personal to you, but I think having an actual plan for what needs to happen will help you answer them.
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Nov 17, 2020 03:21
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angryrobots posted:I'd call someone with an inspection camera so you can find out exactly what and where the problem lies. Can they get an inspection camera down a sink drain? Both guys who came out said it's too small for a camera.
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Nov 17, 2020 03:45
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I thought about that after I posted... they have cameras they can slip in smaller drain pipes but even if it's capable, the service guy sent out to unclog drains all day probably doesn't want to risk getting it hung up in a corroded 1.5" cast iron (I'm guessing) elbow or something. Whoever comes out prepared to cut your the concrete would be more willing to give it a shot, I assume. Speaking of that, did either contractor advise on what rooms will need the finished floor removed? I'd expect them to want that removed ahead of time.
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Nov 17, 2020 15:36
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angryrobots posted:I thought about that after I posted... they have cameras they can slip in smaller drain pipes but even if it's capable, the service guy sent out to unclog drains all day probably doesn't want to risk getting it hung up in a corroded 1.5" cast iron (I'm guessing) elbow or something. Whoever comes out prepared to cut your the concrete would be more willing to give it a shot, I assume. No info on what flooring will be removed. The first guy's been doing plumbing for decades but now only really does drain cleaning, but the second guy was with a company that actually does repairs. He wasn't able to locate the break based on noise from the snake or anything, so he couldn't make a definite call on where we'd need to pull up the flooring. Based on how much snake went down the pipe, we think it's near the front door, which would be great: there's a small patch of 1ft tiles there which should be easy to pull up and later replace, at least compared to the laminate flooring in the kitchen / dining room or the real wood floors in the hallway. How do they usually locate the break? The guy yesterday tried to get one of his co-workers out the same day to help him find it, but he was busy. Metal detector to find where the pipe runs, then put something "scratchy" on the end of a snake and listen for it with a stethoscope? I've tried to google, but there's so much stuff about fixing a broken main sewer line that I've had little luck.
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Nov 17, 2020 15:56
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We are getting a tankless heater, natural gas powered. Anything I need to be concerned about?
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Nov 17, 2020 16:00
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Check that your natural gas supply pipe is large enough to supply the volume of gas the heater needs. Standard water heaters top out at like 60,000 BTUs and tankless heaters start at like 300,000. They need a poo poo load more gas and unless your home was built for it you'll probably need to upgrade some gas pipes, or you'll have anemic performance.
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Nov 17, 2020 16:36
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Hi pals - first time home owner here with a small plumbing question. A brief history: wife and I bought our first house in September 2019. It's about a hundred years old. Last February, one of the old rear end galvanized steel pipes taking the water from the basement up to the upper floors corroded out (described by the plumbers as "a time bomb"). Deeply annoying for this to happen so soon into moving in, but what can you do. Pipes were replaced with pex, living room and bathroom walls ripped apart pretty good in the process. We were also pregnant with our first kid during this. And covid hit! What a fun, not stressful time. We decided to reno the main bathroom as part of this. The walls were already smashed out, so. As part of that process, we installed this faucet and shower set. The trouble is: it has developed a pretty regular drip already from the faucet. Feels bad and wasteful, and also shouldn't be happening on something that is under a year old obviously. So basically: what's a likely cause of a faucet drip? I'm pretty handy but don't know much about plumbing. Any advice appreciated.
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Nov 17, 2020 16:36
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The cartridge is bad. It's under warranty. Contact the manufacturer.
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Nov 17, 2020 16:40
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SpartanIvy posted:Check that your natural gas supply pipe is large enough to supply the volume of gas the heater needs. Standard water heaters top out at like 60,000 BTUs and tankless heaters start at like 300,000. They need a poo poo load more gas and unless your home was built for it you'll probably need to upgrade some gas pipes, or you'll have anemic performance. Gotcha. We are getting the unit for free and have a big install credit, so any extra that we spend is still better than full out of pocket. We needed a new water heater anyway, we have an 11 year old regular 40 gallon that doesn’t seem to heat as well as it should. KKKLIP ART fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Nov 17, 2020 |
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Nov 17, 2020 16:49
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