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Pressure regulator valves have a lifespan, I think usually like 10 years. Probably just needs replaced.
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Jul 9, 2022 15:54
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Bad Munki posted:Pressure regulator valves have a lifespan, I think usually like 10 years. Probably just needs replaced. Ah well. It looks like this:  Is that soldered in? I think I'll need a plumber for that stuff.
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Jul 9, 2022 16:03
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Nah, you’re in luck, that one’s just threaded in. Pretty easy replacement: kill the water, unthread the nut at the far end, unscrew the fitting itself at the near end, clean the threads and re-apply dope (looks like they used Teflon tape, I think that’s fine for this? I forget) and install the new one. Just make sure the new one is the right length (probably a pretty standard number) and you’re golden.
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Jul 9, 2022 16:14
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Bad Munki posted:Nah, you’re in luck, that one’s just threaded in. Pretty easy replacement: kill the water, unthread the nut at the far end, unscrew the fitting itself at the near end, clean the threads and re-apply dope (looks like they used Teflon tape, I think that’s fine for this? I forget) and install the new one. Well alright, that stuff I can do. Thanks!
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Jul 9, 2022 16:17
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Just a brief note: the larger threaded side is a union, and should not need sealant or tape, since the seal is made where the pipe faces join internally (it'll become obvious when you separate it). The near (smaller) threaded connector does require it.
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Jul 9, 2022 16:21
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And use a wrench on BOTH sides of each connection when you go at ‘em, don’t expect the pipe to be sturdy enough to just use a single wrench on the fitting.
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Jul 9, 2022 16:30
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Slugworth posted:That's a lot of little plastic nubbins for something meant to apply force.
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Jul 9, 2022 16:30
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Nitrox posted:Is there a good wrench to use on delicate surfaces that someone might recommend? Maybe a leather/rubber strap wrench? It's for plumbing fixtures no wider than 1⅝" If its got flats, something with smooth jaws, like a Knipex pliers wrench. I really like Stanley's locking adjustable wrench, but it only opens to about 1 3/8. I've occasionally put a strip of electrical tape on the jaws for really soft plated brass fittings, but it's not really necessary.
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Jul 9, 2022 18:39
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ET_375 posted:If its got flats, something with smooth jaws, like a Knipex pliers wrench. I really like Stanley's locking adjustable wrench, but it only opens to about 1 3/8. I've occasionally put a strip of electrical tape on the jaws for really soft plated brass fittings, but it's not really necessary. I'm installing a bunch of similar tub and sink spouts, they are perfectly round and are a pain in the rear end to tighten down. I've been using an old leather belt with pliers. But it's not a fast or smooth process. I see many more in the future, so it would be a perfect excuse to get another tool. https://www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Gold-Bathtub-Spout/1000696834
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Jul 11, 2022 02:47
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I have removed sink escutcheons by wrapping a wet rag around them, clamping a pair of Vise-Grips onto the ends of the rag, and using it as a cinch.
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Jul 11, 2022 03:22
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I had a slow drain earlier and now I have crap in my showers. The kitchen sink backed up last week and again yesterday. It may have been slow for a while but running the disposal seemed to make it work so we did nothing. I put some draino in last night but it backed up again after lunch today. I tried a plunger but nothing changed. The trap was clear but I could feel something squishy in the pipe after the trap. There is an access on the wall outside several feet away. I opened it and found a squishy mat of hair and grease. I picked out what I could but the drain still backed up. I got a 25ft auger from harbor freight and tried it at the sink connection and the access outside. I don't feel the squishy stuff after the trap anymore so I think it was pushed down. The auger reached past the access outside so I moved out there. The auger went in easily until about 10 or 12 feet. I worked it back and forth with some twisting. The helix came out with something like a white crayon inside. It was like wet modelling clay. There was some hair and black slime, too. Any idea what this was? I was able to get past it and get all 25ft in there for 2 out of 7 or 8 tries. I figured I put a hole in the clog and it will get us through the weekend. Should I have kept picking at this clog? This is our big chore day so the dishwasher and laundry were going and both showers backed up with black stuff. Did I move the clog from the kitchen branch to a shared branch? The plunger did not make the showers nasty. I don't really want to buy or rent a larger auger, is there anything I can try before calling a pro?
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Jul 11, 2022 03:31
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Probably you own miniature fatberg, i.e. solidified grease. It can saponify in the presence of other chemicals, especially lye - the main ingredient in Drano.
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Jul 11, 2022 05:11
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Hard to say how bad it could be without more in-depth knowledge, like how your lines are tied together etc. Probably best to have someone come out and drop a camera down to see how bad things are, if there is a large amount of grease deposits will probably need hydro jetted. I would definitely call a handful of places to see what they would charge for both. Even if they won't give you a quote over the phone (I know a lot of peeps around me won't, for wtvr loving reason), but give free "in person quotes" don't give two fucks about telling them to take a hike, till you talk to other companies/contractors as the prices can often be drastically different, in the terms of hundreds of dollars for the exact same service. On that same note, don't be afraid to try to negotiate on the prices, even with large companies.
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Jul 11, 2022 05:50
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Toto toilets are another level of toilet install difficulty, but it's done! First I had to fix the toilet flange. The plumber that installed it did not orient the bolt slots correctly so my old toilet was slightly askew. I took out the crappy deck screws they used to secure it(only two of which were actually sunk into anything), rotated it slightly, and used some good GRK screws to secure it to the subfloor. The Toto hole template originally was a little taller but I cut it off at the "Wall line" line so that it would fit on my floor. My flange is about 11.5" away from the wall instead of 12" like it should be. My old toilet was also a 12" model, so I figured it should work, and it did, but I ended up having to remove the shoe trim on the wall and it was a very tight fit in the end.  Here's after all 6 holes have been drilled which was not easy, even with brand new tile bits. I drilled them to the right sizes and the 4 holes underneath the white mounting blocks were perfect. However, the 2 green anchors near the wall are for the back of the p-trap assembly and they are total garbage anchors. They are a snug fit in the holes, but with the included screws they did not expand at all, and can easily be pulled out. The brown stuff you see on the tile is not wax or poop, but left over adhesive from when a boomer put down linoleum over the tile. It's under the toilet so I didn't bother removing it.  Here's the rough-in assembly installed with the wax ring. I used an "extra-thick" wax ring which was probably unnecessary. There was some back and forth movement when installing the toilet so I hope it didn't cause the wax seal to break.  Toilet all installed and working. Haven't caulked around the bottom because I'm going to pull it up at some point and fix the wall behind it (and the rest of the bathroom). Unfortunately because of the lovely rough-in anchors, that will probably mean the assembly will move enough in the removal process that I'll need to redo the wax seal, and while I'm redoing that I'll put in some good anchors that will hold it in place better. 
SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jul 11, 2022 |
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Jul 11, 2022 17:04
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I'm glad you saved that tile; it's awesome.
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Jul 11, 2022 18:27
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I'm glad you saved that tile; it's awesome. Those tiles should always be covered by a toilet though, so I don't feel super bad about the holes. I'm actually considering harvesting some of the other good tiles under the toilet to use them to repair other spots in the bathroom where the tiles were damaged or missing, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. What's really annoying is I know a guy in the neighborhood who has the tiles I need literally sitting in his garden. His PO redid their bathrooms decades ago and tossed scraps of the old bathroom floor and wall tiles into their garden as decoration and it's an exact match for the tiles I need but he was not amicable to me taking some when I last brought it up. 
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Jul 11, 2022 19:29
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Huh, are all toto toilets that complex of an install? (Complex in terms of toilet installs that is) Or just the fancy ones? Cool tile though, is each piece individual? Or is it on sheets?
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Jul 11, 2022 20:38
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Rakeris posted:Huh, are all toto toilets that complex of an install? (Complex in terms of toilet installs that is) Or just the fancy ones? It seems that most of the Toto's follow this installation method, but I've seen similar setups from Kohler and other manufacturers that are more simple/traditional. Each tile is an individual tile! It's original to the house from 1950. It would be a nightmare to lay those by hand for me, but based on how many houses in this area that have the same or similar, I assume they just had tilers banging these bathrooms out day-in and day-out.
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Jul 11, 2022 20:46
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Where is the Toto electrical hookup?
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Jul 12, 2022 15:57
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Remulak posted:Where is the Toto electrical hookup? The toilet has a hole built in the top that the bidet plumbing and electrical feed through. The cord itself runs out the left and under the sink to plug in. I might run another outlet behind the toilet for it specifically at some point but 
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Jul 12, 2022 16:04
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bred posted:I had a slow drain ... I had the house scoped and hydrojetted for $890. It was 1 guy from 9am-2pm and 2 more showed up with a camera from 12-2pm. The one guy got stuck on a iron cap behind my washer and had to cut it. They also cut through a plastic cap glued over my backyard cleanout. He told me to buy dollar plugs for both. They showed me nearly complete root obstruction on the camera. They said it was at the sewer saddle in the middle of the street. The camera said it was 76 feet away, is this number reliable? I see on google maps the sidewalk is 72 feet away line of sight so with depth and turns we might be at the sidewalk or my lawn which I think would be easier to fix. They said the biggest step in the pipes was 3/4" from ground movement. This was built in 1978 so that doesn't seem like a lot of movement. They can do lining as long as at least 60% of the pipe cross sections are shared. They're offering descaling for $2,500 or two liner options. First is to dig my lawn closest to the street, install up and downstream cleanouts, descale, and line for $11,300. The second is to dig to a buried cleanout near the house to line all the clay for $15,200. They'd line with a felt and epoxy sleeve installed with a balloon. This is about 30ft of clay pipe from my hose bib to the sidewalk, 55ft to the center of the street. The camera guys started saying all my issues are from the root ball. The first guy was saying the washer line was so clogged he didn't know how it's draining and I saw stuff floating out of the kitchen cleanout while jetting. I asked if I could have both a clog and a root ball and they assured me the house is all cleaned out and now the only problem is the root ball. They gave a lot of expensive examples of digging up street, blending asphalt, hotel for weeks, etc. from people that waited too long. I took a shower and it didn't back up at all. Before it would back up after 4 or 5 minutes so I think they cleared a clog. I was trying to figure it out while talking with them and tried to compare the shower head flow to the hydrojet flow. I now know the shower head is 2GPM and they said the hydrojet is 2.5GPM so I'd expect the hydrojet to backup, too. The hydrojet only backed up at the beginning of jetting the kitchen cleanout so I think the clog was there. It didn't backup when jetting the washer cleanout. The camera came after the kitchen jetting and they didn't mention seeing a clog. I think the clog might be gone but we're a little worried. For $10k I think I'll pay for another company to scope and give me their recommendations to confirm.
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Jul 13, 2022 01:10
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The line measurement with the camera is pretty accurate. If you have a root ball obstruction, the line jetting would clean all of the crap that got hung up in it off, but it'll get occluded with TP, etc. again eventually. So: they were unable to cut/macerate/remove the root ball? Why? If the line is otherwise in good condition (i.e. not cracked/broken/swaybacked with a low spot) then the worst that they should have to do is excavate the street and replace the ball-fouled pipe section. It won't be cheap, but it shouldn't be ten grand unless it's 8+ feet deep. Unless you already know, contact your local/municipal government & find out if you are responsible all the way out to the street. Your local government/sewer/water authority may be responsible for removing that ball.
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Jul 13, 2022 02:05
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They said they needed a cutting tool. I think they said descaler that they can set to a diameter to skim the pipe surface. They brought a small hydrojet and a camera which is only for interior drain. Thanks for your data point, they were saying digging the street could be $50-75k. Here's the text from the water district: https://www.irwd.com/services/sewer quote:Often, the question arises – where does the responsibility of the customer begin and end and when does it become the responsibility of IRWD? The upper sewer lateral – the line leading from the residence to the edge of the property line – and the lower lateral, which connects into the sewer mainline, is the responsibility of the customer to maintain. In addition, customers are responsible for making any repairs to the upper lateral only. If repairs are needed on the lower lateral, that is the responsibility of IRWD. Thanks for the tip, now I'm thinking I can call the water district and get their opinion. The line measurement puts it very close to the property line so I want to trust the plumbers and hope the issue is in the street. I'll call them tomorrow.
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Jul 13, 2022 03:16
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I've got a 40-gallon electric water heater that developed a very slow drip at the top element. I only noticed because it tripped the breaker. I cut the power, sopped up the bit of water with a paper towel, powered it back up and it's fine again for now. It's on year 12 of a 6-year warranty. Should I bother trying to fix the leak (I'd imagine power down, drain tank, unscrew the element and clean threads, then screw it back in with thread paste?) or just shell out a grand to have a new one put in?
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Jul 13, 2022 22:02
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bred posted:They said they needed a cutting tool. I think they said descaler that they can set to a diameter to skim the pipe surface. They brought a small hydrojet and a camera which is only for interior drain. We brought in a camera/drone/cutting crew to do our main sewer line at work. Big rear end old industrial complex, big drain pipes, and massive root balls at the property line. We contacted the city and they basically said that unless it was inside of the main sewer line it was our problem, because only our drainage was impacted. Fast forward a day they mounted a giant rear end cutter and completely cleaned like 500 feet of sewer pipe. Squeaky clean. Like not a loving thing in sight. The hydrojet + cutter was just wicked, it sounded like a helicopter taking off in the drain. It had zero issue cutting through a massive root ball, other than a slight difference in tone, it just powered right through it. The cutter looked almost spring loaded so once it was moving it conformed to the ID of the pipe. Dudes had some great stories about scoping drains and finding racoons. I'd start with the cutter.
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Jul 13, 2022 23:50
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(xpost from Home Ownership thread) Holy CRAP. So, our saga starts when the downstairs sinks, shower, and toilet gurgle every time the washer drains. Not when you flush the toilets, not when you run a shower, just when the washer drains. We call in the local plumbers who put a water jet down the washer drain, assure us it's draining normally, and leave. We call the local septic tank people; they look at the septic system, say it looks as if it had just been cleaned out the month before, and recommend the local specialist in drain unplugging. He came today. He had to dig a hole into the septic system because there is no cleanout. A lot of turning on showers, sinks, and the washer follows. It turns out that our house, built in 1931 next to what was then private land and is now a state park, has two drain systems. One of them serves only the toilets. The other, a greywater system, runs under the house, and as far as we can figure runs somewhere into the state park, possibly into a dry well.  The septic system is small, and the leach field (as far as we can guess) is tiny; the back yard where it would be is ~~ .05 acre. The sewer specialist thinks that it's likely that the reason that only the toilets run into the septic system is that the septic system/leach field aren't large enough to support a four-bedroom house. (Fortunately, only three of us live here. But still.) The pipe that everything but the toilets drain into is galvanized iron and runs under the foundation, so it's been there a good long while. The pipes that feed into it were done relatively recently (PVC pipes) by an amateur who didn't know what they were doing and used the wrong fittings. Holy gently caress, I wasn't remotely expecting this. I'll be calling a septic engineer (who I am assured will not report us to the county) to investigate the size and condition of the leach field and what can be done. Holy poo poo. "Full copper repipe."
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Jul 14, 2022 00:15
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Must be sewer issue time! We just had a sewer inspection today and found a broken joint with a bunch of roots growing into it. The guy that was here quoted $5k to dig up the broken section and just replace it. Then I called someone else who does trenchless repair and was quoted $12k to do the entire pipe. I'm now waiting on a third quote... I don't love the idea of just replacing the one broken area, I mean what happens when another part breaks a year from now?
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Jul 14, 2022 00:37
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Yooper posted:I'd start with the cutter. Ya that's how I'm leaning. The clay pipes were in good condition and mostly inline. The largest offset was 3/4 inch. We haven't had any backups since the hydrojet. The water district came out today and ran a cutting tool up and down the main line in the street and didn't get anything. He misunderstood and expected to find the root mass sitting in the pipe or catch some danglers but it was clean. He was hinting we should wait and see if we would back up again. The tech was sure I'm responsible for the lateral as removing roots from my tree is maintenance rather than repair. They have a camera truck coming tomorrow. It will run in the street, look in my hole but not go in. It may confirm the plumber's claim of roots at the saddle. Saddle is the wrong term but I forgot what the tech said. A neighbor down the street came out and mentioned he had a relining done for $6k a few months ago so I have that cheaper option. The stress is melting away. Some extra side drama: I ran the washer before putting in the dollar plugs and threw water in the garage. The plumber moved the dryer to get access and put the gas line back finger tight so the gas smell never went away. Then I ran the dryer and the lint duct blew off. He was just telling me about how there are cheaper outfits but you get what you pay for.
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Jul 14, 2022 01:16
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I take absolutely no pleasure in reading this stuff and learning of these expenses, but I have to say I bought a condo this year and I'm going to stop complaining about strata immediately.
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Jul 14, 2022 01:28
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VelociBacon posted:I take absolutely no pleasure in reading this stuff and learning of these expenses, but I have to say I bought a condo this year and I'm going to stop complaining about strata immediately. Wait until they tell you you have Kitec pipes in your walls and the entire building including your unit needs to be repiped. Or the parking lot needs repaving, or there are cracks in the walls in the underground parking. Or the entire board quits because one of the members is insufferable.
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Jul 14, 2022 02:06
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Or your soil line runs under your driveway, your front porch slab...and your living room. Bonus if your ductwork is also buried under the slab & is now filling the ducts (and your house) with the lovely fragrant odors of raw sewage. Ah: the joys of Levitt home design
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Jul 14, 2022 03:10
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PainterofCrap posted:Or your soil line runs under your driveway, your front porch slab...and your living room. My sewer lines runs under part of my house.. yay lovely contractors who put the addition on!
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Jul 14, 2022 03:15
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The previous owners of my house moved the well, because the old well and septic system were right next to each other. My sewer and well drain into each other After the custom of Christendie A dreadful flux has afflicted my mother! The wrath of God has afflicted me.
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Jul 14, 2022 04:15
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Qubee posted:I've got some pictures I can share, the rust is really bad and surprisingly shocking for something that is Stainless Steel. The grade of SS is 316/L? That's what's written. I don't think it's hydrogen sulfide because this is water the occupants of the department drink. Tomorrow I'm going with some contractors to have a closer look and use their ladder to get up high. If the water has been sitting for a long time... I would say it is MIC (Microbiological influenced corrosion) (Google image search something like: MIC, corrosion, pipe) This is is a known issue for carbon and stainless steel pipe that sees stagnant water... (safety showers or fire water piping are good examples.) Just because your pipe is stainless doesn't mean its not going to get eaten up. A few ways to treat it... -pickling areas after welding -regular (weekly or monthly) flushing
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Jul 15, 2022 03:36
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I have this strange coupling puzzle for this bidet adapter. It's splitting the toilet line two ways so it can run the toilet from one line and the bidet from another. It looks like it assumes everything is 7/8" ballcock. So it would thread on to an inlet that is 7/8" ballcock and split it out to two 7/8" ballcock connectors. The toilet itself is also assuming a 7/8" ballcock connector. Is there such a thing as a toilet hose that is 7/8" ballcock on both ends? The shutoff I have right now is a 3/8" compression inlet. Can I readily get an adapter to convert that to 7/8" ballcock? I was having a hard time finding that at Lowes and don't want to waste time on a specialty store run if it isn't even a thing. I looked at the original connection where I had this before and I think it had one more adapter still on it. I best I have to salvage that, but it still leaves me needing a double-ended ballcock line. Also: heeheeheehee ballcockballcockballcock.
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Jul 18, 2022 21:21
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:I have this strange coupling puzzle for this bidet adapter. It's splitting the toilet line two ways so it can run the toilet from one line and the bidet from another. It looks like it assumes everything is 7/8" ballcock. So it would thread on to an inlet that is 7/8" ballcock and split it out to two 7/8" ballcock connectors. The toilet itself is also assuming a 7/8" ballcock connector. Is there such a thing as a toilet hose that is 7/8" ballcock on both ends? Isn't that adapter supposed to install directly to the toilet inlet, and then have the old toilet line and the bidet connect to it? At least that's how mine was.
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Jul 19, 2022 01:50
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devicenull posted:Isn't that adapter supposed to install directly to the toilet inlet, and then have the old toilet line and the bidet connect to it? At least that's how mine was. We just installed one purchased from Target exactly like that.
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Jul 19, 2022 02:05
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If water is squirting out of any part of my toilet's fill valve besides the refill tube, that means I have a leak, right?
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Jul 19, 2022 02:44
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Yeah I figured out the old toilet still had fittings for it on there and I think it takes care of all the ballcock fittings.
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Jul 19, 2022 02:53
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| # ? May 16, 2024 00:43 |
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SpartanIvy posted:It seems that most of the Toto's follow this installation method, but I've seen similar setups from Kohler and other manufacturers that are more simple/traditional. I think this is primarily a result of installing a skirted toilet - or at least I have only ever seen this install method on a skirted toilet. We have non-skirted Totos and they install on a normal flange with just the two closet bolts. Totos rock. Everyone should buy a Toto. They can suck a pig through a straw. ROJO fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Jul 20, 2022 |
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Jul 20, 2022 05:39
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