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everdave posted:A new no frills toilet is around $100 sometimes at the hardware store is it worth all the extra effort to find parts for an obscure brand? Two of my three toilets are flushmates and I dream of replacing them
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Oct 30, 2022 18:24
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Alright I got an electronic tester thingy off Amazon and it says my water is 117ppm TDS (total dissolved solids?). Immediately after, I found out that there are maps online where you can look it up for your area and my area is about 120 according to that so at least they agree. Seems like that's on the line between "moderate" and "hard," which gels with my observations on water stains. So what do I buy to make the annoying water spots and buildup go away for good?
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Oct 31, 2022 07:55
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KillHour posted:Alright I got an electronic tester thingy off Amazon and it says my water is 117ppm TDS (total dissolved solids?). Immediately after, I found out that there are maps online where you can look it up for your area and my area is about 120 according to that so at least they agree. Whole house water softener. But caveat, the calcium deposits you see everywhere that are stubborn to remove are replaced instead with sodium deposits that are easy to wipe away. There are ways to get down to low levels but they will be quite expensive, whole house reverse osmosis units or DI units. I moved into my house and there was one installed, it's basically hands off. I dump in bags of salt when it gets low, about it. There is a nozzle that gets cleaned once a year. On my unit I set the water hardness and it has a digital display that tells me how many gallons till recharge. It does a recharge cycle maybe every other month? It happens at night and I don't really notice it. The brine is then discharged into the wastewater stream.
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Oct 31, 2022 12:36
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How expensive are we talking? I'm very willing to spend rich idiot money on something that will give me essentially distilled water from the tap if I can spray down my cars without water spots. I'm a terrible home owner and will forget to maintain it unless it pesters me on my phone daily. Also I'm very stupid so if you have brand/model recommendations that will help.
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Oct 31, 2022 15:44
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KillHour posted:How expensive are we talking? I'm very willing to spend rich idiot money on something that will give me essentially distilled water from the tap if I can spray down my cars without water spots. It's not just "how much money" it's also "how much water". RO systems are incredibly wasteful, and in some situations are discarding 80% of the water that goes through them. This is not a good idea when the solution of "use a chamois" or "buy an electric leaf blower and use that" exists.
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Oct 31, 2022 15:50
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Laziness is a very powerful motivator and water here is very, very cheap. That's an insane amount of water use though holy crap.
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Oct 31, 2022 15:54
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KillHour posted:How expensive are we talking? I'm very willing to spend rich idiot money on something that will give me essentially distilled water from the tap if I can spray down my cars without water spots. I'm a terrible home owner and will forget to maintain it unless it pesters me on my phone daily. A lot. You are into rich idiot money for a whole house reverse osmosis unit. So you size them based on daily usage. The RO membranes can only push so much water in a given time span. So instead of having huge membranes for instantaneous use you have a storage tank that fills up with RO water that your house would use. The system starts out with a water softener (the membrane does better/lasts longer with a sodium crystal) which then goes to the RO unit. The membrane has a lifespan, and will absolutely need replacing. The temperature of your water also has a big impact on flow rate through the membrane. As far as brand and such you'll probably need to reach out to Culligan, a water quality place, or a plumber. I set up a system like this for filling machine tools in an industrial setting as well as process water. There's nothing crazy going on, but lots of systems need to interact properly. You can pay someone like Culligan to come out every few months, top off your salt, check the membrane, and keep you solid. Downsides, your plumbing system will now have "hard water", "soft water", and "RO water". You will need to replace a filter, add salt, replace a membrane, and possibly replace a re-mineralizer periodically. There is a lot of bullshit products that "filter" or "enhance" your water but don't do anything measurable. I'd start by knowing your daily usage and reach out to some pro's. edit : Quick price, $5k for a 1000 gallon per day system with holding tank. You'll still need a softener too, call it another $2k. Then you need to plumb it all. Source : https://www.filterwater.com/c-36-commercial-reverse-osmosis.aspx You probably would be fine with a 500 gpd system or even less. edit 2 : Like Motronic said in regards to waste. Yooper fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Oct 31, 2022 |
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Oct 31, 2022 16:02
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Water softener with a charcoal filter it is. Thanks! Edit: I assume this kind of thing is worthless garbage: https://www.culligan.com/product/culligan-salt-free-water-conditioner
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Oct 31, 2022 16:35
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PageMaster posted:Thanks. It's a wierd setup (I think); I just managed to find the control valve for the irrigation main line after it tees off the water main. I would presume whoever built the house or installed the irrigation would put some type of backflow preventer there but I would also assume it would be above ground if it were there. Short of digging up the entire yard I may just need to hire a plumber to trace the line back from the irrigation valves and find the best place to put a backflow preventer. In the meantime I've just turned off the valves that feed elevated emitters while I work through that. I know this was a few days back but I was taking a mental health break from SA, but to add on to what Motronic told you, this really is the domain of a properly licensed, educated, licensed plumber. The reason I mention that, is that the final setup of the control valves is going to dictate pretty significantly what means of backflow prevention is used, but I've encountered a lot of individuals who don't understand the nuances. Like Motronic said, typically you want your backflow device to be some elevation above grade. IPC sets this at 12 inches, but each jurisdiction can amend this, and I have seen it as high as 18-24 inches in some areas. From there, most landscapers and a lot of plumbers (unfortunately) would simply set it in a location that's feasible, not always verifying necessary height of installation. They also seem to often default to the Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker (AVB) because it's cheap (often $40-50 for a 3/4-inch or 1-inch assembly), which is fine for instances where there is nothing downstream of the assembly except for drip emitters, sprinkler heads, etc. So if someone proposed a AVB, it would need to be downstream of the control valves, since the AVB isn't intended to see continuous backpressure. The next step up that you will see is the Pressure Vacuum Breaker (PVB), which is suitable for some a small amount of backpressure, but not continuously. These still require the 12-inch+ placement above grade, but you could put it upstream of the control valves and not have any concerns. These units typically have about the same amount of labor associated to them as the AVB, so you're usually just paying the additional cost of the assembly itself (typically $100-130 for standard sizes). The final "Cadillac" option you might see for residential use is the reduced pressure zone (RPZ) assembly, which is intended for operating at continuous pressure with significant potential impacts downstream, such as control valves, pumps, people using hose bibbs for chemical spraying, etc. These protect against not only backsiphon but also the backpressure mentioned, but typically require a little more lay length and often cost at least double what a PVB costs. They still require placement above grade, because they have test cocks and a vent port that you don't want to see submerged. Some manufacturers claim that they can be installed buried as long as the test cocks are sealed and a line for the vent port is run to above grade, but it'd be best to just keep it above grade as recommended/required. Oh, and I would say that it's near-criminal for Rain Bird (and the others) to call those anti-siphon valves. I've re-built a number of them over the years due to leakage, and have seen first hand how they did not prevent any back siphon as the internal trim began to give way. They're fine for simple on/off, but assume that they will leak, and as Motronic already pointed out, have suitable backflow protection. Edit: KillHour posted:Laziness is a very powerful motivator and water here is very, very cheap. That's an insane amount of water use though holy crap. As the others have said, please re-consider your options. I live in the loving desert of all places, but the cities here grew because "water is/was cheap", and now are having problems figuring out how to start pushing conservation because they continue to act like its cheap while the Colorado River gives everyone the bird, and at the same time don't want to give up growth and development. Water really is a precious, life-critical commodity and shouldn't be wasted when other, cheaper, simpler options like Motronic listed are available. Canned Sunshine fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Oct 31, 2022 |
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Oct 31, 2022 17:29
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KillHour posted:Edit: I assume this kind of thing is worthless garbage: https://www.culligan.com/product/culligan-salt-free-water-conditioner I'd be curious to learn what's up. The carbonates are still there, just not in suspension, I guess? From what I can tell you still end up with water spotting, so I'm not sure what the purpose is.
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Oct 31, 2022 23:35
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KillHour posted:How expensive are we talking? I'm very willing to spend rich idiot money on something that will give me essentially distilled water from the tap if I can spray down my cars without water spots. I'm a terrible home owner and will forget to maintain it unless it pesters me on my phone daily. These things exist... https://www.amazon.com/CR-Spotless-DIC-20-Motorcycles-Water/dp/B072FJTX8X/ I've never used one, but that's definitely cheaper then an RO system sized to be used with a hose. Also consider just ceramic coating the car, it makes washing a *lot* easier. Motronic posted:It's not just "how much money" it's also "how much water". RO systems are incredibly wasteful, and in some situations are discarding 80% of the water that goes through them. Best case I've seen is 1:1 - so for every gallon of water, you're throwing one gallon away. Perfectly acceptable waste for drinking water (IMO), but I wouldn't want to waste that much on cars. devicenull fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Nov 1, 2022 |
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Nov 1, 2022 03:06
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devicenull posted:These things exist... https://www.amazon.com/CR-Spotless-DIC-20-Motorcycles-Water/dp/B072FJTX8X/ DI absolutely works, but it is a consumable where the resin will need to be replaced/recharged eventually (depends on use). It is also ion hungry and will take ions where it can. Rinsing a car isn't an issue, but if you hard mount it and use copper piping it will eventually eat the copper from the inside. We have one area that uses it as a rinse and every metal surface in the area has a slight surface patina of rust or corrosion. This is on an industrial level so unless you're a detailer I wouldn't expect you to see this.
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Nov 1, 2022 12:58
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Having an issue with my new shower. It’s a regular tub spout and shower with a push button diverter valve, all new kohler stuff. The valve does not control pressure if that matters. The issue is when I press the diverter valve the shower doesn’t get the full water pressure. I can tell because I would fiddle with it I could get it to send full pressure and there is a big difference at the shower head. Over time I seem to not be able to fiddle with it as well and it’s always at like half pressure now. Most of the time I google this it’s because the diverter isn’t sending all the water up to the shower and some water is still coming out of the tub spout, but that’s not happening here, the tub spout stops flowing completely even when I get the lower pressure. Do I just have a busted valve? Take it all apart and put back together? Is half that pressure dumping out in my wall or something (have not noticed signs of this but eek)?
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Nov 4, 2022 15:53
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Sounds like you need a new diverter cartridge. There are several rubber seals, and one of them is failing. But you can't buy rubber seals separately, so it's cartridge time.
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Nov 5, 2022 16:13
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Hello, plumbing thread. I recently got into escrow on a place and we're getting all the disclosures, and paperwork. First off, house is ~1600 square feet and was built in 1988, so its ~30 years old. Location is southern california. One item we're concerned about is that it looks like the original piping was polybutylene that's been partially replaced in bits and pieces with copper over the years. We know for sure that the master bathroom was repiped in copper by the previous owner, and the seller says he had to repair a leak in the main water supply line on the homeowner side of the city valve this year. How worried should I be about this? Should we just bite the bullet and go in for a full house repipe in something modern like PEX? Stick with copper? I'm seeing estimates online ranging from 3k to 6k for the job, does that sound about right? Are there any special inspections or tests I absolutely need to have done on the plumbing side? Thanks in advance, I'm sure you'll see me posting a lot more in this subforum now.
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Nov 10, 2022 01:00
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Is the main line polybutylene?
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Nov 10, 2022 02:28
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Polikarpov posted:Hello, plumbing thread. I recently got into escrow on a place and we're getting all the disclosures, and paperwork. Not a plumbing expert, but a relatively new SoCal homeowner as well. House built in 1990, originally with PB piping (as were all the other houses in the neighborhood). We ended up doing a whole house repipe in Pex just from reading up on the history of Polybutylene, and ours cost a little over $8K but included a water heater replacement and was at the height of the COVID home buying craziness so my prices might be elevated. PEX was much quicker and cheaper than Copper and we have no complaints yet. Anecdotally, there were two water main bursts in our neighborhood before we moved here, two of our neighbors and friends have already had their houses flood (or at least rooms) from burst PB lines, I know for a fact there were at least two undisclosed repairs by the sellers of our house as well, and our neighbor across the street currently has his front yard trenched from the meter to the house and a plumbing truck posted out front for two days so I can only assume a leak. Repiping for the peace of mind was enough to make it worth it for me to never have to think about, and I wish we had also done the main line before getting the yard fixed up. Only caveat I would add is that the painted Uponor Aquapex (of course, what we had used because it was THE stuff to get at the time) might potentially be prone to failure at joints and subject to some upcoming lawsuits (still at the "call us at our law office if you've used this," advertising stage, so don't the true extent yet). Not saying that to dissuade you away from PEX in general, because I do like it and a lot of the plumbers here do as well, but just to be aware if you go that route; that type of aquapex has been discontinued so it's not exactly easy to get a hold of unless a plumber just has leftover stock, I guess, but I would make sure it's the white tubes with the stamped hot/cold text on it to be sure. Edit: we were able to get credit from the seller for a PEX repipe based on a quote that they found (for less than what we were quoted), but at least it was something even if it didn't cover the entire requirement. PageMaster fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Nov 10, 2022 |
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Nov 10, 2022 03:40
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slurm posted:Is the main line polybutylene? All I've got to go on at this point is the sellers inspection report and disclosures. The inspector noted a past partial re-pipe with copper and observed polybutylene in the attic. quote:Note: This home has had a partial copper re-pipe which indicates past leaks may have occurred in the  We're going to get in there with our inspector on Friday and are working on getting a plumber out for inspection as well. The plumber we talked to quoted 8-10k for a whole house repipe. Polikarpov fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Nov 10, 2022 |
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Nov 10, 2022 04:09
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Polikarpov posted:All I've got to go on at this point is the sellers inspection report and disclosures. The inspector noted a past partial re-pipe with copper and observed polybutylene in the attic. Does that include patching all the walls back up? Ours did not and we didn't realize until too late and that's some sticker shock there.
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Nov 10, 2022 06:20
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I have some hopefully-simple questions. My house came with an extraoridinarily-cheap (like $30) glacier bay faucet in the kitchen sink. Over time it got sticky in the "off" position and eventually the valve became difficult to move at all. I just bought a replacement faucet and did a bit of an autopsy on the old one and the plastic valve... cartridge thing was full of some sticky substance. Is this just the o-ring in there degrading? (E: on closer inspection the goo may just be whatever it was lubricated with, it kinda looks like grease with some graphite or metal dust in it) Will my slightly-less-cheap (like $200) new faucet eventually have the same problem? It seems like the valve cartridge is designed to be easily replaced. Are these common, interchangeable things, or will it be one of these parts that becomes impossible to find if Moen stops selling this model in 10 years? Stack Machine fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Nov 11, 2022 |
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Nov 11, 2022 16:23
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With a moen you're probably in good shape to be able to find a replacement cartridge. But buy one now anyway......I've started doing this so I have one in stock if things go wrong. As far as what's wrong with the old one.....it probably is just cheapness but have you had your water tested? Because that will tell you if it was something else.
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Nov 11, 2022 16:25
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PageMaster posted:Does that include patching all the walls back up? Ours did not and we didn't realize until too late and that's some sticker shock there. And I would suggest not using whomever your plumber suggests unless they are a company you can see reviews on. I can pm you who we use. They have a big range assuming you are in Los Angeles or San Bernardino.
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Nov 11, 2022 16:49
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Good news from the inspection, the polybutylene pipe in the attic was abandoned in place and cut. The house is all copper.
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Nov 11, 2022 23:33
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Polikarpov posted:Good news from the inspection, the polybutylene pipe in the attic was abandoned in place and cut. The house is all copper. That is super cool! 
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Nov 12, 2022 00:41
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Woulda been nice if the seller's report had mentioned that so I didn't start freaking out but that's life  Its clear as day once you stick your head in the attic that they're all cut up.
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Nov 12, 2022 01:18
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I'm expecting a new fridge Wednesday and in advance of that, I had to move the electrical outlet (Sub-Zero built-in) so I pulled out the old one today (gently caress it is heavy). I was curious to see what I would find for the water line, considering this fridge is about 30 years old... Looks like a 1/4" copper line with a bit of... oxidation / corrosion on the outside, but more worrying, I can't actually find a shut-off / disconnect valve for it... it just kinda disappears into my drywall. How would the installers deal with this, shut off main water valve, disconnect from fridge, reinstall? Feels like I have Sunday to try and add a valve to this if it makes sense.    e: Nvm, I freaked out too early... 95% sure I found it under my sink, copper line disappearing through the back of the cabinets (about a ~1" gap between back of cabinet and walls), so I think it's running around the corner of my kitchen to the fridge. That said... if I assume this copper pipe is from the kitchen remodel which was likely ~10 years ago, should I do anything while I have easy access? The new model has wheels at least, so I can roll it in and out, but, will never be easier than now. movax fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Nov 13, 2022 |
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Nov 13, 2022 01:52
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Copper oxidation forms a protective coating. Don't mess with it. Vinyl line sucks. The only suggestion I have is that, where possible, have 2-3' extra copper at the back & coil it in a big loop, so you have flexibility moving the fridge in & out.
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Nov 13, 2022 02:27
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You're getting rid of a 10 year old SubZero?
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Nov 13, 2022 14:25
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Nitrox posted:You're getting rid of a 10 year old SubZero? 30 years old. Still... Better built than anything today.
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Nov 13, 2022 14:48
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movax posted:How would the installers deal with this There a better than average chance they will not deal with this at all, rather tell you that they can't install a water line but you can while they're otherwise installing the fridge. Nobody wants the liability if it leaks.
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Nov 13, 2022 16:30
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Nitrox posted:You're getting rid of a 10 year old SubZero? Manufacture date is 1985, IIRC, so ~36 years. The kitchen was remodeled around 2011 (I think), where they just built around the same fridge (because why not?). The gasket has been going for like 18 months now / I was slow in replacing it, so I’ve overpaid electricity for god knows how long but a good long run for the fridge… actually a bit sad to let it go at last. Motronic posted:There a better than average chance they will not deal with this at all, rather tell you that they can't install a water line but you can while they're otherwise installing the fridge. Well, at least the new one has wheels!
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Nov 13, 2022 18:42
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You know you can replace the gasket, right? Those old sub zeros were commercial quality. Nothing new is that well built.
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Nov 13, 2022 22:31
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sharkytm posted:You know you can replace the gasket, right? Those old sub zeros were commercial quality. Nothing new is that well built. Totally not empty quoting this as it's totally right ok every single level
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Nov 13, 2022 23:15
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tater_salad posted:Totally not empty quoting this as it's totally right ok every single level There's something to be said about the predictability of replacing 30 year old equipment. No commercial kitchen would have that poo poo in there for 30 years so I don't care how "commercial grade" it is. Yes, they could have kept it going. But if you're changing things around or just trying to prepare for not having to deal with this poo poo there's nothing at all wrong with replacing that thing. It owes nobody anything at this point and is one refrigeration system issue away from being economically unviable to repair. And, remember: it has TWO refrigeration systems.
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Nov 13, 2022 23:18
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Enjoy your kitchen aide or GE fridge that will poo poo the bed right outside warranty /u/motronic
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Nov 13, 2022 23:23
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tater_salad posted:Enjoy your kitchen aide or GE fridge that will poo poo the bed right outside warranty /u/motronic Except in this story it's being replaced with another Subzero? Am I reading this wrong? What I'm advocating for is a like for like swap. Not replacing good equipment with budget big box store poo poo.
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Nov 13, 2022 23:38
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tater_salad posted:Enjoy your kitchen aide or GE fridge that will poo poo the bed right outside warranty /u/motronic Oh I don't know, this GE is still going strong after 83-years 
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Nov 14, 2022 03:03
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sharkytm posted:You know you can replace the gasket, right? Those old sub zeros were commercial quality. Nothing new is that well built. First thing I tried -- called around Seattle area and usually got in reply "umm... we don't have parts for that / don't work on stuff that old." Didn't spend the time to try and track down an independent / some greybeard who could fix it; I briefly dived into the wiring diagrams to see if it was a bad sensor or something, but didn't go too far. And as Motronic pointed out, I have no service history for the thing... at some point a 30 year old refrigeration system is going to have something leak / fail and refrigeration technician is not something I have added to my DIY repertoire (yet). Gasket might have gotten me another year, or another 5, who knows. Motronic posted:Except in this story it's being replaced with another Subzero? Am I reading this wrong? Correct, I don't know how BWM it will end up being but I replaced with the successor, BI-36. Modern warranty seems short, but the brand reputation still seems to mean something... French doors were also an appealing reason to upgrade.
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Nov 14, 2022 06:14
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Our 30 year old Sub Zero was DOA when we bought our house and after 4 service visits determined it was a write off. We’ve now had our replacement LG for 11 years and it actually has better amenities than the Sub Zero had anyway. Tell the nerds to kick rocks.
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Nov 14, 2022 13:11
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movax posted:First thing I tried -- called around Seattle area and usually got in reply "umm... we don't have parts for that / don't work on stuff that old." Didn't spend the time to try and track down an independent / some greybeard who could fix it; I briefly dived into the wiring diagrams to see if it was a bad sensor or something, but didn't go too far. You do you. A gasket should last 5-10 years, and takes about an hour or two to install. I changed the one on my mom's subzero several times in her 30 years of ownership. Hopefully the new owners take as good care of it as we did. Subzero still makes a great fridge. At least you're not replacing it with a Samsung which will last 1 month longer than the warranty. It'll definitely save you a few bucks in power thanks to the inverter drive compressor (assuming it has one), until the French doors wear out the seals. LGs aren't much better than average, according to my appliance repair guy. Computers and compressors are the usual failure points. Anyhow, this is the plumbing thread not the appliance thread.
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Nov 14, 2022 14:34
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