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The Slack Lagoon posted:I installed a new dishwasher and the drain hose isn't quite long enough to do a loop before connecting it to the garbage disposal. I need like a foot more of pipe, and the "extension hoses" I've found are like 5 feet long. Would using a hose like this, that I could cut to size, work? Just get the right thing, or you're going to fight with how to attach it (one end currently expects a barbed fitting)
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Jan 20, 2024 00:57
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NZAmoeba posted:Hi thread! I have a combination radiator/towel rail that's decided it doesn't want to be warm this year, but it was working last year. Sticky valve would be my first guess. If it were me, i'd tap the valve with a hammer. Though from what I recall, thermostatic mixing valves work by way of a wax element melts and expands, and that's what controls the valve orifice. Basically, it doesn't have snappy mechanical components that would be easy to free. Might just be busted? How old is this setup? Are there shutoff valves for this loop? Is it an option to bypass the valve to test if the obstruction is elsewhere?
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Jan 20, 2024 02:05
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devicenull posted:Just get the right thing, or you're going to fight with how to attach it (one end currently expects a barbed fitting) This. It's easier to buy a hose that's the correct length than to fight putting on a barbed fitting.
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Jan 20, 2024 03:58
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HolHorsejob posted:Sticky valve would be my first guess. If it were me, i'd tap the valve with a hammer. Though from what I recall, thermostatic mixing valves work by way of a wax element melts and expands, and that's what controls the valve orifice. Basically, it doesn't have snappy mechanical components that would be easy to free. Might just be busted? How old is this setup? Not really, plus the only other radiator that might share this loop is plenty hot anyway. The thermostatic valve is probably from the previous bathroom reno, which would put it at early 2000s. So I'm hoping that's the likely culprit, but I don't think there's a simple way to swap it out with another valve without just getting a plumber in anyway? Its either that or a clog somewhere as the only possibilites right?
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Jan 20, 2024 17:36
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Oh poo poo, I have a different problem This release valve is leaking, but access to it is very difficult, I've not been able tighten with my fingers. What magical tool could I use to try and close this properly without dismantling the whole set-up (which is nailed, not screwed, loving hell...)    
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Jan 21, 2024 22:51
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Maybe you can find a strap wrench that would fit far enough in there to help. Something like this: 
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Jan 21, 2024 23:07
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Cut in a rectangular hole big enough to put a floor register in?
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Jan 22, 2024 00:07
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Messadiah posted:Cut in a rectangular hole big enough to put a floor register in? That would be a great idea, but the strips of wood on the top wouldn't keep straight anymore. The one strip cut by the existing hole already bends hard towards the wall (but flexes if pushed). I doubt I could find a register small enough for a gap that wouldn't wreck the rest of the piece. Whoever made it was an excellent carpenter, but also simultaneously a terrible plumber to lock it all away like that. The strap wrench looks like it would be handy enough to have around anyway, even if I couldn't get it with enough space to turn.
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Jan 22, 2024 03:44
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Strap wrenches are also great for opening giant jars of nuts you get at the home center where the lid is on way too tight and the lids is too big for a kitchen jar lid opener. A+ home purchase.
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Jan 22, 2024 03:52
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NZAmoeba posted:What magical tool could I use to try and close this properly 
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Jan 22, 2024 04:33
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NZAmoeba posted:Oh poo poo, I have a different problem Jesus christ, that valve is a year younger than god. It's been a pack of time since I've seen a wooden handle on a valve. That valve is leaking at (the very least) the packing nut. Trying to tighten it will likely increase the leak rate. Putting a strap wrench on the handle will result in that handle exploding like a 50-year-old Oreo. You should replace that valve, so you'll need access to it. All you can do is dismantle the wood around it as carefully as you can, taking pictures as you go, so that you might be able to reassemble it wen the plumbing is done. Sorry. e: looking at the photos again: I would remove the base shoe (that's the quarter-round between the top of the rad cover, and the wall); I suspect that with that removed, you may be able to lift off the cover. It may be fastened down in some way, so tug carefully until you get a sense of what's holding it & where. e2: Unless you can find evidence of nails or fasteners holding it down, it may actually slide straight out. Might be pegged at the front, so try lifting it and pulling out. It was added after the sides were built. If the builder was a total rear end in a top hat he nailed it down & then put the base shoe over the nails. So you probably have to pull it in any case. It'll probably break - the thinner trim is, the tougher it is to finesse it off - but with a flatbar and patience you may be able to save it. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 04:53 on Jan 22, 2024 |
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Jan 22, 2024 04:43
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Use a screwdriver and a hammer to tap one side of the valve in the appropriate direction. Your chances of breaking that handle are slightly higher than using the strap wrench.
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Jan 22, 2024 07:19
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and for those of you who have a similar problem, but with something not made of wood, in the future: this is a magic plumbing tool that I recently had tremendous success with: https://www.lowesprosupply.com/Product/BASIN-WRENCH-SWIVEL-HEAD-792013  It's called a "swivel head basin wrench" and since the end swivels, you can turn something either direction and the long handle can add leverage if you can get any more angle with it than straight on, but you can still get some twist using the little slidey thing at the other end if you have to go full 90 degrees on with no wiggle room. Home depot has pictures of them in use to help visualize   Note that the jaws end is absolutely a nut-rounder, I think this tool is ideal for when you're removing something you're gonna throw away. harbor freight has a Pittsburgh branded one for six bucks, it's worth it even if you only need it once.
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Jan 22, 2024 07:30
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Basin wrench is a must have for anyone even thinking of touching plumbing. What an excellent tool
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Jan 22, 2024 14:10
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Leperflesh posted:and for those of you who have a similar problem, but with something not made of wood, in the future: this is a magic plumbing tool that I recently had tremendous success with: This would have saved me so much headache when I installed a faucet for the first time a little while ago.
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Jan 22, 2024 14:39
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Leperflesh posted:and for those of you who have a similar problem, but with something not made of wood, in the future: this is a magic plumbing tool that I recently had tremendous success with: I did not think of a basin wrench for this job, and it very well may be able to tighten the packing (which as PainterofCrap said is probably what is wrong, yeah.......also holy crap that's is a wooden handle I'd be afraid to touch that valve at all without the water off/system drained and a replacement ready to go)
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Jan 22, 2024 15:12
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E: Nevermind, wrong thread.
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Jan 22, 2024 15:35
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You can tell I managed to damage that wooden handle in between photos... That radiator potentially dates back to about 1910, if it's original. I don't think it was dripping before, this crisis started when I wanted to run the valve for a bit to clear any potential air, and I just couldn't get it closed properly after. (and there was no drat air in there anyway...) While dealing with the drip, turning the screw a quarter turn did a lot to slow the drip rate, but I wasn't able to get a good enough purchase on it to take it past horizontal. I'll pick up those tools, but fundamentally I can't trust that valve long term anymore. I probably need to take this post to the woodworking thread to see if there's a detachable replacement for quarter-rounds...
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Jan 22, 2024 16:01
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Dumb question: After being away for a while, I noticed my toilet was really hard to flush. Look inside the tank and uh, the chain has vanished?? https://i.imgur.com/4t75LUr.jpeg Aside from that, what's the deal with the handle lever being threaed through the black piece in the center? That's what's allowing it to still flush, in any case.
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Jan 22, 2024 20:46
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NZAmoeba posted:I probably need to take this post to the woodworking thread to see if there's a detachable replacement for quarter-rounds... Trim is often brad or pin nailed in, and then painted. You pry it off with a pry bar. But unpainted I think you have to decide how much you care about visible pinheads. Quarter round is available in a lot of plastic/vinyl or something material, sometimes stick-on. I don't like that stuff.
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Jan 22, 2024 21:23
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bltzn posted:Dumb question: That's how that particular style (i.e.(cheapest) of flush-valve systems operate. There is no chain. I mean, unless while you were away, the toilet pixies swapped out your highfalutin' factory flush mechanism with that there 2-year-old+ low-rent Danco Mansfield rig PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Jan 23, 2024 |
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Jan 23, 2024 00:03
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bltzn posted:Dumb question: Stick that hose on the right into the hole on top of the white thing. That's important for refilling the bowl after a flush.
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Jan 23, 2024 00:30
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PainterofCrap posted:That's how that particular style (i.e.(cheapest) of flush-valve systems operate. There is no chain. Hmm any idea why it's suddenly so difficult to push the handle? As in valve needs a lot of force to open.
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Jan 23, 2024 04:16
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bltzn posted:Hmm any idea why it's suddenly so difficult to push the handle? As in valve needs a lot of force to open. There's a seal at the bottom of that black sleeve that degrades over time. Sometimes it leads to leaks, but it can also make the black sleeve "stick" when you push the handle. I've purchased replacements at home depot before.
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Jan 23, 2024 04:28
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bltzn posted:Hmm any idea why it's suddenly so difficult to push the handle? As in valve needs a lot of force to open. It's a plastic tower riding on a tube. Crap could be stuck in there, or it's just old. Sometimes, when we go away for a while & come home, we suddenly notice stuff doesn't operate quite the way it should. Failures and wear are gradual, and we becaome accustomed; often we will not notice them until there is a break in routine.
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Jan 23, 2024 15:26
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Every ten minutes, precisely, there is a sound from my walls that sounds a little like the scraping of someone dragging a trash bin down a driveway. This is often accompanied by a water-ish sound, like the gurgle-thump of when you turn off the shower or flush the toilet. The sound is coming from one specific portion of wall, on a side of the house that has no interior water fixtures, but very close to an external drain pipe of some kind (I don't know what it drains, but it's PVC and goes underground about six inches from the house). I thought it might just be air in the pipes, so I tried bleeding the system, but either I did it wrong (the most likely answer) or it's something other than air. But, I've had the repair service out here to fix something five times in the last 10 weeks, and I really don't want to call them again, so I'd like to DIY this more before I call. If I try to bleed the system again, letting the water run longer and making sure to open all the appliances and outdoor spigots (I didn't run the washer, dishwasher, or fridge last time, and I also didn't do anything outside), can I cause more damage than I'm fixing? Last time, I turned off the main water valve, opened all the sinks and tubs (in order, starting nearest the valve), and let them run for about ten minutes. There wasn't any sputtering, and the water didn't stop running, so I may not even have used the correct shutoff! After ten minutes I turned the water main back on, and then waited a few minutes, and turned everything off in reverse order. Is there a better way? Is there anything else I should try before calling in the professionals?
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Jan 26, 2024 18:50
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I think the black part rotated a bit and is now binding up. From the discoloration on the white lever I think it used to be here:
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Jan 26, 2024 18:50
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Hungry Squirrel posted:Every ten minutes, precisely, there is a sound from my walls that sounds a little like the scraping of someone dragging a trash bin down a driveway. This is often accompanied by a water-ish sound, like the gurgle-thump of when you turn off the shower or flush the toilet. You have two things going on, at least. First of all, the way you "bleed" supply lines is to run water. You do not turn off anything. The main should be on, you just run water. It seems unlikely this is your problem. Main shutoff: it obviously wasn't if the water was still running 10 minutes later. It seems like you should figure out what it is that you're turning off and on there. And besides, turning off the main and opening the faucets is how you DRAIN the system. As in fill it up with air instead of water. The noise: can you reproduce it by running water from a particular room? This sounds like a toilet that's refilling because of a leaky flapper valve and you're hearing the water run in a pipe inside the wall.
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Jan 26, 2024 19:11
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Hungry Squirrel posted:Every ten minutes, precisely, there is a sound from my walls that sounds a little like the scraping of someone dragging a trash bin down a driveway. This is often accompanied by a water-ish sound, like the gurgle-thump of when you turn off the shower or flush the toilet. Do you have a sump pump? The description of the pipe sounds like you do. Could be back feeding through a failed check valve? The precisely 10 minutes thing is throwing me a bit.
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Jan 26, 2024 20:05
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I do have a sump, and I know nothing about it. It's in the crawl space and I have never actually seen it in person, so it could well be right under the noisy area. I'm in a part of the midwest that is in Big Thaw season right now, and I do have friends mentioning that their sumps are working overtime, so that's a definite possibility. I'm not particularly comfortable in small spaces but, if I need to go down there and look at it, I can. I did check the various faucets / fixtures and there was no significant effect on the noise frequency. The toilets all flushed and filled with the usual amount of noise and time, as well. I have a sanitary cross situation with the back-to-back toilets that causes siphoning and if I'm not careful the tank can fully empty, after which I need to jiggle the float and flapper, and pour water in with a bucket, to get everything sorted back out. That's part of what made me think air in the pipes; there's a known way that might happen, maybe. I'm not exaggerating about the frequency; I'm not setting a timer but I am looking at the clock and making a note every time, and it's spot-on ten minutes. I don't have anything else in the house on a timer, and the fridge ice maker is turned off too.
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Jan 26, 2024 20:21
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Seconding sump pump. That's what it sounds like, although the quality of the sound can vary depending on where you are in the house in relation to the sump pump/crock. If you can observe (even by sound alone) the action of the sump pump from the vicinity of your crawlspace I'd do that.
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Jan 26, 2024 22:08
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There's another way you can check if you don't wanna crawl in the crawlspace, if you have access to your power panel. Turn off the power for the whole house. Your sump pump will stop working. Wait ten minutes. Still hear a noise? Then it's something else. Your plumbing isn't powered (hopefully) so that'll eliminate issues from toilets and drains and so on.
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Jan 26, 2024 22:17
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Does your furnace have a humidifier? When mine flows water, I can hear the sound of running water in the half bath, but that sink/toilet are still. That's the only other thing not mentioned I can think of
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Jan 27, 2024 14:00
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I do have a humidifier, and it took a while to get used to the various sounds! I don't want to speak too soon, but I think this was just my first experience with the sump pump. By the time I got home from after-work errands the noises were every 22 minutes, and after an hour or so of that they steadily spaced further apart. By bedtime, we'd gone about an hour and a half between, and I haven't heard it yet this morning. Thanks for steering me in the right direction!
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Jan 27, 2024 18:29
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Hungry Squirrel posted:I do have a humidifier, and it took a while to get used to the various sounds! Good! The fact that the interval is slowing also helps eliminate a short circuit of water where it gets dumped next to the house and leeches right back into the same sump pit to get pumped again. Younger me cut the outlet short because it was interfering with my lawn mowing and I had this problem. I solved it by adding a removable extension to it. It was ugly but functional.
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Jan 28, 2024 18:04
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 There's this leak in my bathroom faucet p trap where I circled. I noticed that there is some kind of sealant between the nut and the p trap tube itself, and where it's leaking there's a noticeable gap. Is this just a matter of putting more of whatever sealant was used? Can I used plumbers tape? Do I need to just replace the p trap?
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Jan 29, 2024 19:50
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The joint either wasn't cemeted, or wasn't properly cleaned prior to cementing. I would remove the trap assembly and make sure that' nothing is deformed or cracked. Before removing it however, use a sharpie/marker to mark off exactly how these parts are assembled in relation to one another. Then remove and see if you can twist that joint apart. If you can, clean the mating surfaces with alcohol & then PVC pipe dope (prep) and then reassemble with PVC cement to you previously-made marks. NOTE: Alcohol & prep may obliterate the marks, so extend them well beyond the mating points. You can refresh them when you're ready to glue/reassemble
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Jan 29, 2024 20:47
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I'm totally clueless when it comes to plumbing but my understanding is that the trap bend either is connected with threaded nuts, or is bonded together using pvc cement? If it's the latter then it can't just twist off, right?
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Jan 29, 2024 21:14
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It should be threaded on to the drain at the underside of the sink and where it drops into the drain exit to the soil line (i.e. the trap itself can be glued, but the other ends should be threaded). If the other connections are glued, you gonna be sawin' In such case, saw it out & get a new trap. This time, get a PVC trap set with unions that are threaded on one side so you can remove it in the future.
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Jan 29, 2024 21:37
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Thanks! I know it's not a proper solution but maybe I could also put some epoxy sealant in the gap for now?
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Jan 30, 2024 15:30
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