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Pipe leak update. I snaked the poo poo out of the trap and nothing came out. Subsequently, I discovered that the source of the leak is related to the water taps for the bathtub; it has 3 knobs with the middle one controlling flow between the tub spout and shower head. Back in August, we had a handyman adjust the hot water knob because it would leak. Water would also aggressively leak from the middle knob, so the bandaid was to leave it mostly open and install a tub spout diverter, but it looks like the bandaid has failed. The leaking usually isn’t as rapid as this footage, but basically it’s falling onto the trap joint then dripping down from there. We tried letting the shower/faucet knob fully out for a couple days since that helped with the knob leaking in front, but the leaking from behind the tub persists. It happens regardless of whether the bathtub is being used. I feel like an idiot for not noticing it before, but we had 2 plumbers who did the same.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgT5C0XQ27A 
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 21:31 on Mar 6, 2018 |
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Mar 6, 2018 21:12
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Wasabi the J posted:Also the pressure relief line like janky as gently caress. And does not drain too well. That is super sketchy and illegal as hell. You NEED to have an air gap.
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Mar 6, 2018 22:13
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Motronic posted:That is super sketchy and illegal as hell. You NEED to have an air gap. First part is almost certainly true (it's certainly sketchy as hell), second part is jurisdiction local. Ours is solid copper to the outside. Here is a random example, I don't live in Sunnyvale, but no mention of an air gap: https://ecityhall.sunnyvale.ca.gov/cd/i_waterheater.aspx posted:Pressure-Temperature Relief Valve (CPC 504.4, 504.5, and 608.5)
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Mar 6, 2018 23:53
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H110Hawk posted:Ours is solid copper to the outside. Well see there's your problem. Pipe is supposed to be hollow.
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Mar 7, 2018 00:00
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Motronic posted:That is super sketchy and illegal as hell. You NEED to have an air gap. Can you explain what you mean? That line doesn't go to the drain, it goes through the wall and drains outside.
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Mar 7, 2018 00:21
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Wasabi the J posted:Can you explain what you mean? That line doesn't go to the drain, it goes through the wall and drains outside. It cant be hooked up to a straight pipe, right, it has to have a short pipe, then go into a funnel connected to the pipe that takes it wherever, so you can see it relieving and so it can't explode because a mouse died in the drain pipe to outside.
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Mar 7, 2018 00:32
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I have dark laminate floor throughout my house with rather large white MDF moulding. Because the moulding is so big and has no flex up/down along the wall, very small dips/humps become super obvious where the moulding meets the floor. Is it a better idea to caulk between the moulding and floor, or get a piece of more flexible quarter-round to cover the gap (sub question: have it match the MDF or the floor?)
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Mar 7, 2018 00:45
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I remember having this same conversation when I was fixing the drain pipe on my water heater. Motronic said that, then I tracked down the code for where I lived, which said no air gap required, and he had to eat his words. 
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Mar 7, 2018 00:47
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Josh Lyman posted:Pipe leak update. I snaked the poo poo out of the trap and nothing came out. Subsequently, I discovered that the source of the leak is related to the water taps for the bathtub; it has 3 knobs with the middle one controlling flow between the tub spout and shower head. Back in August, we had a handyman adjust the hot water knob because it would leak. Water would also aggressively leak from the middle knob, so the bandaid was to leave it mostly open and install a tub spout diverter, but it looks like the bandaid has failed. The leaking usually isn’t as rapid as this footage, but basically it’s falling onto the trap joint then dripping down from there. We tried letting the shower/faucet knob fully out for a couple days since that helped with the knob leaking in front, but the leaking from behind the tub persists. It happens regardless of whether the bathtub is being used. I bet that galvanized steel has rusted through. Also, your diverter valve probably just needs a new packing washer.
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Mar 7, 2018 01:51
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Wasabi the J posted:1 - done Half-inch to 3/4”. Not sure on the minimum slope. If you have access to any kind of compressed air, or can hook your house supply to it, try blowing it out. If you haven't already... Have you tried just...yanking it out, or is there an elbow in there, somewhere?
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Mar 7, 2018 02:58
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Spagghentleman posted:I have dark laminate floor throughout my house with rather large white MDF moulding. Because the moulding is so big and has no flex up/down along the wall, very small dips/humps become super obvious where the moulding meets the floor. Caulking would be bad, because the reason the quarter round is there is to cover up the expansion gap around the edge of the flooring. Laminate flooring expands/contracts during the seasons, and any caulk would either cause the flooring to buckle/separate, or just get torn up and moved around as the flooring expands/contracts.
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Mar 7, 2018 04:56
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PainterofCrap posted:Half-inch to 3/4”. Not sure on the minimum slope. Yeah I went to the Depot and got $30 worth of copper, fittings, and solder, I'm doing this poo poo right. gently caress that janky rust hose. Going 3/4" all the way from the valve through the wall. I read up on Las Vegas code and it needs to: quote:PRESSURE and TEMPERATURE VALVE [UPC SECTION 505.6, 507.5 608.5] All water heaters have a temperature and pressure relief (T&P) valve. The pipe from the valve shall be sloped to drain to the exterior of the building. The end of the pipe shall be between 6” and 24” aboveground or the flood level of the area receiving the discharge pointing downward. The diameter of the valve opening shall not be reduced (internal dimension) and must be maintained to the termination of the drain (generally ¾”). Check the manufacturer’s requirements for sizing. When approved by the Chief Building Official, such drain may terminate at other locations (i.e., laundry tub, floor sink, or floor drain). No part of such drain shall be trapped and the terminal end of the drain shall not be threaded. Discharge from a T&P relief valve into a water heater pan shall be prohibited. The only thing that has me worried is the pipe or valve being damaged by the heater moving slightly after I finish. Is this a valid concern? Wasabi the J fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Mar 7, 2018 |
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Mar 7, 2018 05:57
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Wasabi the J posted:The only thing that has me worried is the pipe or valve being damaged by the heater moving slightly after I finish. Is this a valid concern? Nothing an earthquake strap wouldn't solve. In general 40 gallons of water in a metal cylinder doesn't move all that much without the rest of the world moving with them.
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Mar 7, 2018 06:07
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Dryer refused to turn on yesterday. Last used it over the weekend just fine, now it won't start (or even try). It's an older eletric Whirpool Imperial Supercapacity, am I safe in assuming that it's either the on button/switch, or the door switch? I don't think it's the motor because there's no whine or anything, it just seems to be dormant. I just check my breaker box and nothing appears to be tripped - unfortunately it's triplex so not only are the breakers not labelled, I'm not even entirely sure which ones are mine and which ones belong to the other units (long story). Any other ideas besides replacing both of those? I haven't found specific part numbers yet but they seem to be fairly inexpensive on Amazon. Edit: And I don't have a multimeter to test the components, unfortunately.
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Mar 7, 2018 22:46
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Shooting Blanks posted:Dryer refused to turn on yesterday. Last used it over the weekend just fine, now it won't start (or even try). It's an older eletric Whirpool Imperial Supercapacity, am I safe in assuming that it's either the on button/switch, or the door switch? I don't think it's the motor because there's no whine or anything, it just seems to be dormant. I just check my breaker box and nothing appears to be tripped - unfortunately it's triplex so not only are the breakers not labelled, I'm not even entirely sure which ones are mine and which ones belong to the other units (long story). You’ll definitely need a multimeter if you want to fix it yourself, so you may as well just get one. You need to confirm if the outlet is getting voltage first and if so, *unplug the dryer* and start checking for continuity on switches and buttons. I mean otherwise you’re just blindly ordering parts when it could be something stupid simple.
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Mar 7, 2018 23:33
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Shooting Blanks posted:Dryer refused to turn on yesterday. Last used it over the weekend just fine, now it won't start (or even try). It's an older eletric Whirpool Imperial Supercapacity, am I safe in assuming that it's either the on button/switch, or the door switch? I don't think it's the motor because there's no whine or anything, it just seems to be dormant. I just check my breaker box and nothing appears to be tripped - unfortunately it's triplex so not only are the breakers not labelled, I'm not even entirely sure which ones are mine and which ones belong to the other units (long story). Get a multimeter. They're extremely useful tools. Anyway, a couple things could be the problem. First thing to check is your power at the socket. Check for AC voltage across the holes. You should get 240V phase to phase or 120V phase to neutral or ground. Next up is the door switch, but honestly on Whirlpools, if the door switch is the problem, it's the little spring lever that actually pushes the little button on the switch down. 99 times out of 100, it's that the lever itself broke, not the button. If that happened, it's pretty obvious: the lever is missing from the little hole in door jamb. Next up to check is the thermal fuse. You'll need to take off the back cover and hose for this one. It's a little white plastic rectangle with a screw in one end and 2 electrical clips down by the blower. Check for continuity across those clips. If it's an open circuit, then the fuse blew because the dryer got too hot. You'll need to replace the fuse and figure out why the dryer got too hot in the first place, like it couldn't blow out the hot air because the dryer vent outside is clogged, iced over, etc. The actual buttons almost never wear out. They're extremely heavy duty.
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Mar 7, 2018 23:59
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H110Hawk posted:First part is almost certainly true (it's certainly sketchy as hell), second part is jurisdiction local. Ours is solid copper to the outside. That's a shame. And if the code I used to enforce allowed that I would have been on a loving mission to change it because that's fuckd. shovelbum posted:It cant be hooked up to a straight pipe, right, it has to have a short pipe, then go into a funnel connected to the pipe that takes it wherever, so you can see it relieving and so it can't explode because a mouse died in the drain pipe to outside. Exactly this. It's better to ruin your floors than to have a loving bomb go off in your house. Code is not what's good and safe. It's the minimum poo poo level you can get until something else happens where a municipality got sued along with the contractor. (and guess which one conveniently went out of business and has no more assets to go after) Motronic fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Mar 8, 2018 |
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Mar 8, 2018 03:50
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What if you have the air gap, but mr. mouse crawls up the pipe between there and the PRV? "Ah, but everyone tests their PRV monthly, which is why we need the air gap to verify PRV function" you'll say
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Mar 8, 2018 05:52
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Then again there are PRVs or safety valves on things that would wreck your poo poo if you had them release via air gap into a manned space and we don't act like that's a death trap, so why IS it so important on a water heater when it isn't on lots of gnarlier poo poo
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Mar 8, 2018 06:08
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Alright, thanks guys. I should be able to borrow or buy a multimeter this weekend and start testing things out then. Will a cheapo one be fine or do I need something fancy? The extent of my electrical work in the past has been replacing outlets, installing ceiling fans, repairing my washer, etc. - I think I've used one all of once.
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Mar 8, 2018 15:38
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Shooting Blanks posted:Alright, thanks guys. I should be able to borrow or buy a multimeter this weekend and start testing things out then. Will a cheapo one be fine or do I need something fancy? The extent of my electrical work in the past has been replacing outlets, installing ceiling fans, repairing my washer, etc. - I think I've used one all of once. Even the one that HF occasionally gives out free with coupon is functional enough for stabbing at outlets and pass/failing batteries, but a $20 Extech or something will be way nicer.
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Mar 8, 2018 15:46
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kid sinister posted:Get a multimeter. They're extremely useful tools. On my dryer the timer-dial went out last year. The same symptoms, except that I could occasionally get it to turn on by giving the timer-dial a good smack. One $40 replacement part later and all is well.
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Mar 8, 2018 18:49
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I have an outdoor GFCI outlet that I recently discovered is not working. It broke sometime in the last 2 weeks, but not sure when. I have checked the breakers and reset the one that's tied to this outlet, to no avail. I am 99% sure there's something wrong with the actual outlet, because when I push the test button, it doesn't pop out the reset button like it should. Pushing the reset button obviously does nothing as well. I've gone hunting throughout the house and manually reset every GFCI I can find just in case one was tripped and is for some reason on the same circuit as this outlet, but that hasn't fixed anything either. Anything else I should consider before I go to Home Depot and buy a new outlet?
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Mar 8, 2018 21:34
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New outlets are cheap, I'd just replace the thing.
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Mar 8, 2018 21:46
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Sub Par posted:I have an outdoor GFCI outlet that I recently discovered is not working. It broke sometime in the last 2 weeks, but not sure when. I have checked the breakers and reset the one that's tied to this outlet, to no avail. I am 99% sure there's something wrong with the actual outlet, because when I push the test button, it doesn't pop out the reset button like it should. Pushing the reset button obviously does nothing as well. Given its outdoors might you have an honest to god ground fault? Either way replacement is $20 and then you know for sure. Get a TR and weather resistant one.
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Mar 8, 2018 21:48
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Thanks!
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Mar 8, 2018 21:52
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If you (turn off the power first) pull out the outlet and find it has a circuit feeding off the "load" terminals - first take that loose, reinstall, turn the power on and see if it will reset.
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Mar 8, 2018 23:23
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angryrobots posted:What if you have the air gap, but mr. mouse crawls up the pipe between there and the PRV? The air gap is supposed to be after a straight section of pipe with no threads on the end. Anything stuck in there is likely to blow right out. shovelbum posted:Then again there are PRVs or safety valves on things that would wreck your poo poo if you had them release via air gap into a manned space and we don't act like that's a death trap, so why IS it so important on a water heater when it isn't on lots of gnarlier poo poo Because it keeps the water heater from turning into a bomb. Someone getting scalded because they happen to be in there at the time is probably a lot better than an exploding water heater throwing shrapnel through drywall and particle board into a residence. As far as the PRVs that aren't airgapped, what kind of things are you talking about? Because all I can think of is industrial. Where every sane code requires periodic inspection of pressure vessels, which includes the PRV and outflow. This is something that happens approximately never in a residence.
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Mar 8, 2018 23:42
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q&t=43s A highly instructional video on water heaters becoming bombs.
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Mar 9, 2018 00:01
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Motronic posted:The air gap is supposed to be after a straight section of pipe with no threads on the end. Anything stuck in there is likely to blow right out. You could say the same thing about a water heater against an exterior wall, where the drain goes directly outside with a short section of pipe. So far as I can tell, the air gap requirement exists because inspectors don't like to walk. Even better than all of this, is having a thermal expansion tank installed properly, even if it isn't a closed system. That way, a lot of poo poo has to fail before the PRV would have to kick in.
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Mar 9, 2018 02:30
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Tres Burritos posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q&t=43s At what kind of PSI is the PRV supposed to kick in? As I recall they had to disable or block in multiple safeties on their water heater to get it to do this; I would assume that normally your emergency drain line would be engaged well before the heater turns into a rocket.
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Mar 9, 2018 02:31
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I think like 150 is the residential norm? Ask me about the time my pressure reducing valve failed so the house was attempting to run at about 250 or higher, which led to the expansion tank failing and becoming basically nothing, and the PRV leaking for a while, which kept our water pressure at a steady 150, before I realized it was not actually just going lovely but was in fact doing a fantastic job of keeping things from exploding. I mean showers were awesome, but yikes, I should have been more aware. Actually don't ask, I'd just as soon leave that one buried. Except I got a sweet 3-way 120V solenoid valve out of it when the washer started to leak during all of this, and it was under warranty, but when the tech came out he didn't think to check the pressure and just replaced the valve outright, let me keep the old one, which was not in fact broken in any way. Silver linings, I guess? Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Mar 9, 2018 |
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Mar 9, 2018 02:40
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angryrobots posted:If you (turn off the power first) pull out the outlet and find it has a circuit feeding off the "load" terminals - first take that loose, reinstall, turn the power on and see if it will reset. Well I replaced the outlet and it's still not working, but this outlet is actually giving me meaningful and helpful information - the green light is on so I know it's getting power, but the red light is flashing so I know it's tripped, and it won't reset. I have learned a lot about the wiring in my house today. For example, this outlet is the very last part of a circuit that includes a host of random poo poo in my house: my refrigerator, one other outlet in my garage, one outlet in the kitchen (but not the other three, even the two that share a wall with it), my attic lights, a light in my garage, and the fan over my stove. As best I can tell, the wiring goes breaker box -> Fridge -> working wall outlet -> Stove exhaust fan -> attic lights -> garage lights -> garage outlets -> outdoor outlet The stove exhaust fan is the first thing in the chain that is not working, and everything after it is also not working. So my guess is there's something wrong with the fan or the wiring going to/from the fan. Anyway, I have an electrician coming tomorrow to sort this out. Thanks for all of your help.
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Mar 9, 2018 03:44
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:At what kind of PSI is the PRV supposed to kick in? As I recall they had to disable or block in multiple safeties on their water heater to get it to do this; I would assume that normally your emergency drain line would be engaged well before the heater turns into a rocket. Yeah they had to like weld poo poo closed in order to make that happen.
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Mar 9, 2018 03:52
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Bad Munki posted:I think like 150 is the residential norm? Jfc your street pressure is 250psi? You need like...an auto shut off valve triggered by a pressure sensor.
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Mar 9, 2018 05:04
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It’s a high pressure zone, typical enough in some areas. All houses have to sign on in acknowledgment for to get hooked up, and of course have a reducing valve right off the meter. Very common in rural areas if you’re lucky enough to get water piped in.
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Mar 9, 2018 05:29
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Some type of screw was dropped into my garbage disposal, jacking it up. I found the screw head, but the threads were chopped off and presumably jammed somewhere beneath. So I took the garbage disposal apart, and I think the threads of the screw passed through fine. In the process of chopping up this screw, though, the shredding ring appears to have slipped and gotten bent. This forces it to rub/grind on the disc. As you can maybe see in the video below, the shredding ring is some sort of plastic with a metal inner ring. It looks like the ring in mine has slipped so that the metal tabs don't line up with the plastic tabs and a couple metal teeth were bent. This causes a bulge in the inner ring where the strip of metal was riveted together, and this bulge is what's causing the rubbing. So, is this something I can fix/replace? I'm not really seeing individual parts like this for sale, and I don't know if this is something that can be pounded back into a functional unit. The motor and disc spin perfectly smoothly until I set the top back on and that shredder ring starts grinding against the disc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI3OWhiwTRA 
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Mar 9, 2018 23:32
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Yes, you can replacement shredders and impellers. But often you'll find you're spending $70 in parts and $15 in shipping plus your time when a new unit would cost $125. Here is a place to start looking: https://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/product-types/Garbage-Disposal-Parts Find a parts diagram for your model to figure out the part numbers and between sears, ebay, amazon, and few other online parts suppliers you can fix it. Just make sure you also price out a brand new unit as well.
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Mar 10, 2018 03:42
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Are water heater expansion tanks required to be supported if they’re installed horizontally? The Costco contractor didn’t.
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Mar 10, 2018 06:06
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Mine when I lived in PA wasn’t supported and was a horizontal install, that was a fairly new house (2007) and pretty well built.
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Mar 10, 2018 17:14
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