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If the PB splits, it'll tear out the ceilings for you. Then you don't have to pay a plumber to make those holes.
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Mar 31, 2024 11:20
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Azza Bamboo posted:If the PB splits, it'll tear out the ceilings for you. Then you don't have to pay a plumber to make those holes. That is pretty much what the plumbers said. "We have to rip out the walls regardless, so wait until a break damages them."
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Mar 31, 2024 13:18
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They wouldn't be the ones picking up the mold remediation bill. There's also a huge value in being able to schedule the replacement versus it happening at 7 PM on Friday a holiday weekend that you were planning to travel on (or worse an hour after you left for a long weekend).
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Mar 31, 2024 13:27
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Travic posted:Just more input. I have information telling me to change the pipes immediately and I have people telling me to leave them. I know little about plumbing so I'm checking around to learn what's up. I'm sorry if I've stepped on some toes. I think you'll find the reason for such a pithy response (by the plumber) to your serious concern has to do with anyone writing an estimate is not going to be able to do so without x-ray vision, they will have to make educated guesses about where your lines run, and if yours is a home with bathrooms/wet rooms on multiple levels it can get tricky. They may get into the job and find for example, that they'll have to tear your kitchen apart or otherwise render your home uninhabitable for a spell. In short it can take a considerable amount of effort just to produce anything close to a reasonable estimate (hours that they shouldn't be billing you for towards a job they may not get) and if they guess wrong, the customer will probably be unhappy about the sudden ballooning of the estimate and/or have to leave their house for a week. As someone who has been in that situation (trying to write a repair estimate when a lot of the potential scope is hidden) I tend to err on the side of caution, which means estimating to open walls & ceilings in (what may turn out to be) unnecessarily wide swaths to try & capture the runs/mechanicals/other possibly wet areas that need to be addressed or temporarily removed to make repairs. Keep in mind that a plumber probably won't put back the walls, paint, wallpaper, tiles etc, you have to hire someone else for that. So most jobbers want to avoid getting into those situations. It will be expensive unless you do it yourselves. Travic posted:1,900 square foot home. Two story. The two bathrooms are stacked straight on top of each other and there is a line to the kitchen. Pipes go to a crawlspace under the house. That's going to cost a ton. Working in crawlspaces sucks even with PEX. They'll be tearing up the lower bathroom & kitchen. Travic posted:That is pretty much what the plumbers said. "We have to rip out the walls regardless, so wait until a break damages them." If the pipe leaks and causes damage, that's a covered loss for the water damage, and access to repair the leak (but not to actually repair it). The downsides to this: - insurance won't pay to re-plumb your house - your insurer will be overjoyed to find that you have polybutylene pipe in your house, and will express that joy with either a hefty premium increase or a threat to cancel unless you replace it all. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Mar 31, 2024 |
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Mar 31, 2024 14:22
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PainterofCrap posted:I think you'll find the reason for such a pithy response (by the plumber) to your serious concern has to do with anyone writing an estimate is not going to be able to do so without x-ray vision, they will have to make educated guesses about where your lines run, and if yours is a home with bathrooms/wet rooms on multiple levels it can get tricky. They may get into the job and find for example, that they'll have to tear your kitchen apart or otherwise render your home uninhabitable for a spell. Ok thank you. So please forgive my ignorance, but it sounds like you might agree with the other plumbers recommendation? It's going to be a gigantic expensive job so just wait until I have to replace the drywall anyway to get it done? Or am I misunderstanding and should just bite the bullet and get it fixed? I'm sorry, I have a lot going on right now so I'm not thinking clearly.
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Mar 31, 2024 17:06
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Travic posted:Ok thank you. So please forgive my ignorance, but it sounds like you might agree with the other plumbers recommendation? It's going to be a gigantic expensive job so just wait until I have to replace the drywall anyway to get it done? Or am I misunderstanding and should just bite the bullet and get it fixed? You may have difficulty getting a plumber to give you an accurate estimate. I'd try to get at least three bids while things remain dry. It may take a while, but unless you have competent & confident friends & family to tackle this, you have few alternatives. The plumber's response is somewhat ignorant because it won't go everywhere all at once, and where the drywall does go, there's no guarantee that it will even be anywhere near a run. On the other hand, if it leaks, you'll be desperate rather than now, when you can maintain a clear head. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Mar 31, 2024 |
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Mar 31, 2024 19:17
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I'm finally replacing the water heater with the mystery problem that I mentioned a year ago (might be in the old plumbing of fix it fast thread, but it's 30 years old, everything seems to test properly, I would need to get an odd sized wrench to pull the elements and inspect them, I would have to desolder a bunch of stuff to get to the anode, and it randomly trips the self protect and once boiled over and released a cloud of steam through the overflow pipe and blobs of superheated water that flashed to steam on contact with the floor.) I can install one myself direct swap, just need to add an expansion tank) and make it code compliant to save around $1900, I'm checking on whether a permit and inspection are needed for a direct swap. Would that void the warranty since I'm not licensed? Also, for a 40 gallon electric heater in a house with a shower/bath, bathroom faucet, kitchen faucet, dishwasher, and clothes washer, are AO Smith or Rheem units from the big box stores good enough quality?
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Mar 31, 2024 20:47
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I haven't pulled permits for any work at my house, ever. I did pull permits to build my garage in 2004 but only because it was too big to miss on a drive-by, and I was spending too much time effort & money to risk having to tear it down. No, it won't void your warranty. Rheem or AO Smith is fine
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Mar 31, 2024 20:53
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Ok. Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll get things in motion.
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Mar 31, 2024 21:57
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Yeah I was being sarcastic when I said to let the ceilings drop. I didn't anticipate the plumbers actually saying that seriously. I guess they want to bill your insurance and justify the elevated cost as being "emergency rates" Azza Bamboo fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Mar 31, 2024 |
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Mar 31, 2024 23:38
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Took me a bit to find an appropriate place to ask this so please shuffle me out if I'm lost. This is not an April 1st joke: I have a cursed toilet. We have a small bathroom that is a 6ftx6ft drywall and tile box on concrete slab, all interior walls. It contains a door, a sink, a tiny corner shower (builtin, not standalone), heater/fan in the ceiling, and a shidder with a builtin cabinet above it. Just enough room for one person to stand in the middle and make all sorts of messes. 1.5 people if you're flexible. Almost every single time the door is shut, the toilet will immediately run very briefly. Maybe for two seconds. Sometimes if you enter the room quickly, it will run briefly. The speed of the door shutting doesn't seem to change anything. Typically it's not repeatable for a few minutes (as in I can't open and close the door to keep it running constantly). One must exit the bathroom for a few minutes to get it to happen again. It won't display this behavior if someone is already in the bathroom and you attempt to join them in the tiny space. The fun part? It's not observable. Removing the lid from the tank solves the problem. I thought I was maybe sane and it was coincidence. That perhaps the toilet just randomly ran. I sat outside the bathroom and played video games on my phone for about an hour to see. No running. Did the same inside the bathroom (that sucked and was very uncomfortable). No running. What the hell might be going on here?
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Apr 1, 2024 23:42
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Nitrox posted:There is an o-ring, a rubber bushing and a brass seat in the rebuild kit. It would take less than 10 minutes to rebuild all three valves, assuming they're not corroded to death. Use silicone grease to make your next rebuild a little easier. And there is no reason not to do it sooner, before things get worse.  Look what you did  Joking aside it doesn't matter though as the knobs are absolutely fused to the spindle of the valve. I was able to back the escutcheon off enough to get a wrench on the valve cartridge. The source of the leak was the packing bushing, but the rubber that seals against the seat is pretty badly degraded:  Seats look decent enough but there might be some slight pitting:  I tightened up the packing nut which stopped the leaking, but I'm going to keep replacement cartridges and seats on hand until I get some replacement knobs/screws and can redo the whole thing.
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Apr 1, 2024 23:57
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knuthgrush posted:Took me a bit to find an appropriate place to ask this so please shuffle me out if I'm lost. This is not an April 1st joke: I have a cursed toilet. Does the bathroom door open outward or inward? What kind of float mechanism does your toilet use?
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Apr 2, 2024 00:11
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knuthgrush posted:Took me a bit to find an appropriate place to ask this so please shuffle me out if I'm lost. This is not an April 1st joke: I have a cursed toilet... Open the lid and see how high the water level is in the tank. Its probably right at & (due to the miracle of surface tension) slightly above the overflow tube. It doesn't take much movement to shake the floor enough to distirb the surface tension ineough to let water drain down the tube. The float drops, and triggers the float to add water. My guess is that this is an older home, and the floors deflect & shake when you walk on them. This can be very difficult to detect, unless (like my house) you have tchotchkes all of the place that rock & knock into each other & the walls when I walk around. So take a tall glass of water, put it on the tank, and walk into the bath, & see if it's disturbed. Lower the float level a bit so the water level is at least 1/8" below the overflow tube. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 01:34 on Apr 2, 2024 |
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Apr 2, 2024 01:32
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SpartanIvy posted:Does the bathroom door open outward or inward? Door opens Inward but this happens when I close the door, not when it is opened. It's a float-cup fill valve like this one: :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/different-types-of-toilet-fill-valves-4094288-04-cd6f733d8fdb45a29f1141d854a54173.jpg) PainterofCrap posted:Open the lid and see how high the water level is in the tank. Its probably right at & (due to the miracle of surface tension) slightly above the overflow tube. It doesn't take much movement to shake the floor enough to distirb the surface tension ineough to let water drain down the tube. The float drops, and triggers the float to add water. The water is about a quarter inch below the top of the overflow tube and the floors are concrete (although it is an older home). Glass of water on top of the tank remains undisturbed when I walk in. I'll try lowering the float level some more. Thanks, y'all!
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Apr 2, 2024 04:27
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You're startling the ghost trying to take a poo poo.
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Apr 2, 2024 04:47
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KillHour posted:You're startling the ghost trying to take a poo poo. spooky dookies!
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Apr 2, 2024 05:10
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knuthgrush posted:Door opens Inward but this happens when I close the door, not when it is opened. Of course it's concrete slab  Ignore everything I saidCan you move the toilet at all? or is is well-fixed to the floor? I'd then replace the fill valve assembly as noted.
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Apr 2, 2024 14:34
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My wild poo poo in the dark is that it's leaking from the bottom of the shut off valve/ pipe that you posted there.
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Apr 2, 2024 17:16
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PainterofCrap posted:Of course it's concrete slab well fixed to the floor. i'll have a look at the valve assembly. wesleywillis posted:My wild poo poo in the dark is that it's leaking from the bottom of the shut off valve/ pipe that you posted there. no leaks that i can see at the moment.
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Apr 2, 2024 21:24
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Are we trying to figure out if closing the door to the bathroom creates enough positive atmospheric pressure to flush the toilet?
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Apr 3, 2024 21:58
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Nitrox posted:Are we trying to figure out if closing the door to the bathroom creates enough positive atmospheric pressure to flush the toilet? this was actually my first thought but it doesn't happen when the lid is off the tank. and it doesn't actually flush. it just runs for 1-2 seconds.
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Apr 3, 2024 23:36
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I'm still intrigued. Get the tank to fill half-way, shut off the full valve, put the lid back on, then see if it does it on a partial fill.
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Apr 3, 2024 23:39
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My partner and I are looking at buying our first home and we've started looking at some places that may require a bathroom renovation, a new bathroom or some other plumbing work. Given I know next to nothing about the complexities of what that might involveiIs there a good list of questions I should be asking that might help uncover what we might be getting ourselves into? Or will it all be a big guessing game until someone comes to inspect it? I'm based in the UK so there's a wide range of really old homes from all eras in various states of wear and tear. There's plenty of places that just have bathrooms in very odd spots but I'm guessing there's a good reason for that and it won't be an easy or inexpensive change.
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Apr 4, 2024 10:56
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Don't buy a house expecting to materially change the layout or structure if you are at all concerned about costs. Those are things that can be done, but they are reserved for wealthy people that can afford not only to do it, but never recapture that "investment" whe they eventually sell the place. Bathrooms and kitchens are the most expensive rooms in a house to renovate. If you need a to-the-studs renovation in a bathroom it best be priced into the home. I'd suggest finding a contractor you'd want to work with to get some rough figured based on homes you have looked at or ar willing to look at and price in a worst case scenario.
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Apr 4, 2024 13:30
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I have a pretty generic cast iron tub / shower configuration from 1963. The faucet has no markings I can find, and the valves were rounded out before we bought the house in 2016. We are getting the to the point of water on either side dripping into the other and almost not being able to turn it off sufficiently. I know this has been thrown about before, but I have completely lost it. Is there a site that will walk you through figuring out what your cartridge or valve setup is so you can purchase a rebuild kit? Current Status:    EDIT: Oh Yea of course I finally find it: https://www.faucetpartsplus.com ptier fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Apr 4, 2024 |
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Apr 4, 2024 15:31
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PainterofCrap posted:I'm still intrigued. well i replaced the valve before i saw this and problem solved. maybe something was loose?
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Apr 4, 2024 16:29
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ptier posted:Is there a site that will walk you through figuring out what your cartridge or valve setup is so you can purchase a rebuild kit? If you want to split hairs, a single handle cartridge is called a stem. Anyway, remove the stem out of the wall. You do that by unscrewing the packing nut/bonnet, then putting the handle back on and using that to unscrew the stem out of the wall. Take that stem and measure its rough length in inches. Then go to that website and take a look at all the pictures of stems in your length. Once you get the new stems, take them to the store and find the handles that fit the number of splines on your handle. If you're lucky, you'll have more than one style so that you get a choice.
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Apr 4, 2024 19:10
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knuthgrush posted:well i replaced the valve before i saw this and problem solved. maybe something was loose? Probably the fill valve seal was going in a weirdly specific way that leaked a little if you looked at it funny. Houses - especially old houses - are weird.
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Apr 4, 2024 23:01
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it was toilet ghosts they were haunting that specific valve and now you have laid them to rest
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Apr 4, 2024 23:44
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Leperflesh posted:it was toilet ghosts You have been blessed by the holy poo poo!
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Apr 5, 2024 00:05
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kid sinister posted:If you want to split hairs, a single handle cartridge is called a stem. Thank you! I knew I wasn't using the right term. And yea, here is to not breaking stuff.
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Apr 5, 2024 01:58
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ptier posted:Thank you! I knew I wasn't using the right term. And yea, here is to not breaking stuff. I forgot one thing... Some fixtures have different stems for either hot or cold. It's usually if one stem turns clockwise and the other one turns counter clockwise. If both your handles turn the same way, then you'll have the same stem for both sides. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Apr 5, 2024 |
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Apr 5, 2024 02:14
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kid sinister posted:I forgot one thing... Some fixtures have different stems for either hot or cold. It's usually if one stem turns clockwise and the other one turns counter clockwise. If both your handles turn the same way, then you'll have the same stem for both sides. Not these! I found my guys Speakmans! https://www.faucetpartsplus.com/product_p/413361.htm Got them ordered and await my 5-7 business days until shipping! I did buy some new handles that hopefully won't round out (or need to have little allen key adapters that can get loose).
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Apr 8, 2024 14:50
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ptier posted:Not these! I found my guys Speakmans! https://www.faucetpartsplus.com/product_p/413361.htm I'd still take your new stems to the hardware store and find the proper handles for them. Those universal handles with the set screws suck and will round off any stem given enough time. Found some: https://www.noelsplumbingsupply.com/product/speakman-tub-handle/ kid sinister fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Apr 8, 2024 |
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Apr 8, 2024 16:49
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kid sinister posted:I forgot one thing... Some fixtures have different stems for either hot or cold. It's usually if one stem turns clockwise and the other one turns counter clockwise. If both your handles turn the same way, then you'll have the same stem for both sides. My American Standard shelf back sink had both knobs turning counter clockwise and I hated it. Luckily I found a new manufacture kit where the hot tap turns counter clockwise.
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Apr 8, 2024 17:34
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SpartanIvy posted:My American Standard shelf back sink had both knobs turning counter clockwise and I hated it. Luckily I found a new manufacture kit where the hot tap turns counter clockwise. Some faucets like Delta you just need to take the bonnet off, pull out the stem, spin it 180 degrees and put it back in.
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Apr 8, 2024 17:52
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kid sinister posted:I'd still take your new stems to the hardware store and find the proper handles for them. Those universal handles with the set screws suck and will round off any stem given enough time. I went with these https://www.faucetpartsplus.com/product_p/sp1262pr.htm. But same deal same maker for the 20 spindle.
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Apr 8, 2024 20:05
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Excellent! Those will look sharp!
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Apr 8, 2024 20:28
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To add to the pile of "plumbing things that make little to no sense at first glance", the P-trap on my bathroom sink is slightly leaking where the p-trap assembly meets the drain from hte sink, i.e. where the white PVC meets the black: It's only started this very recently (past few days) because I normally keep the spare TP under there and only this last weekend did I notice one of the spare rolls was wet. I tightened the nut, still was leaking. I undid it all and put it back together a little less tight since I know that being too tight could be an issue if it slightly deforms the washer or pipe. Still leaking. I know it also looks like it's leaking at the lower nut/washer too, but I'm 90% sure that's just dripping from above. Two weird things about this: 1) It doesn't leak when I'm running water. I had water running for a couple minutes, and I didn't notice ANY water pooling/leaking at the connection. But anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes later, the water will be pooling there. And 2) In theory, there shouldn't be standing water that high above the P-trap since, gravity and water pressure behaving as they do, the drain is below the level of where the pipes meet, right? So why is it backing up that high? So maybe I got a small clog in the pipe and it's restricting flow? I'll try to snake it, it meets with the big drain pipe just a couple feet to the right from the toilet, so thankfully it's not NEARLY the amount of pipe I have to try and snake like when my whole house drain got backed up. This would also explain why it hasn't always been leaking since it's been installed and only done it recently. But I still want to resolve the leak even if I fix the drainage issue. I did notice both when I installed it and trying to fix it over the weekend that the part of the drain from the sink did seem a little smaller than the 1 1/4" it should be. When I installed it, I actually thought it was only 1", but that was too small to fit, but I figured the kit with the "better" red rubber washers would seal better, but I guess not? Should I just wrap the end where the washer slips over a few times in teflon tape? Or pipe dope?
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Apr 15, 2024 18:35
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