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BorderPatrol posted:The more I think about it, the more I realize that the cold water pressure is just fine, and all my problems seems to be with the hot water pressure. I'd pull the shower cartridge next. I imagine dip tube pieces are clogging poo poo up in the hot lines. It will clog angle stops and shower valves them self. Pull the shower cartridge and flush it out by turning the cold water on and off. *remember to turn the water off before you pull the shower cartridge.
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Jun 20, 2009 00:34
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poopcutter posted:I am almost done remodeling an old bathroom in a furnished basement and I have a plumbing problem. Can you take a picture of and i may be able to suggest something.
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Jun 24, 2009 02:46
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ihafarm posted:It's not a constant leak, maybe once or twice per hour. When I had the tank off I noticed that there was water at the top of the bowl inlet - is that normal? When you say its leaking i assume you mean the toilet is running (basicly you can contastly hear the tank filling with water). And not actually leaking onto the floor. The level of the tank water should be about one inch below the bowl inlet. You can usually adjust that by adjusting the float to hang lover so the water will turn off sooner.
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Jun 24, 2009 02:53
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hielonueve posted:OPINIONS ABOUT PEX, PLEASE! The only disadvantage to Vanguard pex (crimp pex)in my opinion is the lack of flow. The fittings on crimp pex go inside of the pipe. which restricts the flow even more. I use uponor pex system. You expand a plastic rig (basicly its a piece of pipe) You then slide the fittings into the expanded pipe and ring. When its warm out it shrinks down quickly. In the code weather you have to use a heat gun on it. I beleive you can rent a vanguard pex crimping system from home depot for cheap. I do not believe you can rent a uponor expander. Remember when installing pex it needs to be supported alot more. Every 32 inches is code in the Uniform plumbing code. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Jun 24, 2009 |
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Jun 24, 2009 03:40
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Cakefool posted:Dear plumbing thread, Help. Where is it leaking at on the hose bib outside? If its coming from behind the handle its just needs to tighten the packing nut. If its coming inside the wall the plumber could have screwed a screw into the hose bib and when its on it will leak. On the faucet find out the brand. Replacing a cartridge isn't to hard.You may not need to replace the whole cartridge but sometimes its a lot easier. Sorry if i mssed someing. I got a cold right now so im kind of out of it.
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Jun 25, 2009 01:56
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Cross_ posted:Any general recommendations of how to properly use a snake to get rid of clogs ? Sorry i've never actually snaked a drain. Its one of the service things i havent done yet. Not that i'm looking forward to it. Any of the other plumbers having suggestions on snaking a drain?
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Jun 25, 2009 03:36
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Tolstoi posted:A quick question, I'm at my mothers house with a water pressure tank with a bladder in it, and it has been clicking on and off, with the pressure gauge going up and down. It's one of those blue tanks and it operates off of a well, out in the country. I gotta ask my boss about the pressure tank The hot water then gets cold quickly sounds like a dip tube issue in your water heater. Does it start off hot. Maybe last 5 minutes at most then get cold and not get hot again?
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Jun 25, 2009 06:03
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Cakefool posted:It's leaking from the internal stopcock-tap I photo'd, 100% certain. Sorry i miss understood the question. Can i get a better picture of where the leaks coming from. IF its the valve inside it could just need the packing tightened. Here is a site that shows you steps on how to remove a cartridge. http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/fau_repair_cart.htm Its not the same faucet but the principle is the same.
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Jun 25, 2009 21:01
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Cakefool posted:Useful site, thanks, now I just have to figure out where to get at it. I think the ends of the taps will have screws under the covers. Home depot carries most brand of cartridges. Unless its a really unique foreign brand you shouldn't have a problem finding it.
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Jun 26, 2009 16:59
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kid sinister posted:I suppose it's time to finally take care of this... I got a crapper on my second floor that doesn't like to flush every time. What I mean is that when I flush the toilet, the tank will empty and the water will swirl around in the bowl, but sometimes it just won't go down the hole. That's the thing that gets me, it only happens some of the time. It's one of those crazy Eljers with the built-in overflow tube. Any ideas? How old is the toilet. Is the water level in the tank set at the proper level. ( 1 inch below the vertical tube in the tank.) There could be something stuck in a drain line too. Any idea what type of drainage pipes are installed in your house?
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Jun 29, 2009 16:54
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Mthrboard posted:My mom just bought a foreclosed cabin, and I'm going to be redoing all the plumbing since the previous owners damaged or removed nearly everything before they got kicked out. Since it's going to be more of a weekend destination, I thought a tank less water heater would be the most economical method for taking hot showers and washing the occasional load of laundry. I can't decide though, whether I want to go with electric or LP. The electric heater is cheaper, but I'd have to upgrade the panel from 100 amps to 200. LP is a bit more expensive, but I've never installed a gas appliance before. I've also heard conflicting reports about how well they actually work. I guess my question for you is, which one would you install? Or would you skip tank less altogether and go for a 40 gallon electric tank heater? I've dealt with Takagi tank less water heaters and in my opinion they are crap. They cost a poo poo ton to buy and the gallons per minute suck. You have to run gas to them and the amount you'd use wouldn't be worth it. I would suggest turning on the water heater when you come up to the cabin. It should only take an hour or two to heat it up. Do you drain the water out of the cabin during winter? Or is it not that cold of a climate that it matters?
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Jun 30, 2009 05:58
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kid sinister posted:It's a little over 30 years old and the water level is set properly. The drain pipes are all PVC. If the toilet is 30 years old i'd just replace the toilet. It would be a lot easier since i doubt there is anything in the pvc piping. In my personal opinion i'd suggest a American standard cadet 3. For about $170 you can get a pretty good toilet that is almost un clog able. The only more bad rear end toilet i've seen is American Standards Champion 4. And yes you will have to get the manufactures handle if the handle is on the side of the toilet. A standard straight plastic one wont work.
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Jun 30, 2009 14:07
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kid sinister posted:Do you know where I can find the engineer that designed this shitter so I can shove this bent handle down his throat? Can i get a picture of the toilet handle to see if its the one im thinking of.
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Jun 30, 2009 23:58
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While tracking down a sewer smell at PulsarD's house in his basement bathroom. I found something of interest. Note: I first checked all the traps to make sure they haven't dried up. I then checked clean outs to make sure they weren't leaking any sewer gas. While looking in the cabinet of his lav. I found a dvd cover of a porno behind a drawer in the cabinet. There was also some skin moisturizer next to it hidden behind the drawer. After the porn case found i discovered a clean out plug that was only hand tight with out any Teflon tape or dope on it. *side note, the porn dvd was "naughty girls gone wild" if anyone cares.
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Jul 9, 2009 05:37
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dyne posted:My wife and I are currently demolishing the kitchen of our newly purchased 1930s house. I just removed the kitchen sink and cabinets today. You could do a live switch with a shark bite valve. If you don't feel like doing a live hook up (which i don't blame ya) you can call the city out to locate where your water meter is at. You can even have them shut it off (location service is free for all utilitys). I don't know if they would shut it off for you for free but it may be worth it. And you can always turn it back on yourself. Don't worry about pulling a permit either and they shouldn't ask. You are authorized to do any repairs on your house with out puling a permit.
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Jul 20, 2009 00:23
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dyne posted:
That is your meter but there could also be a street service. They're usually outside but with an older house they're over grown. (you'd need the city to find it so you can turn it off ) First thing i'd do is grab a pair of channel locks and turn on that gave galve next to your meter. Obviously that meter is newer so they turned off the water either at that valve or at the street. If you really feel that you've over your head pay a plumber to install a new shut off valve for the entire house so you can then do repairs easier and on your own time.
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Jul 20, 2009 08:14
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dyne posted:After the meter, the pipe is wrapped in plastic over some sort of thin insulation, just by squeezing it I can't feel anything other than pipe. The push on angle stop is similar to shark bite design. I would suggest cleaning the pipe before you put it on with "sand screen"(scratch pad, sand paper, etc) and then clean off the pipe and put it on. I've noticed when you put a push on angle stop on. You put it on then turn a 1/4 turn to the right or left to seat the O ring. You do realize unless you turn down or turn off your water heater for a couple hrs. The water will be coming out at least 120°F . So a live hook up can burn you. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Jul 21, 2009 |
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Jul 21, 2009 07:05
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jackyl posted:Expect a massive quote. There should be a cutoff outside that you can use and then it is no different than replacing any other shutoff, just a bit bigger. Using MAPP gas will make it easier to sweat a larger pipe.
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Jul 21, 2009 17:57
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jackyl posted:Sharkbites would do it too, albeit at a higher expense. Honestly I wouldnt even try soldering it live. And a shark bite fitting only coasts like $10 roughly. I think its worth it in this case. Its not like he's plumbing his whole house in them.
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Jul 21, 2009 18:38
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dyne posted:Actually it was only $100 and he takes care of everything (calling the city and shutting off the water, replacing the valve, and turning the water back on). I think that's pretty reasonable (but I have no experience with plumbing quotes, so I dunno) Ya that sounds really cheap. Is he license and bonded?
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Jul 22, 2009 06:31
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wormil posted:How big a deal is it to replace a sillcock? Both mine are bad. One leaks behind the wall when you turn it on, but shutting the valve off stops the leak. A little research suggests it is frost free and leaking back by the valve. The second faucet just suddenly started pouring out water, it's probably leaking 50-60 gallons per day so I need to fix it ASAP. It leaks whether the valve faucet handle is open or closed. Hopefully I can rebuild these things or replace parts inside them without having to replace the whole sillcock which I suspect may stretch beyond my plumbing skill level. I know about tightening the nut/washer thing but I think the problem is probably more than a loose nut. Do you have access to the hosebib in your crawlspace or wall. Beucase they arent to hard to replace if you can get to the threaded part of them.
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Jul 23, 2009 14:10
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wormil posted:Yeah, I can get to them. I assumed they would be soldered though. Are there any connection options besides solder? Can I just cut off the old connection and use pex or something to connect the new one or is this more trouble than it's worth to avoid learning to sweat pipe? Some pictures would give me an idea what you're looking at.
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Jul 23, 2009 19:51
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wormil posted:That is good news. The house is 50 years old and most of the maintenance has been done by people who didn't really know what they were doing nor bothered to find out which usually makes big jobs out of small jobs. I'll get under there soon and take pics. I still have to finish weatherproofing the outdoor water heater closet. (our under the counter water heater went bad and a plumber installed the new one outside, we'll have to tear out the cabinets to get the old heater out, which were built around the water heater)  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image. Here is the inside of the hose bib at my house. Luckily its an unfinished basement so its all exposed. See the white strip on it. Thats the Teflon tape on the male adapter. Most hose bibs are screwed into male or female adapters. *Use teflon tape and pipe sealent ( Pipe Dope) to install a new hose bib. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Jul 23, 2009 |
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Jul 23, 2009 22:25
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BulimicGoat posted:I have no clue about plumbing, but have been thinking about this for a little while. If you wanted to have two shower heads with independent hot and cold knobs in the same stall, where would you have the second water line come from? I'm assuming if you tapped it from the primary shower head, the water pressure would be too weak for use? It all depends on the size of pipes running to your shower. Most likely its 1/2 inch pipe and i wouldn't suggest cutting into it to get another shower head. I would really suggest cutting into a two 3;4 lines at least for your hot and cold tie in.
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Jul 24, 2009 04:50
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dyne posted:Yeah he is, and it's actually $150 minus a $50 'gift certificate' our real estate agent gave us. When he came by to do the estimate he said he does it all the time. I cant say how much he's making an hour because i would have to see your house to get an idea on how much of a pain in the rear end it would be. Ask him if that bid covers all fixtures? PEX should be anchored every 32 inches vertical or horizontal (which ever way it runs). If not water hammer can make the pipes slap around and make noise.
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Jul 27, 2009 05:04
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Mthrboard posted:Is there any alternative to heat tape for freeze-proofing the well hookups underneath a manufactured home? My brother recently had his well replaced, and the plumber said he did something so he didn't need the tape, but of course my brother doesn't remember what he said he did. Google doesn't bring up any suggestions, and the only thing I can think of is the split foam insulation tubes, but I can't imagine that would keep enough heat in to prevent the pipes from freezing this winter. I would just crawl under and look for myself, but his place is a few hours away and i'm not heading that way for at least the next month. I imagine he used a form of pipe insulation. Or he's a retarded plumber and just used pex and said it wouldn't free and split. Which it will freeze and split. Its really hard to say what the plumber did since there are multiple options.
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Jul 27, 2009 05:08
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Mthrboard posted:That's what I don't get though, insulation just resists heat flow. If no one is around using water, the water in the pipes is eventually going to cool off enough that it freezes. Unless there's some sort of recirculating pump that constantly keeps the water moving, but that seems like more of a pain than the heat tape. I just don't get it. Well have your brother take some pics down there. I am very curious to what the plumber did.
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Jul 27, 2009 15:17
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dreesemonkey posted:Well I found the solution to my dehumidifier issue, so that's good. Ya there is tons of stuff you can do yourself. What type of water piping is used in your house? You're kitchen sink is odd that the sprayer doesn't turn block the water from the faucet. I am curious what type of faucet it is. Since you're on a well you could be sucking up some sand and it has finally started plugging angle stops. You can flush out angle stops with usually a lot of ease depending on the brand of angle stop. Have you ever pulled the aerator on any of the sinks to see if any particles are clogging them? You can get a simple pressure gauge that will fit on a hose bib and you can see what type of water pressure you have.
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Jul 28, 2009 21:28
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grover posted:The problem in my bathroom sink has never been the trap, but the plunger/stopper. I have to take it out every 6 months or so and clean it, because it just gets so gnarled in hair and toothpaste and whatever other poo poo's there (not sure what else it could be besides toothpaste, mouthwash or water, not much else goes in that sink.) 6 months isnt bad. I would suggest stop washing hair down the drain, and honestly how much tooth paste do you brush with that makes it so think it clogs poo poo.
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Jul 29, 2009 02:52
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grover posted:Not a whole lot. Nor do I wash hair down the sink, I honestly don't even know how the hair gets in there, it's not like I shed much, there's never any hair on my comb, but it obviously does get there somehow, because I pull it out when I clean it. I can only imagine tiny bits twice a day add up over time. I imagine they sell hair strainers for sink drains. You could always use one of those.
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Jul 29, 2009 03:57
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dreesemonkey posted:
When we flush out angle stops at work we remove them. You can adapt it to copper with some brass fittings or you can just get some rubber hose and hose clamp onto the pipe. Have another person turn the Cold water on. Put the other end of the hose in a 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket up once or twice and it should be fine. Do not remove both angle stops and try this unless you have hoses for both. Because hot water will shoot out of the hot side even if you have the water heater inlet closed. (sometimes old cartridges in older fixtures can let water by to the side that has no pressure)
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Jul 30, 2009 01:25
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ryanmfw posted:At one point there was a hissing/whooshing sound but it quickly stopped. I'm guessing that's not good. They obviously shut off a valve some where on the cold water to make your water stop working. Have you tried turning the angle stops under the sink?
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Jul 30, 2009 23:48
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ryanmfw posted:I just tried it now. Not sure I turned it the right way or anything. :P You turned it the right way. Can i get a picture of the water piping behind the valve? IF its an older apartment that was run in galvanized then they could of turned the water off for some reason. Well once you do that all the rust that was on the walls of the pipe will now be set free from lack of pressure. Once the waters turned back on it will push all that rust everywhere. Which inadvertently clogs up water pipes.
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Jul 31, 2009 00:07
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ryanmfw posted:I can't get a picture unfortunately, but the pipe isn't a copper color at least. Would there be any way I could determine if it's galvanized? tell me a rough measurement of the pipes outside diameter. 1/2 copper is 5/8ths of an inch. 3/4 galvy is 7/8 of an inch.
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Jul 31, 2009 01:22
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With out a picture i cant be for certain.
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Jul 31, 2009 03:31
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You could blow air back into the line at your apt. It may break up some of the rust. We've done it when a dip tube clogs a hot line.
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Jul 31, 2009 19:22
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Cakefool posted:Hello again, plumbing megathread. I'd person just get a new faucet if i were you. IF you're unsure of taking it apart and repairing it, it will be easier to just get a new faucet. e: I just saw your 2nd reply. , did the O rings leave any black residue on your fingers? If they didnt they are still good.- Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 02:22
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dyne posted:Quick question: I'm tiling in my new bathtub and don't want to tile the ceiling. Can I use greenboard and textured paint on the ceiling (to match the rest of the bathroom) and not run into problems with mold? I'm going to be installing a fan/vent thingy in the bathroom but I'm not sure if that would reduce the humidity enough You will be fine just tincturing it and painting it. As long as you dont spray a poo poo ton of water up there .
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Aug 12, 2009 02:25
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Mthrboard posted:So to update on the cabin project I posted about a couple weeks ago, I finally got a good look at the plumbing, and the only thing that burst was the water heater and a piece of CPVC that ran in the wall from the cold water in to a water softener in the other room (stupid manufactured homes with no room for plumbing so you have to put the softener in the closet of the bedroom next door). The rest of the house was plumbed in pex. Anyway, I installed a new 50 gallon tank heater and replumbed the pressure tank (what kind of plumber just sets a tank on top of a water heater without at least securing it in some way). I ran a few temporary lines just to get them going until I can get up there and redo the whole house properly. My only question now is, what's the best insulation to stop condensation on pex? I put on those foam tubes, but they are still moist when I check them. Google doesn't say much, other than "pex doesn't condensate", to which I say nuh-uh. Maybe if I get those ultra-flexible wraps with tape built in instead of the cheap stuff? Or maybe I just need to install it better. I still don't know how my brothers well pipes are insulated, and the drat plumber still won't call me back. I've never seen pex condensate. How'd you install it? Some pics may be helpful. What type of temps are you reaching at the location you're in.
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Aug 12, 2009 06:19
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Mthrboard posted:Unfortunately, I won't be able to get any pictures until next weekend when I go up there again. As for the install, there were four lengths of pex coming up thru the floor - cold in from the well, cold out (I assume it branches under the floor in the warm insulated space), cold in for the water heater, and hot out. Every cold pipe in this area as well as the pipes under the kitchen sink and the bathrooms have moisture on them. I did find one reference on google to pex condensating in northern Minnesota with the ultra-cold well water. So it's not just my installation, even the existing pex is condensating, as well as the pressure tank. It sounds to me that you have a weak some where. But i will ask my boss if he's ever seen pex condensate. I'll get back to you tomorrow.
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Aug 13, 2009 02:32
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