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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.
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Jul 23, 2009 09:23
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted: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. 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? edit: the one leaking continuously stopped immediately when I tightened the nut so I guess that was the problem... crisis averted. The other sillcock is a frost free jobby and is apparently leaking back by the valve when you turn the water on, but is not leaking when you turn the handle off. There is no nut on the outside to turn. I'll have to crawl under the house and figure out what the problem is. wormil fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Jul 23, 2009 |
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Jul 23, 2009 17:00
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Most the time the hose bib is screwed into a female adapter. You can grab the female adapter with a crescent wrench and have someone outside unscrew the whole hose bib it self. 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)
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Jul 23, 2009 21:56
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The last few times I've run the dishwasher there is a strong sewer smell afterward coming from the sink drains and faintly from the dishwasher. A couple of months ago we had the pipes under the kitchen snaked and since then the drains are working great. The traps are intact and there don't appear to be any leaks. But this smell is disgusting and I need to do something asap. Any ideas why the smell is getting out of the vents? Plugged vent? But then why wouldn't it smell all the time?
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Mar 9, 2010 03:28
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:If the vents are plugged the trap will get siphoned cuase of the vacuum. Does that mean a plugged vent could be causing the problem? Is there an easy way to unplug it? Run a water hose down there? Or do I need to snake it?
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Mar 9, 2010 07:30
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Okay thanks. I'm off tomorrow then to beg, borrow or buy a snake.
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Mar 9, 2010 08:00
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Update on sewer smell from drains/dishwaser: I haven't snaked anything yet but I went up on the roof and shined a high power flashdown down each vent stack and there were no obstructions I could see, and I could see down a long way. I'm going to buy a snake anyway but are there other potential causes?
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Mar 10, 2010 20:30
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Did you snake the vent that was close to the fixture that is smelling. Have you troubleshooted where the smell is coming from. I mean plug the drain and see if the smell stops. If it doesn't then you may have a clean out leaking. No, haven't snaked anything yet. There is water in the p trap. It occurred to me that this started after I began using a bacteria based drain cleaner that is supposed to eat fats. I began to wonder if this stuff was feeding on food waste and producing gas. So I poured a cup of bleach down each drain and into the dishwasher, waited 15 minutes, flushed with hot water and 2 hot rinses through the dishwasher -- no smell. I'm running the dishwasher right now and I'll know if there is any change in about 30 minutes or so. If it does smell then tomorrow I'll snake the vent. Update, still stinks. Plugging the drains had no effect. wormil fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Mar 11, 2010 |
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Mar 11, 2010 03:17
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:If there is water in the P trap then the smell isnt coming from there. You have a broken or open line some where. Is there any clean outs on the kitchen sink? Any clean outs would be under the house. I'll go under to check things out.
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Mar 11, 2010 20:23
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Update on my sewer gas smell. I snaked all three vents this afternoon. When I pulled the snake from the vent over the kitchen, it came out with hair and something brown and disgusting all over it. I pushed the whole 25' snake down there and if the vent was clogged I couldn't tell but there was definitely some nastiness down there deep. Afterward I ran the dishwasher and didn't smell anything but I'm going to wait a few more days before declaring victory.
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Mar 21, 2010 05:15
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The sewer smell is coming back when I run the dishwasher. Snaking the vent was a temporary or coincidental fix. Tomorrow I'll try to crawl underneath and see what is going on.
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Mar 28, 2010 07:36
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edit: nm, this problem is bigger than my skill level. The floor joists are soaked, mold is growing, water is dripping, it looks bad but I can find no obvious leaks from below. The water is to the left of the sink, not under it as I would have guessed. Possibly the old under the counter water heater has water left in it and is still leaking, I just can't tell but I'm afraid we may have to pull the cabinets out to fix it.
wormil fucked around with this message at 20:04 on May 19, 2010 |
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May 19, 2010 18:09
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Christ. The plumbing in this house has been a mess since we moved in. First it was the dishwasher leaking and we fixed that. The the water heater leaked and we fixed that. The the drain pipe behind the wall, behind the sink, broke and has been leaking for about two months. From all these combined leaks in the same area, the floor is rotten, the joists are probably rotten, the wall studs are probably rotten. Dammit. We are tearing the kitchen out in a few weeks anyway but I have to put a temporary drain through the kitchen floor so that more sewer water doesn't poor out into the wall and under the floor. So I ripped out everything under the sink (the old pipes were a hacked together mess) and capped off the old black drain pipe. I have pipes coming from the double sink into a downspout with a Y for the dishwasher. That goes into a P trap that will then go into a short piece that will connect with a PVC drain pipe going down through the cabinet base, through the floor and into the crawl space. I will connect that to ABS under the house with a rubber connector thing and two hose clamps. The old guy in plumbing at Lowes told me I couldn't glue PVC to ABS and suggested the rubber thing (no hub band?) instead. The ABS will then tie back into a branch of the sewer line. It only has to last two months tops, I know it isn't "right" but are there any glaring flaws in this plan? I took pics but I can't find the usb cable for my camera.
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May 21, 2010 06:07
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grover posted:Furncos (brand name for rubber fittings with pipe clamp bands & used ubiquitously for all similar fittings) are a code-approved and permanant way to connect pipes of different materials. They're not structural, though; you need to properly support the pipes. Shouldn't be any issues for you; should be fine for your sink for the short-term. Thanks. Got the new drain in and it's not half bad if I say so myself, certainly better than the Frankenstein mess that was under there before. Now that things dried up some overnight the damage doesn't look as bad as yesterday, I'll still need a new subfloor, probably have to sister a joist or two but it's the rotten sill that worries me the most. Hopefully my insurance will cover it.
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May 21, 2010 21:09
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I shut my sink valves off for a day, when I turned them back and ran the tap, the water was black for a couple of seconds.  Seriously, what is happening there?
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May 27, 2010 18:42
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Speaking of leaks... I learned today that my dishwasher is also leaking. I have been noticing that it wasn't cleaning as well as it used to. Tomorrow I'll pull it and run it to find the leak. One thing after another.
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May 28, 2010 06:12
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Hurray! My wall is gutted, the kitchen floor is gone and new joists and subfloor are going in. Next I get to redo the plumbing. The house was built in 1960, brick exterior and 2x4 construction, and I need to redo this: The first two pictures are the same but different angles. Picture three is the wall to the right of picture two. Seriously, who ever thought cutting away the studs like that was good idea?  You probably can't tell but the kitchen drain had 100% blockage but the bottom had rusted out so all the waste water was pouring out inside the wall (for a while). Yes I am embarrassed I didn't notice sooner but I never go into the back corner or the crawlspace.  Apparently the washing machine was once in the kitchen and they just walled over the supply lines and didn't even bother capping the drain.  I want to put in a new vent stack and new drain to the ABS main. I actually installed a temporary drain once I discovered the problem and that has worked perfectly, maybe I'll just leave it. I'll try to get a picture later so you guys can give me your opinion. But the drain line I installed does not connect directly to the vent, it goes to the main line which is 6 or 8 inches and the vent connects to that just a few inches away. Am I asking for trouble? I would also like to tear out the copper and replace it with PEX. The tubing is $25/100' which seems reasonable but once I buy tools and fittings I'm not sure it would be cost competitive with ABS. Any guidance? I suppose the copper is still fine but it will probably be a long time (hopefully) before it's all exposed like this again. Is there a rule of thumb for estimating PEX? Close up of the rotted pipe.  Close up of the cut wall studs (exterior wall) 
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Jun 28, 2010 20:34
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:2) I would have to see the drain line to get a better idea. It sounds like it should be fine, as long as you put a long as you graded it correctly and it vents properly. It's probably not graded correctly. Look at picture one, the white pipe sticking up through the floor is my install, it goes straight down a few inches then 45s into the main line. Total run is maybe 5 feet. The vent ties in to the main nearby. Tomorrow we'll have it open again and I'll snap a pic. The other question is about venting. The galvanized vent pipe is rotted and I broke it yesterday trying to remove the old washing machine drain, so the vent will have to be replaced. If I leave the (meant to be temporary) drain I installed then I have no problem but if I run the drain into the wall like is typical, I would have to chop up the studs. Or I could run the drain in front of the wall, behind the cabinets to avoid cutting studs. Rd Rash 1000cc posted:3) Unless the copper has issues i wouldn't cut it out. If you do cut any copper water pipe out and the inside of the pipe isn't smooth then you have problems of pitting. But that usually doesn't happen unless you have really hard water. Well this surprised me. I started Googling around and got a variety of answers to the lifespan of copper pipe, anywhere from 30-100 years. This pipe is 51 years old but if I don't need to replace it, I won't make more work for myself. One last question, my gut instinct is to cut and cap the old washing machine supply lines (pic 3). I'm just afraid that leaving unused spigots inside the wall is asking for trouble though it has been fine for decades. On the other hand, my old hose bib is leaking and is actually below deck level... I could cap the old hose bib and install a new hose bib to the washing supply line but I doubt that a hose bib will fit inside a 4" wall.
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Jun 29, 2010 03:28
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I installed a new frost free hose bib, capped off the two old washing machine supply lines and put in a new vent pipe. I was kind of looking forward to sweating the pipe but ended up using Sharkbite connectors just to get it over with. I'm not entirely sure that it wouldn't have been easier to sweat the pipe. Once I cut the old copper pipe and sanded it clean it looked like new so I guess that stuff does last a long time, I just left the old stuff in place. Thanks to everyone for their help. One last question. The hose bib goes through a brick wall. The old one was mortared in place (that was a bitch to get out) but I'm not sure how to affix the new one. I'm tempted to just fill up the hole with spray foam insulation, that should hold it pretty snug and keep critters and moisture out but it doesn't hold the outside snug up against the brick.
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Jul 1, 2010 04:23
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Spray foam will be fine to plug the hole but you should secure the hosebib from the outside or inside. Either using lead anchors or anything you find that will work. Before he left this morning, my carpenter showed me exactly how to anchor it. Once I do that and install a new vent flashing doohickey tomorrow, hopefully my kitchen plumbing will be over. (except for hooking up the sinks). Speaking of which (I always have another question), are you guys fans of just gluing up ABS or using those install kits with the compression fittings. It seems those things slip off sometimes.
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Jul 2, 2010 05:36
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Trident posted:thanks for looking at my issue... I can put a metal rod down in the open drain pipe (I have removed the sink) and tap it with a hammer... it kind of feels like whatever is at the top of the clog is silty, but it gets solid an inch down in. Are you sure the metal rod isn't just bottoming out at the bend?
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Jul 9, 2010 07:27
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Trident posted:Yeah, it isn't bottoming out in the pipe, the clogged section is a lot taller than I drew. I'll get a photo of it tonight. How old is the house? I just replaced a galvanized, 51 year old, drain that was rusted shut. It had 100% blockage that was over one foot long.
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Jul 9, 2010 20:24
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My crawlspace sump pump died and I bought a new one to replace it (both submersible). The pump plugs into a power strip that in turns runs through the floor and plugs into an outlet. I realize this is jury rigged and I'll have it wired properly soon as I get a chance. The pump sits inside a bucket buried in the ground. I filled the bucket to test it and reached into the water and got zapped. With the power strip turned off I get no reading on a voltage tester and the pump doesn't run but I still get zapped by the water, apparently the power strip is.. leaking electricity for lack of a better way to say it. With the pump unplugged obviously I don't get zapped. Even if the strip is bad why am I getting zapped by the water? Just a bad pump? Poor ground? Just seems odd.
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Mar 22, 2011 02:49
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I just replaced an old 1980 toilet with a new American Standard. On both toilets you need to hold the handle down for a few seconds to flush. It's annoying. Is that normal? Here is the toilet: http://tinyurl.com/5wk8gj3
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Sep 27, 2011 23:51
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:The toilet flapper's chain may have to much slack in it. Try adjusting it so there isnt much slack it in. But enough so it lets the flapper seat properly. Doh, that was it. I left it as it came under the assumption they knew what they were doing at the factory. One more question, lately my dishwasher isn't rinsing well, it leaves a film on the dishes. I've got it set for hot rinse but that isn't helping much. Haven't changed soaps or anything. It's about 12 years old. Is this a sign it's wore out or needs a repair?
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Sep 28, 2011 06:19
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Canuckistan posted:When's the last time you cleaned your filters and around the pump? They get gummed up pretty good by grease, soap, and other gunk. I found a bunch of videos on Youtube when I had to do it with my Kenmore dishwasher. The pump, several years ago, a glass broke and jammed it up. I'll look into some of those videos.
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Sep 28, 2011 18:17
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I have a cast iron pipe from my 2nd bathroom that connects with ABS. They were connected with a rubber sleeve and have come apart. I was just going to reconnect them but decided to have a plumber look at it. They quoted me $650 to just put it back the way it was, no warranty, which seems ridiculous. This company has done work for me before and has always been reasonable but I can't justify the expense just to slap a rubber sleeve over two pipes. Am I underestimating the difficulty here? Either way I don't have money as I've had to do some other recent repairs so I'm stuck doing it myself. Any tips or advice is definitely needed. Here are some pics. From the back, looking toward the leak.  Close up 
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Apr 9, 2012 19:37
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tater_salad posted:Disclaimer, I am not a plumber. No, that quote was just to replace the connector. Replacing the cast iron was $1200, no warranty. For a warranty it was over $2200. I got a different guy than the previous times they were out and either they have jacked up their pricing or the previous guy was giving me a hella good price. They charged me less to install a water heater to a new location and run new lines.
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Apr 9, 2012 20:45
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There is several feet of cast iron. I got a bad feeling when he started by quoting me a price to replace all my plumbing for $18k+. edit: Done as best as I could do it and it doesn't leak. Worth the $7 and half hour it cost me. I discovered my shower drain is leaking around the tub drain though so there's another project. It's all threaded iron pipe with an old canister trap so hopefully there is an easy way to tie ABS into it and back into cast iron. wormil fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Apr 10, 2012 |
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Apr 9, 2012 22:07
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Wait is this a shower or tub drain. And yes its easy to replace it sounds like. And holy gently caress those prices were insane. What was that guy smoking who quoted you . Also to replumb your entire house he wanted 18k. What the gently caress was he quoting. I understand parts would run around 3-4k roughly. But I imagine for 7k in labor (and thats estimating high) it could be done. Sorry, tub drain. After thinking about it I realized I can probably just run new ABS into the newer ABS house main instead of the old cast iron. I'll just remove the threaded iron and cap the cast iron somehow. Pics: Pipe from tub drain which goes into cylinder trap (that's what the plumber called it). I tried to snake this after removing the clean out plug but couldn't get the snake past the 90 at the top. I'd guess that the pipe is clogged with the usual stuff plus rust. This is the same type iron pipe that rusted shut and through that caused all the problems in my kitchen last year. When I replumb in ABS, should I use some sort of bottle trap?  Where the drain connects into the old cast iron. 
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Apr 10, 2012 17:37
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Use a normal P-trap, I don't know exactly why they use to use bottle traps. I will have to research that. But a normal p trap will work just fine. I can only assume they had no way to bend pipe back in the day to make a p trap. P trap's are used more so since you can snake through them. Thanks and yes.
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Apr 11, 2012 08:30
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Our 1960 tub has a drip and needs a new drain. The drain I can figure out, the valves I'm not so sure about. Talked to a plumber today who estimated 5 hours to replace the bath and sink (also dripping) valves. I should have asked him but I was still groggy, do the shower valves actually have to be replaced or can they be repaired?
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Aug 21, 2012 15:38
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:And wormil you can replace the cartridge on the faucet and do the cartridge and seats on the shower valve. Since we are replacing the hardware I guess I have to replace the valves anyway. I'm just going to let a plumber handle it, the first guy quoted $525 minimum (with an emphasis on "minimum"), the second guy $300 which seems a little more reasonable. The first guy has employees and such to pay for while the second guy is a one man band but both came highly recommended.
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Aug 24, 2012 05:38
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Well I'm told that if I replace the handles and such that I have to replace the valves. Maybe because its a 50 year old tub?
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Aug 25, 2012 01:25
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Our bathroom shower has an American Standard Hampton bath/shower faucet: http://www.americanstandard-us.com/shower-faucets/hampton-3-handle-bath-shower-faucet/ We are getting very little flow (1 Gal/min) out of the bath faucet and only a dribble from the showerhead. We disassembled the faucet and with the cartridge removed we are getting lots of flow. The whole shebang is new. How do we fix this? I found a video where a guy with the exact same problem ordered a new rough in valve, ironically he replaced his unknown brand with an A.S. Hampton, the same product we are having trouble with.
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Dec 21, 2014 23:26
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:You probably have some flecks of junk in the diverter cartridge. Try cleaning it out. I'll try that and if it doesn't help I'll call American Standard and see what they say. If it isn't the diverter then the rough in valve has to be defective. edit; diverter wasn't clogged but removing and reinstalling fixed whatever was causing the problem. Unfortunately now it leaks. There is a rubber grommet that slipped off the brass and doesn't want to stay on. Maybe that it is getting moved out of place or I may not have it seated deep enough. It requires a 14mm very deep socket or maybe some specialist wrench I don't have so I'm using a regular 14mm socket and turning that with pliers. Edit2: That diverter cartridge is hosed, I'm buying a new one. wormil fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Dec 22, 2014 |
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Dec 22, 2014 18:28
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mAlfunkti0n posted:I've spent the last three days gutting part of my grandparents home and removing that awful "grey pipe" (Polybutylene) and replacing it with PEX. This stuff has leaked so many times over the year that I am totally gutting the rooms all the way to the sub floor (particleboard subfloors, yay) and rebuilding. If I could find the guys that invented Polybutylene plumbing I would probably beat them within an inch of their life with what I've pulled out of this place. What a miserable bunch of crap to install in a home. Now trying to determine if I want to re-do some of the stuff that is close by with a home run style system to eliminate all the joints from tee's for the master bath, washer and kitchen area. A polybutylene hot water pipe broke at our house two days before Christmas. Unfortunately it goes to the addition which is on a slab so have to tear up the floor to replace it. I installed a valve temporarily until I get it done. I'm thinking cpvc will be cheaper and easier than pex?
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Dec 30, 2014 21:57
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mAlfunkti0n posted:PEX is dead simple to install and I think C-PVC still requires cements to be used to secure the connections. Outside of the cost associated with buying the tools, it is pretty inexpensive as well. The crimp tool we bought from Lowes was $60, and it crimps copper fittings on 1/2 and 3/4 connections. I feel for you so much in that situation .. this has been a nightmare (the demolition and stuff), but at least it is being done and without leaks. I would have loved to have done a home run type of system with a manifold but their place is small and doesn't require much. I hate to say it but with that one burst .. I feel you will probably have to deal with much more down the road. Luckily that is the only polyb in the house so I'm going to replace it all at once. It feeds sink, shower, toilet, and washing machine.
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Dec 31, 2014 00:25
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I need to re-plumb one end of my house with a bathroom and laundry, and maybe a few trouble areas. Pex seems to be highly recommended so what do I need to start? Should I buy a starter kit like this: http://smile.amazon.com/PXKT10012-I..._=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 Assume I am an idiot that doesn't know anything about Pex.
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Apr 18, 2016 19:47
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kid sinister posted:Are the drains already in place? Then what is your specific recommendation? What is the connection between drains and Pex? The Pex will connect to copper, one hot, one cold connection.
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Apr 18, 2016 21:17
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