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so be honest: how often do you bite your nails?
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May 7, 2009 04:51
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fishhooked posted:Is there any downside to PEX? I know most plumbers prefer copper but since I'm working with finished walls and tighter spaces I'd prefer something that is easier to work with. Not to mention I have never sweated a joint before so I'm liable to burn the place down. Copper is also preferred because sometimes electrical appliances and fixtures were once grounded to the cold water line in the old days. This isn't to electrical code nowadays, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't done in the past... Replacing any copper pipe with anything nonconductive means that you could possibly be breaking the grounding path for an electrical appliance somewhere. Besides, sweating copper isn't your only option, you know: http://www.sharkbite.com/ kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:20 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 17:15
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benitocereno posted:Is this a job best left to a professional? Thanks for the advice, I'm happy to see a plumbing thread! You're wanting to do this WAY too complicated. For a ~15' run to an ice maker, just buy the kits specifically made to hook up ice makers. Basically, they come with a valve that clamps onto your cold water copper pipe and punctures a small hole in the pipe. You then run tubing from that valve to your ice maker. As for your existing ice maker line, just close off that valve. If there's no valve, cap it. Depending on how your home is constructed, it's possible that you may have a cold water pipe closer than your kitchen sink. You would have an even shorter run for that ice maker then. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:30 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 18:28
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fishhooked posted:access space is limited so I cant get a cheater bar in. I'll try heating up the fitting and knocking the poo poo out of it. If that pipe you're trying to loosen is also 100+ years old and rusty, you'll probably break off that rusty steel trying to get it out. That being said, I've found penetrating oil works better than WD40 in most cases. One thing you can try is to apply the oil, let is soak in for 5 minutes, then come back and hit it with a hammer a few times. If it isn't loose yet, reapply oil and repeat.
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May 30, 2009 22:06
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You're probably right in that by hitting around on the pipes, you worked loose all kinds of flecks of rust. However, replacing your lines won't fix an existing blockage at the fixtures. Check all your faucets first. Plug their drains so you don't lose any parts, unscrew all of the diffusers off their spouts and see if your pressure is any better. Clean out any rust or hard water deposits that have built up in them and put them back together.
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Jun 1, 2009 17:17
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No, it wouldn't. That could be a couple things: 1. check for leaks under the tank, including your new bolts and where the fill valve comes through the bottom of the tank. 2. the fill valve may need adjusting. Is the floater on the fill valve set higher than the overflow tube? 3. if adjusting it doesn't work, then the valve inside the fill valve may be getting weak. You'll have to replace the fill valve.
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Jun 3, 2009 02:57
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FidgetyRat posted:How can you tell the difference between ABS and PVC? The stuff that seems to be going in my walls is black.. ABS is black, PVC is white.
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Jun 4, 2009 16:26
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BorderPatrol posted:I live in a 50-year old house and the water pressure is absolute garbage. Water out of the shower head shoots out about 6 inches max. Hard water buildup can sometimes cause this, reducing showers and faucets to a trickle. Do you have hard water?
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Jun 5, 2009 06:49
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BorderPatrol posted:Absolutely, the water is terrible. The first thing to do would be to clean the sediment and hard water buildup out the shower heads and aerators, then see if your water pressure improves at that fixture. If not, then move on to the more drastic steps. You're right, don't vent it to the attic. You'll just end up with mold up there instead. Vent it outside, either through the roof or out a wall. Cover up the vent opening outside with the appropriate cover to keep the weather and birdies. If there was a vent there in the past, then there should be some sort of abandoned venting already in place. Maybe you could salvage that?
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Jun 5, 2009 21:34
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ihafarm posted:I've got an issue with one of the toilets in my home. For the past month or so it has been leaking water from the tank to the bowl - the flap isn't sealing properly on the drain. I replaced the flap, no resolution. I replaced the entire drain assembly, no resolution. If I physically hold the flap down it will seal, but it will eventually start leaking again. 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? I should also mention that this toilet will clog at the drop of a hat. Any thoughts on how I can fix this? A running toilet can be a couple things. One is the flap not making a good seal like you said. Another is that the fill valve could be leaking. When you hear the toilet running and first take off the lid, is the water level at the top of the overflow tube or below the top? The tendency of your toilet to clog isn't related to the tank problems. One thing you can try is to snake its drain, that might help clean out the pipe and give clogs less crap to cling to. Get yourself a pipe snake made for a crapper. They're the ones that run through a short length of pipe shaped like a "J". Be careful not to scratch the porcelain!
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Jun 24, 2009 15:55
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Cakefool posted:Dear plumbing thread, Help. There's not much to it. You got the right idea about turning the water off first. You'll need some wrenches and a screwdriver, probably phillips. You might also need some hex keys, but not all faucets need those. First off, the faucet. You probably have a rubber washer or O-ring that needs to be replaced. Cover the drains. You don't wait to lose any parts down the drain. Next, unscrew the handles. Some handles have a center cap the hides the screw. Pry that cap off with a screwdriver without scratching the surface. Next, you need to remove the cartridge. Each manufacturer has a different way of getting the cartridge out, so this may require some foresight on your part. If you're lucky, you'll see the broken washer or O-ring right away. Take that to the hardware store and find replacements for all of the washers. The valve under the sink is more of the same, but a little simpler. Remove the screw from the top of the handle and remove them. Next, get a wrench and unscrew the cover off the valve. Remove it, then remove the packing washer around the stem. You may have to dig it out if it's really stuck in there. Again remove the cartridge. There should be 2 washers, the packing washer, and a little one on the other end of the cartidge. Might as well replace them both. Don't overtighten anything when putting stuff back together, faucet and valve parts are very easy to break. Also, turning screws for handles feels a little weird since you'll likely turn the valve in its housing just as the screw gets tight. This is normal, just keep turning until the valve reaches its stop, then make sure that screw is tight.
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Jun 24, 2009 23:18
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Cross_ posted:Any general recommendations of how to properly use a snake to get rid of clogs ? The idea with a snake is that they have a screw on the end of the arm. Basically, you feed the snake down until you reach the clog, then you tighten the clamp on the handle and turn the whole thing clockwise to "screw" into the clog. Once you got a good grip on the clog, you pull and push on the line to work the clog free. Feel free to pull it all the way back and examine the treasure you found!
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Jun 27, 2009 02:51
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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?
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Jun 29, 2009 16:05
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted: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.) It's a little over 30 years old and the water level is set properly. The drain pipes are all PVC. Also, an unrelated toilet... I'm the maintenance guy for the family business and at one of our locations, we've got a toilet with the handle on the side, which makes it VERY hard for the arm to get enough movement range to actually lift the flapper enough that it will 'flap' up by itself. Do those side-handled tanks need special arms or am I retarded and can't bend the arm just right?
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Jun 30, 2009 06:32
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted: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. Do you know where I can find the engineer that designed this shitter so I can shove this bent handle down his throat?
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Jun 30, 2009 18:50
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I don't know when the next time I'll be passing by that store... I'll try and remember to snap a picture.
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Jul 1, 2009 03:08
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PulsarD posted:If your toilet makes a buzzing sound and stings when you use it, check the tank for the following: That's a wasp nest, not bees.
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Jul 4, 2009 03:56
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Audio Rules posted:Hello plumbing wizzards out there. We are having a recurring problem with a clogged trap in the bathroom sink. I've found these alternative no-clog traps that promise to solve the problem. Yes, we used them in our 2 new store locations for one whole month before removing the strainers because the strainers needed to be removed and cleaned once a week. That name is really a misnomer, they aren't "no clog" traps, they're "easy to remove clog" traps. There's two problems with that design: 1. the strainers catch more hair and poo poo, actually clogging faster than a wide open drain, and 2. a grate serves the same purpose, and is easier to access and clean. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Jul 28, 2009 |
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Jul 28, 2009 22:13
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grover posted:Hmmm... Of course, I don't really need to ever stop up the sink, maybe I aught to just remove it completely. It's also there to prevent big stuff like rings and jewelry from getting dropped down the drain accidentally. I'd say leave it in.
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Jul 29, 2009 00:08
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Hey ryanmfw, your bathroom is on the edge of your entire apartment, right? Is the apartment on the other side of that wall vacant? I'm thinking that the plumber who built your place did a poo poo job and that your bathroom's cold water line might actually be attached to the neighboring apartment's piping. If nobody there pays the bill, the water company should come and shut off all their water...
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Jul 31, 2009 06:00
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Mark Kidd posted:Our community's water supply has been tainted by a chemical spill. Unfortunately it's going to take more than a water filter. Just for the record, what was the chemical, and has anyone developed super powers yet?
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Aug 14, 2009 16:26
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Are you on the bottom floor? It sounds like you have a clog in the drain stack for your column of apartments in your building and the poo poo flowing out of your sink is from the apartment above. Capping it would only cause the stack to fill up and eventually cause the same problem in your upstairs neighbor's apartment, possibly leaking down into your kitchen, again... Talk with your landlord again. If the drain clogged while you were away on vacation, then it most likely wasn't your fault and it's his responsibility to repair it, not to mention fix it before it becomes a health risk to you or the other tenants. Also, some leases specifically restrict the tenant from making repairs himself or even hire a repairman, they must use the landlord's contractor. You'll need to check your lease agreement to verify this. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:48 on Aug 24, 2009 |
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Aug 24, 2009 18:42
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Remember to tape and dope before putting it back on. and tighten it wither either a strap wrench or put a screw driver inside of it to tighten it. HOGS, he means take the shower head off the arm first, then you can stick a long screwdriver down the pipe and use it as a lever to tighten the arm.
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Dec 14, 2009 03:08
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100 HOGS AGREE posted:I'm gonna find a better way to fasten it to the ceiling in a couple days, I got that strap screwed into the stud but it could be better. You could do like in the original picture with a proper hanger and a short length of threaded rod. Actually your distance looks short enough that you might be able to get away with taking a hacksaw to a long bolt for the threaded end. Here's a tip: screw a nut onto the threads and past the cutting line before you cut it. After you make the cut, the act of backing the nut off of that cut will help line back up the threads at that cut so that the rod will actually screw into its intended place easier. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Dec 20, 2009 |
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Dec 20, 2009 18:02
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badnoodle posted:2.) How hard would it be to switch from the two tap set up to a one handle, cartridge-style? If you're going to be stripping the tub area down to the studs, then the ease of replacing the faucet would be the same as installing a new fixture. The real answer for how hard that would be is where the studs are placed in that wall. Their placement really determines how hard it will be to put in the new faucet assembly, mainly how you'll have to drill holes, cut away any studs partially, run tubes for the spigot and shower head, etc. You really can't figure this out without stripping down to the studs first. I suppose you could screw around with a stud finder on the other side of the wall and a shitload of measuring if you're really determined.
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Jan 27, 2010 20:19
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Unless you got some serious clearance underneath that sink, you'll have to take that bowl off of the wall to be able to drill pilot holes to attach the bolts. If it wasn't attached, then it's possible that they didn't line the up the sink to the studs properly, in which case you may need to move the sink left or right to attach it properly. Is that wall drywall, plaster or tile with concrete backer board? As for the drain, I would honestly set a bucket under the P trap, take the trap off and empty it, then stuff a rag in the drain to keep out the sewer gas. Take the drain pipe off the bottom of the sink with a monkey wrench. Take both of of those to the hardware store and don't leave until you find something that fits the nut on the underside of the sink and the drain hole pipe.
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Mar 15, 2010 00:13
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Kaluza-Klein posted:I just need the proper type of drill bit, eh? And then, what type of bolt/screws do I use? Would it need an anchor? To drill into tile, you need (big surprise) a tile bit! You can also use a masonry bit, but that's a little harder to use since you need to worry about the tip walking off the point you set it on. You can use a center punch and a light tap with a hammer to make a 'dimple' to keep the bit from walking, but most people are leery about taking a hammer and basically a big nail to their tile... What is the tile stuck to, the subfloor or a thin cement layer? What is the subfloor in that bathroom made of? Does your home have a slab foundation, or is that a basement bathroom? kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Mar 15, 2010 |
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Mar 15, 2010 17:28
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When drilling tile, they only crack or chip if you're drilling near the edge of one, or if you press on the drill too hard. Either way, you will be setting something on top of that spot, so you should be fine. Just take it slow and let the bit do the work. In houses they sometimes spread a thin layer of cement 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick to level out the floor so they can install the tile and have it be flat. If it's fairly thick you might want to attach into that with appropriate anchors, otherwise use a masonry bit bigger than your screw to go through that and then use a big screw or lag bolt to screw directly into the wood subfloor (don't overtighten!) kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:54 on Mar 15, 2010 |
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Mar 15, 2010 23:51
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I suppose this is a "plumbing" question still. My dad has a yard hydrant that was leaking pretty badly until I pulled out the rod today and replaced the rubber plunger at the bottom. However, upon putting it back together, I cannot adjust the handle attachment to the rod so that the water siphons back down the weep hole like it's supposed to. Any ideas?
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Mar 25, 2010 03:51
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How about the manufacturer's product page and parts list for that exact model? edit: I couldn't find "weep hole" anywhere on those pages... Here's what I've crammed and found out about them. Basically, frost free yard hydrants have to be able to drain the water remaining in the pipe that comes out of ground after you shut it off so it won't freeze. They do this by having that "weep hole" that opens once you shut the water off and allows the water in the pipe to escape to the ground. double edit: I think I just solved my own problem. I just remembered what the damage to the old plunger looked like. When the plunger comes up, it has to block the weep holes, otherwise you'd have water spraying into the surrounding ground under pressure, right? Well, the old plunger was scuffed on opposite sides, high up. The weep holes must be plugged or corroded over or something. gently caress, I don't want to have to dig that thing up 
kid sinister fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Mar 25, 2010 |
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Mar 25, 2010 06:00
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Nope, it was the manufacturer's own replacement part.
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Mar 25, 2010 16:55
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tadashi posted:I need to de-winterize my home. I am pretty sure I know how this works after researching quite a bit, but I want to make sure I have this right: Do you have the old fashioned non-frostproof spigots on the outside of your house? You can also open the valves inside for those now.
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Apr 1, 2010 17:27
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PipeRifle posted:Is it possible someone cemented this thing in at some point? While not "cement" per se, hard water buildup LOVES to stick in threads and can keep threaded parts from coming apart easily. I know I've broken plumbing parts trying to get that buildup to free. Also, you might want to take a picture of the old spout first, just in case you break it and need to match it later.
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Apr 12, 2010 07:39
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dwoloz posted:I replaced the hot water stem in my Price Pfister shower tub because it was leaking. The replacement I got once installed now turns in a different direction than the cold. The cold handle and the new hot handle turn anti clockwise whereas before the hot handle turned clockwise (handles would move in opposing fashion) Most valves turn clockwise to close, counter clockwise to open. It might be possible that you orientated the new cartridge the wrong way, but I doubt it.
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Apr 12, 2010 16:44
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kid sinister posted:Also, an unrelated toilet... I'm the maintenance guy for the family business and at one of our locations, we've got a toilet with the handle on the side, which makes it VERY hard for the arm to get enough movement range to actually lift the flapper enough that it will 'flap' up by itself. Do those side-handled tanks need special arms or am I retarded and can't bend the arm just right? Wow, it took me 10 months to get this fixed... Anyway, I thought I'd bump this to let other plumbers know that I managed to fix this stupid side-handled toilet! I did it with a handle with a bendable metal arm and a low-flush flapper. You know, the kind with the little float on the flapper chain? That float on the flapper chain gave it enough umph to want to come up when the handle is pushed down. First you need to bend the metal arm just to work in the tank. Second, low flush flapper floats don't have to stay on the low flush setting... Move the float all the way to the bottom of the chain. That way the flapper will go down around the same time a normal flapper would. It's possible that you might lose a fraction of an inch where the flapper would normally go down and the bowl might not flush completely, but you should be able to adjust the fill valve float a little higher to give yourself that fraction of an inch back.
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Apr 17, 2010 16:04
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Alterian posted:Our house has a half bathroom downstairs, except its the wrong half. Its a sink and a small shower. Your stinky shower could be one of 2 things: 1. That shower hasn't been used in forever and the water in the trap evaporated far enough down to leave a gap for sewer gas to leak through. If you can see down the drain and you don't see water collect when you pour it in, then this isn't the case. 2. The past owner who installed that shower (the shower without a toilet is the clue here it was done halfassed by a former DIYer owner) used a toilet rough-in to install a shower. Remember that talk about traps? Well, showers and tubs have their traps down in the floor, whereas toilet traps are internal in the base above the floor... Since he put a shower on a toilet rough-in, there's no trap for the shower drain and he couldn't be bothered to chop up the concrete and put in a proper drain. You can plug it in the meantime. Take the grate off, measure how far apart the pipe is, go to the hardware store and buy one of these:  It's called a "test plug". Basically, you tighten the wingnut up top and it squeezes the rubber outwards to grab onto the drain walls. Kaiju posted:Toilet issue. Lend me a hand. That sounds like either the float is set too high, or one of two possible leaks, both in the fill valve. Either the fill valve is leaking into the tank and the water level is overflowing into the overflow pipe, or the fill valve is leaking out the little refill tube which also goes into the overflow pipe. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Apr 18, 2010 |
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Apr 18, 2010 19:49
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Kaiju posted:It's definitely not the overflow pipe. There's a good half inch between the water level and the top of the pipe. I also checked the refill tube and it's not running. Then you a have a leak somewhere. The new flapper could be making a bad seal (check the rim on the overflow tube for burrs), the tank could be loose from the base, or the overflow tube could have a crack in it. Alterian posted:This is the offending shower and drain: Yeah that looks like a toilet flange, raised above the floor to be on level with the finished floor. He didn't even lay down anything to raise up the shower liner! And get a Philips screwdriver, take that doorknob off and just turn it around so the button's on the inside! kid sinister fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Apr 18, 2010 |
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Apr 18, 2010 20:58
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Alterian posted:Thats good news that I'll hopefully be able to re put a toilet there. We already took care of the door. Its just a good example of the weird stuff we've encountered that the previous owners did. slap me silly posted:Haha, if that's a toilet flange, then - no trap! No wonder it stinks. Also, what an idiotic thing to do.
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Apr 19, 2010 00:26
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:Kid sinister , i don't know what you're on but that doesnt look like a toilet flange at all.That is a shower drain. Obviously it wasnt installed correctly since the pipe is to long and it needs to be cut down so the shower drain sits flush. Sorry, I had to take a toilet off the flange yesterday and I kind of got flange on the brain. That toilet pissed me off  ...so where's the trap?
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Apr 19, 2010 05:59
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I got a weird feeling about that picture... What are the odds that the previous owner stuffed the smaller shower flange (or part of one) inside a larger toilet flange or 3 inch toilet pipe?
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Apr 21, 2010 03:17
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