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Good evening goons, I am unsure of what information to even provide so please bare with me and let me know what I don't know! I'm trying to track down a sulfury/eggy smell that fills my basement and can be smelled on the next floor up many times that we run our washer. We have it draining into a laundry tub. It was snaked about two years ago due to a slow draining problem and has not had any problems since. Where should I begin the troubleshooting? My wife has tried running the wash with various things (just bleach, vinegar, good intentions, etc) and none have worked. We are using city water (Detroits finest!) and not well. What other information can I provide? Thanks!
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Sep 28, 2009 00:03
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 23:22 |
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VERY quick reply, thanks! grover posted:1) Is the washer and sink in your basement? grover posted:2) Do you have any floor drains in your basement? If so, are the P-traps getting siphoned dry after you do a load of laundry? I do have floor drains, for years they were under carpet and after a recent sump-pump failure I just ripped them up to find them. I am unsure of what a P-trap is and do not know how I can tell if they are siphoned dry after the load. What do I look for and what does it imply?
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Sep 28, 2009 00:07
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Interesting. So take a cup of water and put it into the floor drain? I see the p-trap underneath my laundry tub. My wife insists that the smell starts right when the water comes out of the hose and not yet into the drain, does that mean anything or is she mistaken?
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Sep 28, 2009 00:14
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Tigertron posted:Apprentice plumber checking in, I started just two weeks ago. We are small, just three of us, we cover plumbing and ac/heat. There is something very rewarding about working with your hands and getting a job done right. Plus the pay is very rewarding as well. You definitely have my respect. You guys are like the Calvary when I'm in a jam. I'll pay nearly anything!
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Oct 11, 2009 23:28
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While hanging out in my basement last night my wife noticed that one of our ceiling tiles had a water spot on it. Investigation shows that my dishwasher is leaking. The good news is that it only does so when the dishwasher is running (so water supply should be fine) and the leak has not been occurring long. Our neighbors just had a huge disaster (with insurance companies, suing plumbers...) with their dishwasher that has made my wife hyper-sensitive to this issue as it destroyed the hardwood in their kitchen. We have the exact same model house and dishwasher. I'm not opposed to getting a new one, as ours is a bit frustrating and could use an upgrade to match our newer appliances, it's 15 years old. The frugal part of me wants to ensure that it is indeed a defective dishwasher though. What is the best way I can troubleshoot it? I intend to pull the bottom cover off of it and take a look underneath, give the DW a run and see what leaks. Challenge is, I don't know what I'm doing from there. Supposedly the neighbor had a hose replaced which then initiated this whole onslaught of flooding in their house. My guess is that they just assumed it was fixed and went ahead business as usual. On another note, if I do indeed need to replace it, how difficult of a job is it to do? Can I do it myself or should I pay the $134 that Lowes is going to charge for piece of mind for the wife? Thanks in advance!
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Jul 11, 2013 21:21
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kid sinister posted:Are you sure that it's the dishwasher itself that's leaking and not its drain hose? Nope, I'm not sure it's the drain hose. I still need to take a look at them directly, I just can see that is where the water is coming in to the basement and it started back up when we turned it on. That really doesn't sound too complicated. I may do it myself. I'm perplexed as to how a professional plumber managed to botch my neighbors hose replacement in a reasonably newer home. If we lived in the sticks (and had sketchy quality professionals) and old homes I could understand. That gives me a small amount of pause to do it myself but I think I can swing it. Thanks for the help. I will report back once I get a look under the hood!
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Jul 11, 2013 23:20
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So I got the cover off and ran the washer. Immediately water started dripping from the white portion with all the plastic triangles that forms a big ring around the whole thing. I don't know what that is, but it does appear that the leak is coming from the unit itself and not a hose. Anyone able to identify what the issue could be with this information? What else can I provide? I greatly appreciate any help! 
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Jul 12, 2013 02:55
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:If the leak is coming from the above the water line I can only say to replace the dishwasher. It could have worn out but I know they are cheap so I dont know if repairing it would be worth your time. I think an average dishwasher costs around $200. Now if it was below the triangle by the threads with the white teflon tape on it it would be a simple fix It's not even the black hose. It's coming from the white triangle disc itself.
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Jul 12, 2013 03:32
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So my dishwasher situation has gotten more complicated. I bought a nice stainless front Whirlpool Gold that is highly rated. I go to remove the previous one at the shutoff valve under my sink seems to be broken. When I tightened (righty-tighty) it initially a bunch of dust came out and I assumed that since it hadn't been turned in a long time it explained why it was so difficult to do. After that water started slowly coming out right behind the knob (oval style , not circle) and the flow increased as I tightened. Instead of pushing it further I opened it back up and the water stopped completely. Sounds as if the seals are shot to me and needs replacing. My first thought is "hey, no big deal, I'll shut it off where it tees up from my basement to my main floor, maybe I'll even replace the shutoff valve when I can make it to the hardware store. I go into my basement and nowhere is the shutoff valve that is accessible. Everything that is accessible by drop-ceiling is straight pipe, no shutoffs. I can see where the pipes lead before the tee, but they disappear into another dry-walled ceiling area about 3-4 feet past where I can feel. Same thing in the other direction to the hot-water heater. So I look at my hot-water heater and there isn't a shut-off leaving it. Looking at the manual it appears to be normal. There is a shutoff for the cool water inflow though. I theorize that if I turn that off water will still flow until the tank is emptied unless there is some fluid dynamics I'm not considering where turning that off stops the flow of hot water out of the tank. Here are my options as I see it: 1. Turn off of the water at the main, drain the tank and then replace the valve and install the dishwasher (or at least just the valve to fix one thing at a time). Turn the main back on and hope everything is functional and good. 2. Cut the drywall where I THINK the shutoffs leading up to the sink would be. This isn't the worst idea as the ceiling is recessed there and not even visible until you crane your head in that area. I don't like holes in my drywall though and have never patched it before despite it probably not being an issue. 3. Call a professional to handle the whole problem and pay $$$. What say you goon help?
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Jul 13, 2013 03:14
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Motronic posted:I'm not sure what you are saying here......but if you shut off the cold water to the water heater the only thing that would empty the tank is gravity. If it's in your basement that's not a concern. I know where the main shut off is, but if I shut that off there is still 55 gallons of water in the hot water heater that should supply the house if I turn it off there. There is only one broken shutoff and that is under my sink to the dishwasher. The shutoff on the same pipe under my sink to the faucet works great and I used it to replace a faucet last year. The challenge is that any other shutoffs in between the hot water heater and my sink are dry-walled off in the ceiling. I imagine the previous homeowners did so thinking that they would only need the one under the sink. Can you elaborate on what would happen if I shut off the cold water to my hot water tank? Picturing this: Main - | shutoff -> hot water heater -> rest of house. If I shut that off, I presume that the water in the tank would make it's way to the house, but not be replenished (as the poster above said) until I reopened the main. This sounds like the best way to get this whole thing fixed. Is that more clear? Sorry if I rambled on and it was jumbled. Thanks!
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Jul 13, 2013 04:10
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ShadowStalker posted:Most houses only have on shutoff valve for the each faucet/dishwasher/whatever. If your shutoff valve for the dishwasher is screwed, I'd go for either option of turning the main off or the hot water heater intake. Both will require you turning on the hot water at a few faucets and letting it run. Don't forget to turn off the breaker for the hot water heater. I'm sure running the hot water heater without water isn't good for it. If I shut off the hot-water intake that should cover me after the tank is emptied right? That's probably a good long while for the capacity, but cheaper than a plumber. I'll talk to the guys at the hardware store tomorrow for the exact procedure for replacing the shutoff valve. Thanks a load for the input!
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Jul 13, 2013 04:11
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ShadowStalker posted:The tank doesn't have to be emptied, you just have to turn on the hot water at a faucet to relieve any pressure in the lines. Just shutoff the hot water heater intake, turn off the hot water heater breaker, turn on the hot water at a faucet and let it run dry. Then replace the shutoff valve. Oh, that's fantastic. I have copper. Thanks for pointing out the need to turn off the breaker on the HWH, I wouldn't have considered that. This doesn't sound that bad of a gig after all!
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Jul 13, 2013 04:35
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Naw, I will hire a professional to do that bit of work. Above my skill level. I will do the dishwasher by turning off the main and then call someone in to fix the shutoff for the long term. Thanks for all the help goons, you really got me to where I needed to be!
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Jul 13, 2013 14:43
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TraderStav posted:Naw, I will hire a professional to do that bit of work. Above my skill level. I will do the dishwasher by turning off the main and then call someone in to fix the shutoff for the long term. I love happy endings:  The packing nut on the shut off valve just needed an 1/8th turn and it worked perfectly from then on out. Thanks for everything!
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Jul 14, 2013 20:41
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jivjov posted:You're probably right...but he was very nice about it. As soon as payday rolls around, I'm investing in a toilet auger and be a happier homeowner for it. I've never had an auger, I'd suggest trying to eat differently so you're not taking pop-can sized shits. This happened to my five year old, got him on some Mirilax (sp?) and he stopped clogging it all up.
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Jul 16, 2013 17:26
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 23:22 |
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Bad Munki posted:Look, if your poops aren't the size and shape of a pringles can, is that really even living? You may have a point, I'm going to reevaluate my position on this.
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Jul 16, 2013 17:42
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