The pipe tag has no wiki summary.
11
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I tell if these pipes are gas lines or water lines?
I recently moved into an in-law unit of a large old house. In the kitchen, there are two pipes coming out of the wall (one protruding out a little more than the other). I had assumed they were gas ...
10
votes
2answers
864 views
What caused a burn mark near my hot water pipes?
I was doing some household cleanup in the storage room where my heat tank is located when I noticed a burn mark on the wall frame near the pipe that goes from the heat tank to the shower next room.
...
10
votes
2answers
922 views
Why would you use copper over CPVC or PEX?
Are there any advantages to using copper rather than CPVC or PEX?
9
votes
5answers
1k views
Is this plastic pipe connecting city water to the main line dangerous?
I bought a whole house water filter to hook up to the main water line. The plumber who came in said that he won't be able to install it because the pipe that comes from the ground hooked up to the ...
9
votes
3answers
291 views
Do I need to do anything for my external spigots during a short hard freeze?
Like the questioner in Do I need to do anything to protect my pool during a rare freeze? I live in central florida and its going to be a hard freeze tonight. Do I need to let the spigots drip or cover ...
9
votes
4answers
303 views
Removed sink, now what?
We've decided to replace the sink (which was way too small) with one from Ikea.
This is how it looks after the removal:
Now for the problems:
The sink that was there before was a free-hanging ...
8
votes
1answer
386 views
How can I permanently seal or cover a crack where a steam pipe enters the ceiling?
We're looking for a solution to cover or fix a crack that keeps reappearing around a a steam pipe we have. No matter how well we patch it and paint over it, it keeps coming back. Can anyone ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Why does our shower make a screaming noise?
Our shower has a problem...It's very loud! When water hits the correct temperature and flow the shower immediately starts shrieking like a banshee.
It seems to be related to the flow because we can ...
6
votes
3answers
273 views
How do you insulate your pipes to protect against freezing?
So, my pipes froze in my house today, and it made me realize that I should better insulate them for the rare days that it gets in the teens here... What should I do to insulate them?
6
votes
3answers
238 views
How can I locate the pump in a wet open-vented central heating system?
Lost: One Central Heating Pump. Reward offered (in reputation points ;)
I have a wet open-vented central heating system, and I've turned it on after six months to find the radiators aren't getting ...
5
votes
4answers
839 views
Why do I have two parallel gas pipes?
I've got a water heater and a hot water radiator furnace sitting next to each other, both on gas. The strange thing is that there are two parallel gas lines feeding each one of these which come from ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
AC Coolant pipe has condensation and leaks inside wall
I've got an old AC unit (probably 13+ years old) that came with the house that I bought. This summer I noticed some water damage on the drywall in the basement, so I cut the damaged drywall away, and ...
5
votes
2answers
446 views
How do I realign copper water pipes after cutting?
I cut a 1/2" copper pipe to insert a tee fitting a which will eventually go to a Pex line for an outdoor tap. The copper pipe was vertical, and when I completed the cut I found that the pipe was ...
5
votes
4answers
142 views
How do I get these toilet shut off valve out?
As title says I am trying to figure out how to remove the old shut off valve from the pipe. I've been watching lot of videos, reading up on articles and all seem to deal with compression fit type but ...
5
votes
1answer
433 views
Sound proofing a waste pipe
In our (badly designed) flat the upstairs waste pipes run straight through our bedrooms.
It's a shame as the outer corridor is right next to our bedroom, so it would have been sensible to put it in ...
5
votes
1answer
200 views
Should I use glue or o-ring joints on a buried PVC waste pipe?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of both systems of joints for "non-pressure" pipes that are buried?
O-ring joints are more expensive, but easier to do on buried pipes.
Glue on the other ...
4
votes
3answers
8k views
How high can I stretch my washing machine drain hose?
The waste hose through which the water is removed from my washing machine is inserted into a vertical pipe extending from the floor with a U shape at its end.
The problem is that there is foam coming ...
4
votes
3answers
630 views
How can I attach a pipe to a flat surface?
What type of fitting is used to attach a pipe to a flat surface such as a barrel or other container?
The reason I ask is because I have built a tray out of sheet metal that is intended to contain ...
4
votes
2answers
150 views
How can I join two lengths of flexible 1/4" copper pipe?
I have found a leak coming from under my refrigerator, after pulling it out to get behind it I found the 1/4" copper pipe that supplies the water for the ice maker and water in the door was severed ...
4
votes
3answers
7k views
Why do our baseboard heating pipes make a loud banging noise after a new furnace was installed?
We had a new furnace installed about a month ago. The heating in our house is hot water baseboards. Ever since the new furnace was installed, when the heat comes on or turns off, there is a loud ...
4
votes
2answers
425 views
Is it wrong to connect multiple J-bends (traps) together?
My tenants recently told me that they have constant clogging problems with their bathroom sink and had me come take a look at it. I found the following 3-trap configuration:
This was done because ...
4
votes
1answer
789 views
How to reduce heating of cold water pipes in the ceiling space?
On a hot day our kitchen cold tap, if it hasn't been run for a while, will produce water at a temperature up to around 50-55 degrees C shortly after it is turned on. We haven't measured the exact ...
4
votes
2answers
421 views
What do you call this old pipe to bath tap join and how do I remove it?
I'm trying to replace the bath taps. I'm at the point where i've removed one, but can't get the 2nd one off. They are connected differently (go figure).
See attached image:
As i'm new to plumbing i ...
4
votes
2answers
655 views
What are these two pipes coming out of the house?
I am trying to figure out the purpose of a couple of pipes that are currently coming out of the house.
First, a couple of notes:
One-story house.
HVAC system is in the attic.
It is winter here. ...
4
votes
4answers
6k views
What is the best quick repair for a drain pipe?
In particular, a cast iron drain pipe. It doesn't have to be pretty, but needs to be effective and should last until it can be fixed properly.
4
votes
4answers
10k views
How do I cut and cap copper water tubing cheaply and safely?
In my basement I have copper water pipes that look like they hooked up to an old shower. Now they don't hook up to anything. I want to prune these pipes where they come off the main water line (so I ...
4
votes
1answer
235 views
How do I modify a refrigerator water line to add a shut off valve and flexible pipe?
I recently bought a house and bought a new fridge to go with it. The copper pipe that connects to the fridge water has a shut off valve underneath the house and is extremely inconvenient to access. ...
4
votes
1answer
785 views
What is the white, crusty, crumbly stuff I find in my kitcken sink drain pipes?
From time to time my kitchen sink needs to be unplugged, and each time I invariably find accumulations of a crusty, crumbly white material in the pipes. It looks a lot like old cheese, has no ...
4
votes
2answers
172 views
How can I replace this unusual kitchen sink drain pipe?
I'm trying to replace a broken 1-1/2 inch L-shaped brass pipe under my kitchen sink, as in this picture:
At one end, it's connected to the sink drain, which if I'm understanding the terminology ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
Why am I seeing stagnant water inside the shower drainage pipe hole?
I was cleaning the shower drainage pipe (removing hair etc) in the upstairs bathroom and I can see water around 1 foot deep. See the pic.
Is that normal? Shouldn't the pipe be empty? If water stays ...
3
votes
1answer
771 views
Is it necessary to replace lead gas pipes?
I have some lead piping in the cellar where the gas comes into the house. Does this comply to current Gas Safe regulations??
Edit: England
3
votes
4answers
6k views
White solid drain pipe vs black flexible corrugated pipe for a french drain
Which one is preferable if you have a straight line 2 feet deep trench in mostly clay soil?
I'll put either one in a sock with gravel.
There are some roots around the trench so I thought the solid ...
3
votes
2answers
594 views
Corrosion on copper pipes due to insulation (with foam)
My incoming water pipe is copper and it is a brand new installation with no leaks. But due to the hot humid weather (even in the basement) it sweats due to condensation. Should I insulate it?
The ...
3
votes
2answers
890 views
How to patch this PVC elbow connection?
I bought a home about 3 months back, and recently discovered a slow leak under a wall in my utility room.
I ended up removing that part of the wall to get to it, and the leak is coming from the feed ...
3
votes
2answers
102 views
Can/Should I Move These Pipes?
I need to fix a broken ball valve (luckily the valve doesn't leak until I turn it on) that runs to an outside faucet. Also, all of these pipes are CPVC.
When I looked at replacing it, they seemed to ...
3
votes
1answer
278 views
Can I reuse cold water copper pipes for hot water?
I have a segment of copper pipe for supplying cold water to my gas heater currently. It runs inside a wall so I don't want to replace it. Now I need to change the piping and want to reuse that ...
3
votes
2answers
522 views
Is there hard-water deposits inside the pipes in my house?
I have a fairly new home, built in 2007, in Arizona. I noticed today that most of the faucets in our house are starting to get hard water deposits on them where the water is coming out. It got me ...
3
votes
1answer
144 views
Whats the difference between black, blue and red PEX pipes sleeves
I'm using PEX pipes for water tubing, but I'm not sure which sleeve type should I use for hot and cold water pipes.
Whats the difference between black, blue and red sleeves? and which should I be ...
3
votes
3answers
261 views
How can I straighten pipes behind a wall?
The original builders did a shoddy job when they installed the plumbing in the bathroom, causing the taps/faucets to come out of the tiled plasterboard wall at a slight angle - about 5 degrees - so ...
3
votes
1answer
206 views
How do I easily separate unglued PVC pipe from joints?
I've been retrofitting an existing PVC irrigation system around my house. Part of that work requires that I work in shallow holes adding T joints and elbows in places where there were none before. In ...
3
votes
1answer
584 views
Is there a detector of plastic pipe?
I know metal detectors for walls, but in my house there are places where it has a plastic pipe. I wonder if there is a good detector to buy.
3
votes
1answer
104 views
Is this gas line not suitable for direct burial?
One of the homeowners (who is also a gas fireplace installer) in my subdivision sent an alarming email to everyone stating that the gas line between the meter and the house is not of the correct type ...
3
votes
1answer
134 views
What should I keep in mind when extending downspouts?
I am considering extending/connecting the downspouts of my house to some pvc piping which I will run underground. What are things that I need to keep in mind?
Specifically, I have the pvc piping but ...
3
votes
1answer
242 views
How to add a drain pipe to a concrete block wall covered in insulation?
I want to run a 1.5" drain pipe along the wall about 2 feet from the floor to a microbrewery setup in the corner of my basement. I have sheets of fiberglass insulation against the walls though, and I ...
3
votes
1answer
4k views
Can I move my bathroom sink's drain pipe about 6 inches to the right?
I found the vanity I wanted for my bathroom, but it doesn't fit due to the position of the drain pipe. It needs to move about 6 inces to the right. I assume there is some sort of adapter or ...
3
votes
1answer
436 views
How to drain a baseboard radiator system for a repair? How to refill the system?
I have a leak in the second zone in my baseboard radiator system. When installing some drywall in the room the previous owners nicked the copper pipe with a drywall screw, and it appears to have ...
2
votes
2answers
907 views
How do I seal a cracked pipe using epoxy putty?
So, I have a broken pipe exactly on the L join on the wall. It's a huge crack but no big gap, just a curved crack along the pipe.
At first I thought of replacing the pipe, but it means that I have to ...
2
votes
3answers
564 views
is there such a thing as a pipe brush?
I've used Drano/Liquid Plumbr Foam to clean the bathroom sink drain, but that never cleans enough. There's always scum left over. I think I can clean it better if I follow up the Drano with a brush. ...
2
votes
2answers
208 views
Do 22.5 degree pipe fittings exist?
I'm trying to make a triple-monitor stand using steel plumbing pipe, as I've seen this done by others in the past. Most designs call for 45 degree pipe elbows for the side monitor arms, but this seems ...
2
votes
1answer
713 views
Under bathroom sink piping (exposed)
We are looking at setting up the piping for under our wall mounted sink (no vanity, ie, piping will be exposed). And after our contractor finished putting the wall we noticed that the hole from the ...
