For questions about the supply and removal of water and liquid waste.
1
vote
4answers
64 views
How do I clear a drain pipe clogged with dried soap?
I think we have a clog of dried soap in our pipes, past the U-bend and down the pipes from upstairs to the drain at ground level.
How do I clear them?
0
votes
3answers
840 views
How do I pressure test a natural gas line and what do the valve pressure ratings mean?
I'm planning to add an appliance to my house, and will want to do a pressure test of the newly installed gas lines. My main shutoff says 175 PSI, but most of the appliance valves say either 1/2 or 5 ...
2
votes
2answers
63 views
What could be causing low pressure in my new faucet?
My dad recently bought a new faucet (Moen 87690SRS) and installed it fine. I was home visiting, and he asked me to look at it because the pressure is really low compared to the old faucet. He said he ...
2
votes
2answers
155 views
How can I replace the bleed plug for my towel rail?
I have a very similar type of radiator as this:
However doing a bathroom refit, I have somehow lost the radiator bleed plug which is shown in the picture above. So if I turn the radiator on, it ...
1
vote
2answers
137 views
What is the function of a check valve on the inlet of a household macerator pump?
Macerators sometimes require check valves on the inlet for shower waste. I'm thinking the low rate of flow from a shower might not be enough to trigger macerators activated by air switches, so the ...
0
votes
2answers
167 views
How do I install a water line for a refrigerator in a galley kitchen?
My sink is on one side of my galley kitchen and the fridge is on the other. The living room doorway is between the water line to the sink and the fridge. The house sits on a slab so there is no ...
0
votes
2answers
271 views
What could be causing water to drip from the relief valve of my new gas water heater, again?
I installed a brand new water heater about 4 months ago, noticed that that relief valve was dripping like crazy. Checked the expansion tank and it was filled with water. I replaced it with a brand ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
Do I add calcite or magnesium first to my new acid neutralizer?
So I am replacing a smaller acid neutralizer with a larger one. Bought it at the local water store, had a nice chat with Wolfgang. He loaded 3 bags of calcite and one box of Magnesium mix. He told ...
2
votes
1answer
120 views
How do I calculate the takeoff for a 45 degree elbow joint?
I'm trying to install a 45° elbow joint in PVC. I've found several suggestions online, but frankly, they are incomprehensible to me and seem contradictory of one another:
...
2
votes
1answer
56 views
What are my options for installing a water softener on the opposite side of the house from the main water supply?
Background Info
My main water supply on my home is located on the east wall of the home, whereas my garage is located on the west side of the home. There is no water softener loop in the home, and in ...
2
votes
1answer
94 views
Why is my electric water heater making an intermittent groaning noise?
My 8 year old electric water heater started to make a strange rattling noise a couple of weeks ago. The noise happens at random and lasts for only a few minutes. Short bursts of noise about a minute ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views
How can you tell when a vacuum breaker needs to be replaced?
The one in the master bath just started "leaking" recently and now my daughter reports the same problem in her bath. Is this just a part of their normal function or do they need to be replaced or ...
2
votes
1answer
160 views
How do I diagnose and fix a toilet blockage
I have a toilet that makes a gurgling noise IF it flushes down. However, at times it will fill up when I flush the toilet and I will see something come up from the bathroom drain. I have tried putting ...
2
votes
1answer
243 views
Is a water pressure booster pump with an induction motor suitable for kitchen tap use?
The water pressure in my kitchen is too low to achieve a reasonable flow rate through the kitchen tap. For many years I have fitted a series of booster pumps which are activated when water is flowing ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
How can I identify my bathroom tub faucet pressure valve?
I am looking for a replacement trim valve kit and I am having trouble finding the right one that will fit my current pressure valve. It appears to me to be a model from American Standard.
Click ...
0
votes
1answer
10 views
Can we install an aeration unit in an older septic system?
Our home was built in 1957. We have had problems for years with having a wet drain field and keep having our septic pumped. Today (of course my husband is away), I have done a couple of loads of ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
How can I find a replacement external tub drain if the original has no identifiable markings?
We are rebuilding a bathroom in a house in Long Island, New York. We would like to replace this external tub drain with the same. It has no identifiable markings. We need the make or model, or even ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
Is there any way to make a sink connected to a garborator drain faster?
In the kitchen there are two sinks side by side which share a common drain. One sink has a garborator. It drains ridiculously slowly. The other sink drains faster but I've been told it doesn't ...
3
votes
0answers
170 views
How do I replace this bathtub handle that has a plastic piece?
I have followed a number of videos, but they all seem to have a copper (?) stem. At this point I'm up to some plastic piece that has no notches (namely around the metal piece) to use a wrench on.
...
3
votes
0answers
57 views
How can I locate an odor emanating from the kitchen/laundry area?
I live in South Florida. My home is a one level, 2400-sq ft, u-shaped with bedrooms on one side and kitchen/laundry on the other side. I have a consistent odor but it's not constant. It comes and ...
3
votes
0answers
206 views
What could cause this rhythmic clicking/drumming sound in my bathroom sink pipe?
Why is my bathroom sink making a rhythmic drumming/clicking sound after I used a small plunger to help make water flow more quickly down the drain?
2
votes
0answers
62 views
Where could the air in the water system be coming from?
We live on the top two floors of a small brownstone walkup. To get the heating to work upstairs I need to bleed the baseboard heater almost every other day. All faucets in the house sputter, and the ...
2
votes
0answers
327 views
What could cause my tankless water heater to make a knocking sound?
I recently replaced my water heater with a tankless unit (Rheem). After installation I noticed that whenever I turned on the hot water; or when my central heating unit would turn on, the tankless unit ...
1
vote
0answers
66 views
If I use (2) 3/4“ inlet PEX manifolds (hot/cold), do I need 1” PEX supply from the meter?
I am replacing all the plumbing in my house and to the meter. I will be using PEX. I have manifolds for hot and cold with 3/4" inlets and 1/2" outlets at the valves. Do I need to use 1" PEX tubing ...
1
vote
0answers
50 views
How can I fix a shower faucet valve that is sticky?
I have two bathrooms that have been completed in the last year. Both have the same Price Pfister rough-in valve. One is sticky and requires a bit of force to turn on the water (turns on by pulling). ...
1
vote
0answers
80 views
How can I repair my leaky toilet?
Apparently my original toilet valves were cheap because they both had problems and I replaced both with fluidmaster valves some years ago.
Two problems were apparent immediately which I solved:
...
1
vote
0answers
104 views
How to remove flex hose from a single-control, tall faucet?
I have a faucet that is leaking down the flex hose. The one flex hose unscrewed easily. The second is turning but not coming out. I assume the nut has become separated from the crimp on the hose. ...
1
vote
0answers
178 views
What could be causing thumping in the wall when the bathroom shower, toilet, or sink are used?
I hear a thumping in the wall whenever the second floor bathroom shower, toilet, or sink are used (sound is similar to if you let the bottom of your fist fall against a sheetrock wall). It is 'almost' ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
How/where should I put a water dispenser on this counter?
My friend's coffee shop has a hot water dispenser they use for drip coffee and tea. It's already filtered, and accessible to customers.
It would be terribly convenient if we customers could get cold ...
1
vote
0answers
333 views
How can I properly drain heatpump condensate?
I have a heat pump in the attic That drains to the ground outside two floors below. I naively added a hose fitting so I could redirect the water where I wanted it, slightly up hill.
This created a ...
1
vote
0answers
229 views
How can I loosen a faucet cartridge that is stuck due to limescale buildup?
The cartridge faucet in my bathroom has developed a pretty steady dripping so I decided to give it a shot and replace it. I managed to remove the handle, but the screw ring that keeps the cartridge in ...
1
vote
0answers
336 views
how to remove a stuck shower handle?
I have a shower faucet "mixet" temperature handle that I can't remove. I have have the screw out but the knob won't come off. How do I get it off with out breaking, or pulling apart the pipes?
If it ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
Where to get oversized Trip Lever assembly?
Example
I need a 3.5 inch trip lever to replace old one. I have looked at local big boxes and online and they are all around 3 inches. I even ordered one on amazon and it said it was 3.5 but was ...
0
votes
0answers
28 views
What do I do if my expansion tank doesn't have a drain valve?
What do I do if my boiler expansion tank doesn't have a drain valve? It just has a cap on what I believe is the drain pipe.
0
votes
0answers
326 views
What is that dripping noise I hear in the wall whenever cold water is used after sitting awhile?
I live in a condo...upstairs with another unit behind me with the plumbing in the shared wall between us. Whenever it's been awhile (say 45 minutes to an hour) since any cold water has been used, if ...
0
votes
0answers
140 views
How can I determine why there is no water coming from my hot taps?
I'm getting no water from any of the hot taps in my house. The cold water taps are working fine. The central heating is also working. I have a combi-boiler. It's been fairly cold today in London, so ...
0
votes
0answers
164 views
What could cause my radiators to go cold when the hot water is turned on?
when only heating is selected on my program timer the radiators all work fine and are hot. But when both heating and hot water are on the water gets hot but all the radiators go cold. When the hot ...
0
votes
0answers
77 views
What is wrong with my boiler?
The boiler flashes 50 and just makes a clanking noise then fires up and clunks off. I think the flashing 50 means thermostat lock out. I've had loads of problems with it since moving in, mainly ...
0
votes
0answers
196 views
Why is there no hot water in the kitchen?
I have hot water everywhere in the house but the kitchen sink. I have cold water but no hot. It will trickle in the middle but still cold. Does that mean its frozen or is there something else to ...
0
votes
0answers
59 views
Laundry tub faucet water stays flowing while hooked up to washer
It has the pipes that come out above the actual faucet that washer is hooked to so the faucet needs to turn off but doesn't even when handles are shut off. I currently have a outdoor hose sprayer ...
0
votes
0answers
638 views
Adjusting a Mixer Tap Hot/Cold Mix
I have a Twyford mixer tap on my bathroom washbasin (Exact model here).
As it stands the Hot/Cold mix I can get out of it is either very hot or very cold, with a tiny area in the middle giving a ...
-1
votes
0answers
33 views
Should I use a separate pump for my solar pool heating system?
I just got the solar panels and have an extra pump. Instead of messing with all the PVC on the filter, I was just going to use a separate pump and put hoses in the pool. Figure run it while at work ...
