For questions relating to the water system of a home or other building, including plumbing and fixtures, water heating, water filtering and treatment, and irrigation/sprinkler systems. Questions regarding swimming pools and spas should have the additional tags "pool" or "spa".
4
votes
3answers
955 views
How cold does it need to be to damage hoses?
I have a water hose that I keep hooked up all the time. It's inconvenient to disconnect and drain the hose to protect it from freezing. My plan is to watch the weather forecast and only disconnect if ...
4
votes
1answer
175 views
Sump with no pump!
A rainy month and water in the crawlspace:
It's was an unusually wet April where I live. I went into my crawlspace last week to change the filter on the A/C and found water. The crawlspace is ...
4
votes
2answers
935 views
How can I install the drain for my reverse osmosis water filter?
I have purchased a Whirpool Reverse Osmosis Water Filter which installs under the sink. I am trying to install it and have run into an issue with the drain: the revers osmosis filter has a red tube ...
4
votes
3answers
8k views
How do I find the source of the water leaking through the ceiling?
I live in Minnesota in a single story rambler with full basement. In an upstairs corner bedroom I started noticing some water leaking in the closet ceiling a week or two ago (picture is current, it ...
4
votes
1answer
347 views
Faucet spout perlator: worth it?
I've seen the following perlator and similars (also plastic ones) on some shopping sites. They claim it can decrease water consumption up to 40%. Is it possible? Is it worth to try?
4
votes
2answers
327 views
Building indoor water feature / water fountain
I would like to have my own little waterfall inside my house. I find the flowing water very soothing and relaxing.
I have seen a couple of "desktop" water fountains, and that is the rough idea, now ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
What could be causing my water heater inlet pipe to corrode?
There is corrosion forming on the inlet and TP valve connections to my water heater; the outlet seems to be fine. More specifically, the nipples are what is corroding. I have read the copper pipe ...
4
votes
2answers
671 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
1answer
291 views
What do I need to connect a refrigerator water line?
I currently have a water valve behind my refrigerator, but it's not hooked up to our current refrigerator. I have no tubing coming out of the valve. We purchased a new refrigerator and want to hook ...
4
votes
3answers
266 views
How to make water move in a square bed
Say I have something similar to the image below:
Now, where you see the rocks, I want to put water that goes a little higher than the rocks, and I want the water to move in one direction all around ...
4
votes
1answer
307 views
Is it ok to use pneumatic tools underwater
I have a concrete that is stuck underwater. The concrete piece is too heavy. I think that I could break it into small pieces with my pneumatic impact drill.
4
votes
2answers
771 views
What can I do to fix the dispenser in the front of my fridge?
My ice maker works (so the fridge is connected to water) but when I try to get water or ice from the door on the fridge nothing happens. Is there a fuse or something that could be blown? I know there ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Can I install a hot water recirculation pump if I have a reverse osmosis filter?
I'm considering getting a "comfort pump" which will pump water from the hot line to the cold line under a sink so that there is no waiting for hot water, as well as saving the wasted water.
My ...
4
votes
2answers
999 views
What should I do about an overflowing septic system?
I noticed a small puddle in the backyard that remained even when it's dry out, and recently realized that it's probably the septic system overflowing. The tank was pumped 2 years ago and I don't think ...
4
votes
3answers
652 views
Should I test the water in my house for contamination?
I live in a house that was built in the 1930's. I'm paranoid that the old pipes for hot and cold water(for the kitchen, shower, etc..) are contaminating the water. Is this something I should be ...
4
votes
1answer
294 views
Will my warped(cupped) oak flooring flatten out after it dries?
I have a refrigerator sitting on a solid oak floor with a plywood underlay/subfloor that had the ice maker line break and the water got under the flooring and it is cupped now about 4 feet square on ...
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
265 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
868 views
How should I troubleshoot and unclog an outdoor drain?
Our back concrete patio directs water to a nearby outdoor drain. The drain consists of what seems to be a 5 Inch green PVC pipe with a plastic grate cover that sticks out of the ground a few inches.
...
4
votes
2answers
383 views
Should we install an overhead tank or cistern tank?
We are building our home (a 2-storey house) and a cistern tank was suggested by our architect for aesthetics. We asked around the neighborhood and one person has a cistern and an overhead tank but ...
4
votes
2answers
491 views
What are some good downspout options for a brick house?
I need to replace the gutters and downspouts on my house, and I'd like to know the best approach.
The house is 100 year-old clay brick house. The old gutters were aluminum and used downspouts that ...
3
votes
5answers
184 views
How can I fill a large container in a shallow sink?
I'm moving into a dormitory building and the bathroom sinks are very shallow. I want to be able to pour water into my Brita water filter but it doesn't fit beneath the tap. I was thinking of getting ...
3
votes
5answers
7k views
Can a wet vac be effectively used as a pump?
Can a wet vac effectively be used as a pump to move water?
I figure if a basement floods, that this can serve as double duty.
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Is it time to replace my 20 year old water heater?
My water heater (gas) shows a date of 1991 on it, although the house was built in 1993. There is nothing wrong with it. It is a little slow to heat the water up, sometimes taking almost 5 minutes to ...
3
votes
3answers
865 views
Under UK Building Codes are you allowed to add an additional stopcock?
I live in the UK and have recently moved into a new home. I've been told the stopcock is "under the floorboards in the dining area" (nothing more specific). I can't find any loose carpet that's easy ...
3
votes
2answers
321 views
Water filtration system recommendations
I'm trying to get my parents a good water filtration system for their home. They live in Mexico so the quality of the water might not be as good as in the US. They have to buy bottled water every week ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I prevent water from getting behind the gutter?
A friend of mine is having a water problem; the water is coming down behind the gutter. It turns out the drip edge isn't covering up the gutter completely on the one side for a considerable length of ...
3
votes
2answers
246 views
How can I add an ice maker water line?
I have the following setup with a T with a valve to an above sink water filter.
The line from the T has one steel braided 3/8” line and goes up to the sink as 3/8”. The other is a thin PVC line ...
3
votes
3answers
342 views
How can I filter iron out of kiddie pool water?
Our well water is high in iron. In the house, we put salt with an iron remover into our water softener. The outside bibs don't run through the water softener, however. The other day we filled up the ...
3
votes
1answer
640 views
Why is my third floor hot water pressure so low?
The hot water pressure in our 3rd floor shower is very low. The 2nd floor shower however, has very good pressure. The problem is not the shower head, which actually produces great pressure when ...
3
votes
2answers
115 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
3answers
1k views
Should I be concerned about the repair to a ceiling after water damage?
We're in the middle floors of an apartment building and have had some damage done to our bathroom ceiling around the manhole due to some leaking pipes (minor rupture so there was a bit of water).
The ...
3
votes
3answers
294 views
Do home radiators waste water?
I received my second quarterly water bill and cannot believe it says I'm using 49,000 gallons of water each quarter. That's over 500 gals per day!
So I started thinking about average water usage per ...
3
votes
1answer
630 views
What could cause water to come out of the faucet when the shower is on?
I'm having a problem with my shower. The water is not all coming out of the shower head, but out of the faucet. The type of shower I have switches to the shower by pulling down on the faucet head. ...
3
votes
1answer
818 views
How to stop a whistling hot water tap which also has a mind of its own?
The hot water tap in my kitchen whistles quite loudly when it is in a certain pressure range -- at very low and high pressures it is fine, but within the sweet spot it whistles away.
It also seems to ...
3
votes
2answers
323 views
How can I identify the source of a leak at the hot water heater?
My water heater has a slow leak. From what I can tell so far it is coming from either the cold water inlet or the hot water connection. The cold water inlet seems to be the culprit to me because that ...
3
votes
1answer
312 views
Can I stop the water in my basement?
I'm digging out my basement and am seeing water flow in because the water table is very high right now. My thoughts are that once I cemented the basement and created a sealed box so to speak the water ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
How can I measure water/moisture content within a wall cavity?
Related to improper placement of a vapour barrier within wall insulation, are there any tools or methods for measuring water/moisture content within a wall cavity?
3
votes
2answers
541 views
How can I reconnect a compression joint without replacing the olive?
We had a leak from our water storage tank and in order to replace the platform that the tank was on, I disconnected all the pipes from the tank. There are three 22mm pipes that connect at low levels, ...
3
votes
1answer
548 views
Increasing water pressure with pump
I live in Karachi, Pakistan. We have underground water tanks and use motors to transfer the amount of water required to overhead tanks that then supply the house.
I get lower pressure in my house's ...
3
votes
2answers
492 views
How can I remove hard water build up from a washing machine?
What is the best way to remove any sediment build up from having hard water from a washing machine?
3
votes
1answer
70 views
How do I keep water from getting in and out of a dishwasher drain air gap?
I have no idea what this is called, so I apologize for the vague title. If someone knows what it is, feel free to edit it.
When I turned on my dishwasher (just moved in), water started spewing from ...
3
votes
1answer
934 views
How can I replace my main water shutoff valve?
I just recently purchased a house that was built in 1979 with galvanized plumbing. The water main just outside the house looks like this:
I'm planning to replace it, but I want to make sure it's ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
How to keep two water tanks have maintain the same water level?
My home has two water tanks (side by side), one used by the owner and one used by us. Unfortunately for us, the owner has a good supply of water and we don't. I have asked him to connect the two tanks ...
3
votes
2answers
635 views
How can I repair a drain that won't stop leaking?
I have a kitchen drain that won't stop leaking. I've checked, and it's definitely leaking from around the joins in the PVC pipe. I've replaced several of the washers, as well as the P trap (bend). ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Hot water heater overflow outside drain pipe
My hot water heater's overflow outside drain pipe has been running hot water out of it non-stop. I turned the inflow water valve to the water heater off and the water stopped running. But what is ...
3
votes
1answer
117 views
How to fix a dripping part in toilet?
This part in my toilet slowly drips water:
It's not a big problem but I still want to fix it. I already tried to screw the part as tightly as possible but it did not change.
3
votes
1answer
152 views
How bad is a leak-through?
I replaced a Fluidmaster in a toilet, and I suspect the fill valve was slightly loose because, after about 12 hours there was a small puddle in the bathroom and the ceiling below was damp. I turned ...
3
votes
1answer
87 views
Do shower water supply line covers need to be sealed or caulked?
I don't know what the proper name of the cover is that hides the hole that the water supply line comes through the wall, but does it need to be sealed to prevent moisture and steam from getting in to ...
3
votes
1answer
43 views
What should I look for when shopping for a kitchen faucet water filter?
I'm looking for a kitchen faucet water filter that I can install, and found several online. My main goal is to have easy access to clean water in my apartment, and to also have a method of filling 5 ...
