25
Yes, that's a scary article but keep in mind that both safety devices have to fail to have the tank explode. The pressure release valve and the high limit on the thermostat both have to malfunction. Both of them to my knowledge operate at around 200 degrees F. The maximum you can set most water heaters is 150 degrees F but most recommendations are to set ...
22
Consider the sources; it is plumbers giving you a scare story to get you to hire them. See also "aluminum wiring".
It will take a chain of 3 events at once:
failure of the thermostat, causing the heater to overheat the water, boiling it.
the pressure relief valve fails to operate, preventing the pressure from simply blowing out the relief valve; that'...
8
I would use Oatey “hot” glue it sets faster than regular but cost a bit more , only get a small can as it evaporates faster also. You can see the label most standard solvents require an hour or longer depending on the diameter , but hot glue is ready in as short as 10 minutes. Primers also help but hot glue doesn’t need primer or the orange stuff I use doesn’...
8
An electric water heater explodes when the water in it starts boiling, producing pressurized steam that causes the heater to rupture. In order for this to happen, three things all need to fail; if any one of them works properly, no explosion will happen.
First, the thermostat needs to get stuck in the "on" position. If it's working normally, or if it ...
6
Well, the answer is right there in the article you linked:
Always check your hot water heater’s pressure relief valve to ensure
it is in good working condition. If you have any concerns that your
water heater is not functioning accurately, have an inspector come
take a look at it.
The best precaution you can take to avoid having this happen to ...
5
PVC isn't connected with adhesive, it's solvent welded. The "cement" is actually a solvent which dissolves the surface of pipe and fitting, fusing them into one piece as it evaporates. The real trick is getting the stuff together before that happens, because you only have a handful of seconds to work with. Proper planning and preparation help.
If you've ...
4
Kit - The noises from the toilet flush and the water shutdown could be coincidental but probably are related. The noise could be due to changing water pressure along with air in the line caused by a disruption in the water supply. This could be due to a faulty pressure regulator valve but could have other causes. You don't mention whether you are on city ...
4
If you're looking for a somewhat quick fix without much work, you can take a look at some plumbing epoxy putty such as this. This is a two part epoxy putty that you mix together and then wrap the leaking connection. I would clean the connection very well and sand the area to rough it up before starting. This will allow you to make the repair without ever ...
3
You might not need PVC glue at all. A viable alternative to gluing would be a screw-tight compression coupling like this one.
The catch with, say, a Sharkbite is you need square-on pressure to push the connectors in. This is problematic for repairing existing in-ground pipes (you can't exactly "pull" the pipe). The compression coupler solves that by ...
3
Option 2, with caveat...
These water supply hoses undergo cycles of temperature change and are subjected to vibration due to flow. For me to be confident that the connections won't loosen and leak over time, I always give them a "snug-up" with a wrench. I don't strictly adhere to either a 1/4 turn or 1/2 turn... I hand tighten then give just a bit of a snug,...
3
I've heard this before, in a single story house where the water main entered the building near the bathroom, but because there was a hallway with a solid floor between there and the kitchen, the hot and cold pipes ran up through the attic, then back down to the sink and dishwasher. All was fine for years until some work was done in the bathroom, moving a ...
2
Just go to your home store or a plumbing supply store for a greater selection, and pick up the right size pipe nipple. They come in many standard sizes and can even be custom made at some store. Good luck.
2
Based on all of the foam and sealant around the object and rust on the floor it seems like the previous owner (or current landlord if you are renting) had an issue which they did not want to address properly.
You can start by cleaning up the object a bit by peeling or gently scraping it until it's more obvious as to what it is or start removing the paneling ...
2
It looks like you have a basement laundry room with cinder block walls. The vertical structure doesn't look like metal to me, more like fiberboard put up to hide a soil stack and other plumbing. With the shampoo and wash cloth hanging on the utility sink... Do you have a shower down there too?
Either the plumbing hidden behind the fiberboard wall may be ...
2
Trouble is, the air is laden with moisture and will billow up around the outlet (whatever you use). This might cause staining, and even eventual rot.
Some of the roof tile vents are very neat and small these days (making assumptions here re. your tile type!) and run the pipe up to that? Best long term option.
Also, I'd try to run an insulated pipe (or ...
2
You can call AY McDonald at 800-292-2737, or visit their web site, or reference the instructions for that fitting, or see the pictures below.
But really, the outfit that sold you the fitting has some responsibility to help you in this regard, no? Call Shamrock Supply and make them earn their vig.
2
That blue water service line could be PEX, but it also could be HDPE. If it's HDPE then it might be CTS (copper tube size) or IPS (iron pipe size). Based on the shade of blue I'm leaning toward HDPE, but it's hard to tell in a photo. Use a small mirror to inspect the full circumference of the pipe -- it may have something printed on it indicating the type. ...
2
The extractor fan should have a junction box for the splice. There should be a cable like Romex or conduit encasing individual wires. As this is a rental, in the US electrical work in most jurisdictions is required to be done by a licensed electrician or possibly a handyman if it was a replacement,
From your description it would not meet code.
A photo of ...
2
That appears to be a gate valve. There is a threaded portion inside the valve that goes inside of a block of metal that moves up and down when you turn the handle. Since you can turn the handle, but the flow of water doesn't seem to increase, the gate has somehow become detached from the screw. Maybe the threads have stripped out, or maybe the screw shaft ...
1
If there is a push-on fitting that meets your needs, such as from Sharkbite or one of their competitors, you can have the whole job done in less than one minute. A photo of your plumbing would clarify, but I'd be surprised if there isn't a push on fitting that would work.
Please don't expect anything you apply externally to work properly. Either use real ...
1
Totally going on a limb here, but.. a house built in that era could have some kind of iron piping (black pipe, galvanized pipe, etc). Iron piping can and will rust on the inside. It could also have mineral deposits on the inside.
It might be that the recent plumbing work caused some rust or scale to dislodge from the inside wall of the pipe and that debris ...
1
I had a similar problem and it ended up being a toilet valve that was wearing out. Have someone run the water and you stand by each toilet when they turn the water off and see if you can hear the toilet running for a few seconds. In my case the valve was worn and the impact when the water was turned off was enough to unset the seal for the toilet valve. It ...
1
It highly depends on how it is stored. In full sun exposure for a year outside with temperature changing all the time, I would not reuse it. If it is stored inside in the dark I would consider it after careful inspection.
1
Any rubber or synthetic will degrade with age it depends upon the composition at which rate that will happen. If they are old 10 years or so I would just buy new ones the risk from damage is to great.
1
As far as I can tell that coupling is called a PVC Compression Coupling and according to the product page it should only be used to connect PVC and/or galvanized piping. In the Q&A section of the product page the manufacturer states:
This is designed for connecting piping and repairs of PVC and galvanized pipe. It is not directly compatible with Pex. ...
1
I would use some silicone sealer; not a lot, but enough to stick the cable to the well. I do this on heater blocks for electric valves: when the heat rod fails, the silicone is easily removed. Your temperature probe would work the same.
1
The ideal solution is to cut the pipe and insert a Tee. You'll have to lift the upper part of the pipe enough to slip in the T junction and then lower the pipe down into the T and glue it. Sabre saw works to cut pipe, but it makes the pipe wobble a lot, which is not a good idea, it could break the tee fitting shown in the picture.
I would rather secure the ...
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