31
votes
Is it safe to have a drain in the floor out to the septic tank with no trap?
There may be a trap but if no water was put in it won't stop the smells. Contractors sometimes forget to add water to floor drains. The water will also eventually evaporate from the trap if there is ...
- 411
25
votes
Is it safe to have a drain in the floor out to the septic tank with no trap?
NO NO NO. It's not safe. Your plumber was completely incompetent or negligent to do that. It definitely needs a trap. I would make him fix it.
- 18.5k
24
votes
Accepted
How do I tighten this appliance's valve?
That appears to be cross-threaded. i.e. the threads on the male and female parts are not correctly engaged with each other. The parts should be straight to each other, not off at an angle like that.
...
- 152k
23
votes
Accepted
Do I need to replace this valve that a plumber claimed needed to be replaced?
Yes, it needs to be replaced. It is severely corroded and will probably fail when the pipe is replaced. It looks to be a 3/4 inch gate valve, and a new one will be cheaper than having to take the ...
- 556
23
votes
Is it safe to have a drain in the floor out to the septic tank with no trap?
A water heater drain should never drain to a septic tank.
One purpose of the drain is to reduce or eliminate water damage to your home in case the tank leaks. However, if the tank develops a fast ...
- 3,353
21
votes
Accepted
Installer won't install dishwasher due to "old" stop valve
Capsule summary of the comments:
Your old valve should probably be replaced with a new quarter turn ball valve version. Those old valves wear out and break your heart when it really matters.
Report ...
17
votes
Accepted
Can't find a garden hose that fits
That is not a standard garden hose fitting. Instead it looks to be part of a anti-siphon adapter where the other part was unscrewed to reveal the inner section of the unit. The regular hose thread ...
- 62.3k
15
votes
Accepted
How can I add valves to supply lines when the lines are soldered to the faucet?
This isn't a very difficult job for a new diyer to tackle. You'll only need some basic tools in addition to a pipe cutter and deburring tool. Here is what needs to be done:
Installing the Shutoff ...
- 7,885
14
votes
Accepted
What is the best way to permanently bond a driver tip to a stuck screw head?
The torque required to turn the screw will be too great for any of the locally purchased epoxies. Take a rotary tool, like a Dremel, with a cutoff wheel or a hacksaw and deepen, widen the slot on that ...
- 63k
13
votes
Corroded Water Shut Off Bolt/Lever - Is this okay for now?
That's a ball valve and they are pretty good valves. At this point, I'd just wire brush all the rust off and clean up the valve. Then test the valve to make sure it operates smoothly and totally turns ...
- 63k
12
votes
Accepted
Is it necessary to shut off the water supply to a radiator in order to replace a radiator valve?
You need to drain the water from the heating system, effect the remove and replace, then refill the heating system.
Some circulating-water heating systems are filled with tap water from the home's ...
- 13.2k
11
votes
How can I seal the gap around a valve handle in drywall?
There are ball valve stem extensions available, or you can make your own fairly easily.
Extend the stem about 1/2". Now get a standard low voltage wall opening kit with expanding wings. Cut the ...
- 4,596
11
votes
How to remove this water shut off valve under the kitchen sink?
That plumbing is PEX which uses compression fittings. You have two styles of compression rings on it, the black-ish ones with the aqua copper corrosion are "copper crimp rings" and the ...
- 3,944
9
votes
Installer won't install dishwasher due to "old" stop valve
You should update this valve now that you are in there installing a new dishwasher.
The dishwasher purchase, "with installation" correctly does not include updating your plumbing.
It is ...
- 21.4k
9
votes
How can I add valves to supply lines when the lines are soldered to the faucet?
HoneyDo has a great answer; I'm putting extended comments here with some photos of one of my bathroom sinks with a new faucet installed last year.
I would just note that I like to spend extra and buy ...
- 2,256
9
votes
Any risk in installing a one-way valve?
You might start having problems with water hammer after installing a valve. If a valve* is turned off suddenly, it can cause a spike in pressure in the pipe behind it. Without a non-return valve, ...
- 2,223
8
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to control water pressure using a ball valve?
To answer your question; A ball valve only controls flow not pressure. A few seconds after water is flowing a ball valve will limit the pressure based on the flow. A pressure regulator requires no ...
- 101k
8
votes
Is it necessary to shut off the water supply to a radiator in order to replace a radiator valve?
Heating systems can vary by region. I have answered this from a UK perspective as you appear to have bought from B&Q.
If the broken part is the white thermostatic cap, then it would be much ...
- 593
7
votes
Accepted
Should I remove this saddle valve, if so what is the best way to do so?
Ed has the important part of the answer. Saddle valves are trouble, and since you're not using it, it's easy to eliminate. Even if you were using it, it makes sense to replace with a soldered-in valve....
- 2,410
7
votes
What is this copper ring insert in my sharkbite supply valve?
Here is the correct answer to the question as it is written.
The copper ring is a ferrule, which is part of a compression fitting.
You absolutely need the copper Ferrule for a watertight connection,...
- 13.3k
7
votes
How can I seal the gap around a valve handle in drywall?
How about a split flange, they come in different sizes. You could pack the opening with steel wool or insulation to seal the hole.
- 5,098
7
votes
Accepted
Why does the water from my shower get hotter when I use a shut-off valve?
Let's flesh this into an answer.
This happens with my kitchen faucet and one of those "quick-flip - not quite total shutoff" valves that screw into the aerator. My guess is that some hot ...
- 152k
7
votes
Accepted
What happens to quarter valve when I don't turn it on/off completely?
A quarter-turn valve is a poor choice for metering (controlling the flow, as you want to.) They are best for "on/off" operation but plenty of folks use them for flow control anyway.
The ...
- 152k
7
votes
Any risk in installing a one-way valve?
and then strong air pressure kept the water meter running
That wasn't air pressure. Where would the air even be coming from, unless you have a constant leak??? Or left a faucet wide open after ...
6
votes
Accepted
What can I do about a saddle valve that won't turn on?
Saddle valves are terrible as actual valves. They are a cheap/easy way to tap an existing water line, but that's it. After you use them a few times, you just can't rely on the needle to cleanly seal ...
- 28.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Can I glue the float back onto linkage to my toilet fill valve?
That whole assembly is the toilet tank fill valve. The float assembly below rises as the tank fills and pushes up the tab that broke. That in turn pushes up the linkage rod and then the lever to turn ...
- 62.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Knob Identification
That has nothing to do with your heating system.
That is an old telephone jack box. If you move that cover in the Open direction, you should see it uncover a 4 wire telephone jack. The slot is to ...
- 2,495
6
votes
Why does it appear that my system is designed to PREVENT me from connecting the washing machine to mains water?
Some washing machine supply hoses incorporate a special valve designed to shut off the flow In the event of a rupture in the hose. One brand with this feature is Flood-Safe. If you carefully examine ...
- 19.7k
6
votes
Corroded Water Shut Off Bolt/Lever - Is this okay for now?
The trace of white corrosion product indicates no problem at all with the valve. The zinc coating ( or less likely cadmium ) has apparently been wet, likely from condensation of humidity, and corroded....
- 7,871
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible