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We already have a electrical thread so I figured we might as well have a Plumbing thread. I'm a 4th year apprentice who will be testing for his commercial license in February. I've had residential and commercial experience. The purpose of this thread is to show DIY'ers how to fix simple problems within there house. I know there are a couple other plumbers on here so feel free to join in. If you post a picture of your issue it will make it easy for a plumber to suggest a way to fix it. Edit: Would a mod please fix my spelling error on "rolls" in my subject. edit2: Thanks AreYouIn for fixing the title. Update: Took my commercial plumbing test for Washington state on 0ct 7th 2010. Today I received the letter stating I passed. I am very excited to be a commercial journeyman. General plumbing rules to start with kid sinister posted:1. Don't bite your fingernails. A 6th one added Always know where the water shut off is before you start messing with the plumbing. 7. If you're using a torch to pull apart a joint or to hold a fitting that just won't stay put, use pliers to hold it and not your fingers. You will burn the poo poo out of them otherwise. 8. Always back up pipe when unscrewing something. Put a wrench held opposite to your wrench that is going to losen the fitting. If you have your wrenches at 9 o'clcok and 3 o'clock you won't apply the force correct and are more likely to mess somethingup. Have the wrenches between 7-8 and 4-5 and you will be fine. 9. If you are joining together 2 threaded parts and they don't have a ferrule or rubber washer on the inside, then use either teflon tape or pipe dope on the male threads first before twisting them together. For teflon tape, looking straight down the male fitting the tape will go on, give it 4 clockwise layers of tape. kid sinister posted:
Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Jul 22, 2018 |
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May 7, 2009 02:29
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My main plumbing stack shoots all the way up through the roof of the house as a stink pipe, yet there is an open Y-connector in the basement that the laundry machine drains into via a garden hose, why doesn't the laundry room smell like sewer? This is just a random thing I've wondered about from time to time. edit: gently caress I mis-remembered, there is a trap, whole question is void
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May 7, 2009 02:40
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What's your opinion on sharkbite? I've done a decent amount of residential plumbing with finishing basements, etc, and just put in a water powered backup sump pump for my brother in law. Anyway, it had sharkbite fittings and they seemed nice, but I don't know... I choose sweat supply valves over compression every time, so maybe I'm psychologically deficient (well, every fitting, nut just supply valves, but I figured that made my point), but the sharkbite fittings just didn't seem right to me. Its not leaking now or anything, but I wonder about its long term efficacy. edit: quote:My main plumbing stack shoots all the way up through the roof of the house as a stink pipe, yet there is an open Y-connector (no trap) in the basement that the laundry machine drains into via a garden hose, why doesn't the laundry room smell like sewer? This is just a random thing I've wondered about from time to time. Probably a trap in the concrete or they went hillbilly and fed it into the sump.
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May 7, 2009 02:41
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jackyl posted:What's your opinion on sharkbite? I've done a decent amount of residential plumbing with finishing basements, etc, and just put in a water powered backup sump pump for my brother in law. Anyway, it had sharkbite fittings and they seemed nice, but I don't know... I choose sweat supply valves over compression every time, so maybe I'm psychologically deficient (well, every fitting, nut just supply valves, but I figured that made my point), but the sharkbite fittings just didn't seem right to me. Its not leaking now or anything, but I wonder about its long term efficacy. I think shark bites can be great. I wouldn't plumb a bathroom in one. But when dealing with service and you want to go from Cpvc to copper or Pex they can be great. I've seen then last for 2 years now as long as they're properly installed. Messadiah posted:My main plumbing stack shoots all the way up through the roof of the house as a stink pipe, yet there is an open Y-connector in the basement that the laundry machine drains into via a garden hose, why doesn't the laundry room smell like sewer? This is just a random thing I've wondered about from time to time. It depends. Are you on a gray water system/sewer? If so then it wouldn't smell of sewer because its a totally different system. A gray water system usually can receive discharge from all non solid waste fixtures. Washer, Lav's, floor drains , etc. They usually seperate sewer / gray water in certain city's depending on ordinances. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 03:10 on May 7, 2009 |
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May 7, 2009 03:05
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so be honest: how often do you bite your nails?
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May 7, 2009 04:51
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kid sinister posted:so be honest: how often do you bite your nails? I do all the time when not at work. But I usually do construction so it doesnt matter if i bite them or not.
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May 7, 2009 05:11
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I've got a horrible water hammer that developed in a downstairs toilet a year after I moved in. Turning off the water to the house and trying to flush the system does nothing. Next I thought I'd replace the toilet tank mechanism, but that's all that occurred to me.
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May 21, 2009 18:00
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Remulak posted:I've got a horrible water hammer that developed in a downstairs toilet a year after I moved in. Turning off the water to the house and trying to flush the system does nothing. Next I thought I'd replace the toilet tank mechanism, but that's all that occurred to me. Don't have much to add but this might give you some ideas.
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May 21, 2009 20:17
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Rd Rash, you forgot the other cardinal rule of plumbing: Cold water goes on the right. I can answer questions about weird/obscure commercial plumbing issues due to handling maintenance at a decent-sized building full of dental offices for several years. I can tell you that as gross as you think a poo poo stack is, you don't know gross until you've hosed around with dental vacuum lines.  For even more jollies, the building is in a relative low spot to the rest of the street, so when there's a problem with the sewer it backs up INTO THE BUILDING. At least, it used to. The mega heavy duty backflow prevention device we installed took care of that. Still, one incident of being ankle deep in regurgitated sewer contents is one too many.  Any plumbing horror stories of your own, Rd Rash? 
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May 21, 2009 22:00
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Perfect, I'm sooo happy I found this thread. I'm installing a dishwasher in my kitchen and the easiest place to put the dishwasher is against a wall shared by the bathroom. The hot water, electrical and drain, would fit into the electrical, hot water and drain in the bathroom. I've got a good handle on how the hot water and electrical would work, but I'm having a heck of a time finding a dishwasher tailpeice that fits the 1-1/4 inch bathroom drain. The standard is for the 1-1/2 inch kitchen drain. So, my question is, should I take the fact that this tailpeice is so hard to find as an indicator that I'm heading towards a world of hurt and clogged drains? Is plumbing the drain into the bathroom ill advisable? The sewage mainline is close so I could alternately plumb into there, but I'm not too excited to have the possibility of a clog blowing poo poo back up to the dishwasher and all over my dishes. Advice?
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May 22, 2009 18:04
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Lovecrusher posted:Perfect, I'm sooo happy I found this thread. If there is a bad enough clog to back poo poo up, it's going to come into your dishwasher, up the drain in your shower...you get the idea. This is relatively rare unless you have a septic tank with MAJOR PROBLEMS or the municipal sewer is backing up. I'm not sure about plumbing into the bathroom sink drain. It sounds ok in theory, but it might not integrate well with the existing drain layout of your bathroom.
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May 22, 2009 18:24
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Lovecrusher posted:So, my question is, should I take the fact that this tailpeice is so hard to find as an indicator that I'm heading towards a world of hurt and clogged drains? Is plumbing the drain into the bathroom ill advisable? The sewage mainline is close so I could alternately plumb into there, but I'm not too excited to have the possibility of a clog blowing poo poo back up to the dishwasher and all over my dishes.
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May 22, 2009 18:31
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Lovecrusher posted:Perfect, I'm sooo happy I found this thread. Sorry I've been away so i haven't be able to check back on this thread. A dishwasher should go into a air gap but since you're putting it into a drain directly there are other options but wouldn't pass an inspection. When running the drain for the DW hose run it into the same cabinet and then suppose part of the hose to the top side of the cabinet but underneath. The reason for running this high loop is if the sewer backs up u will notice it in the sink before it can go into the DW and ruin it. At this link you can see a picture of a dishwasher wye. http://www.plumbingsupply.com/disposerhose.html They do sell these at home depot. I would suggest figuring out a way to either go up to inch and a half drain to install the wye or figure something else out. Note: The dishwasher should go into a drain after the plumbing trap not before. If it doesnt go into a trap you will have a problem with sewer gas coming into your dishwasher
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May 25, 2009 19:48
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I gotta replace a dip tube on my own house. Would anyone want step by step instructions on how to replace a dip tube in a water heater? This would include pictures as i do it.
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May 25, 2009 21:11
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May 26, 2009 05:04
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I have an older home with some pressure problems with the hot water on the second floor shower. I think it is probably older galvanized pipe that has some buildup in it. I am thinking it is just the hot supply line to the shower, as the sink hot water seem to be just fine. I think replacing that supply line will solve the problem. I was thinking about using PEX as the run would only be like 10feet or so. Is there any downside to PEX? I know most plumbers prefer copper but since I'm working with finished walls and tighter spaces I'd prefer something that is easier to work with. Not to mention I have never sweated a joint before so I'm liable to burn the place down.
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May 26, 2009 16:32
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fishhooked posted:Is there any downside to PEX? I know most plumbers prefer copper but since I'm working with finished walls and tighter spaces I'd prefer something that is easier to work with. Not to mention I have never sweated a joint before so I'm liable to burn the place down. Copper is also preferred because sometimes electrical appliances and fixtures were once grounded to the cold water line in the old days. This isn't to electrical code nowadays, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't done in the past... Replacing any copper pipe with anything nonconductive means that you could possibly be breaking the grounding path for an electrical appliance somewhere. Besides, sweating copper isn't your only option, you know: http://www.sharkbite.com/ kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:20 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 17:15
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fishhooked posted:I have an older home with some pressure problems with the hot water on the second floor shower. I think it is probably older galvanized pipe that has some buildup in it. I am thinking it is just the hot supply line to the shower, as the sink hot water seem to be just fine. before you replace the hot line, have you checked the shower cartridge and made sure that there isnt nothing in the blocking the flow. Dip tubes are known to do this alot. They plug most angle stops and showers when they start going. The bad things about Vanguard Pex (the pex with the copper crimp rings) 1) You have to support it more often. (32 inches veritcle or horizontal is ideal in the uniform plumbing code. 2) You get a reduced flow if you use "1/2 vanguard pex" Due to the fact that the Inside diameter of the pipe is smaller then 1/2 copper. And the fittings them self slide into the pipe which restricts more flow. TlDR: Check your shower cartridge first, if there is no white flakes in it then it could be the hot line built up with calcium. Pex has some downfalls but is most likely your best option. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 17:43 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 17:38
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Also the only way to adapt to shark bites is with a Male or female thread by shark bite fitting. If you use a stiffener that comes with the shark bite, you can adapt it to pex too. But due to shark bite fittings being so expensive i wouldn't suggest using them. You only really want to use a shark bite if its your only option.
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May 26, 2009 17:41
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kid sinister posted:Copper is also preferred because sometimes electrical appliances and fixtures were once grounded to the cold water line in the old days. This isn't to electrical code nowadays, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't done in the past... Replacing any copper pipe with anything nonconductive means that you could possibly be breaking the grounding path for an electrical appliance somewhere. Besides, sweating copper isn't your only option, you know: You just blew my freaking mind, sharkbites are genius. Maybe I can get some advice... let me explain with the aid of my amazing drawings. I'm currently in the process of doing a full remodel on my kitchen. I'm going to have someone help me with moving my 220 line for my stove, but unfortunately, that means I'm also moving my refrigerator (the stove is going in its place, and it's moving across the room). Ex. 1- The refrigerator is red, the existing waterline is orange (it's going through the base of the cabinets), and the sink is the blue box (and basically the only place I have water to use).  Ex. 2- This is what I was thinking of doing. Now, I'm not a plumber (calling me an amateur would be generous, but I'm pretty handy... with other stuff), and I don't know how good of an idea it is.  Essentially, since I have doors on all the walls, I was thinking I would go down into the floor, through the crawlspace under my house, and back up the other side where the fridge will be (the green box). Until I saw those sharkbite connections I figured I'd have to hire someone to cut out the existing copper, run new copper or PEX under the house, probably for a hefty fee (and everything feels hefty during a remodel!). Now, if I can unscrew the waterline at the sink (if there's a fitting... which I can't remember off the top of my head), I can probably just convert straight to PEX and it's as easy as dropping it / bring it up the other side, right? Is there anything to worry about with going under the floor (conditions under the house, water pressure, etc)? If there's no detachable fitting for the waterline (if they soldered it, or whatever you do to hard-fit something in plumbing!), could I cut the pipe and add a sharkbite, convert it to PEX, and then move the line to the other side? Is this a job best left to a professional? Thanks for the advice, I'm happy to see a plumbing thread! benitocereno fucked around with this message at 18:21 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 17:55
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benitocereno posted:You just blew my freaking mind, sharkbites are genius. Maybe I can get some advice... let me explain with the aid of my amazing drawings. I'm currently in the process of doing a full remodel on my kitchen. I'm going to have someone help me with moving my 220 line for my stove, but unfortunately, that means I'm also moving my refrigerator (the stove is going in its place, and it's moving across the room). No this job isnt done best by a pro. You can easily do it yourself. You can use a shark bite too to adapt from copper to pex. A simple shark bite tee will do fine. Remember like i said in the last post. Put the white plastic stiffener in the pex pipe or it will most likely leak. I'm pretty sure home depot sells vanguard pex fittings and rings. If you're fine with just using shark bite double check all your fittings and make sure you dont have any leaks. To answer your next question about your crawl space i need to know some details. How cold do your winters get, is there open vents in the crawl to let in air. Or is it all sealed off and insulated? Old Galvy can be a bitch. I would suggest buying at least 1 pipe wrench to use on it. And watch out you can crush the pipe with the pipe wrench.
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May 26, 2009 18:18
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benitocereno posted:Is this a job best left to a professional? Thanks for the advice, I'm happy to see a plumbing thread! You're wanting to do this WAY too complicated. For a ~15' run to an ice maker, just buy the kits specifically made to hook up ice makers. Basically, they come with a valve that clamps onto your cold water copper pipe and punctures a small hole in the pipe. You then run tubing from that valve to your ice maker. As for your existing ice maker line, just close off that valve. If there's no valve, cap it. Depending on how your home is constructed, it's possible that you may have a cold water pipe closer than your kitchen sink. You would have an even shorter run for that ice maker then. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:30 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 18:28
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kid sinister posted:You're wanting to do this WAY too complicated. For a ~15' run to an ice maker, just buy the kits specifically made to hook up ice makers. Basically, they come with a valve that clamps onto your cold water copper pipe and punctures a small hole in the pipe. You then run tubing from that valve to your ice maker. As for your existing ice maker line, just close off that valve. Do not use a saddle on a half in copper line. You're asking for more issues then anything. I wouldn't trust a saddle fitting in a crawl space for anything but that is just my opinion.
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May 26, 2009 18:30
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:No this job isnt done best by a pro. You can easily do it yourself. You can use a shark bite too to adapt from copper to pex. A simple shark bite tee will do fine. Remember like i said in the last post. Put the white plastic stiffener in the pex pipe or it will most likely leak. I'm pretty sure home depot sells vanguard pex fittings and rings. If you're fine with just using shark bite double check all your fittings and make sure you dont have any leaks. Excellent, that's going to make moving the fridge so much easier. I live in central/north NC, so our winters aren't too fierce. Average coldest it gets is around 38, but overnight / in the morning we can hit the 20s, rarely under that. The crawlspace is a closed space, but it's not really insulated. My forced air (ground vents) run through it and they are all insulated, one of which empties into the kitchen. However, the kitchen is essentially in the middle of the house, so only one crawlspace wall is directly actually exposed the outside air for that section. I don't know anything about the freezing point with PEX, do they make insulated tubing if that's an issue? benitocereno fucked around with this message at 18:40 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 18:35
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benitocereno posted:I don't know anything about the freezing point with PEX, do they make insulated tubing if that's an issue? PEX really is great stuff; I think it gets a bad rap just because it's so simple, so cheap and so reliable that anybody can do it. It's almost too easy... It's lead to entirely new approaches to plumbing- PEX houses often don't have networks like copper houses do, but instead use a manifold near the water heater with runs directly from there to each fixture. (It's about the same price to run 5 individual unbroken 1/2" lines to a bathroom than it is to run 3/4" hot/cold and split them out in the walls.) The worst part was that it required a $100+ crimp tool to crimp the copper sleeves onto the fittings (and you need 3 different sizes...), but new fittings now have made it less of an issue for small DIY jobs. Those shark-bite fittings are pricey, but they're great if you don't have access to a crimp tool, or if the space is simply too tight to use a crimp tool, like it often is under sinks. grover fucked around with this message at 18:56 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 18:42
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benitocereno posted:Excellent, that's going to make moving the fridge so much easier. I live in central/north NC, so our winters aren't too fierce. Average coldest it gets is around 38, but overnight / in the morning we can hit the 20s, rarely under that. The crawlspace is a closed space, but it's not really insulated. My forced air (ground vents) run through it and they are all insulated, one of which empties into the kitchen. However, the kitchen is essentially in the middle of the house, so only one crawlspace wall is actually exposed the outside air. You can get insulation for it but i would suggest supporting the pipe closer to the floor and then put some standard r-34 insulation in that Joice . The good thing about pex it is more likely to expand and not tear open. I wouldn't suggest putting the pex on an outside wall if you can avoid it. It doesn't sound like you have to harsh of winters but its better safe then sorry. edit: beaten
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May 26, 2009 18:43
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grover posted:Yes, you can insulate PEX the same way you would insulate copper. PEX is not as vulnerable to breaking when pipes freeze as copper, as it will stretch without breaking. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles can still damage it, so don't go routing it through uninsulated walls in Minnesota, but you don't have to worry about it like you would copper pipes. The problem with insulating a cold line in a cold space.Is you're more likely to keep the heat out instead of keep it in. This is why i'd suggest insulation the joist and not the pipe itself.
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May 26, 2009 18:45
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:The problem with insulating a cold line in a cold space.Is you're more likely to keep the heat out instead of keep it in. This is why i'd suggest insulation the joist and not the pipe itself. grover fucked around with this message at 18:57 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 18:50
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Awesome, thanks for the help guys, looks like I have something to do this weekend. One last point of clarification- RdRash, you say to use a tee, but if I'm cutting the existing copper fridge line could I just attach the PEX with a straight coupling to the old line, right? Is there any reason to use a T over just adapting the old line? I'm also guessing I have some sort of floor insulation down there... but you always find the craziest things when you remodel. If I don't have insulation I'll be adding it though, probably a good idea for my bills anyway. Do you guys recommend any specific brand for the actual tubing, or should I just go down to Home Depot/Lowes and grab whatever is cheapest? Thanks again, love this thread! benitocereno fucked around with this message at 19:01 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 18:59
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benitocereno posted:Awesome, thanks for the help guys, looks like I have something to do this weekend. One last point of clarification- RdRash, you say to use a tee, but if I'm cutting the existing copper fridge line could I just attach the PEX with a straight coupling to the old line, right? Is there any reason to use a T over just adapting the old line? Ya i just suggested a T cause i thought the line fed something else too. A coupling will work fine though. And your only real options are home depot or lowes. Since you cant buy anything from a supply house. Make sure its Pex and color wont matter. The only reason its color coded is to prevent people from mixing up hot and cold water lines. It will have "pex " written on the side. Do not use Cpvc since they probably carry it also. Its ridged but its junk and you will be reusing it with in 10 years.
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May 26, 2009 19:04
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The upstairs toilet in my dad's house whines/whistles when you flush it. Is this something to worry about? About 15 years ago the toilet broke in the night and did a bunch of damage to the floor/ceiling of the room below it. I'd hate for this to happen again.
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May 26, 2009 21:55
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ZentraediElite posted:The upstairs toilet in my dad's house whines/whistles when you flush it. Is this something to worry about? About 15 years ago the toilet broke in the night and did a bunch of damage to the floor/ceiling of the room below it. I'd hate for this to happen again. It sounds like a clogged vent for the toilet. When its trying to get enough air to flow correctly which causes a vacuum in the vent stank. The debris is clogged just right that it whistles when flushing. Best way to fix this is go up on the roof and use a sewer snake and snake the vent into the drain line. edit: Also this house could be old enough that the they didn't do any vents or they just did one vent. With the drain lines potentially clogging up slowly it would still not let it breath. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 22:14 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 22:03
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I think he meant the water supply, not the DWV.ZentraediElite posted:The upstairs toilet in my dad's house whines/whistles when you flush it. Is this something to worry about? About 15 years ago the toilet broke in the night and did a bunch of damage to the floor/ceiling of the room below it. I'd hate for this to happen again.
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May 26, 2009 22:10
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grover posted:I think he meant the water supply, not the DWV. In that case it could just need a new ball cock if something is stuck in the old one. but to answer your question it should be fine if its just whistling. Turd Herder fucked around with this message at 22:23 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 22:15
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grover posted:I think he meant the water supply, not the DWV. I'm not quite sure. I will have to give a better listen next time I am there.
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May 27, 2009 19:33
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ZentraediElite posted:I'm not quite sure. I will have to give a better listen next time I am there. You can always turn off the water at the angle stop and then flush it. The tank wont refil since the angle stop is off but you will be able to tell if its the drain making the noise.
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May 27, 2009 19:43
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I'm buying a house that sat over winter, and the water lines were winterized. The main coming into the house is cut after the valve, and from what I'm told they probably put antifreeze into the lines. Can I just re-attach the pipe and keep running the water until I'm pretty sure theres no antifreeze left? Some people have warned me that the plumbers could have "missed a trap or something" and I could have a burst line somewhere, but in my head as long as there is no pressure on the water line then any water that froze would have room to expand and not break a pipe. Its all copper piping also
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May 27, 2009 22:03
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Dainan posted:I'm buying a house that sat over winter, and the water lines were winterized. The main coming into the house is cut after the valve, and from what I'm told they probably put antifreeze into the lines. Are you sure they actually put antifreeze in the water lines and not the drain lines? A plumbing trap is only on the drainage. I would imagine they'd just drain all the water instead of putting antifreeze in a public water system. That would leave them so liable for public poisoning. I'd ask if they got the buyers insurance. So if anythings hosed up it will be covered.
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May 27, 2009 23:19
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Antifreeze? Heh, don't they just, you know, drain the water out so it can't freeze? Not rocket science. Just run the water until it stops burping air bubbles.
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May 28, 2009 03:41
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grover posted:Antifreeze? Heh, don't they just, you know, drain the water out so it can't freeze? Not rocket science. Just run the water until it stops burping air bubbles.
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May 28, 2009 04:53
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