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I'm getting ready to replace a valve, and some fittings connected to my water heater. The original install used a ball valve intended for natural gas lines, not potable water, and didn't use any sort of dielectric fittings, so I'm getting all sorts of corrosion, that you can see in the picture. I planned to put on a brass union, brass nipple, new lead free threaded ball valve, and a brass adapter and connecting that to the existing copper line. Is there anything I should look out for when making this repair? I'm a little worried that with all this corrosion, that when I go to remove that union off the water heater, I'm going to break something, or have the threads fall off. I'd rather not replace the water heater just to make this repair. I can do minor plumbing work just fine, it's just dealing with old rusted out threaded fittings get me nervous that it will all fall apart once I get going. Any tips for something like this? https://imgur.com/WPRcr1e E: For some reason the picture wasn't showing up, so I linked it.
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Jun 5, 2019 16:11
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 12:44 |
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I am going to solder the new stuff in. I have sweated copper a few times before, so I'm not really worried about the few fittings I'm going to do here. I'm getting a threaded valve though. The vent does have the correct pitch to it, but I do need to get the tape off and screw it.
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Jun 5, 2019 17:35
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BubbaGrace posted:You can buy a 2 pack of water heater dielectric nipples for like $12. Dielectric nipples are half the cost of brass and preferred by manufacturers due to the lining and heat trap. Good point. Plus I know dielectric unions tend to have leaking issues.
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Jun 7, 2019 19:28
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It's still against code for the p-trap being way too short, and for the drain being too high. Only really becomes an issue once you go to sell and an inspector notes it though. It may cause some premature failure of the disposal if it's always going to have some standing water in it, but I'm just guessing at that.
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Nov 6, 2019 17:43
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Question for anyone that has experience servicing water heaters. I shutdown my water heater yesterday to replace a valve and some fittings that were corroding away because the previous install didn't put in dielectric fittings. I shut the heater off, and drained it down. After making the fix, I fill it back up and I go to restart the water heater and the pilot won't light. I have a piezo push button pilot lighter, can't use a match or anything. It clicks when I push down, but no flame. I called a plumber to come out and look at it today, but wondering if I just need to replace the lighter, or what could be happening. Heater worked just fine before I shut it off, so I was getting gas, and the pilot was staying lit. Hoping it's just the lighter and I'm not stuck replacing the entire control valve.
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Nov 15, 2019 14:29
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PainterofCrap posted:Without knowing more detail about make, model, age, etc. my last experience with a pilot-lit water heater was that the temp control valve had to be rotated to the "light" or "pilot" position, which aligns a small cutout in the knob with a detent on the valve box; then, push the knob in & hold it, count to three, then start hitting the ignitor until the pilot lights; hold the knob in for an additional ten-count to be sure the thermocouple is thoroughly heated, then you can let the knob out & set it to the desired water temperature. I did that, hold the pilot button down, hit the lighter, I just never get any flame ever. I can smell a little bit of gas after I do it, so I'm pretty sure I'm getting gas into the water heater, I'm just not getting a spark to light it. It's a Richmond 9G40-38F1. I kind of assumed it was something not lighting the pilot because the heater was working fine before I turned it off, so as long as the pilot stayed lit, my heater would have kept on chugging along. Just can't get it relit now.
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Nov 15, 2019 15:40
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No way to use a match, it has a panel that completely covers it with a little window. I have not seen a spark, but I also don't hear it lighting up. Usually you can hear the little rush when it lights. I lay down on the ground and look in the window and absolutely nothing changes. I'll try one more time when I go home and try and look in a bunch of different angles to see if maybe I just wasn't seeing it. I've tried to light it like 6 separate times now. So I think I've purged any air out of the line at this point.
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Nov 15, 2019 16:06
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PainterofCrap posted:Sounds like your ignition piezo has left the building. It’s a cheap repair - are you willing/able? I probably could do it, it seems easy enough. At this point, I have a plumber coming out today to at least look at it, so I may just see what they say first. I could probably find a supply house in my area that has one in stock if the plumber doesn't work out.
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Nov 15, 2019 17:00
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Thufir posted:Beginning this evening, the water pressure coming from my kitchen sink faucet is very low. Every other sink in the house seems to be fine. I popped off the aerator and it still seemed lower than I would have expected. Should I be looking at the cartridge and/or faucet hose? Anything else? It's not cold here so nothing would be freezing. Do you have a faucet that has buttons to change from regular to sprayer mode? Do you have a button that you can push that actually stops flow? I have a faucet that does both and I had the same issue where my pressure dropped only in the kitchen sink. Turned out, one of the buttons was pushed in slightly and not opening all the way back up.
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Dec 7, 2019 15:50
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Whoever put that in a shower either hated themselves or was really planning for a future where they wanted you punished. I can't even imagine trying to clean that loving thing with a million different surfaces.
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Jan 3, 2020 18:06
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I envy your water pressure that you can have the dishwashers, laundry machine, and a shower going at the same time without seeing much of a difference.
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Mar 26, 2020 12:57
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If you can get the same model so you don't have to redo any of the waste pipe, then I would just replace it. It's $100-$200 for a new disposal, and swapping one out can be done in under an hour if you don't have to change any piping. Can't even imagine the time to try and dismantle and reassemble your disposal to replace a seal, which may not even be the issue.
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Apr 28, 2020 16:46
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Those sound like two different clogs since one drains and the other doesn’t. Most clogs are either junk caught in the strainer/stopper or in the trap. It’s less likely for you to get a clog much further down the line since the waste line will get bigger. I can’t think of a way to determine if this is a bigger issue without you taking drains apart. I’ve also used plungers to clear clogs as well and that is sometimes easier than trying to snake the drain.
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May 17, 2020 20:34
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CancerCakes posted:[Crossposting from the quick questions thread under mod suggestion]Hey guys, quick easy question(s) - I am burying pipes in the wall for a shower and will be chasing into masonry, cement boarding and then tiling on top. I guess I’m having a hard time picturing this. So your shower wall is masonry, so you’re going up in the masonry cavity, attaching it to the shower mixing valve, then up the masonry cavity some more to the shower head? Then covering the masonry wall with cement boards and tiling, right? 1) I’m not sure why you need to wrap the copper pipe, for insulation? I wouldn’t bother wrapping it. 2) I try not to have any fitting buried in a block or concrete wall because a leak will be a mess to fix, I definitely wouldn’t do compression. I would shoot for bending the tube, or soldering. Possibly get some soft copper if you can’t successfully bend the hard tube. 3) why do you need to fill the masonry cavity?
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Jun 17, 2020 04:29
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Did they camera the line and see that it crushed the pipe or something? Normally you can just get your sewer snaked like you said and it will cut up any roots coming into your pipe. You’ll need to do it every few years.
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Jul 28, 2020 01:42
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Someone got sick of backups and was not going to gently caress around anymore.
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Sep 19, 2020 13:27
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BubbaGrace posted:Push gaskets. I wish. My company makes me do it old school. Oakum, lead and running rope. I'm probably one of the few guys under 50 who know how to do it. Either way no you aren't hosed. I don't know where you live but here in my area we could get that fixed up for you for about $300 in a couple of hours. Do you live in like NYC or Chicago? I thought those were the only two places that still did lead oakum joints.
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Sep 27, 2020 16:06
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BubbaGrace posted:I'm not from Chicago. I just know they are still required to use air chambers at every fixture. If hammer arrestors are a valid substitute or not, I can't say. Apparently it is in the works to remove that requirement from Chicago code. I’m in Chicago, but I’m not a licensed plumber, I’m a project manager, so some code things I’m not always 100% on, but the city itself doesn’t allow water hammer arrestors, you have to do air chambers. I believe the city is moving to follow the IBC plumbing code, which is going to change like everything we do. Just not sure when that starts. The burbs are already like this, so you find a lot of plumbing houses that only work in the city and some that won’t do it at all because of the code differences. We’re also not a combined pipe and plumbing local, which is also odd for most of the country.
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Sep 30, 2020 00:37
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brugroffil posted:It was a long-running battle at our old house, too. In the five years we owned it, we probably had it cleared out 3 or 4 times. It was an issue before we bought it as there was a fairly new cleanout installed outside as well. Get it cleared out, and then be cognizant of what you flush down your toilet. Pretty much just water, human waste, and TP should be going down the pipes. Two years ago, three days after coming home with a newborn, I got to find like two inches of backed up water in my basement. Roots had gotten into my line and clogged it. Had it snaked and all good. I was told to do it every two years, which I’m just about at now. I lived here for three years until my first issue, so I figure two years is pretty safe. Crazy that you had issues like every year. That’s pretty invasive, or your sewer is a lot shallower than mine.
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Mar 26, 2021 03:28
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Meow Meow Meow posted:My outdoor faucet is in a very inconvenient location, I have to walk around my whole house to turn the water off/on. I would like to add a hose bib and extension onto the edge of my deck which is on the other side of the fence in the picture, then leave the pictured faucet open. The total run would be about 15'. I think your only option for material is copper. Plastic pipe doesn't like to be outside because of UV degradation. I think you have the right idea to just run it above ground and slope it downward so you can drain it. Typical slope is 1/4" per foot, so over a 15' run means you need to drop the pipe by 3.75". Keeping a consistent slope is important, you don't want to end up with any low or high points that could trap water. Another option is just putting some hooks along your patio and just running a hose with a valve on the end. It would be less permanent, and you would just need to bring that hose in every winter. Could just run the hose along the ground too.
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Apr 7, 2021 15:03
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Look at this guy who doesn't live in a city with combined sewers. Must be nice!SourKraut posted:I don't know about where the OP lives, but a lot of places (including mine) have NSF-certified carbon steel pipe available at Home Depot/Lowes/etc., and usually in threaded options. That would make it a faster and much cheaper option to copper for what he's looking to use, and would give him the winterization factor too. Yea, you could paint the PVC, I didn't really think about that. I just reflexively think to never use PVC outside. I don't think I've ever seen someone use black carbon steel pipe for plumbing. I would imagine that would start rusting immediately unless you coat it.
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Apr 9, 2021 18:54
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Sorry for asking this question that I know has been answered. Does anyone have recommendations on toilets, and what is the name of the seal everyone loves instead of using a traditional wax ring? I replace the wax ring on my toilet two years ago, and I just noticed it leaking again. I don’t really like this toilet anyway, it has flushing issues. So if I’m pulling this thing off again, I’m just replacing it.
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Apr 30, 2021 20:36
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Thanks guys
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May 1, 2021 13:56
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What kind of concrete was used? Kind of looks like fiber reinforced concrete.
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Oct 8, 2021 03:40
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frogbs posted:Apparently notices like this are pretty common in Oregon for jobs over $2000: https://www.levelset.com/blog/oregon-notice-of-right-to-lien-and-information-notice-to-owner/ What you want is a Lien Waiver if you're really worried about it. In the commercial world, we don't get paid until we (the contractor) send in our Lien Waivers. This is us saying that we agree you are paying us and will not lien your job for non-payment.
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Nov 18, 2021 22:15
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Do you have a copy of what you signed? I’d start reading that in detail immediately. My gut here is that this guy is taking you for a ride. Even the $2k for the clean out seems like too much, but maybe it was more difficult than what I’m picturing. The guy dropping $7k off his price just off a mean look means he was really ready to scam you. Definitely get a couple other numbers. Even if you’re stuck with this guy, you could probably still negotiate. And stop signing things without reading them.
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Nov 20, 2021 15:23
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I just want to add on that a hydrostatic test is done to check for leaks, it’s not going to tell you if your sewer is blocked. If your contractor needed to install a clean out to perform their test, then the first one wasn’t done properly. You need the clean outs to install plugs in order to do the hydro test. So someone lied to you, either they didn’t do a test the first time, or the second guy lied about needing a CO.
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Nov 20, 2021 20:00
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Press fittings are widely used in commercial construction, they're fine. Really the only thing we don't know are exactly how long they'll last. The o-ring on the inside will wear out eventually, but that might still take 50+ years to happen. They are definitely preferable in tight places where you don't want an open flame.
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Dec 1, 2021 20:04
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 12:44 |
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Have you had anyone actually rod out your sewer lines all the way to the street? It doesn’t sound like that has been done. If your wax ring is failing within a couple months, then either your toilet wasn’t set right and so you didn’t get a good seal, or the frequent backups are causing it to fail early. I’d start with having someone camera, and clean you drain lines from your toilets all the way to the sewer main in the street. Companies like rotorooter do that, but you can probably find a local plumber for cheaper.
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Dec 28, 2021 15:04
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