Some Hopefully Helpful Plumbing Tips

[MetalHead]

Sticky this thread.
I worked as a plumber helper back in 89.
Learned some things that have saved me lots of cash.

 

[notherbob]

Hos - Thanks for the tips.

 

[Hostile]

A cousin of mine's shower head was dripping. He said it started off as a drip and gradually got worse to where a small stream of water was pouring from his shower head.

He told me his power bill was increasing every month and he couldn't figure out why. He said his bill was almost double the amount he normally pays per month.

He lives in a condo so he doesn't pay a water bill and was stumped as to what was causing his utility bill to gradually skyrocket. I went over and discovered the water that was streaming out of his shower head was hot.

He was unaware that his water heater was heating the water which is why his power bill kept going up. It felt like a steam room in his bathroom from the water that was being heated 24/7.

He had a plumber come up and he pulled out that long stem thing you posted and inserted another one. It was a simple fix you just need a certain tool to extract that stem and simply insert a new one.

I bet the plumber charged him over 100 bucks for a 15 dollar repair. Am I right?

 

[tupperware]

Hostile I want a guide on building a PC

 

[KJJ]

I bet the plumber charged him over 100 bucks for a 15 dollar repair. Am I right?

The first thing I had him do was turn off his hot water heater so his power bill wouldn't keep going up.

Then I told him to call around and explain the problem to see if a plumber would give him an estimate over the phone because most plumbers charge a pretty steep service fee if they come over and you turn them away.

The first plumber he called estimated it would cost about $200. So naturally he kept shopping around and found a plumber who told him it was a simple fix that he could do himself.

He said he may even be able to locate a video on Youtube that shows how to do it.

He told him the part is $35 and could be found at Home Depot. He said for him to do it, it would cost an additional $60 for the labor.

My cousin not being very handy decided to have the plumber do it because he would have also had to purchase the tool to extract that stem.

Plumbers can be like mechanics just looking for ways to overcharge people especially if you live in a nice home in a wealthy area.

I don't care how much money someone makes no one wants to be screwed.

 

[Hostile]

The first thing I had him do was turn off his hot water heater so his power bill wouldn't keep going up.

Then I told him to call around and explain the problem to see if a plumber would give him an estimate over the phone because most plumbers charge a pretty steep service fee if they come over and you turn them away.

The first plumber he called estimated it would cost about $200. So naturally he kept shopping around and found a plumber who told him it was a simple fix that he could do himself.

He said he may even be able to locate a video on Youtube that shows how to do it.

He told him the part is $35 and could be found at Home Depot. He said for him to do it, it would cost an additional $60 for the labor.

My cousin not being very handy decided to have the plumber do it because he would have also had to purchase the tool to extract that stem.

Plumbers can be like mechanics just looking for ways to overcharge people especially if you live in a nice home in a wealthy area.

I don't care how much money someone makes no one wants to be screwed.

200 dollars?

He would have been loved without lubrication.

 

[Hostile]

Hostile I want a guide on building a PC

I can build one, but I doubt I could explain how to do it without confusing someone to tears.

 

[Hostile]

Hos - Thanks for the tips.

Are the pipes holding?

 

[tupperware]

I can build one, but I doubt I could explain how to do it without confusing someone to tears.

lol, almost as bad as twitter I assume?

 

[KJJ]

200 dollars?

He would have been loved without lubrication.

The plumber that was going to charge him $200 was from a big plumbing company. The one that did the work was part of a family owned business with his 2 sons.

Family businesses are the best because they want to build a good reputation so they can get take business away from the big companies. A lot of their business comes from word of mouth.

 

[rash]

Hos is DA MAN

 

[Kevinicus]

I got one.

How about a floor drain in the basement that has water come up through it when the sink (and subsuquently the dishwasher) is used upstairs in the kitchen.

Taking a shower or doing laundry doesn't cause any problems, just the water from the kitchen.

This is an old house (like 65 years).

 

[Hostile]

I got one.

How about a floor drain in the basement that has water come up through it when the sink (and subsuquently the dishwasher) is used upstairs in the kitchen.

Taking a shower or doing laundry doesn't cause any problems, just the water from the kitchen.

This is an old house (like 65 years).

Same as the one earlier, this is most likely roots in your sewer line. So what happens is the roots partially block the egress of the water and it finds the lowest point to exit. His started in a bathtub, yours the basement drain.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Okay, are you wanting to remove it and replace it, or cover over it and make it look nice?

Is the wall textured or smooth?

Sorry for the delay Hos.

It's smooth. I prefer to fix it right, so if removing and replacing is the best way to do it. I've actually done some taping and bedding before, but I did it by reading off the net. Not always the best way to learn, but it worked. It will already have to be repainted.

I noticed a small crack where the cathedral ceiling comes together in my family room too. That, I probably won't be replacing all the tape. (it's not peeling, just cracked)

 

[notherbob]

Are the pipes holding?

Yes! Finally. I had to use a combination of the two in order to stop the leaks completely so the pipes should be easier to repair in the future.

We get our water from the creek about 1000' away and so we have one pump in a small well insulated trunk-like box down by the creek to pump water up into a 1200 gallon overhead tank behind the ranch house and a second pump to provide pressure in the 7' x 7' cinder block building the tank sets on. We were able to keep the creek pump safe with long burning votive candles during the power failure but the candles in the drafty building blew out in the high winds overnight and everything froze and burst when the temp dropped to 7 F and stayed in the teens for several days.

We had been hauling water from the creek for almost four weeks.

Thanks again.

Life is good.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Yes! Finally. I had to use a combination of the two in order to stop the leaks completely so the pipes should be easier to repair in the future.

We get our water from the creek about 1000' away and so we have one pump in a small well insulated trunk-like box down by the creek to pump water up into a 1200 gallon overhead tank behind the ranch house and a second pump to provide pressure in the 7' x 7' cinder block building the tank sets on. We were able to keep the creek pump safe with long burning votive candles during the power failure but the candles in the drafty building blew out in the high winds overnight and everything froze and burst when the temp dropped to 7 F and stayed in the teens for several days.

We had been hauling water from the creek for almost four weeks.

Thanks again.

Life is good.

Congrats on getting it fixed Bob.

 

[Longboysfan]

Okay, thought I'd tackle a new one.

Every now and then when someone is taking a shower there is way too much water still coming out of the spout. Waste of water.

Most showers that are also in tubs have 3 handles. Hot and Cold water and a center handle called a Diverter.

Here is what a common diverter valve looks like.

If you have the tools or don't need them and only need to replace that washer. It'll cost you a quarter and the gas money for your trip to the store.

My problem is the reverse side of this. The part that the rubber gasket seats into it messed up.
as you would know as you look at it it os a circular top - should be smooth but mine is not.
Middle is square. I tried to use the allen key to try and remove and replace but it seems lockec into place. and is behind the wall and the pipes are holding it in place in the assembly.

Any trick to getting the screw in part out??? to replace it? without killing the pipes?

 

[Hostile]

Sorry for the delay Hos.

It's smooth. I prefer to fix it right, so if removing and replacing is the best way to do it. I've actually done some taping and bedding before, but I did it by reading off the net. Not always the best way to learn, but it worked. It will already have to be repainted.

I noticed a small crack where the cathedral ceiling comes together in my family room too. That, I probably won't be replacing all the tape. (it's not peeling, just cracked)

Okay, there's two kinds of tape, smooth and ribbed. You need the smooth. You will notice it has a line in the middle, this is the bend point.

To start with you want to get all the old tape off and scrap the area smooth. No big bumps. Fold the tape in half and dip it in some water. The bathroom sink is great for this. Just a quick dip.

Put the tape in place half on the wall and half on the ceiling. The water will allow it to stick up there in place.

Now on your drywall mud I recommend the Light or blue box of mud. Scoop some into your mud pan and then add a little water and start mixing it with the taping knife. You want it to be just thicker than a pancake batter.

I like wide taping knives. Get some on the tip of the knife and start applying to the tape in a smooth downward press. Do the same for the ceiling. You want to get mud to cover the tape and be thin on the wall. It takes a little time to feather it all together but it is not hard to do.

Let it dry for 24 hours. Sand the edges smooth and paint. If you feather the mud right there shouldn't be any sign at all that there was a patch applied.

 

[Hostile]

Yes! Finally. I had to use a combination of the two in order to stop the leaks completely so the pipes should be easier to repair in the future.

We get our water from the creek about 1000' away and so we have one pump in a small well insulated trunk-like box down by the creek to pump water up into a 1200 gallon overhead tank behind the ranch house and a second pump to provide pressure in the 7' x 7' cinder block building the tank sets on. We were able to keep the creek pump safe with long burning votive candles during the power failure but the candles in the drafty building blew out in the high winds overnight and everything froze and burst when the temp dropped to 7 F and stayed in the teens for several days.

We had been hauling water from the creek for almost four weeks.

Thanks again.

Life is good.

Do you have the pipes wrapped? You could even wrap them in burlap and it should help a little. A guy I used to work for took old inner tubes and bailing wire and wrapped every joint. He'd stretch that inner tube and then cinch it down with bailing wire. Then he'd wrap the pipes in burlap. It wasn't much for pretty but it was sure stout.

 

[Hostile]

My problem is the reverse side of this. The part that the rubber gasket seats into it messed up.
as you would know as you look at it it os a circular top - should be smooth but mine is not.
Middle is square. I tried to use the allen key to try and remove and replace but it seems lockec into place. and is behind the wall and the pipes are holding it in place in the assembly.

Any trick to getting the screw in part out??? to replace it? without killing the pipes?

Yes, in post #40 of this thread I talked about changing the seats. There's a special tool you can buy that has the square end to get inside that seat. It does not cost much. A few bucks at any Ace or True Value.

Very easy to change once you have that tool.