Why is my sump pump bone dry? [more inside]
posted by Waldo Jeffers on Nov 13, 2009 - 5 answers

I have a cast iron valve on a basement water (cold supply) line that is leaking. It's an antique so there is no repacking it and in a fairly inaccessible location so cutting it out and replacing it is bound to be an expensive nightmare involving a real. This valve is redundant and does not need to be functional. I was wondering if there is a product (I'm thinking a gooey oakum type thing) that I can wrap around the valve stem to form a seal? This will have to work in a wet environment as there is no way to turn the water off before the leaky valve.
posted by cedar on Oct 6, 2009 - 13 answers

Plumbing filter: When I'm running the shower, the cold water handle creeps up by itself until the water is tepid. How do I fix it? [more inside]
posted by cgs on Jun 25, 2009 - 4 answers

Where can I find good electricians, plumbers, handymen, and whatnot in Baltimore? Is there a centralized resource where people can find out who's good, who's cheap, whose repair work is going to need repairing by another contractor, etc etc? Must one rely on word-of-mouth or blindly picking a name from the phonebook?
posted by schroedinger on Aug 8, 2005 - 4 answers

Recently, when I turn on my shower in the morning, the water runs clear for a few minutes, then a spurt of black inky water comes out for anywhere from two to 10 seconds, then it starts running clear again. I haven't noticed this with any of my other faucets/water sources. What might be causing that black water (I assume something's collecting in the pipes somewhere) and is it something I should be worried about? As a side note, my hard, hard water does seem to eat through my plumbing like it was made of spun sugar.
posted by willnot on Apr 28, 2005 - 2 answers

ToiletFilter: I'm adding a toilet in the basement of our house. Should I get a low-flow 1.6 gpf unit, or go for a free multi-gallon unit? Can I retrofit a multi-gallon unit to flush less?
posted by daver on Mar 2, 2004 - 8 answers

Do you understand the physics of water pressure and/or plumbing? If so, I would love your opinion on this dispute I'm having with a plumber. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Jan 29, 2004 - 12 answers