Our house is entirely plumbed in copper. Even the ginormous pipe that leaves the house to go out to the sewer.. whenever people see the maze of pipes in our basement, they comment on how valuable it is. But really? I mean, besides all the work of tearing it out and dealing with the weight, etc etc, how would a normal person like me turn it into money????
[Not that I want to; I just ponder these things sometimes.]
posted by Tandem Affinity
on Apr 27, 2013 -
15 answers
Hi Mefites, first month of homeowning has been interesting, to say the least. Just spent an hour cleaning up water waste from the toilet. What I believe is called the inspection cap cover has come loose and doesn't seem to want to stay put. Call a plumber, or simple fix?
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posted by peteyjlawson
on Apr 15, 2013 -
6 answers
My sump pump currently has different ideas of when and how it should work than I do. I have a couple of questions about plumbing for the sump, and a question about whether there is something I can fix that will allow me to not replace it.
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posted by OmieWise
on Jan 28, 2013 -
6 answers
We have a shower where both the faucets drip. We have replaced internal washers, and replaced stems. Replacing either one helps, but not perfectly (usually there's still a slow drip after fixing). The drip gets worse over a period of weeks until it's nearly a trickle, at which point we take the faucets apart and do it all over again. It's gotten a little bit boring.
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posted by mattu
on Jan 12, 2013 -
13 answers
My shower runs hot, then cold, then hot again under certain circumstances. What would cause this? Details within.
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posted by Right On Red
on Dec 23, 2012 -
13 answers
Can you help me to understand what the problem with my sink and washing machine pipes is? A heavy load of draining water spills out from near the U-bend.
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posted by tumples
on Oct 17, 2012 -
9 answers
How can I get what is apparently a lot of gunk out of my kitchen drain pipe?
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posted by Danf
on Jul 13, 2012 -
19 answers
Can anyone help me ID
this faucet? Late last night I noticed a steady drip/stream, and could not find an obvious manufacturer ID before, which I'd like to get before barreling into a hardware store looking for the right replacement parts.
posted by stevis23
on Jul 5, 2012 -
6 answers
Water started gushing from under my bathroom sink for no apparent reason. Why, and what's the best way to get this (potentially large) problem fixed? Details inside, obviously.
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posted by st starseed
on Jun 26, 2012 -
7 answers
We are having bath trouble. The bond between the structure of the bath and the acrylic surface has broken, and when you step in the bath, the acrylic warps/bubbles. The acrylic is definitely going to crack at some point! What can we do?
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posted by Jacqulyn
on Jun 7, 2012 -
4 answers
PLUMBING: Is it easily possible to replace what seems to be a
leaky drain valve (slowly dripping) in a hot water heater tank? Is that what's pictured in my link? Is it even worth it when the top of the tank is corroded (although it seems to be coming from
the pipe and not eating thru' the metal at all)
like this?
This thread says don't mess with it. And right, you know: T'anks for the help.
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posted by Shane
on May 5, 2012 -
10 answers
Plumbing - I need to replace the gasket and o-ring in this faucet, but I'm stumped on how to take it apart. Help! The handle was easy, but the body refuses to budge. The ceramic body & metal base move with a lot of resistance, but not in a way that suggests unscrewing. The top flange is immovable, but with no space to wedge in a screwdriver to pry it off. Ideas?
Front view &
Top View. Thank you!
posted by swngnmonk
on Apr 29, 2012 -
4 answers
Indoor Plumbing Filter: Help me understand a valve on my hot water line and how to stop a leak.
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posted by msbutah
on Apr 14, 2012 -
8 answers
[plumbingfilter] My bathroom and kitchen faucets don't give cold water until they've been running for at least one minute. The shower runs hot much quicker (10-20 seconds). Is this something that can be fixed? My landlord says no.
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posted by benbenson
on Feb 5, 2012 -
12 answers
Seattle: *urgent* need for a plumbing/heating maintenance today or this weekend for the in-floor heating of my townhome. Haven't had heat since apparently Wednesday night, and the company that installed it is non-responsive to my repeated calls.
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posted by hincandenza
on Jan 27, 2012 -
8 answers
IsMyHouseGoingToFloodFilter: Will a bunch of teflon tape wrapped around a compression ring prevent my toilet shut off valve from leaking?
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posted by i love cheese
on Oct 30, 2011 -
8 answers
I have replaced the flapper, flush valve, overflow tube, spud washer, bolts, and gaskets. A big leak (spontaneous refilling every 1-2 hours) has become a small leak (2" drop in water level in 12 hours). Now what should I do to make it stop entirely?
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posted by mausburger
on Oct 17, 2011 -
18 answers
Help me identify this
clump of tree roots that a plumber cut from my sewer line today. It's either from a California Redwood, an ash, or
this little
tree that I haven't identified (maybe it's an ash too? It has berries while the big one does not, but I guess they flower and fruit on a multiyear cycle.) The house is in southern California, and roots are apparently invading the line through a bad splice between two sections of ABS pipe.
posted by contraption
on Sep 22, 2011 -
4 answers
Can you help this complete newbie replace the dishwasher in my broken down old mobile home? The plumbing is, to put it kindly, non-standard, and I'm not sure how to proceed without flooding my dwelling.
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posted by El Sabor Asiatico
on Sep 6, 2011 -
12 answers
I have a sink in my basement I would like to relocate. I would like to do this with a minimum amount of plumbing. I shall explain my intentions with a few pictures and way too many words inside.
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posted by bondcliff
on Feb 17, 2011 -
8 answers
If I unscrew my toilet seat hinges, will I be able to screw them back on?
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posted by roofus
on Jan 12, 2011 -
9 answers
How can I fix my tub/shower faucet permanently? Details and pics inside...
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posted by mkdg
on Jan 6, 2011 -
7 answers
I took apart the tub faucet. Now I don't know what to do, and Mr. Cyndigo will be home in two hours. HELP!
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posted by cyndigo
on Oct 13, 2010 -
10 answers
I'm troubleshooting, DIY, a clogged toilet. Here's what is happening. What does it mean? (BTW, I have barely any experience with toilets, and while I have plumbed for a summer, I do not have any real knowledge of household plumbing).
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posted by scunning
on Sep 17, 2010 -
13 answers
I clogged the toilet with a 6" piece of carrot. (Yes, that was dumb.) Anything I should try before calling the plumber?
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posted by d. z. wang
on Aug 27, 2010 -
20 answers
The flow from our (two-handled American Standard) kitchen sink faucet has recently changed slightly but annoyingly - when I turn on the water, it kind of tapers on, and similarly when I turn the water off, it tapers off, taking several seconds to completely stop flowing. This happens exactly the same for the hot and cold water taps, so I don't think there's a problem in the valves under the handles. The sprayer still works, though the switching of water to the sprayer and back when you press its handle is lagged as when you turn the water on and off.
Any ideas what could be causing this problem?
posted by aught
on Jul 28, 2010 -
5 answers
I bought a kit to hook up my ice maker to a cold water line. I am having a hard time figuring out how to get the poly tube connected to the saddle valve. Pics inside...
Also, I am aware that the back side of the saddle valve is not pictured. I have that, but its not in the pictures.
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posted by Brettus
on Jul 1, 2010 -
8 answers
My sink overflowed in the middle of the night and now I'm trying to figure out how to clean it up (and prevent it from happening again).
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posted by Strang
on Apr 20, 2010 -
9 answers
My toilet has started to make a "chugging" sound, like a choo-choo, shortly after I flush. What to do?
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posted by teedee2000
on Feb 26, 2010 -
6 answers
What does the term "23 Hour Service" when used by the service & repair industry?
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posted by jspierre
on Feb 22, 2010 -
9 answers
Toilet Filter: After putting down a new floor and re-installing, my toilet won't flush all the way. I've completely rebuilt the guts (new fill mechanism, new flush valve, new flapper), I've maximized the tank fill, plunged and augerred, and even used muriatic acid to clean the jets (though I might not have done it correctly), with no results. (More Inside...)
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posted by milkman
on Feb 9, 2010 -
13 answers
Lately the cold water in my bathroom sink has a musty odor when I first turn on the tap. What should I do to fix this?
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posted by tomwheeler
on Dec 16, 2009 -
7 answers
Need to replace a toilet seat. The hardware seems to be fixed fast to the throne; the screw is all rusty, there's a plastic-y sort of nut that has resisted all my attempts to pry off with a wrench. Would really like to do this myself and avoid having to call in a plumber.
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posted by lgandme0717
on Nov 22, 2009 -
20 answers
What's the best way to go about replacing my kitchen sink and faucet?
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posted by aburd
on Jul 27, 2009 -
8 answers
My shower (an in-stall water heater) sometimes smells like something rubber is burning. It's a strong acrid smell that I only notice while in the shower and usually only after a sweaty workout. There is no sign of smoke like you would expect with burning rubber. Is this just some sort of weird sweat and treated water chemical reaction? Anybody heard of something like this?
posted by srboisvert
on Jul 24, 2009 -
11 answers
What can I do to investigate a sudden drop in water pressure (or flow) in the second floor only of my house before I call a plumber this Monday?
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posted by maudlin
on Apr 11, 2009 -
9 answers
I was recently out of the country on vacation. The tenants at my rental property had a plumbing emergency while I was unreachable, and I suspect they were taken advantage of. What options do I have?
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posted by puddleglum
on Mar 25, 2009 -
7 answers
Bubbling toilet and a back flow preventer!
Could we be held responsible for other units getting backups from their toilets if we put a back flow preventer on the plumbing?
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posted by DorothySmith
on Feb 2, 2009 -
12 answers
Drain snakers, how much longer should I mess with this bathtub drain before I call a plumber?
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posted by jessamyn
on Feb 2, 2009 -
27 answers
