« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »

August 27, 2007

Sub-Tropical Spigot Pickle

Q: Hello, Ed. I live in Florida, and I'm in a real pickle with my outdoor faucets. The location of my present outdoor faucet is on the opposite side of my home away from where I need water. I'm tired of wrestling with hoses, and I want to move the location to the sunny side of my home. I know that if I had a basement, I could tap into a basement line near the new location, but I'm on slab construction. What's the best way to move my faucet without digging up my yard to relocate the line by going around the outside of my home? Joan (Florida)

A: Joan, the good news is because you live in a warm climate, if worst comes to worst, it really won't be that bad to have an underground water line going around your home. Usually in warm areas, the local codes only require the line to be a foot or less under ground. Where I live in New England, we have to put our water lines five to six feet underground, and that would be a very big job! Remember: With all digging projects, work safe and check first with the local utility companies.

But I bet you can find another place to tap in on the inside of the house and avoid digging. Go to where you want the outdoor faucet and find the nearest bathroom, your kitchen or washroom. Usually you can tap into a cold-water line under a sink or in a wall or even at your laundry station. Once you tap into the line, it can be directed right through the wall to the outside of the home.

It's very important to have a professional do this job and to follow all local codes so you don't take any water pressure away from present plumbing fixtures. Good luck!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 4:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 26, 2007

Single to Double Could Spell Trouble

Q: Hi, Ed. I learn a lot from your column, and I look forward to some information on this topic. I have a single-bowl vanity sink that I would like to convert into two side-by-side pedestal sinks. Since the water and drains are already there, I'm assuming that it won't be that big of a job. Am I being to optimistic? Harry (Alaska)

A: Hi, Harry. I love your positive attitude, but I don't think this job is going to be as easy as you may think. Installing a vanity sink is usually a pretty forgiving process. All you need to do is get the water and drain lines close to the area of the sink. Once the vanity box is in place it covers the rough water and drain lines. If the water lines are uneven or the drain is a little low, nobody would ever see the mistakes. Also, since the lines are covered by the cabinet, there is no need to dress the piping with chrome trim or finish water supplies. This is why a vanity sink is a popular choice; the installation costs are lower than exposed sinks, such as a wall-hung or a pedestal sink.

With a wall-hung or pedestal sink, the plumbing placement and finish materials are crucial for a professional look. Using what's called a "rough in" sheet that comes with exposed sinks, plumbers can place the water and drain lines inside the wall exactly where they need to stick out under the fixture. Plus, hanging sinks need extra wall support.

To answer your question while keeping all this information in mind, going from a pedestal sink to a vanity box sink is usually not a big deal. But going from a vanity box sink to a pedestal sink may require moving some pipes and dressing up the piping with chrome or brass trim for a good look. Sometimes you can get lucky and the switch from one vanity sink to one pedestal sink can go smoothly.

However, you are going from one vanity sink to two pedestal sinks! In my opinion, this can turn into a big project that may include opening up the walls and roughing in two separate sink stations. My advice is to convert your single vanity sink into double bowl vanity sinks for a lot less labor and materials.

Or if you really want pedestal sinks, have a licensed contractor price up the job first and then decide if it's worth all the extra work of opening up the walls, re-piping the plumbing, adding supports to hold up the sinks, then closing up the walls and installing the sinks. This is one job where boxing yourself into a corner with a vanity lav sink may be a better idea than exposing your plumbing for a pedestal sink!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 19, 2007

Air in the Water

Q: Ed, I'm having a big problem with the water system in my house. I have a well, and somehow air got into my water lines. This makes a lot of noise, and I can't get it out no matter how long I run the faucets. How do you purge a water system? Thanks for any advice. Rob (Oklahoma)

A: Rob, you're going to have to look deeper into your problem, and I mean deeper. You need to have a licensed well company check the intake line of your well pump for leaks. Remember, a well intake line to the pump is usually a suction line that creates a vacuum and pulls the water out of the well. If you have any tiny leaks that are not submerged in water, they may actually allow some air to be sucked into the system, and that could be the reason you have all that air in your water lines.

This is not very good for the pump either. Under normal conditions, running the fixtures in the house should purge small air pockets out the system; constant air in the system usually points to air somehow mixing in with the water supply. If you were on a city system, you'd need to call your water department. In your case, Rob, drop the guy who works in your well a line!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 18, 2007

Triple Threat in the Kitchen

Q: Hi Ed, I love your TV show, book and column. You are a "triple threat" in the home improvement business! I'm thrilled to write you from my local New England newspaper, and I hope you pick my question because I have a triple threat of my own in the kitchen. I'm remodeling my kitchen and the counterman installed a beautiful three-bowl kitchen sink for me in the new countertop. However, now that it's installed, I'm completely lost as to how you hook up a three bowl sink. This looks like a very complicated job, and I was hoping you could help me understand it a little better before I call my plumber. Thanks, Ed, and keep up the good work! Richard (New England)

A: Thank you, Richard. Your question had the two ingredients that I look for when I write my newspaper column: A good question that many homeowners can relate to, and a nice compliment for me! (Hint, hint for anyone out there who is thinking about writing in!)

All kidding aside, Richard, this is a very good question. Simply put, if you can hook up a one-bowl sink, you can hook up a three-bowl sink. First of all, a three-bowl sink will usually require only one faucet, just like a single or double bowl sink, so the faucet installation should not change at all. However, it is a good idea to get a special-order faucet with a longer spout that will easily reach all three bowls.

Speaking of the bowls, in a triple-basin sink, the smaller middle bowl is usually for the garbage disposer, and each end bowl will have a basket strainer for normal sink use. Once you mount the disposer and basket strainers to the sink, you should hook each drain hole up with its own p-trap. This will leave you with three separate traps to hook up to the main sink drain under the sink. The job now is the same as hooking up three single-bowl sinks!

The trick is to tap into that main sink drain with "Y" fittings that will branch off the main sink drain to each trap under the sink and still leave you with a clean-out plug for future drain access if needed. Sometimes things can be a tight fit, and there are always local plumbing codes to follow, so calling your plumber is a very good idea. But at least now you know that it's not a very complicated job, it's just basically three times the work as a standard kitchen sink to install. So, the bottom line is the reason why most homeowners install just a single or double bowl sink is to keep the labor costs out of "triple" digits.

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 7, 2007

Water Heater Woes

Q: Hi, Ed, I'm a contractor, and I enjoy your column. Recently I read a question in your column about you saying that rusty hot water from the faucet can be caused by a water heater on its way out. You recommended they install a new water heater. Please remember that rust from your water heater is not always from a bad tank ready to rupture. It can be caused by a deteriorating anode rod inside the tank. When rust starts to appear, have a professional remove the old anode rod, pick up the right size and install a new anode rod. If the rust stops after a few days you would have saved a costly replacement of your water heater. Rod (Nevada)

A: First off, Rod, you have the perfect name to address this issue! For those who don't know, an anode rod is a protection device to prolong tank life for a water heater.

I agree with everything you said but must point out that, especially with an older tank, it may not be cost-effective to try to troubleshoot the problem. In many areas of the country, the labor costs may be less expensive to simply swap out an older water heater with a new one than to make two or three trips trying to figure out how to fix a used tank.

It all gets down to what the homeowner and local plumber feel is the most cost effective way to solve a problem. A good contractor like Rod will help you make the correct decisions for your area. Keep up the good work!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 6, 2007

Small Renovation Now a Big Problem

Q: Dear Ed, I started a "small" bathroom renovation that has turned out to be anything but small! The room is down to the bare studs and I was ready to start bringing in all the shiny new stuff when the plumbing started getting crabby. If I run my dishwasher the draining water backs up and gurgles up through my tub and toilet drains. It isn't a lot of water, but if I run the dishwasher and washing machine together then there is a considerable amount of water overflowing from the open drain lines! I have run rooter snakes through the drains all the way to my septic tank so the drains should be clean. How is this still backing up? I need to fix this mystery now before I put everything back together. Please help! Dawn (Colorado)

A: Hi, Dawn. Your letter had a very big clue that may help you find your problem. First, keep in mind that a washing machine and dishwasher separately use a lot of water. When they discharge the water into a home's drainage system, it can really push the system to the limit. Now, you are running both of those fixtures at the same time, so you are doubling the load of water going into your drains. Plus it's soapy water creating a lot of suds.

The first thing I recommend (and this applies to everyone) is try to avoid running a dishwasher and washing machine at the same time. Remember there is only so much water a normal drainage system can usually discharge easily into the sewer system. Once into the sewers, the water is now drained from a home.

However (and this takes us back to your clue), you are not on a city sewer system. You have a private septic tank. I'm also on a septic tank. Take it from personal experience and my plumbing background, your problem may not be in your drains at all, but in your septic tank and leach field. If the septic system starts to fail, the water may not drain completely from the house and may cause a back-up. My advice, before you do anything else, is to have a licensed professional check, pump and/or repair your septic tank and leach field. Once you restore your normal outdoor drainage flow, you should be good to go with the inside bathroom drains as well!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack