« March 2008 | Main | May 2008 »

April 24, 2008

Moving a Toilet Drain Is a Lot of Trouble

Q: Hello Ed. I recently saw you at a building show and you were talking about water conservation and replacing older toilets to save a lot of water. You made a great speech and I have decided to change my old toilet. My question is that since I'm removing my old toilet, does it make sense to move my toilet drain a few feet as well? I always wanted my toilet moved over a bit from the side wall. Thanks! Rodger (Georgia)

A: Rodger, I'm thrilled you liked my speech and that you are going to get rid of your old water guzzling toilet for a new HET (High Efficiency Toilet) that can save thousands of gallons of water a year!

Anyone else looking for a new toilet, I recommend getting an HET that carries the EPA "Water Sense" label. The Water Sense label means that the toilet tests at the high end of the flushing power chart and flushes with 1.3 gallons of water per flush or less. That's what you call power and performance!

Anyway, I digress. Rodger, while changing a toilet is usually not a big deal, moving a toilet drain line usually is a big deal. My advice is to leave the toilet drain where it is and simply swap your old toilet for the new HET with the "Water Sense" label. Now, that makes a lot of sense!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 11:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 23, 2008

Shower Valve Problem Gets Personal

Q: Dear Ed, my old tub and shower valve needs to be replaced, and to make matters worse the pipe inside the wall that goes up to my shower head is broken and also has to be replaced. Of course my only access panel behind the tub wall is just for the lower part of the wall where the tub valve is. This means to replace the shower pipe, my entire back wall has to be opened up. My plumber says he can install a mixing valve with a low hand held personal shower fitting and hose and we can just hang the shower head up high. This would save breaking the wall, but is this a good idea? Sharon (Texas)

A: Well, it is a creative solution, but before you do anything, check your local codes to see if it is allowed.

Of course, the best way to do things would be to open up the back wall and install the new mixing valve complete with a new shower pipe and shower arm through the wall and into the tub/shower stall. Then, patch and rebuild the back wall with perhaps a larger access panel. While more expensive and invasive, if you ever sell the house, this can give you a better resale value. However, I understand that we are all on tight budgets and sometime a quicker, less expensive way out of a problem is appealing.

If you go for the personal shower with the extension hose option, I would spend the extra money for a chrome trim hose, shower head and hanging bracket. This will give you a more finished look than plastic and may actually add more beauty to your tub and shower. Not bad for taking the easy way out!

If you really want to add a nice feature, some personal showers have vertical hanging bar assemblies that would allow you to slide the shower head up and down on the chrome bar for your own custom shower height.

Either way, if you go with opening up the wall or the personal shower solution, make sure your new tub/shower mixing valve has hot water scald protection and meets local building codes.

Finally, I don't want to get personal here but I assume you'll be looking at the inside of your shower stall at least once a day. So, do whatever makes you feel the best, not what costs the less!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 22, 2008

A Crimp in Compression Fitting Plans

Q: Ed, I have a water line with a compression fitting under my sink. When I tried to take the compression fitting off, the crimp ring was stuck on the copper pipe and will not slide off. How does one remove the compressed brass ring off a copper pipe?
Thanks.
-Chris (Texas)

A: Chris, the short answer is: You don't!

Compression fittings work with three components. The compression nut, ferrule, and fitting body. When you tighten the nut on to the body, the ferrule between the two components crimps around the pipe and that seals the fitting.

Usually the fitting nut and ferrule have to be cut off the pipe and the new pipe end can be used for the new connection. However, sometimes there may not be enough room on the pipe to cut out the fitting and that's where things will get tough. I

have had to open up walls and floors to get access to a good pipe end and then had to run some new lines. Hopefully, you will have room to work with this one. Remember, I never said plumbing was easy!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 11:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2008

New toilet job goes down a rocky road.

Q: Hey Ed, I enjoy your TV show "Ed The Plumber" and read your newspaper column every week. Can you help out a loyal fan with a toilet problem? I installed a new toilet on my tile floor and it rocked back and forth on the floor a bit. So, I took a piece of plywood and traced the bottom of the toilet to make a solid wood base and installed the toilet over the plywood. It does not rock anymore, but now I'm getting second thoughts. Is what I did OK? It would be nice to know if my idea will work for the long haul. Sincerely, Rex (Michigan)

A: Hi Rex, I can never say no to a loyal fan so let me try to help even though my response may not be what you want to hear.

First off even though a toilet replacement looks easy on paper, in real life it's normal to run into problems. For instance, broken flanges, rotted floors and uneven floors are very common road blocks that plumbers face on a regular basis.

The good news is that an uneven floor is the easiest of the three that I mentioned to work around. With any toilet the area under the toilet does tend to get moist and hold water so it's important that the materials used under a toilet are waterproof.

Ceramic tile is an excellent material for a toilet to sit on, bare plywood is not. The plywood can hold moisture and may start to rot, harbor bugs and promote mold over the long haul. I recommend that you remove the plywood base and put the toilet back on to your tile floor.

OK, now lets address the rocking issue. See where the toilet is rocking and find any low spots on the floor around the toilet before you tighten the closet bolts.

Most home centers sell special plastic shims approved for toilet use that can be set into place with a dab of caulking. These shims should give you a good base and cut back the rocking. Once in place, gently tighten down the closet bolts to lock the toilet into place.

Most plumbers agree that caulking should not be used around the entire toilet base, only at the shim points. This will promote air flow under the toilet and if the flange seal ever leaks the water will be noticed around the base of the bowl.

A completely caulked toilet base may hold the water under the toilet and if you ever have to replace the toilet, the caulking may pull up the tiles or base floor.

Sorry Rex, but you asked for it and now it looks like you have to do the job over. I hope you're still a loyal fan!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 14, 2008

A Tale of Two Tapes

Q: Hi Ed, I love your new "House Call" book and weekly column, and I've been waiting for a Teflon tape question to come up. I have not seen one yet, so I'll ask it myself. What is the difference between Teflon tape and plumber's pipe dope? Is one better than the other? Fred (California)

A: Thanks, Fred. As you seem to know, the best way to get my attention is with a nice compliment! I am not a scientist, so I cannot say if one is better than another, but I can tell you my experience with both Teflon tape and pipe dope.

For those who don't know, to properly connect threaded fittings, some type of sealer needs to be used. Teflon tape is applied to the male threads by rolling the tape around the fitting end with the direction of the threads. Teflon paste or pipe dope is applied to the threads with a small brush. Most plumbers I know like the paste because it's faster to work with; some local codes may require paste-type sealers for certain connections. However, the tape is a lot cleaner to work with and also some equipment installations may require using the tape over the paste.

What I do is I research the type of equipment and/or connections I'm going to make, and I check the codes as well. If the installation calls for one type of sealer over another, then my choice is easy, I go with the approved sealer for that job. If I can use any type of pipe sealer for the connections, my choice is still easy. I go for the closest one I can get my hands on!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 9:23 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Local Bar is Moving Far Away

Q: Dear Ed, I'm redoing my basement and have to move my bar sink to the complete opposite side of the room from where it is now. In order for it to drain I have to run the piping up from the sink, over the suspended ceiling and then back down to the present drain. What do you recommend for equipment to pump this drain water up and over? Dan (Michigan)

A: Oh Danny-boy, the pipes are calling. You must really like having parties at your basement bar to go through all this work! The good news is that since you are just draining a bar sink you are dealing with "gray" water, not sewer water from a toilet. A graywater discharge system is a lot easier to install than a sewer ejector pump, and the equipment is a lot less money. Cheers to that!

The system most commonly installed for sinks and laundry stations is called a laundry pump — basically a small (five gallons or so), self-contained, sealed chamber with a built-in pump. The housing also has connections for the incoming water, discharge line and vent line and the unit usually plugs into an approved electrical outlet. Water drains into the laundry pump tank, and when the tank is full, a float switch turns on the pump and discharges the water to the final gravity drain connection on the line. This allows you drain water "up and over" as you stated.

Please note that laundry pumps usually require local permits and must be installed to local building codes. For instance, check valves, GFCI electrical outlets, outside venting of the tank and drain distance restrictions are some of the issues that may need to be addressed. Bottom line is to check all your local codes before you start this job. A licensed plumber may be a good idea to bring in on this one, and maybe you can get a break on the price if you promise to invite them to your next party. Open bar, of course!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 9:18 AM | Comments (0)

April 7, 2008

Rooter Becomes the Problem

Q: Ed, help!!! My toilet backed up and I tried to snake it out with a rooter. Guess what? The rooter is now stuck in my toilet bowl trap! What is my next move? Maximus (Florida)

A: Dear Maximus, I hope that is not your only toilet in the house because it looks like you are in a big jam with this one. You may want to call in a plumber on this, because you have two labor-intensive choices:

1) Suck up any water or debris in the tank and bowl with a wet-vac vacuum approved for water use. Then disconnect the tank from the bowl and the bowl from the floor flange. Then you can turn the bowl on its side and try to push the snake or auger from behind while you pull from the front. If you get the snake out, you can then reinstall the toilet and see if it works. Word of caution, the bowl can be damaged and you may have to replace the toilet anyway after all that work.

2) Remove and throw out the old toilet and install a new toilet. The second choice may actually cost you less money if the first choice doesn't work and the job has to be done twice!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 12:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Covering Up a Potential Problem

Q: Hello, Ed. My wife and I have a potential problem with our new kitchen plans. We live in a small house on a small lot. For years we have wanted to build our big beautiful dream kitchen; it would be a room all to itself. Of course a big addition like this would require a slab foundation that would extend off the house. The trouble is that our sewer line runs directly under where we need to build the new kitchen. The line cannot be relocated, so it's build over and cover the sewer beneath the kitchen or cancel our dream plans. I'm just worried what would happen if the sewer line ever breaks down and needs to be replaced. Can you help us with some advice? Bill and Tammy (Washington)

A: Hi, Bill and Tammy. I get a lot of questions like yours, so you are not alone. Building a new kitchen is stressful enough, and I'm sorry you have the extra stress of facing a potential disaster down the road.

The first thing you need to do is meet with your local building inspector to see if it's even allowed in your area to build over utility lines. If the inspector says you cannot do it, well, then your decision is an easy one: No new kitchen. However, if it is allowed in your area to build over a utility like a sewer line, you face a tough call.

If you decide to go for it, according to all the local codes I know of, you will need to bring in a licensed representative for the utility companies to mark and lay out where every water, gas, sewer, electrical line, etc., is located. (Your inspector can tell you where to call for this service.) That way when you dig, you can be aware of potential hazards and avoid breaking the sewer line before you even build.

Now here is where it gets tough. If it is allowed and you decide to build over the sewer line, you may never have a problem in your lifetime and there will not be an issue. But, in a year, 10 years — who knows? — the line may fail, and your only option may be digging up the old sewer line and replacing it. This could be a financial disaster for you and you could end up losing your home, never mind the kitchen!

I have seen homeowners install driveways or patios over utility lines, but keep in mind they can be cut and patched to get access to the line. I cannot tell you what to do; all I can tell you is to thoroughly research this project with your local officials, your insurance company and your contractors before you start. Otherwise, your dream kitchen could turn into a nightmare!

Posted by Ed Del Grande at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)