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August 21, 2008
Whistles While it Works
Q: Greetings, Ed! I have a shutoff valve above my water heater labeled "sill cock." It whistles constantly. If I turn off the valve, the whistling stops. What is going on with this valve? Bill (Geogia)
A: Bill, with plumbing you can never be certain as to what is causing an issue unless you can actually trace out the lines and see the problem with your own eyes. I recommend you call a licensed plumber to check this because it sounds like you may have a hidden leak somewhere in the house.
A "sill cock" is an outside water faucet where you connect your garden hoses. So, if the valve label is correct, the whistling noise may indicate that there is a small leak somewhere after the shut off valve to the outside faucet.
Hopefully the pipe is exposed and you can spot the leak. But, if the sill cock line runs underground or through walls, this can be a bigger issue to find and fix.
Don't wait on this one. Slow hidden leaks can cause water damage to your home, and that whistling sound you hear is not a happy tune!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:59 PM | TrackBack
Deep Trouble for Kitchen Sink
Q: Dear Ed, I always enjoy your column and I hope this time I'll be the person you can help! I want to have a new single bowl "ten inch" deep kitchen sink installed. My present sink is a 7" double-bowl sink, and I can see that the present drain line sticking through the wall will be too high to fit my new sink. Can a sink be hooked up to a higher drain line? Or will I have to stay with a smaller sink? The problem is I already bought the deep sink! Pattie (Massachussetts)
A: Hi, Patty. This is not an uncommon problem, since most plumbing fixtures are installed to factory rough-in measurements.
Let me explain. When a new house is being built, the plumber runs the water and drain line while the walls are open. At that point, the plumber should have a fixture list with all the specifications as to where the pipes need to stick out of the wall. This is called the "rough-in" work.
Once the walls and or cabinets are closed in, then the plumbing fixtures are installed and hooked up to those water and drain line stubs. This is called the "finish" work. Since you have now completely changed from the style and size of your present kitchen sink, nothing will line up for the new sink -- and there's your problem.
The simple fix is to take back the deep sink and get a new kitchen sink close to the same measurements as your old sink. However, I know you are looking to install the deep sink.
In this case you will have to lower the drain line because you can't tie into a drain that is higher than the bottom of the sink. A plumber will have to "re-rough" the drain line, and that can get a little expensive. Usually the walls will have to be opened to expose the drain so it can be cut out, then the drain lines and possibly the vent line need to be altered to fit the new sink.
After all that, the wall and cabinet have to be closed back up. Finally, you can install the new deeper sink. So, basically your choice is to stay safe and stay in the shallow end of the pool, or go for it all and jump in the deep end!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:24 PM | TrackBack
Toilet Handle Stuck
Q: Hi, Ed. We have a strange problem with our toilet. In the mornings it is very hard to push the handle down. So hard we're afraid it will break! This may sound strange, but it almost feels like a vacuum forms overnight. Any ideas will be appreciated. Bill_Alabama
A: Bill, I have seen strange things with toilets and something uncommon may be happening in the bowl rim as it drains overnight to cause a vacuum. Check to make sure the toilet is level from front to back and side to side to prevent some type of air lock.
More likely, you may have a flapper that is getting soft from cleaning products or chlorine in the water. If a flapper gets soft and gooey it may stick to the seat of the flush valve. This may also explain why it locks in the closed position after sitting all night.
Also check the handle itself. If the handle locks up, it may feel like it's a flapper problem when it's not. Take the easy road first and change the flapper and handle to see what happens. After that you may need to call in a pro to see what's up with your locked up toilet!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 3:04 PM | TrackBack
No Silver Lining for Shower Remodel
Q: Dear Ed, I wish you were my plumber! I made the mistake of letting the unlicensed brother of my best friend install our new tile shower. From the first time I peeked in at his work I knew I was in trouble. When he was installing the shower base I noticed that there was no rubber lining on the floor. When I asked if he was going to use one he told me it wasn't necessary because the concrete would seal it all up. Now every time we use the shower we get a leak into my dining room below. Short of tearing out the entire shower and starting over, what can we do to fix this? Ruth (Indiana)
A: Hi Ruth. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I need to ask our readers a question so we can all learn from your stressful experience:
If your best friend's brother was an unlicensed doctor would you go to him for medical attention?
Most people I know would politely turn down the offer, yet many of these same individuals will allow unlicensed tradespeople into their home just because they are "friends of the family."
I know what's done is done in your case, so let's get back to your question. A "mud" based tile shower stall needs to have a copper pan or rubber liner installed during the "frame in" of the shower. This pan or liner is sealed to the special drain assembly on the floor and usually comes up around the walls and threshold of the shower bottom about four to six inches.
Once installed, the pan and drain flange is filled with water to test for leaks. If it passes the leak test, then the concrete base and tiles are installed.
My guess is that you did not pull any permits for this job as well or the building inspector would have stopped construction on the rough inspection.
I'm sorry but I don't have good news for you. From what I have experienced in cases like this, the leaking shower stall base will have to be removed and the job redone according to local codes.
Chances are you will be left holding the bag on this one, and sadly it will probably strain your wallet... and your friendship.
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 2:40 PM | TrackBack
August 20, 2008
Something's Fishy
Q: Ed, we have an ocean beach house with a bathroom on a lower floor that lately has been getting a very "fishy" smell. The bathroom has a shower stall that we sometime find sand particles in -- that's why I mentioned the beach. We also have a septic system for drainage. Any idea what the fishy smell is from? Many of our guests are overcome by the odor; how can we stop it? Beth (New England)
A: Beth, sometimes I have a gift for figuring out the obvious. In your case I believe that the "fishy" smell in your bathroom may have something to do with the fact you live on the ocean. (I say this in fun.)
Now that we solved that mystery let's look at the problem that may be bringing odors into your home. Thanks for mentioning that you find sand in your lower level shower stall. This clue suggests that your septic system may flood from time to time, and some waste water may actually flow back into the lower level shower stall, bringing all the nasty stuff with it.
Basically, when the water recedes, it's low tide in your shower stall! You need to have a licensed septic company inspect, check and pump out your system, and this may stop the recent "wave" of odor problems you've been experiencing.
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 5:04 PM | TrackBack
Dirty Dishwasher
Q: Ed, what causes a puddle of dirty water to constantly be at the bottom of my dishwasher every time I open the door after a washing cycle? Betty_Utah
A: Betty, this can be a pump or draining issue, but try this first before calling a service person.
Like a kitchen sink has a basket strainer at the drain opening to prevent debris from getting into your drain lines, most dishwashers have some type of strainer at the base of the rotating wash propeller at the bottom of the dishwasher. This strainer prevents chunks of debris from getting into the pump and drain system.
Make sure you follow your manufacturers instructions and recommendations to properly clean this strainer. If the instructions tell you to do this by hand, wear safety gloves because it's common to find bits of broken glass trapped around the strainer.
Once gunk and debris is cleared from the strainer, hopefully you'll find your dishwasher bottom to be as sparkling clean and streak-free as your glasses!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 5:02 PM | TrackBack
Concrete Evidence in Kitchen
Q: Dear Ed, I have a strange problem. I have a concrete slab foundation home built in the sixties. The slab floor seems to be deteriorating around my kitchen sink cabinet. Tiles in that area won't stay fixed to it and keep popping up. There is also a crack where I notice some moisture. How can I properly prepare the area to accept new flooring that stays put? Mary (Florida)
A: This does not sound like a flooring problem to me. What you seem to have here is a moisture problem that is preventing the flooring materials from adhering to the concrete slab.
Sometimes moisture will come up through a a slab foundation from the ground, but in your case because it's limited to the sink area, I believe you may have a more serious problem. The problem may be with your kitchen sink water lines.
Back in the fifties and sixties many contractors did not realize that concrete in direct contact with copper water lines can deteriorate the lines over time. The plumbers would run the rough water lines up from the ground to the fixture area and then the concrete slab was poured around these vertical copper water lines.
Today, protective "sleeve" materials are installed around the pipes to prevent the concrete from coming in contact with the copper pipes. In your case, I suspect over time the concrete has compromised the copper lines and you may have a slow leak under the concrete slab. I have seen copper water lines actually fall off at the slab in some cases.
The news is not good. To correct this problem a licensed plumber may have to open up the base of the kitchen sink cabinet to determine the source of the leak. If the pipes are leaking and look bad, the concrete around the pipes will have to be broken up, then any sand or soil below the slab dug up to expose the water lines.
Once a good area of copper is exposed, new lines can be tapped into place and piped back up to the sink. Finally, the lines are properly sleeved, a new concrete patch is poured, and the kitchen sink and cabinet base are reinstalled.
This is one plumbing issue that you need to correct right away. It may be a small leak now, but down the road it can lead to a flood of problems for your kitchen!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 4:56 PM | TrackBack
August 9, 2008
Toilet Roadblock
Q: Dear Ed, My husband and I are looking at new houses and it seems all the houses in our price range have small bathrooms with the toilet right in front of the side of the tub with the drain and shower valves. Why do they always block the most used side of the tub with the toilet? But, my big question is what would be more "doable" -- moving the toilet to the other side of the tub, or putting in a new tub with the drain and shower valves on the other side of the wall? Thanks! Marie (Ohio)
A: Marie, this is a question that I believe many of us have thought about whenever we use a smaller bathroom and find ourselves hurdling the toilet to take a shower. This is not only inconvenient, it can lead to a bad fall.
The reason for most of these toilet roadblocks is very simple: having to work with a tight budget in a tight bathroom space. This combination of the two leaves little choice but to install the toilet in front of the tub/shower valve and drain assembly.
Plumbing fixtures obviously require water lines installed in the wall to supply the fixtures with water. This setup is called a "wet wall," and the more fixtures that can share one wet wall, the less expensive it is to install the plumbing system. On bathroom jobs with a little bigger budget, two or more wet walls can be installed in the bathroom, and that would allow fixtures to be spread out a bit -- or in your case might allow the toilet to be on the opposite side of the tub/shower assembly.
Unfortunately, to do either of the solutions you mentioned, moving the toilet or flipping the tub, would require some very extensive remodeling of the bathroom and might not be worth the costs. The rule of thumb for remodeling is to get back as much of the investment costs as possible with a higher resale value for the home. All that work for moving a tub or toilet a few feet may not pay back for you.
A more simple solution to make the area safer and help get you in and out of the tub easier is to have a professional contractor install custom grab bars. With professionally installed grab bars, the resale value of the bathroom should increase a bit and your investment will be a fraction of the costs of a major remodeling job.
This option will help you get a "handle" on how to deal with houses that have tight bathroom spaces!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 9:53 AM | TrackBack
August 1, 2008
5 Fast Fixes to help sell your home
We all know it's a little tougher to sell a house these days, and desperate homeowners are looking for any little advantage they can get to help sell their home. From paying hundreds of dollars to have a staging company come into their home to make it look like someone lives there (figure that one out) to repainting entire walls --- only to find out that no one else likes the new color!
Well, now it's my time to weigh in on the issue. I put together my own fast and relatively inexpensive list that any homeowner can do --- and each one should raise an eyebrow from potential buyers looking for little details. So, without further ado here is "Master Contractor Ed Del Grande's Five Fast Fixes" to help sell your home:
1. Install a new "eco-performance" shower head. These new sleek-looking, high-quality, high-performance shower heads add an inviting look to your shower. The big surprise to point out is that they use 30% less water than a standard shower head, but still deliver a strong spray. Seeing is believing, so turn it on!
2. Add gutter extensions to your downspouts. Yes, gutter extensions really do help in keeping a basement dry. Adding an extension diverts the water about four feet from your foundation causing most of the water to run off into the property grading instead of back into your basement. A dry basement can increase the value of a home ten to fifteen percent!
3. Install insulating pipe sleeves. Pre-split and pre-glued insulating pipe sleeves are easily installed on just about any exposed hot or cold water line. For hot water lines it saves energy, and for cold water lines it cuts down on pipe sweating. A home without pipe insulation is like wearing shoes with no socks!
4. Install plastic wall anchors in exposed picture frame holes. Many homeowners simply bang a nail or screw into standard drywall to hang a photo. In most cases this will damage the drywall. Plastic anchor kits allow you to insert the anchor into the drywall hole giving it an instant finish look with more strength. When the photo or painting is removed and potential buyers see the professional finished look of the wall anchor kit, that will be the true work of art!
5. Add a transition seat to your toilet. New "transition" toilet seats accommodate adults and children in one sleek looking seat. It consists of three layers, the first being the lid. Picking up the lid reveals a child seat that every mother falls in love with. Picking up the child seat reveals the standard adult seat. The complete seat is raised when the adult seat is in the up position. This is truly a toilet seat that does "double duty"!
I hope you enjoyed my list, and my final tip for you is to try some or all of these things at your home even if you're not selling. With all the equity building, easy fix tips I mentioned, who would want to move after you install all that smart stuff!
