Ed Del Grande: Ask Ed

Can the Shower Be a Humidifier?

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-05-02T11:47:37-05:00

Q: Ed, can you resolve another husband/wife dispute? During the heating season we run an electric humidifier to put moisture into our home since we heat with a wood stove and the air can get very dry. When taking showers I leave the bathroom door open with the fan off to let the moist air dispense into the house. I feel this helps keep our house extra moist during the heating season. My husband insists that we keep the bathroom door closed tight with the bathroom vent fan on to prevent mold from building up in the bathroom. What do you think? Jayne (New Hampshire)

Code Red For Ed

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-05-02T11:43:23-05:00

Q: Mr. Del Grande, While I enjoy reading your column in our local newspaper, the advice you gave this week about setting a toilet without sealing the fixture to the floor sent me to my code books. According to my code books they all state that: "Joints formed where fixtures come in contact with walls or floors shall be sealed."

My jurisdiction has taken this to mean the joint between the toilet base and the floor must be caulked or sealed with grout on tile floors. I would hate to have the homeowner follow your advice and get a red tag upon job inspection. Wally (Florida)

Moving a Toilet Drain Is a Lot of Trouble

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-24T11:38:42-05:00

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)

Shower Valve Problem Gets Personal

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-23T11:35:14-05:00

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 Crimp in Compression Fitting Plans

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-22T11:32:28-05:00

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)

New toilet job goes down a rocky road.

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-21T11:24:41-05:00

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 Tale of Two Tapes

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-14T09:23:05-05:00

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)

Local Bar is Moving Far Away

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-14T09:18:02-05:00

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)

Rooter Becomes the Problem

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-07T00:56:17-05:00

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)

Covering Up a Potential Problem

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-04-07T00:50:31-05:00

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)

Rusty Water Could Mean Trouble

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-03-31T00:28:24-05:00

Q: Ed, I really used to enjoy watching your Ed The Plumber show on the DIY Network. Where has it been lately? I can't seem to find it in my local listings.

Now for my question: When I turn on my hot water, it runs brown for a while then clears up. What should I have checked? Mike (Florida)

Shower Did Not Pan Out as Expected

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-03-31T00:22:56-05:00

Q: Hello, Mr. Del Grande. I enjoy getting my building tips from your column, and I now have a problem that I'm hoping you can help me with. I'm installing a custom tile shower stall and had planned on using a rubber membrane with thinset mortar for the shower base, then I was to tile over the cement floor. But now that I'm working on the base, it seems to be getting very complicated as to how the drain will attach to the membrane, how to angle the mortar and how to properly tile around the drain. I'm stopping the job until I can get some more info. Can you please help me? Jack (Michigan)

Readers Weigh in on Toilet Cleaning

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-03-24T00:33:46-05:00

Well, it happened again. My last article on the Great Toilet Cleaning Debate generated hundreds of letters, and I want to share some of them with you. I already had my last words by saying: "It's not my place to promote any toilet cleaning products, and it's up to each individual to do their own research to find a toilet cleaner that works best for them."

Stinky Plumbing

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-03-17T01:57:01-05:00

Q: Hi, Ed, We have a very embarrassing problem in our basement, and I hope you can help us understand what's going on. About a year ago we decided to remodel our basement complete with a toilet, bathroom sink and a bar sink. Since we were lower than the house drains, a sewer ejector pump was needed for the job. Against my wishes, my husband had the bright idea to work with a relative who is not a plumber but claimed to "know as much" as a plumber.

Apparently he did not, and now every time the ejector pump runs we get a stinky sewer smell in the bar sink area. How can we fix this? I'm ready to lock my husband in the basement with the stinky plumbing until it's fixed! Betty (Ohio)

Concrete Solutions

Ed_Del_Grande — 2008-03-17T00:08:46-05:00

Q: Ed, you are the plumbing expert for the country, and we know you'll have the right advice for us! We live on a slab foundation, and our kitchen sink drain line is broken or crushed under the cement floor. The sink will not drain at all no matter what we try. How do we get access to this pipe without destroying the kitchen? Any suggestions are welcome! David (Mississippi)