DIY PLUMBING
This article was originally written by Pat Perkins, it was so good I wanted to re post it!
How many times has someone asked you “Know a good plumber?” Would you even recognize a good plumber if you fell over one? Most of us give little thought to the health of our home’s plumbing, never mind the maintenance of our pipes, hoses, toilets, sinks, tubs, hot water heaters or garbage disposals until we are in the middle of a crises, like when the engagement ring goes down the garbage disposal or the hot water heater gives way suddenly and floods the basement.
At one time or another, each of us has probably experienced at least one of the following common plumbing problems:
* The toilet in your mother-in-law’s home won’t flush, the bowl won’t fill and you are expected at the dinner table momentarily.
* You are scalded in the shower when your wife flushes the toilet.
* You run out of hot water when showering and finish in a shivering rise of cold water.
* The leaky faucet or the running toilet keeps you up at night.
* You turn on the faucet to the hose expecting the water to come out the end of the hose; instead, the water blasts directly at you from the hose-faucet connection. Whoops, unexpected bath.
* You feel guilty wasting water at the kitchen sink but you run it anyway waiting for it to become hot.
* You try to scrub the tub, but the water takes so long to drain that you are always left with a puddle of grunge at the drain. Yuck!
* Your toilet overflowed while you were away and now you are standing in 2 inches of water.
Plumbing problems and emergencies are no joke, especially when you are in the throes of attempting to resolve one. When you need a plumber, who will you call? How will you know if your plumber is qualified to resolve your issue?
What It Takes To Become a Plumber
In a nutshell, the trade of plumbing involves working with pipes and equipment that are specifically designed to transport and drain water. As simplistic as this definition seems, the trade of plumbing includes a large number of specialties: pipe laying and fitting; HVAC, septic and sprinkler (interior and exterior) installation; and the management of drainage for public works projects (roads, bridges, developments) and utility providers. To further complicate matters, there are specialties within specialties too, each requiring specific training.
Plumbers work in commercial and residential settings and at infrastructure sites like highways and tunnels. They can be self-employed, work within an industry like construction or be hired as a contractor by a plumbing company or a government entity.
Career counselors report that successful candidates for the trade of plumbing typically exhibit high mechanical aptitudes, above average manual dexterity, solid math and problem-solving skills, and an ability to tolerate working in cramped spaces.
You might be surprised to know that plumbers are among the highest paid technicians in the construction industry, a fact that is directly related to the years of education and experience that are required to become a licensed plumber. Plumbers are expected to complete a professional training curriculum in a trade or vocational school, a 4-5 year apprenticeship and in most states, a state licensing exam.
Plumber licensing requirements vary from state to state and some states delineate between levels of plumbing expertise by correlating years of experience with various licensing levels. The most typical licensing levels are: apprentice, journey plumber, and master plumber.
There are two important factors for consumers to consider when hiring a plumber other than making sure that he/she is properly licensed. The first is to determine the plumber’s experience level and the second is to match the plumber’s specialty with the task you want done. For example, there is no point in hiring an expert pipe fitter if what you really need is a general household plumber to unstop a drain.
Protecting Your Plumbing
As much as you may admire your plumber, if you care about saving money there are a number of things that you can do yourself to protect the functioning and longevity of your home’s plumbing systems.
Garbage Disposals
* To clear a jam: Turn off the motor and the water. Find the disposal unit under the sink and insert a ¼ inch Allen wrench into the hole at the bottom of the unit. Move the wrench back and forth until it can be turned in concentric circles. After freeing the moveable parts, use tongs to remove the item that caused the jam and then push the red reset button.
* Always run COLD, not hot, water into the drain from your faucet when using the disposal.
* Avoid overloading the disposal. If you have to dispose of a large amount of food, dispose of it a little at a time.
* Don’t put high fiber foods such as celery, corn husks, artichoke leaves or onion peels into a disposal.
* Coffee grinds should not be dumped into a disposal.
* Eliminate odors caused by food particles in your disposal by running it every time you put anything into it. If odors remain, combine lemon or orange peels with ice cubes and turn your disposal on for a few seconds, then flush with cold water.
* Keep a degreasing product for disposals handy just in case.
Drains
* Children are especially hard on bathroom drains dropping everything from toothpaste caps to bubblegum down them. For this reason, always use screens on all your bathroom sink drains. These screens will keep objects from disappearing down the drain and trap hair and soap chips too. But you must remove the screens every now and then and clean them thoroughly.
* Use a strainer in your kitchen sink to trap debris and keep the disposal orifice covered when it is not in use.
* It is preferable to unclog a drain by mechanical means whenever possible. Chemical drain cleaners should be used sparingly, especially if you have brass, steel, or cast iron pipes which are easily corroded by the chemicals.
* Keep a bottle of vinegar and a box of baking soda near every sink and once a month pour one cup of the baking soda followed by one cup of the vinegar down the drain.
* It is also good idea to pour 2 or 3 gallons of boiling water down shower, tub and kitchen sink drains once a month to loosen grease and flush away trapped particles like hair.
* Pop-up stoppers in sinks and tubs should be removed twice a month and rinsed off.
* If your shower drain clogs and you have already removed and cleaned the trap and poured boiling hot water down it, try using a plunger to see if that will add the extra push needed to unjam the clog. Follow with more hot water before turning to a chemical drain cleaner or if you have a plumber’s snake, first try inserting that into the shower drain to see if it will remove the clog.
* Every bathtub has an overflow drain which also collects debris. Remove the overflow plate on the drain every 3-4 months and pull up on the pop-up assembly. Locate the spring or rocker arm, clean it and replace.
* Your washing machine hose should have a lint trap installed at the drain outlet to prevent lint clogs.
Caring for Faucets and Pipes
* Always repair or replace a leaking faucet immediately because even a slow leak can waste huge amounts of water (as much as 15-20 gallons a day). You may need to replace the faucet altogether or just the dirty or worn seal. An unattended leak can not only ruin floors and cabinets, but if the leak is caused by a worn seal, the faucet itself may become damaged and eventually require replacement.
* Keep an outdoor faucet from freezing by removing the hose from the faucet, closing the shut-off valve to the pipe that leads to the outdoor faucet, and draining the pipe of residual water by turning the faucet on again.
* Indoor frozen pipes can be a real headache and serious damage can result if they break. To prevent freezing, leave cabinet doors under the sink open on very cold days or when you will be absent for long periods to expose the pipes to the heated air in your home.
* Make sure that all pipes are well insulated to protect them from freezing temperatures and wind. This includes pipes in your unheated garage and in your basement. Keep the garage door closed to the outside on very cold days and leave the basement door open to the heated air in the rest of your home. In severe cold weather, faucets can be allowed to trickle slowly into sinks, but this practice should be avoided unless absolutely necessary so as not to waste water. If your pipes do freeze, you may be in for a long wait. Here’s what you should try before calling a plumber:
(1) turn off the main water supply to your home
(2) turn on all your faucets to relieve the pressure that can build up as the ice melts and
(3) try using a hair dryer or heat gun to thaw the pipes. NEVER USE A BLOW TORCH!
Maintaining Hoses
* You should replace the washers in all of your interior hoses twice a year and once a year for exterior hoses. In hard water areas, lime and other compounds can buildup on the inside of washers causing them to leak or squirt.
* Hoses will last longer if you run cold water through them after using hot water.
Plumbing-Related Problems and Resolutions
Water Heater
If your gas or oil-fired water heater frequently runs out of hot water during your shower or bath leaving you shivering and cold, you may need to investigate a larger unit. However, you want to be sure that you don’t buy a size larger than your needs require because keeping large quantities of water hot is an expensive proposition. Before you contact a plumber or HVAC specialist, you may want to estimate the size you think you will need to enable you to compare the prices of units that meet your estimated size requirement and then budget as necessary for a new one. The chart below will help in estimating the size you will need based on the number of gallons of hot water that you will use in an hour when your system is a peak capacity.
Shower ——————————————————-10-15 gal.
Bath ———————————————————-10-25 gal.
Shaving ————————————————————2 gal.
Hair washing —————————————————– 4 gal.
Washing hands and face —————————————-2 gal.
Preparing one meal ——————————————— 5 gal.
Dishwasher Load ——————————————- 12-15 gal.
Washing dishes by hand —————————————- 4 gal.
One load of clothes set on warm wash/cold rinse —– 10-12 gal.
When thinking about purchasing a new water heater, always look for the ASRAE/EIS energy rating. A rating of 90 or above means it is an energy efficient unit, but if the rating falls below 90, you should consider wrapping your water heater with insulation to prevent heat loss and improve its efficiency. Twice a year you should drain the sediment that accumulates at the bottom of the water heater. This is accomplished by opening the drain valve and draining about 5 gallons into a bucket until the water runs clear.
Checking for Leaks and Your Water Bill
Checking for leaks is an important part of plumbing maintenance and preventing those leaks is vital to your water usage bill. In addition to checking for dripping faucets and leaking water under sinks and around drain pipes, there are three other possibilities: a leaking toilet, an underground leak or another leak inside your home that you are unable to detect.
You can check for leaks in your toilet by adding a few drops of food coloring or several tablespoons of Kool-Aid or instant coffee to the toilet tank. Allow the toilet to sit unflushed for 30 minutes. When you return, look in the toilet bowl. If the formerly clear water has any color from the substance that you put in the tank then it has a leak and probably will need a replacement stopper and valve seat.
If your water bill suddenly takes an unexpected leap and you have ruled out the toilet and other visible leaks as sources, you may have an underground leak or a leak inside your home that you are unable to detect. There are several ways to check for a leak that you cannot see. Turn off the main water valve that serves your home and then check your water meter. If it continues to turn, you may have an underground leak. Alternately, if you plan to be away from your house for a period of time, write down the numbers on your meter before you leave and compare them to the numbers on your meter when you return. If the numbers have changed, there may be a leak somewhere inside your home.
Clogged Toilets
* Children sometimes mistake toilet bowls for personal marinas, floating everything in them from ducks, boats and fish to bars of soap. If the toilet in a bathroom is close to the sink, items like toothbrushes and toothpaste caps can also find their way into toilet bowls. To prevent unwanted doo-dads from clogging your toilet, train your children to put the lid down when they have finished and to use it only for toileting purposes. Never leave a small child unattended in a bathroom.
* If your toilet is clogged try using a plunger first, then a plumber’s snake (if you have one) to unstop it.
* In some cases where there is a low level of water in the toilet bowl, pouring a bucket of water from chest high level into the bowl will force a flush. You should repeat this several times when the water in the bowl returns to a low level.
Shower Scalds and Toilet Flushes
The need for the now infamous shout, “Don’t flush, I’m in the shower!” can be permanently done away with by correcting the pressure drop that accompanies the flush of a toilet. There is a valve at the base of every toilet which adjusts the degree of pressure with which the water runs into the toilet tank. If it is wide open, cold water rushes into the toilet tank nearly as fast as water rushes out of a faucet that is turned to the full on position, robbing the shower of cold water momentarily. There is no need for a toilet tank to be filled at lightening speed so by turning the valve off first, then opening it half a turn, you will no longer be needed to apply burn ointment to shoulders.
Waste Drains
Homeowners often forget about the health of exterior drainage pipes, but these pipes are instrumental in removing waste from your home. If one becomes clogged, your plumbing system may backfill disgorging the waste into your sinks and tubs.
* Keep tree roots away from drainage pipes. If roots become a problem, once a year or more often if necessary, call a professional who will use an electric auger to cut out the roots and clear the pipes. As long as the offending tree is alive, you will probably continue to have problems.
* If you happen to be up on your roof cleaning gutters and downspouts, flush the drain-waste and vent systems too by running you garden hose into them for several minutes at full flow.
Noisy Pipes
If you have ever lived in an old apartment building or home that is heated by radiators, then you have experienced the dubious privilege of hearing the full radiator serenade—such clanging and banking, hissing and squeaking at all decibel levels, the likes of which you will never forget. Very few homes today continue to use radiator heat, but pipes can still bang and squeak even in new homes. These problems are usually caused by loose pipes, water logged air chambers or water pressure that is too high. If the problematic pipes are exposed, you can often anchor them yourself or cushion them with insulation blankets, but other remedies such as anchoring pipes that are concealed inside walls, floors or ceilings may require a professional.
A common pipe noise that you can repair yourself is referred to as a hammer noise, named after the sharp “clunk” sound that is heard when water to an appliance or faucet is shut off quickly (washers are notorious hammerers). The sound is created by the water slamming to a stop in the pipes. The cause of the noise is usually a faulty air chamber, meaning that the length of pipe installed behind an appliance is filled up with water rather than air. To restore the air chamber to cushion the shock of a quick, water shut off:
* Turn the water off at the main shutoff valve.
* Drain the system by opening all faucets and letting them run dry.
* Close the faucets and turn the water on again. The air chambers should fill with air.
If you have restored the air chambers in the faulty pipe and you still hear a hammer noise, you may have water pressure above 80 pounds per square inch (psi). If this is the case, you may want to have a plumber install a pressure-reducing valve which will take care of the problem.
Wasting Water in the Kitchen
If it takes a while to get your water to flow from cold to hot and you hate the idea of wasting water, consider installing an instant hot water heater on your kitchen sink. This will help reduce both water heating costs and your guilt.
Sinks, drains, toilets, pipes—not the stuff of which memories are made, unless of course something goes wrong. But if disaster strikes, you will have more memories than you care to remember. Save yourself the agony and pay attention to those pipes.
Watch the video related to DIY Home Repair
Keep gutters clean and clear by installing guards using these tips. This video is part of DIY Home Repair and Remodeling show hosted by Brad Staggs . SHOW DESCRIPTION :Your home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make–and this 65-episode hour-long series will help protect that investment! Host Brad Staggs offers expert tips and projects to show viewers not only how to fix what’s broken but also how to upgrade a home. The show gives viewers step-by-step instructions on such projects as outdoor accent lighting, deck upgrades and maintenance, home safety, gas-range maintenance, icemaker installation and tips on used appliances.
Help answer the question about DIY Home Repair
diy tile repair in shower advice?I have a tile tub surround, and the corner of it has a problem. The drywall tape has pulled away in the corner above the surround, and the surround itself has a crack in the corner. The home is new, only around 5 years. I am concerned that water is getting in the crack. How do I fix the corner crack in both the drywall and tub surround? The crack is not a crack in a tile, but rather it is a vertical crack making everything separate right in the corner. Do I need to remove tile, or should I try to regrout? Should I remove all the old grout from the corner? How do I fix the corner of the drywall? Thanks for any suggestion, I am pretty okay with doing things around the house, and if I can do it without hiring a specialist I would like to try,
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Tags: construction, diy, do-it-yourself, drywall repair, home improvement, home project help, plumber, plumbing, remove wall anchors, wall anchor
I have worked with galvanized, copper, PVC/CPVC, and PEX. I think PEX is the easiest of all of them to work with. Though there are some things you need to know before using PEX.
Get some books and do all your research first. You need to decide what PEX system you want to use and how much you are willing to spend on tools.
Some plumbing supply shops will loan you the tools for free when you purchase everything from them. Many home centers will also rent the tools for a fee.
Be sure to cover the PEX once you have it installed to protect it from UV light. The sunlight coming in from your basement windows can damage it.
Whatever PEX system you go with don't use the sharkbite fittings. They are for exposed locations only. There is a good chance they will not last for the long run.
Home Depot and Lowes have a lot of good books
WHERES THE FAN ????
is there a window where the shower is going, if so would not recommend installing a shower with a window in it
I would install a acrylic tub about $200.00 (a metal tub is cheaper but a lot colder, marks and dents) and a tub surround about $150.00 a 3 or 5 piece is alot easier to install than a one piece( a surround that goes almost to the ceiling is a much better choice than a 60" one)
You should have moisture board where the shower is going about $12.00 a sheet the moisture board does not have to be completly finished just bonded
a set of pressure balanced taps would not be a bad idea either, about $120.00
I would avoid any kind of chemicals. Your 25' snake is too short apparently. Go to Home Depot, they will rent you an electric snake with multiole heads 50' for about $40. for 4 hours. If your home is far from the street, go for the 100' one.
The pressure things you are asking about are for small under the sink clogs and will not be effective on your main line.
Yoda out
I know many people that have made a good honest living in the construction field that pertain to the needs that you have. No individual will go out of his or her way to spill about how he/she has experienced life. What you can do is work for habitat for humanity. Then you might gain some basic experience. Oh and there is no better experience than renovating yourself on your own home. I am a painter and for years, I have learned about flooring, carpentry-rough and finish, electricity, plumbing on my house and others. The other people are correct, you can learn carpentry from a coop school.
Oh why granite, it chips. I am not sure granite is as high quality as you think it is. Cabinets-confusing to look for. There are many brands and low levels of high end makers. My advice is to ask a builder who buys cabinets.
If you meet one of them at a trade show then they might teach you a little. But most of it you learn by doing.
I would just go straight through the brick wall. If you go up and down, you will have a lot more bends, and you will lose pressure because of it. Plus you use less pipe, saving you money.
yes this is correct somewhat. you would need to check the U pipe under the sink and you would need to reseal the threads but this is easy if you buy plumbers glue and primer. (they are blue and purple)
There are meters to help you figure out which wire from your panel box is "dead", ask at the home improvement store which will work with your needs. Also, There may be major leaks (if the house is on a solid concrete floor) that requires a professional. However, a standard stud-finder will help locate pipes in the walls, or if you have the old galvanized pipes, try a magnet.
Also, before you buy the house, have a professional inspection done so if there are leaks or electric problems that propose a fire hazard, you will have a heads up on them and may be able to negotiate a lower buying price to compensate for the cost of repairs.
Ah, well, I'm not a licensed trade but did spend quite a few years using tools at work. I'm a single (fairly) fearless woman too and I do most of my own home maintenance/repair/building. I learned by trial and error, by asking questions from anyone who knew more than I did, by reading. These days you can learn a lot on the net and occasionally by watching home improvement shows but most of them are all sizzle and no steak when it comes to know-how. People even post how-to videos on youtube, along with some how-not-to stuff. Home improvement stores often run Saturday and evening seminars, and schools and rec centres have classes(full of men, too, if you're looking, though sadly you'll find many of them are married but maybe they have single brothers, or maybe you can make some work buddies out of them)
What you do is start simple. Do things it's hard to screw up and work up to more complicated stuff. Always consider the worst case scenario before trying something. You don't want to do something that you'll have to call in a pro to fix later. Tackle things as they come up. Learn what you can about how things around your house are set up or how they work. I often found that just sitting and looking at things and trying to imagine how they were done or how they work was a big help. Simple observation can tell you a lot if you use your head. Learn basic safety precautions and get the right tools to check for live wires so you don't electrocute yourself or flood the house. Never start something like replacing a faucet late in the day. Start in the morning so you have time to go back to the store twice for tools and parts. If you can find a way to visit a house construction site, do so, to learn what's behind your walls and how pipes and wires are installed. Offer to help friends and neighbours, especially ones with more experience than you. Know what your limitations are and when calling in a pro is the better choice. Read every single page of instructions that come with power tools or get a demo from someone who has used them. There are a few that could send you to the hospital very easily. Map out a job before you start, make lists and go through the steps mentally.
As for tools, you can purchase tools almost endlessly and always find there's one more you could use. It's really best to buy things as you need them for the job you're about to do, and before you know it you'll have more than you ever dreamed. As for basic tools, the ones I wouldn't want to be without? Here's a basic list off the top of my head.
Cordless screw gun, at least 14v, larger if it's comfortable in your hand, medium quality
Corded drill, cheap is fine.
Hand screwdriver, PicQuic is a very good choice, comes with six screwdriver bits in the handle
Box of wood drill bits, buy other wood drilling accessories and metal bits as needed
Sidecutters
Wire strippers
Linesman pliers
Socket set, metric and imperial, buy one of those "has everything" kits.
Needlenose pliers, straight and bent nose
Utility knife with extra blades. Olfa is a good make but cheap ones are okay too. LLB blades really last and are very sharp
Vice grips, curved and straight jaws.
Scissors
Hammer. Choice is endless, basic framing hammer is fine for general purpose
Cat's paw for removing nails
Level. 4 foot ones are indispensable at times, smaller ones have their place
Crescent wrenches, 10 inch, you very often need 2 at the same time so buy 2
Pipe wrench, the self-adjusting kind with a floppy head.
Hand saws. Swede saw for rough cuts, crosscut saw for finer cuts. A reciprocating saw(power) is very useful sometimes too. A right angle thing to set up straight cuts with a handsaw, there are a number of types available
Stepladder Buy a good one, fiberglass, they're worth it. Six step is best unless you have very tall ceilings.
Jigsaw
A really good headlamp, so you can see while working under a sink
Toolboxes, so you can find stuff when you need it.
Like I said, that's very basic. My tools now would fill my van.
It can be very rewarding to do your own stuff. I still remember the good feeling I had the first time, 25 years or so ago, that a project went off the way I planned with no snags, though there will be times when you'll be tempted to use the hammer on your own head. Patience goes a long way here.