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Anyone need Plumbing help or advice

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Deal Addict
Dec 12, 2006
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Just purchased a new house with a Body shower. Typically is it possible to change the nozzels? I am hoping I can get something that is more of a mist rather than a spray to reduce the amount of water used.
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Mar 31, 2001
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Toronto
This thread is a finalist for the Most Helpful Thread of the Year! If you think it should win, be sure to vote here:
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May 30, 2006
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Hi Red Army, the water pressure in my entire house seemed to have dropped significantly after the winter. City waterworks came & checked & said nothing is wrong with the water coming into the house before the meter. He checked the first faucet closest to the meter which is the laundry room faucet & said the pressure was extremely low (I don't remember what psi he said).

Meter guy came & installed a new meter but pressure was still the same so he put the old meter back on. He suggested one or more of the supply pipes may have rocks or stones in them. He mentioned hiring a good plumber to "BLOW" the pipes.

What do you suggest? Is this a difficult problem to diagnose? By the way my house is only 5 years old.
Deal Addict
Apr 22, 2006
1900 posts
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Hey red Army - Ive got a stinky question for you.

We occasionally have a "sewer smell" in our lower hallway and/or basement. The smell is coming from the lower bathroom or basement (hard to tell which one as both are close together. The house is 30 years old, we have been in it for 1 year. It is odd that is very occasional - most of the time the smell is not there.

Two likely sources I think - which is more likely?

1 - replaced the toilet last year. Could it be the seal? Used one of those wax rings. There is no water leakage though. Is it likely that the seal is good enough to keep water from leaking but lets gas through?

2 - when we bought the house there was a leak in the main drain pipe in the basement. Part of the deal was the previous owners had to have this fixed (and did). They had to tear out part of the floor to fix it, then re-cement over it. I never saw the fix, and it is covered in cement again. I assume the cement wouldnt have hardened if there was still a leak here?

Im leaning towards #1 - just not sure how likely this is?
Deal Addict
Apr 22, 2006
1900 posts
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Red_Army wrote: i would be leaning towards number 2....is there an existing floor drain where they did the spot replacement? who knows they may have eliminated the trap seal primer, and now the water may have evaporated....check you floor drain to see if there is water sitting in it

i wouldnt pay too much attention to the toilet seal, doesent seem to me that its the problem, but go nuts and change if you like
There is a floor drain a couple of feet from the fix but Ive kept an eye on it and there is water in it.
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Apr 22, 2006
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Red_Army wrote: it is an honour to have been nominated, and I thank everyone who has done so.

I will continue to give advice to all, and urge anyone who may have been helped by this thread to vote for me.
Got my vote. :D
Deal Addict
Apr 22, 2006
1900 posts
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Red_Army wrote: how high is the water level in it, and is there a trap seal primer?

there could still be some water in it, but it may not be full up to the trap weir stopping sewer gases
I just checked again and the water level is about 1" - 1.5" above the top of the sideways hole. There is about 3" of space between the top of the water and the floor level.

Im not sure how to tell if there is a trap seal primer?
Deal Addict
Apr 22, 2006
1900 posts
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Red_Army wrote: well is your laundry tub close by? there will be a copper, or poly etc. tube attached underneath the faucet dispensing water to the trap when operated

can you smell any gasses coming from the trap?? it sounds like there is enough water in it

my next suggestion would be to check you main cleanout, and any other cleanouts wher eyou suspect the smells....they may have been opened, and not fully closed
There is a laundry tub close by also, but no line running out of it. There is not a smell coming from the trap. The main cleanout does not have a smell from it and its not close to where the current smell is.

I guess it could be a blocked vent stack. not sure how to deal with that? No cast iron involved. Should I try to replace the toilet seal before I fiddle with that?
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
2043 posts
78 upvotes
Niagara area
Looking at buying a new house. Builders all seem to be using plastic over copper. What are peoples thoughts on this. Copper has been used for years and years and its reliability is proven. How do we know how plastic will stand up 10-20 years from now?

Thoughts?

Builder wants $600. to use copper what would you do?

How long has plastic been used? I realize drains etc have been using rigid for a long time. It is the flexible stuff and the hot water that concerns me the most.
Deal Addict
Apr 22, 2006
1900 posts
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Red_Army wrote: what is the closest thing to where you think the smell is coming from?

and is the water level in the bowl low?

if you are worried about the seal then replace it, but i wouldnt be too worried about it, did you notice the wax spreading as you tightened to toilet down? if so then done even bother changing it
There is a lot within that area which is why its hard to pinpoint the smell. I can smell it in the basement and the mainfloor bathroom and hallway above the basement. the house is a sidesplit and main hall and bathroom are above the "lower part" of the basement. The rest of the stuff is in the upper part of the basement. So there is the toilet and sink in the bathroom. In the basement the pipes from the toilet and sink, the laundry sink, the floor drain, the "fixed" former leaking waste line and the main waste line comes down from the top floor. Also the main vent stack goes up there. The washer is also there, it just drains via hooked hose into the laundry tub. And the dishwasher and kitchen sink are also directly above the laundry sink. All this within 5 feet of each other.

I think the wax seal was OK. Ive replaced and reinstalled many toilets and it was no different then any other when I put it on. We did put new tile down over the old linoleum so the gap was bigger, but I put a spacer down first then the wax ring.

Ive tried to make note of anything that happens when the smell comes around, but its not consistent enough to concretely blame it on any of the above.

Thanks for the help - it might be a waste of time but I think Im going to try the wax seal, as beyond that Ill likely have to get a pro in. I would assume it may be hard for them to diagnose too though as the smell is so inconsistent?
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Dec 27, 2007
1310 posts
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Oshawa
I disagree. Copper is on the way out and plastic piping will soon be the norm, it pretty much already is. I've installed thousands upon thousands of feet of wirsbo and pex piping and have never had any problems with it. As long as a competent trained installer handles the stuff you should have no problems either. Considering new houses have to have a mixing valve installed limiting the water to 120 degrees don't worry about the hot water. We run Wirsbo right out of boilers running at 160 degrees and have no problems. You also tend to get better flow as a result of not having nearly as many bends in the piping.

Wirsbo has also been around for 30+ years so I don't see how that can be considered a short period of time.
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
2043 posts
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Niagara area
jonnyb wrote: I disagree. Copper is on the way out and plastic piping will soon be the norm, it pretty much already is. I've installed thousands upon thousands of feet of wirsbo and pex piping and have never had any problems with it. As long as a competent trained installer handles the stuff you should have no problems either. Considering new houses have to have a mixing valve installed limiting the water to 120 degrees don't worry about the hot water. We run Wirsbo right out of boilers running at 160 degrees and have no problems. You also tend to get better flow as a result of not having nearly as many bends in the piping.

Wirsbo has also been around for 30+ years so I don't see how that can be considered a short period of time.
I am not sure I want to limit my water to 120 degrees. Then I have to use electricity to heat the water for my dishwasher to properly clean. I understand it is quite simple to disable the 120 limit.

Maybe you can give us a primer on Wirsbo & Pex. Is this what all builders use?
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Dec 27, 2007
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Oshawa
By code we are required to install mixing valves now, and your right, most if not all people do not like them. 120 degree water leads to problems when using both your dish and clothes washer. Neither gets things completely clean and you need 140 degree water to kill bacteria. Yes, bypassing it is easy, just simply take the valve out if you want to. Do NOT raise the temp. of your actual hot water tank. I've been to a few houses where people raise the temp of the tank hoping to increase the temp of the mixed water only to have the T&P valve blow on the tank flooding the basement.

As for Pex and Wirsbo piping, there just two types of plastic piping that builders use. There are a few more but as I said as long as someone competent is doing the installation you shouldn't have any problems. Every condo going up in Toronto is down primarily with plastic piping and the advantages we've seen over copper are numerous. We now do up to 2'' piping in plastic and we're waiting on them to develop larger sizes. Plastic piping doesn't sweat as much as copper, is quieter, absorbs water hammer better, and generally results in better flow as I've mentioned earlier. The reason your builder wants extra money to go with copper is due to the increased labor involved with using it, as well as the actual cost of the material itself.
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
2043 posts
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Niagara area
Thanks Jonnyb, have searched and done some reading on copper vs plastic and have warmed a bit to plastic. The idea of 30% faster delivery of hot water is appealing as is the lack of sweat in the basement. It appears to have been around for a lot longer than I thought.

You say not to change the temp setting on your hot water tank! Would this not depend on what the installer set it at. What is the purpose of the mixing valve, safety? If the water heater doesn't need the temp setting adjusted upward that would indicate no saving on gas from having to maintain a lower temp. The safety angle is obviously important to families with young children and I would certainly not recommend and disconnect for them.
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Jan 11, 2008
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GTA
Red_Army wrote: i would only put copper in my house, i have seen way too many issues already with the various kinds of plastic water piping
I personally don't know anything about pipe, but my husband is a plumber and he also would only consider using copper himself. He doesn't do service plumbing, but whenever he does work for us he'll only use copper. I personally can't add anything about piping, but know that is how he feels.
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Oct 15, 2007
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jonnyb wrote: By code we are required to install mixing valves now, and your right, most if not all people do not like them. 120 degree water leads to problems when using both your dish and clothes washer. Neither gets things completely clean and you need 140 degree water to kill bacteria. Yes, bypassing it is easy, just simply take the valve out if you want to. Do NOT raise the temp. of your actual hot water tank. I've been to a few houses where people raise the temp of the tank hoping to increase the temp of the mixed water only to have the T&P valve blow on the tank flooding the basement.

As for Pex and Wirsbo piping, there just two types of plastic piping that builders use. There are a few more but as I said as long as someone competent is doing the installation you shouldn't have any problems. Every condo going up in Toronto is down primarily with plastic piping and the advantages we've seen over copper are numerous. We now do up to 2'' piping in plastic and we're waiting on them to develop larger sizes. Plastic piping doesn't sweat as much as copper, is quieter, absorbs water hammer better, and generally results in better flow as I've mentioned earlier. The reason your builder wants extra money to go with copper is due to the increased labor involved with using it, as well as the actual cost of the material itself.
unless you do service plumibing you wouldnt know the issues after installation...and i can tell you that i have serviced hundreds of near brand new homes with various kinds of plastic piping, and there have been countless problems with it....i am sure you have also heard of the lawsuits regarding them

imo i would only ever use copper
the only reason its being used so much more in homes now is for the most part because it is much cheaper for the builders, not necessarily because it is a better product
the only way i see copper being phased out is because of the price...but again..we are both entitled to our opinions

ohh..and ps..i know wirsbro has been around 30 years or so, but pex and a bunch of other kinds have not, and from what i have seen...they do NOT stand the test of time compared to copper
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Oct 15, 2007
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GTT1 wrote: Thanks Jonnyb, have searched and done some reading on copper vs plastic and have warmed a bit to plastic. The idea of 30% faster delivery of hot water is appealing as is the lack of sweat in the basement. It appears to have been around for a lot longer than I thought.

You say not to change the temp setting on your hot water tank! Would this not depend on what the installer set it at. What is the purpose of the mixing valve, safety? If the water heater doesn't need the temp setting adjusted upward that would indicate no saving on gas from having to maintain a lower temp. The safety angle is obviously important to families with young children and I would certainly not recommend and disconnect for them.
the mixing valve is installed to prevent scalding
Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again. - Andre Gide
Sr. Member
Nov 21, 2004
631 posts
103 upvotes
I need some help ....

I recently moved into a house and everytime I turn on and shut off the taps (whether it be kitchen, bathroom, etc.), I hear a soft pounding sound in the basement. It lasts for a second or two, then it stops. My friend had thought it might be the water pressure where I'm setting it inside the house is different than the water coming into the house.
I'm a plumbing idiot here ... wondering what this noise could be and what could be done (hopefully at minimal cost).

Much appreciated.
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Oct 15, 2007
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Great thread! OK, so we just moved into a "new" 6-year old house. When we flush the ensuite bathroom toilet and the tank finishes filling up, you can still hear dripping water sound for another couple of minutes. What's causing this dripping and what can I do to fix it? Thanks!
Deal Addict
Apr 22, 2006
1900 posts
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G-Unit!! wrote: I need some help ....

I recently moved into a house and everytime I turn on and shut off the taps (whether it be kitchen, bathroom, etc.), I hear a soft pounding sound in the basement. It lasts for a second or two, then it stops. My friend had thought it might be the water pressure where I'm setting it inside the house is different than the water coming into the house.
I'm a plumbing idiot here ... wondering what this noise could be and what could be done (hopefully at minimal cost).

Much appreciated.
water hammer - pressure surge when you use the faucet. if its not too bad you can just secure the pipe better against the wall in that location.

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