/handyman/ - Handyman

Tips if you live where it is cold in the winter:

#1 - don't leave your hose attached to the hose bib. Last year's winter was brutal and it cause many burst pipes. Even if you drain the hose completely, it can still burst your hose bib if it is attached.

#2 - if you have had problems with pipes freezing in the past: it is generally due to a lack of insulation, particularly when someone makes an addition to their house. On extremely cold nights, turn on the faucet and let it moderately drip; this can prevent the pipes from freezing. Also, if the pipes are located in a cabinet, open the doors to the cabinet to let the air from the rest of your house in.

#3 - know where your emergency shutoff is. It's usually directly next to the water meter. There should be two shutoffs: one before the meter and one after the meter. Always shut off the one that is after the meter and going to the rest of your house. I've seen too many times where someone closes the street side valve only to have it leak. The only way to fix it is to shut off the water from the street, which gets expensive because only the city has the key to shut it off from your yard.

>My water smells like rotten eggs.

It's caused by iron bacteria. The only way to get rid of it is an iron filtration system. Water softeners don't work and using one can shorten the life of the softener. Softeners are only supposed to be used to soften hard water (duh).

>My whole house is no longer draining correctly.

It could be caused by a collapsed in your tile field (going out to your yard), or it could be caused by roots growing into the drainage. You will need someone with a snake camera to determine which it is. Collapsed pipes get expensive, roots can be water jetted out.

>My toilet is wobbling.

This is a sign that either the screws attached to the floor are stripped or the flange connecting the toilet to the floor is broken. Home improvement stores have repair kits to fix the flange. Don't forget to get a new wax ring, though or you will be smelling sewer gases leak.

Taking the toilet off can be difficult. You may have a bolt that will continually spin and can't be loosened. In this case, the bolt usually has to be cut. Mounting the toilet back into place can be difficult. If you have an outline left from your toilet, use this as the guide. Again, if you don't do this correctly, you could smell sewer gasses.

>I have a leaking drain pipe (not the drain itself, but the pipe that goes to the main stack - the big pipe that goes straight into the ground).

Most of the time, this pipe will be galvanized pipe that has rusted through. Be careful replacing it on your own; you need to make sure that there is a 1/8 inch drop per foot from the drain to the stack. Too much slope and solids won't flow with the water. Too little slope and waste won't flow because of back pitch. You should replace it with PVC piping. You will need PVC cement and PVC primer to do this.

If you are connecting to a cast iron stack, it will usually be threaded. Be careful not to break the treads off in the stack. This is where a pipe wrench is handy. The pipe wrench is directional, so it needs to go one way to loosen and the opposite way to tighten.

If you are replacing with PVC, you need to get the correct adapters. The one that screws into the stack is almost always an MIP (male iron pipe) adapter. From there, use your best judgement for which fittings you will need (every situation is different). The biggest thing you need to be concerned with is the difference between street fittings and regular fittings. Street fittings have one side that will directly connect with another fitting; regular fittings do not.

To connect the pvc pipes: first, use the primer (purple) and completely coat the surfaces that are going to be glued. Then, add pvc glue to both sides that are going to be glued. Push together tightly and spin slightly for best results. Do it quickly because you will only have about 5 seconds at most before you can't move it anymore.

>I want to learn how to solder copper pipes together.

It's not that difficult, it just requires practice. You will need a pipe cutter (I recommend 1/2" and 3/4" auto-cuts), sand cloth (to clean where you are going to solder), plumbing solder, solder flux, fitting brushes (3/4" and 1/2"), and a torch (bernzomatic).

To solder copper pipes, you must first drain all water from the pipes; even a little water will cause the solder not to take and cause leaks when you turn the water back on.

Step 1 - clean the pipes and fittings. Use the brush and sand cloth to make the surfaces clean.

Step 2 - use a brush to coat the surfaces in flux. Don't use too much flux or you will have it spit back at you when you try to solder. The flux will clean the surface better.

Step 3 - turn on the torch and heat the area that is going to be soldered. Take the solder and touch it on the top of the seem to be connected. If it is hot enough, the solder will melt on its own and get sucked into the space between the pipe and fitting. After this happens, go around the seem with the solder to make sure it is filled.

After a couple of seconds, take a wet cloth and use it to cool down the pipe; it is also used to clean the flux which will turn the copper green if you don't remove it.

Step 4 - turn the water back on. If you did it right, there should be no leaks. If there is even the slightest hint of moisture after it has been dried, start over and try again.

>My toilet is clogged.

Go to a home improvement store and get a toilet auger. It costs about $20. It will snake through the turns and bends in the toilet and should be able to make it to the pipe without a problem.

If this doesn't work, you might have a clog in the main stack. There is a stack clean out (required by code) next to the stack. Use a large pipe wrench to open it; but be careful because you might be getting the contents of the stack coming out onto the floor. This might be caused by a collapse in the pipe if you are in an older house (1960's or earlier). If that is the case, time to break out the jackhammer (or call your insurance company and get the plumbers to do it). If it beyond that single pipe and outside of the house, it should be affecting the entire house drainage, in which case see the tip above.

Thanks anon!

>>137
>>138
FYI, you can upload up to 5 images per post on this board. What is that plumbers tape shit? Never seen it before.

Also, check my >>>139

>>139
Usually used as strap.

Check my 141?

>>140
>>141

Oh shit. I know what you're talking about now. It was just somewhat difficult to tell from it being a picture of a roll of plumbers tape. Thanks.

>>32
I'd like to add that sometimes, especially tile, it might be necessary to shim the toilet. I use stainless washers and I usually only need one or two.

>>195
The right side with the wide flange is the inlet for the drain hose btw.

>>195
I'm not exactly sure I understand what I'm looking at here, but I'd guess you should probably seal it up with some silicone sealer.

That, or try to find and replace the part that's leaking. I've never seen anything like that thing in your pic.