Question: Lately, the water in the bathtub/shower is taking longer to drain. It finally does, but then I can hear a “thump…thump..thump..” like the water is draining in big air bubbles almost.
It is a older house that I have lived in for about 4 months, but have never had the problem before. Whenever this slow drainage and “thump” draining starts it seems like we lose water pressure in the toilet as well. (It will flush but not use as much water and is slow to fill or doesn’t fill up the whole way).
What do you think it may be and what can I do to fix the problem? Thanks!
Answer: The drain and toilet issues are separate from one another(Coincidence more likely.) I think you nailed it on the head by stating that this an “older house.” The “thump…thump..thump..” indicates to me that it might be a vent issue. A clogged vent is like holding your finger over the end of a straw and holding in the liquid. It also could be a large amount of hair and gunk in the tub drain.
Start by cleaning the drain. The average home owner uses liquid clog remover.(Take it easy with this stuff if you have a septic tank) The “DIY, adventurous homeowner” removes the drain cover and fishes the hair and gunk out of the drain manually.
If this doesn’t resolve the issue, See my first hunch; a clogged vent. Clogged vents can be tricky. “Average homeowner” calls a qualified drain specialist (Plumber.) “DIY homeowner” goes up on roof and attempts to tackle the clog from there. Vent stacks can be unclogged using a snake.
Now, about your toilet issue. Most likely, the “Fill Valve” (Valve closest to the flush handle) is old and clogged. My recommendation: Install a new Fill valve. While your at it, chances are the flapper is also worn and tired. You might as well replace that as long as your hands are going to be wet anyway.
Question: I own a 1950′s ranch-style home in the South. For a few days now there is a sound like running water in the wall between the two bathrooms. It actually sounds like the bath or shower in the opposite room is on when it isn’t. The biggest problem is that I can’t find a way to access the pipes. Am I missing something or do I have to cut a hole in the wall.
Answer:What I would do before cutting into any wall, is to make sure every water source in the house is turned off. Then, go to your water meter and watch the water flow needle. Is it moving? You can put a piece of tape on the glass right over the needle so you’ll have a reference point. If the needle is not moving then I might ask you, do you have a hot water circulating pump on your hot water heater? This is another possibility for the source of the noise.
Also, the next time you hear the noise, check both toilets to see if they are running. When a toilet flapper gets old and brittle, water can seep past the seal which causes the water level in the tank to drop. Naturally, when the water level drops the fill valve will kick on to refill the tank. An easy way to check for a leaky flapper is to add some food coloring to the tank of the toilet only. If the flapper is leaking, you will find the food coloring in the bowl later. Flappers are cheap and easy to replace.
Question: How many feet of baseboard do I need to heat a room 57ft/21ft 9ft high.
Answer: A basic rule of thumb is, 10 watts per square foot. Your room is approximately 1200 square feet. You will need 12,000 watts of baseboard heater. When wired for 240-volt operation, a baseboard heater puts out 250 watts per foot. So a 6-foot long heater will give you 1500 watts.
Question: I purchased a new vanity and must remove the old one however the pipes don’t have valves to shut the water supply off and I need a supply of water to the rest of the house until the new vanity can be installed. How do I plug the water pipes?
Answer: What I would do is, cut the water to the entire house. Remove the old vanity which in your case, will involve cutting the water pipes that supply the vanity faucet. Once the pipes are cut, simply install water stops onto the cut pipes. Now you can leave the stops turned off as long as you need to while waiting for the vanity to be installed.
If you have never done any plumbing before, you may want to consult a qualified person to help you remove the old vanity as, while installing a water stop may not be rocket science. An improperly installed water stop can be very messy and result in many dollars in water damage.
Question: When ever I use the faucet in the bathroom sink, the faucet in the shower leaks although it is shut off. I built that bathroom a few years ago and this problem started only recently. The faucets I have are, Kohler faucets.
Answer: I’m not sure how that is even possible since each faucet has it’s own shutoff. Does it leak only when you shut the water in the sink is being turned off? Or, does it dribble continuously while the sink faucet is on?
Whichever the case, it may be time to replace the cartridge in the shower valve. Scale from hard water can really muck these up in a hurry. Most good home center stores carry a large selection of replacement stems and cartridges.
Question: About two weeks ago it seems that my home is lacking water pressure, because when taking a shower or a bath and then turning on a sink or flushing a toilet water goes from a normal flow to almost nothing and will not return to a normal flow until you shut the water off wait about 5 to 10 min then turn it back on. Also can hear a thumping sound from basement. Any ideas on what may be the cause?
Answer: How old is your house and are you on a Well? Or, on domestic water? The thumping sound could be from a failing PRV (Pressure reducing valve).
You might pick up a Hose bib water pressure gauge and just check to see how much water pressure you have. 40-60 PSI would be normal.
If you are on a Well, let me know and I have several possible fixes for you.
Question: How much slope should the main soil pipe have on a new installation? I was told by one person 1/4 inch per foot but then another person told me 1/4 inch in four feet. He told me that if there was too much slope the waste would de-water in the pipe causing clogging problems.
Which one is correct? From my furthest toilet to the stack is 20 feet and I installed it at 1/4 in per foot slope.
Thanks fro your help.
Answer: 1/4″ per foot is correct and he is right. Too much drop too quickly will allow the solids to remain in the line.
Question: Our shower/tub is not draining well. When water is running or draining the toilet next to it won’t flush, it backs up. Both make a gurgling sound when attempting to use the other. For example, when using tub, the toilet gurgles and bubbles. House and plumbing built in 50′s/60′s. Please help? Have tried using ‘Thrift’ in shower drain and flushing with hot water. No help.
Answer: The gurgling sound tells me that you could possible have a clogged vent. Both the tub and toilet will share the same vent. What you’ll need to do is go up to the roof and check for something blocking you vent stack. Birds will sometimes nest in these.
Have you by any chance recently had a new roof put on? Roofers are notorious for covering vents with a piece of shingle. A clogged vent is the same as placing your finger over the top of a straw and picking up liquid from a cup. No air flow? No fluid flow!
The only reason that I am suggesting a vent is because the problem only occurs in one particular room. Now, if it is a whole house clog, that is a totally different solution.
Question: My toilet in my downstairs bathroom sits on a marble slab. I as wondering why and if I remove it to put down a tile floor will it cause a problem when I put it back and replace the toilet. thanks
Answer: The only possible complication that I can think of is that when you install the tile, the closet flange (round plastic pipe the toilet sits on) might be too low to properly reset the toilet.
If this happens, they make extensions that you simply install on top of the existing flange. My recommendation is that you have a qualified person do the work. Although an improperly installed toilet is not the end of the world, it can be very messy and quite a hassle.
Question: Simple question: The best caulk to use around the base of my new toilet?
Answer: Nothing beats pure 100% silicone. Most contain a mold inhibitor and it never hardens and stays flexible.