Plumbers In Birmingham

Archive for the ‘Emergency’ Category

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This is a play done by my classmates for school based on the Super Mario Bros video game. I made some of the costumes – the attachements to Yoshi’s hoodie, Yoshi’s tail, the spikey turtle’s tail and Toad’s (the mushroom) head.
(PS: Awesome job guys, it’s so funny! Nicole your laugh is so cute.)

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We have a cabin that gets lots of snow, so we turn the water off in the winter and have to carry water in, which is a drag. Is there any way to keep them from freezing in the winter? The cabin is old and so are the pipes. We’re not there all the time, sometimes a few weeks go by when it’s empty. Thanks.

You can buy or have installed some heat trace tape that will come on when the temperature drops to a certain level, assuming you have electricity available. The be sure to apply a good insulation around the tape and pipes.
I would still turn your water off when you are gone for extended periods of time, just in case the power goes off or the tape fails.

My 1997/8 renault clio sun roof has been leaking, i have cleaned up the seal but still need to clear the drainage pipes. Any help on how to do this would be appreciated.

they are just under the sunroof in each corner…use a air hose to blow out

We just moved into a condo built in the mid eighties.. When the toilet gets flushed the pipes are very loud when it is filling back up . On the other side of the wall from the toilet is the nursery for the baby we are expecting in Sept… so you can understand my concern. Mid night trips to the restroom will definitely wake the baby. Can anyone tell me how to solve this? Is the problem most likely the toilet it’s self or is it the pipes?

This is common where there were no pressure cushions in the water lines and no insulation or sound deadening board in the wall. Bet there is only 1/4 inch paneling on the wall. If there were 1/2 inch Sheetrock it would absorb some or mos of the sound.
Put the crib on the other side of the room and be sure you have cloth curtains and other things of such to absorb the noise.
You could even change the flush valve (ball cock and float) in the toilet tank to a silent type.

the knocking can be felt through the floor where the water pipes feed a pair of side by side sinks. the knocking does not occur anywhere else or with the tub or shower in the same room.
this has been an issue for about 30 days. I’m guessing the pipes are expanding. What can be done to correct this?

I don’t believe you have an expansion problem. It sounds more like you need to fasten the pipes to more studs in the basement or crawl space. They have too much space between fasteners and are banging on the rafters when the water is turned on and off. They are just little plastic half circles that can be purchased at any home repair store.

I live in Chicago and it’s going to be really cold the next few days. How much water should be left running to keep the pipes and toilets from freezing?
I live on a farm and have well water and septic. Our pipes do not run to any city services. Will this matter?

On the farthest faucet away from the water incoming side, adjust the faucet so that it is in the middle to let both hot and cold run. You only need a little stream of water. I do this too as I have a bad area that my pipes run thru.

My old house had a gas range and wood burning stove to keep it warm during outages, This modern house I now live in, everything runs off electricity. What would be some suggestions to keep the pipes from bursting in the event of a big freeze/power outage of several days? how are those people in the midwest handleing it?
I don’t know how heat tape or heat lamps would work without electricity.Foam insulation may help for a short power outage but one that lasts over 2 days below freezing would be a tuffy, maybe an emergency generator would be the way to go.?

with whatyou have, you have to drain the lines to the lowest point and the sewer traps too anything thats exposed to cold air abovegrade. usually an outside hose bib and the shower knobs left wide open would be enough. appliances are a night mare in their own right. washing machine, dish washer etc.

A lot of older homes have galvanized steel pipes. Why is it recommended that the pipes be changed to copper and is this absolutely necessary? How much does it cost to change the pipes?

Galvanized pipes were the "DIY" method of plumbing back in their day, for folks who did not know how to sweat copper pipes.

The problem we’ve seen with galvanized pipes over the years, is that the galvanized coating has a tendency to flake off, inside the pipe. Also, they will rust out eventually.

Copper is still the method most folks think of as being the highest quality pipe – if you want a selling point (and if you have to replace the plumbing anyway), then switching to copper will gain some value for you in the home. But it will not be as much as the cost of installing all copper pipes (meaning it will cost more than you would get back out of the increase in sale price).

CPVC is the next preferred method of water supply….you can run hot or cold plumbing with it, and its safe to drink. A few years back there was a class action lawsuit against the original formula for PEX type tubing – seems it wasn’t safe to drink water that had run through it.
PEX installation manuals will tell you that you CANNOT allow it to be placed where direct, or indirect sunlight will shine on it, as the UV will cause it to break down. PEX is used by a lot of the lower quality mobile home manufacturers, because it is a fast install…. what they don’t tell you, is that it costs more to maintain over time, than CPVC, or even copper, with brass fittings (in either). PEX is installed using a crimping tool, and copper bands – so its $100 for the tool — or pay twice as much for a plastic compression fitting, than a solid brass fitting costs (I know, I’ve had to replace a lot of them on new mobile homes).

Oh, and stay away from "press fit" fittings – don’t use them if you can’t see them.
Of the different plumbing types, Pex, Cpvc, etc…. I’ve had to replace more "press fit" (aka ’sharkbite’) fittings than anything else. The next most common problem is leaky joints with the Pex tubing. I’ve rarely seen problems with manufactured homes that had Cpvc installed, unless someone had allowed them to freeze. (I’ll give Pex that much credit – the tubing itself doesnt crack as easily as Cpvc). With older homes, I’ve seen a lot of worn out copper — especially when the electrical was grounded to it – it gets paper thin, and starts rupturing.

For my money, I would either sweat the copper lines myself, or install CPVC plumbing.

PVC, or ABS (Schedule 40) can be used for most drain/waste/vent lines. (PVC -the white plastic pipe – is the preferred choice for drain lines)

Check your local building codes before starting any work. See if you need a permit, or in some cases, a licensed pro to install for you.

Have Fun

How do I remove old iron(?) pipes from a leaking bath tub drain? I want to replace it with the PVC (?) stuff you get at Home Depot. Any tricks for breaking the bond and wrenching these pipes apart? Or do I have to cut? The pipes that are there have probably been there for 50 years and are well rusted together.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/plumbing/bathtub/drain2/replace.htm
Since you are replacing the iron pipe with PVC, cut out the old stuff. If you have a small grinder you could get a zip blade and cut the pipe, just be careful of the spark it will throw. http://www.amflexabrasives.com/shop/customer/home.php
Hope it helps.