If you connect copper plumbing pipes directly to galvanized plumbing pipes, or even let a copper pipe touch a galvanized heating duct, you will get an electrolytic reaction between these two metals. The reaction is accelerated if the pipe is hot, so this is worse with hot water lines than cold o...
Barbara in Saskatoon is complaining about the noise in the plumbing stack every time someone flushes the toilet in the bathroom upstairs.In the old days that noise of falling water was muffled by the fact that the drain stack was made out of very heavy cast iron pipe. In the best of all worlds, ...
Peter in Gander NF has the opposite problem of water hammer. When he turns the hot water ON in the shower, he gets a loud bang in the plumbing. Water Hammer is where you get a bang when you turn the water off.Peter's problem is usually caused by a washer type faucet that has a loose washer,...
Here is a question and answer that you might find interesting."When we take a shower in the second bathroom of our house we bet a mild tingling when we touch the fixtures that the water comes out of. Our guest and family are really funny. They think that the tingling is because they feel inv...
Shower faucets exist that will keep the temperature the same despite pressure differences in the plumbing system -- like when someone flushes a toilet. To see details about this "pressure balancing valve", go to "Nuts & Bolts", enter the keyword "shower" and look for "How to stop shower ...
Check exactly what connectors and valves you need before settling in under the sink and starting to cut pipes.Purchase a "speedway wrench? -- they don't cost much and make working under sinks much less of a headache. These are special long right angle wrenches that get to that collar nut way u...
In the old days steel pipe ran right up and attached directly to the bottom of faucets. With the advent of copper piping, this too ran up and was hard connected to the bottom of the faucets. Both of these were serious plumbing installations that had to fit just right. Then someone invented a f...
When you replace a dripping faucet and the newly installed one still drips, the cause is usually a piece of something that got into the pipe during the installation. You need to flush out the pipe.Turn off the water and remove the valve stem that is leaking. Take a bucket and hold it upside d...
Chris in Mississauga wants to put a pedestal sink on an outside wall but is worried about the pipes freezing.You are right to worry, Chris. When we put sinks on the outside walls, we need to run the plumbing pipes on the warm side of all that insulation, which means inside the sink cabinet. A p...
A dual flush conversion kit for toilets -- saving water.The problem with existing toilets and existing drainage systems is that they were designed and tested using lots of water. When we try to reduce the water in the existing toilet it may not even get the solid waste out of the bowl. Even ...
