Plumbing tips from intelligent people for home renovation and repair - hiring, working, managing - for women, children and pets

Troubleshooting toilets:

Toilet won't flush

Water runs but tank won't fill properly

Water runs constantly after the tank is filled

The water level is set too high or too low

Toilet won't flush properly

Water splashes in the tank while it refills

Tank leaks at the bottom

To test a gas pipe for leaks, smear dishwashing liquid over the connections. The soap will bubble where gas is leaking.

Even an inexpensive pressure gauge quickly checks water pressure. It should register between 50 to 60 pounds per square inch.

Frozen pipes are difficult. Try electric heat tape or hair dryer to slowly raise the temperature of the point. This will take time.

To put in a basement toilet, the main drain line may be higher than where the toilet would be. There are flush toilets that work well.

Start thawing the ice in a frozen pipe from the side closest to the open faucet, so the ice melt will have somewhere to drain. Gradually work from the faucet side back into the frozen area. Don't use torch flame as it creates trapped steam in the pipe that could burst it.

When working around a drain, lay a dishtowel or plate over the drain opening.

Eliminate whistling flushes on older toilets with metal assemblies by replacing the ballcock washers.

If you're pipes make a loud thudding noise when you shut off the faucets, it's probably because air chambers in the plumbing are full of water. Shut off the water supply and open all the faucets. Wait an hour, turn on the water and close the faucets one by one. If that noise continues, ask about water-hammer arresters.

The knocking in a steam radiator can be stopped by tilting it toward the inlet valve. Turn off the heat, let the radiator cool, and disconnect the inlet pipe from the radiator. Place shims under the far legs, and reconnect the inlet pipe. Reopen the heat valve fully.

The rust in your hot water heater insulates the burner from the water. Once a year you should remove the rust by draining the water from the tank. This simple maintenance will save you money and prolong the life of your tank.

If, after draining some water out of the hot water tank, the drain valve still drips, screw a hose cap onto the valve. This method is much easier than trying to repair the drain valve.

Before removing a toilet, dump a bucket of water into the bowl. This will leave the bowl almost empty and consequently reduce spillage when moving the toilet.

Use boiling hot water to loosen up a slow running kitchen drain.

There is a small line feeding the air gap from the dishwasher. This is under some pressure. Then there is a larger line, over an inch, which runs from the air gap to the disposal. If it is clogged, kinked, or just too long, water will spit out of the air gap when the dishwasher drains.

When opening and closing zone valves in a house, they often leak between the stem and the packing nut. If there is enough packing washer remaining, a light tightening of the packing nut will compress the packing and stop the leak. If you are the 'last guy' and there is not any packing washer left under the nut, do not over tighten the nut or you may split an irreplaceable part. Replacing the packing is done by shutting off the water, removing the handle and packing nut and purchasing the specific size washer. If the handle is too hard to remove, a handy product called string packing can be wound around the stem once the packing nut is loosened and raised a little. When tightening the packing nut the string packing forms a washer and stops the leak. Over tightening will seize the stem making it hard to turn.

Use hot water when testing for leaks on tubular drain plumbing. This will make the washers softer, allowing the jam nuts to be tightened further with the same effort.

When attempting to stop a leak at a compression ring, loosen the nut and slide back to expose ring. Wrap ring with three wraps of Teflon tape. Reinstall and hope for the best.

When working on a toilet that is running, first check to see the height of the tank water against the overflow tube. If the water is at the top of the tube, work on the ball cock. If it is below the tube, repair the flapper or tank ball, which ever you have.

A toilet wax ring is the cheapest form of screw wax ever. Stuff a ring into an old margarine container.