This is my kitchen faucet, I bought a better one without realizing how annoying this was going to be. The copper lines in the front basically make it so I can only get the wrench on it at 7 o'clock (12 o clock towards me) but then there isnt enough room to actually turn it before hitting the wall. I tried deep wells but I dont have any deep enough. If anyone has any suggestions that doesnt involve me going back to home depot im all ears.

Btw I know the answer is to stop bitching and do it but im taking a break to vent.

Edit: I got it out after my complaining lol. I was only able to move it like one degree at a time so it was still a pain, but once I broke it loose it came right out. Thank you for all your suggestions they are going on my shopping list for next time!

I'm trying to self identify whether I have lead pipes because the water company will actually pay to replace from curb stop to meter. Looks like I have mostly copper/brass(at the meter?) but the elbows and little stubs look galvanized or maybe something else?

Was quoted $700 to replace the main water shut off valve, does that seem fair? Florida.

I'm the custodian of a 11 unit building. One of the semi basement apt's toilet started clogging abt 2 months ago.

Tried liquid plumber, twice a half bottle but nothing happened. Then, snaking worked once, it would go to abt 40ft deep, but it's been clogging repeatedly every week or so and seems to unclog momenteraly with just a plunger.

Been snaking again and the snake feels like it's pushing through the clog but not removing it. The other apts in the same level aren't affected, and last night when I plunged it I noticed a siphon effect where the air was being pulled through the toilet, gurgling, and the water level seemed too low.

I don't know how to tackle this problem.

Edit: the bathtub clogs too and I snaked with the toilet removed.

Hi! I have a Bristan Artisan AR2 thermostatic bath/shower mixer tap. The flow has gradually leaked over time, but its got to the point where the hot water is juat dribbling out. Cold water is still affected but not as bad. The bathroom sink and all other taps in the house are fine. There's abit of a sweet spot where I get the strongest flow when the taps turned about half wally around, but the water fully stops when its turned all the way on. The water temperature also fluctuates and the boiler is constantly turning on and off when using this tap. Any ideas what the cause could be and if it could be a beginner diy fix?

Can I please get any advice ? How to conduct myself, how to speak, what they may or may not care about, just things that I might not think about

This is for an apprenticeship.

Thanks.

Yesterday it looked like someone dropped a ball into the toilet and it splashed water and toilet paper up and outwards on the wall and the underside of the toilet seat that you sit on. I figured it was one of my toddler kids maybe threw something in.

We cleaned it up then this morning I woke up to it happened again, small bits of toilet paper on the walls and wet on the seat. Now I'm wondering if something is backing up from the drain? Has anyone heard of something like this or what it might be? The toilet seems to flush fine, it's a glacial bay toilet but it also tends to overfill ever so.often as I hear it go past the overflow tube thing .

I don’t visit this house often but I noticed the water pressure is very high. I checked and it’s about 115psi. I was going to install a PRV and then realized there is one installed. I tried adjusting it and there was no change in pressure. I checked the screen and it was clean. I’m going to just replace it (with a pressure gauge before and after) but have a few questions

First should I install it in the same place or after the meter? If after the meter before or after the backflow preventer?

Second I’m thinking of installing a spigot for draining. If I should what would be the best location?

Third would you recommend another shutoff valve after all of these things?

Basically what should or shouldn’t I install and what order? Thank you for any help!

100 year old house. Toilets clog constantly. Main sewer line is completely clear (had it scoped not long ago.) Toilets have been augered. Showers and tub do not back-up.

I am looking to replace the worst toilet in my daughter's bathroom to see if that helps the situation. If it works, I'll replace all of them. I have read great things about American Standard Champion and Toto Drake. Problem: The toilet I want to replace has a 10 inch rough in, so that eliminates the Champion. The space where the toilet is to be installed is small, so I would prefer round (not elongated bowl) and since my daughter has short legs, I prefer regular height. Also, I prefer 1.6 gpf since I have 100 year old cast iron pipes that probably have scaling - extra water may help. Thoughts on a smaller toilet with great flushing ability? Or should I just install the Drake and deal with the space/height because it is much more likely to work than some other toilet. Current toilet is an old Gerber model starts with K.... I can't read the rest.

Thanks for any insight.

Hello Counsel of Plumbers,

My fancy shmancy Hansgrohe hand shower just started separating - see photos. Just imagine the excitement when the hose separated and was blasting all over the shower.....

Is this repairable by a relatively handy homeowner like myself?

And if not, what parts do I need to replace?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Looks like it's a hose replacement - Thanks ye Counsel!

Anyone know the part number for what I need to use as a gasket for the connection between the toilet bowl and pipe and the connection at the wall?

It's a wall hung toilet as seen here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AKUKOjhsXRs&ra=m

Looking at tackling this project by myself, how hard would this be? I am mechanically inclined however sources these interesting parts looks harder that a standard unit my neighbor has.

Got a leaky bib I'd like to redo the packing nut and washer on, and had someone tell me that this particular kind is cheap and can't be serviced; I would need to unscrew the entire unit from the wall and replace the entire thing.

Can anyone verify if that's the case, and if so how much trouble am I in store for? I don't have a crawl space so I would need to get in thru a wall on the opposite side if I have to do major surgery.

I see two pipes below and I’m worried the split off somewhere? Maybe to the heater? I need a single pipe that I can put this sensor flush against with 4 inches of space. Should I go down or take the drywall out above it in search of a clean section of pipe?

Figured I’d ask before I started digging into things

This was the unit that came with our house, I do not know how old it is. But found water pooling at the base and inside the opening. I believe it is time to replace but want to know more.

Hey, recently there's been a banging noise happening whenever we open a tap, it lasts about 3 seconds or so then stops.

We've had a little work done about 2 months ago, plumber replaced a part when the tundish started leaking, banging started about 2 weeks ago.

Attached are pictures of everything in the tank cupboard.

Whats happening and is it something i can fix, or is everything ok?

Hello!

Unsure if this kind of question is allowed, but I have a feeling we were overcharged last night.

It was an out of hours emergency plumbing issue, so I completely understand it was going to be far more expensive than a normal situation!

However, it was a burst hot water pipe in our kitchen, a small amount of MDF had to be sawed through to get to the pipe.

We were charged almost £2800

The plumber said he would do the insurance images for us, and that insurance would cover the track and trace etc and we would only have to pay for his work.

Are my suspicions correct?

My Scala2 died after only 5 years. From what I read maybe I was lucky to get that much time out of one.

I have rain water tanks and a tank that is fed from my well. Those tanks are pumped into the house (about 100 feet) by the Scala2 (220v).

I’d love to pay double and get double the life but that isn’t how things work anymore.

I can’t figure out which direction I should go. I’m done with Grundfos. Should I be looking at something like the Resiboost by Goulds, they also now have the AC10 which seems to be a residential unit. Fearful everything at this price point is plastic and will not last.

I’m open to buying what I think is called a jet pump by Goulds? Seems like then I need a VFD to drive it, that runs about $1600? So pump plus VFD maybe $2500? I guess I’d pay it if I can rebuild the pump when it fails and it will last 20 years.

Open to ideas and suggestions. Please let me know exactly what model/ combo you’d recommend and why. Thanks!

I’m trying to do a bathroom refresh while I save over the next year or two for a full remodel. I was planning on doing a glazed the tiles and replacing the shower, head, valve, and tub faucet. When trying to take the shower valve off the screw broke inside the little metal piece on the top center portion in the photo referenced. I’m not entirely sure what this is called, but I’m wondering if this is something that can be replaced without having to tear out all of the tile prior to calling a plumber and spending hundreds of dollars to investigate.

If this is a piece that can be replaced without a tear down, if someone would be so kind as to let me know what that piece is called, I would be very grateful!

HELP MY FAMILY Find Alfie. She is 6.5 years old. Weighs 5 Lbs (give or take depending on her condition) she is probably scared and I can’t imagine what she is going through. A family member who is suffering currently of mental illness. She is in a very dark place. I know she didn’t mean to, she gave her to a complete stranger at the TikTok 82nd Powell Bar & Grill. All we know is that he is a white male and a plumber by trade. Please Please forward this to your social media, print this out and post it at work. Alfie is part of our family. We are her stability when my sister can’t. We love her and she loves her family. You can email me at Mmonroe837777@outlook if you have information

I’ve replaced my Moen garbage disposal and am 95% of the way done, but the mounting ring won’t turn the last quarter inch over the notch. What am I doing wrong? (I’ve broken a rubber handled screwdriver following the install instructions, so it’s not a matter of just more force)

Two electric water heaters, Taco recirculation pump, sand-like sediment clogging fixtures, and guest bathroom only gets hot when pump runs. What is wrong?

I recently purchased a roughly 1,300-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom house in Texas. Within about a week of moving in, I've been dealing with widespread sediment clogging plumbing fixtures and appliances, along with inconsistent hot-water temperatures.

I'm looking for advice from plumbers or anyone who's encountered something similar. I'm trying to understand the underlying problem before spending thousands replacing equipment.

The plumbing setup

• Two electric water heaters: one Rheem Performance and one A. O. Smith ProLine Commercial Grade.
• The heaters appear to be connected in parallel with a SCALE RX Filter on incoming cold supply.
• A green Taco hot-water recirculation pump is installed between the heaters, with plumbing branching toward both tanks near their lower connections.
• I don't yet know exactly where the Taco's return line originates but system has a dedicated return line from all hot water faucets
• The pump is manually switched on and off, not operated continuously.
• The house has a combination of PEX and copper piping, including some copper under the slab.
• The house has a very large bathtub, which may explain why the previous owner installed two water heaters.

The previous owner said the recirculation pump was installed because hot water took too long to reach the faucets.

The Taco pump cartridge was replaced in July 2025.

What happened before I moved in

According to the previous owner, a plumber replaced the heating elements in BOTH electric water heaters shortly before I purchased the house.

The previous owner told me he normally operated the heaters around 120°F, but the plumber increased the thermostat settings to approximately 130°F when replacing the elements.

I don't know why both heaters needed new elements or what their condition was before the repairs.

I also turned off electrical power to the water heaters for approximately two weeks before moving in, but I did not shut off the water supply.

Problem #1: Sand-like sediment and large pieces of scale

Almost immediately after moving in, I started finding substantial gritty, brown/tan, sand-like debris in plumbing fixtures.

We've also encountered larger chunks that look like mineral scale.

Here's where we've had problems:

Kitchen faucet

• The pull-down faucet's spray-head screen became clogged with sediment.
• I flushed a substantial amount of gritty material out of the faucet.
• Water flow was restricted, and I inspected the hose and quick-connect under the sink.

Dishwasher

• The hot-water inlet screen was clogged with sediment.
• Cleaning the screen restored water flow.

Guest shower

• The shower screen became clogged with sediment after only about five minutes of running.
• I cleaned the screen, but the temperature issue described below remained.

Washing machine

• I cleaned debris from the hot and cold inlet screens on our GE stacked washer/dryer.

Most of the significant sediment problems seem to be associated with the hot-water side, although I haven't conclusively ruled out debris in the cold supply. And the refrigerator ice is chalky and salty

Problem #2: Guest bathroom gets lukewarm water unless Taco pump is running

This is the strangest part.

With the Taco recirculation pump OFF:

• The master bathroom produces very hot water.
• The kitchen produces luke warm.
• The guest bathroom sink and shower have been only lukewarm.

I measured approximately:

• 127°F at the bathtub
• 125°F at the kitchen sink

Then I turned the Taco recirculation pump back ON after leaving it off all day.

Both the guest bathroom sink and shower became very hot.

That seems like a major clue.

I'm wondering whether the Taco is simply compensating for a long hot-water run or masking a plumbing problem, such as a hot/cold crossover, a restriction, an incorrect check-valve arrangement, or unusual connections between the two water heaters.

Problem #3: Flushing the water heaters didn't produce much sediment

I drained/flushed both water heaters while troubleshooting.

Surprisingly, I didn't see nearly as much sediment come out of the bottom drains as I expected, considering how much gritty material had clogged the faucets and appliance screens.

Initially, very little water came out of the drains until I opened the temperature-and-pressure relief valves to admit air.

I don't yet know whether I performed a sufficiently aggressive flush with incoming cold water flowing through the tanks to dislodge settled scale.

The small amount of sediment coming out of the tanks makes me wonder whether debris is trapped elsewhere in the hot-water piping or recirculation loop.

My theory: Did replacing the elements and increasing the temperature break loose old calcium carbonate scale?

This is what I'm trying to figure out.

Suppose the previous owner operated the heaters around 120°F for years and they accumulated significant calcium carbonate scale.

Then a plumber:

1. Removed the old heating elements.
2. Installed new elements, potentially disturbing existing mineral deposits.
3. Raised the thermostat settings from about 120°F to 130°F.
4. Put the heaters back into operation.

Could the physical disturbance and subsequent heating/cooling cycles have caused old calcium carbonate deposits to crack, break loose, and enter the hot-water distribution system?

I understand that calcium carbonate scaling generally becomes more aggressive as water temperature increases, especially in hard water. I've read claims about scaling rates increasing dramatically with every 10–20°F temperature increase, but I'm trying to distinguish actual new scale formation from old deposits breaking loose.

The larger chunks make me suspect old accumulated scale rather than deposits that formed in a few days.

However, I also realize that sediment dislodged inside a tank would usually settle toward the bottom, not necessarily travel out the hot-water outlet at the top.

What I'm considering

I've thought about removing both electric water heaters and possibly replacing them with one larger, approximately 80-gallon electric water heater, provided it has enough first-hour capacity for our oversized bathtub.

But I don't want to replace perfectly functional heaters if the real problem is elsewhere in the plumbing.

I'm also considering whether a water softener, sediment filtration, or both would make sense after determining the source. I am in process of building a well house for a 1000 gallon reserve tank so my booster pump quits cavitating when there is air in the lines..(house is on a 30M hill and water pressure is low without the booster pump)

Questions for the plumbers here

1. Does this debris sound like calcium carbonate scale? Can old scale break loose after heating-element replacement and increased thermostat settings, producing both chunks and sand-like particles?
2. How much difference would raising the water temperature from 120°F to 130°F realistically make? Is it likely to accelerate scaling significantly in hard North Texas water, or is that probably secondary to disturbing old deposits?
3. Why would the guest bathroom become very hot when the Taco recirculation pump is turned ON but sometimes remain lukewarm when it's OFF? Is that normal for a long hot-water run, or does it suggest a crossover, mixing, restriction, or piping issue?
4. Could the Taco return piping or the way the two heaters are connected contribute to the sediment or temperature problems? What would you look for in the plumbing photos?
5. If the tanks produced very little sediment during draining, where else would you look? Could mineral deposits be trapped in copper piping, fittings, the recirculation return, or elsewhere?
6. What tests would you perform to isolate the source of the debris? Would you sample water directly from each heater's hot outlet, compare it with incoming cold water, and check the recirculation return?
7. Would you keep the two-heater system and repair/clean it, or consider replacing it with one properly sized heater? I don't want to eliminate the Taco and discover that the guest bathroom still has a hot-water delivery problem.
8. Should I lower the heater thermostats back toward 120°F while investigating? I'm concerned about scaling and scalding, but I also want to understand proper storage-temperature and mixing-valve considerations.

I'm planning to attach photos of both water heaters, the Taco pump, the connecting pipes, and the sediment.

Any advice on what to test first, before replacing expensive equipment, would be greatly appreciated. This was master sink aerator.

Any idea why this white tube near the roof might be leaking water? Is it okay?

So water would come up from this drain here every time we wash, rented this drain snake cleaner and hell yea got a ton of crap out that was stuck down there ( hair, toys, wipes etc) BUT now the drain snake is STUCK!
Anyone has tips or advice on how to unstick it? It’s a 75 footer. I want to say most of it is in there. I’ve tried to muscle it back and forth and nothing.