Recent content by donk

Thanks for your replies. I tried shutting off all the toilets, but still get the vibration. :-( I don't think it's a pressure prob because we have city water in a townhouse development, and all my neighbors are ok. The vibration is right in the area above the meter in the basement. I...

vibrating pipes - 2nd request Hi - I posted this a few days ago and didn't get any response. Hope someone has an opinion? We had our whole townhouse re-piped with CPVC pipes about a year ago. Now we are getting a vibration in the basement whenever any faucet is shut off. You turn off a faucet...

Hi - we had our whole townhouse re-piped with CPVC(?) pipes about a year ago. Now we are getting a vibration in the basement whenever any faucet is shut off. You turn off a faucet and then about 5-10 seconds later you can hear the low rumble from the basement for a few seconds. I can see and put...

Hi - is there any way to (easily) disassemble a big, heavy, iron home hot water radiator so it can be taken outta the house without breaking my back? It's the old kind with a series of "coils" that appear to be welded together? Or are they welded? Thanks, Donk

My son is renovating the basement of his 1940's era house. He's having the big old iron hot-water radiator pipes that hang below the ceiling replaced with flexible black Pex(?) tubing and put up into the ceiling. A plumber mentioned to him that some people are choosing to dispose of the...

I heard about the code first from the guy at Home Depot. He wasn't trying to sell me anything. He's just a retired plumber who works there. But then when I was calling for estimates a couple of them mentioned the new MD code. I've been searching the MD plumbing code websites but don't see...

Hi - I was the original poster here with the white particles clogging my aerators. Just an update: I had intended to wait till spring (cold here in Wash, DC) and try to drain and replace the dip tube. But the prob has gotten worse and one of my faucets burst when my wife turned it on and it...

"A boiler sized to heat the entire house modified to only heat a small portion could end up short cycling which makes it less efficient. Depending on the unit, it may support the use of a different jet to the burner, which would decrease its maximum output. You'd have to read the spec...

Yeah, I think it does have an expansion tank. There's a big, cylindrical tank mounted on the ceiling, with a faucet-type valve attached to it. About the size of maybe 10 or 15 gallons.

Yeah, he wants to continue heating the basement with the current boiler. What's an expansion tank, and why would he need one? I was thinking the boiler would be "too" powerful - since it only has to heat 1 floor instead of 3 now?

Hi - I'm asking for my son who bought a circa 1940's house with radiator heat... He's had central air/heat installed on the top 2 floors. Now he wants to keep the radiator heat only in basement. The boiler is in basement and the system has a loop of pipe going around the ceiling. Off of...

Thx for the replies. I checked and it does seem I have a disintegrating dip tube in my water heater. It's code is 1995, and the white particles don't dissolve in vinegar. I'm wondering what to do about it. I will maybe be able to install a dip-tube (with a little help from you guys). I...

Hi - can someone maybe tell me what these tiny white stone-like pieces are that I find in my aerators all the time? They clog up the water flow. Since about a year or 2 ago I've had to remove and clean the aerators maybe twice a week. Mainly it's the kitchen sink faucet that gets clogged -...

Hi - we recently had our townhouse totally re-plumbed with CPVC supply pipes (to replace the defective polybutylene it was built with). About 7 months later some of the pipes have started to make a banging noise after the water is shut off on certain faucets. The noise is not too loud (more...

Hee hee... I was thinking the same thing. In fact I'm on the "right" coast - about as far away from Alameda County as you can be. But I do appreciate all the responses I got. My son is taking them into account and will decide what to do soon. This forum is great! Thx, Donk