Recent content by miketp

Yes, city water

I have black material accumulate in my aerators. I think it could be sediment although it's more slimy than pebbly, so I'm thinking it could also be mold. Any thoughts based on the attached picture? I'm wondering if a sediment whole house filter would fix this or if it may be a different...

Assuming it does, how do I add chlorine to the system and in what quantity? If I add to the hot water tank it won't fix the cold water pipes.

Neither, we're on city water which should be treated appropriately. The water tastes/smells fine.

In all of my faucets, there's a black slimy material that accumulates in/near the aerators. It eventually impacts the water stream and I have to move my fingers under the faucet to remove the slimy gunk. I assume it's due to manganese or bacteria. I'm on city water so I would've thought the...

Why do direct vent installations only require 1' clearance from doors/windows while other installs require 4'? Is 1' really safe enough given the carbon monoxide being output? I have a Lochinvar KBN151 boiler with a direct sidewall vent. It's installed close to a door but more than 12" which...

So I checked all of my valves and they're all fully open, so I don't think that's the issue. The sound stops when I pull up the diverter and the water just comes out of the shower head. Also when I took off the tub spout, I noticed the water pressure isn't consistent. See the attached videos...

I have a mystery issue with my shower that I'm hoping someone can help solve. When I turn on the Delta tub faucet, everything works as expected. However, if I use the faucet again shortly afterward (within say an hour), a loud banging/machine gun sound occurs after about 5 seconds and lasts...

I recently opened up an outside wall and sprayed in insulation to address a freezing pipe issue. Since then, the tub faucet makes a squealing sound. It usually only happens after turning on the faucet a second time within a few hours (although sometimes the first time also), usually takes a few...

I would imagine the pipes in the wall between the studs are freezing, but how can I verify? The kitchen is directly below (so cutting a hole in the ceiling is unlikely) and those pipes never freeze, and the washing machine in the room above also doesn't freeze. The pipes only freeze a few times...

During a bathroom renovation, plumber convinced me to move the shower/tub faucet to the opposite wall so it was easier to reach. Unfortunately the opposite wall is an exterior wall and the pipe now freezes. No issues with the sink/toilet on the other (interior) wall. Pipes are not wrapped in...

So the water's still lukewarm when set to cold. When I turn the handle from hot to cold I feel cold water for a second and then only warm water comes out. Would that point more to the thermostatic cartridge being bad rather than a frozen pipe? If frozen, would something like great stuff gap...

1920's and it's on an exterior wall, so I suspect freezing but I don't know why it would sometimes be lukewarm and I also thought that usually the hot water pipe freezes first.

When it gets cold outside, no cold water comes out of one of my showers. When this occurs, when setting the water to cold, sometimes no water comes out, and other times lukewarm water comes out. The sink faucet in the same bathroom works without an issue. Is this likely to be a pipe that's...

I'm a new homeowner and am still learning the basics. Our basement occasionally has water issues when it rains so we are installing french drains. We already have a pit which has a sewer drain at the bottom. Are there any downsides to removing the sewer drain cap so the water can escape? If...