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I want to install a pressure gauge (1/4" male NPT) on my incoming water line (from shared well) so I can track the pressure at my house. The only Tees I'm finding that have a 1/4" gauge port are for pressure tanks, way overkill for just a pressure gauge. The water line is 1" Uponor (Wirsbo)...

I'm preparing to break ground on a my new home, which has a fully below-grade basement. A storage type water heater will be centrally located in the basement. There will be two interior sumps -- one with a sewage ejector pump for the bathroom fixtures and the other for the footer drain. I'm...

I'm planning an outdoor kitchen for my yet-to-be built home. In our relatively mild climate (SE Arizona), we enjoy outdoor activities year round (the high today was 72F), although it occasionally drops well below freezing overnight. Thus far this winter it's dropped below 28F maybe 8 times. One...

I'm designing a new home with fully below-grade basement. There will be a sump pump to lift basement wastewater to the main sanitary line that runs through the floor trusses. The trusses bear on the basement wall so the main sanitary line will exit the house about 12" above grade, then elbow...

I'm specifying an imported chiller for a project. According spec sheet, water connections are DN25 1" I checked with the distributor and he claims DN25 is the same as 1" NPT. At first I thought DN25 meant DIN25, which I don't believe is compatible with NPT. But I now realize DN is...

As mechanical systems designer, I work with plans a lot. I often see 2x6 interior walls for plumbing but it's not consistent. I think architects and designers learn someone along the way to show 2x6 in certain situations but don't really understand when to apply, so they overdo this detail...

Given the labor involved in pulling a submersible pump (especially with hard pipe), there must be a good reason for using them, as opposed above-ground pumps. From an efficiency standpoint, it seems like it wouldn't matter where the pump is located along the path since it still has to pump...

The wife wanted a hose bib with the spout pointed down instead of a 45 degree angle. The existing bib has 3/4" male threads and there's a large brass nut captive on the copper stem protruding out of the wall. It was a bit tough to tighten the new bib, but it's definitely tight, and it leaks. I...

A relative just did a bath remodel. His tub spout flow rate is significantly lower than with previous bath. Before the remodel, his tub fill was 7 gpm, but now it's only 4.5 gpm, so it takes much longer to fill the tub. His other bath has same setup as the bath he remodeled. He confirmed it's 7...

My 1.6g Briggs toilets have a conventional ball-cock. The larger internal seal in one of the valves was deteriorating so I replaced with a universal adjustable height ballcock valve. The new valve has the standard adjustments - a large nylon screw on top of the valve shaft, and brass screw that...

My house is plumbed with pex, but the water heater connections are made with with 18" runs of copper flex. I noticed there are no di-electric unions installed between the flex and the tank nipples. I'm replacing my water heater next week and will add unions if necessary. Was the plumber correct...

I just bought a Bradford White electric heater with the combination anode/hot water port. Before installing the heater, I thought I'd break the torque on the nipple, figuring that would make it easier to R&R in future years. The problem is the nipple doesn't have enough exposed area for the...

My sink faucet escutcheon has been a source for a minor water leak into the cabinet below. It's hard to keep from splashing water around the faucet base. I lifted the faucet and discovered there's no putty... no wonder it leaks! I checked the manufacturer's instructions for my faucet (Kohler)...

On my electric water heater, I was able to drain and remove lower element to gain access and clean out the mineral build-up at the bottom of the tank. I now have a gas model (Bradford White Defender) and was wondering if there's a big enough hole behind the thermostat to scoop out the crud...

I'm training my kittens to use toilet. The training kit includes an overlay with several plastic inserts with different size holes. Each insert holds a small amount of litter. These are switched out over a period of weeks or months until the cat doesn't need a "crutch" anymore. Needless to say...

My shower valve is the type that has one lever to adjust temperature and flow. It's basically "wide open" or off. Not only does this waste a lot of water, but I like to adjust the flow rate during my shower. (I live in the desert where water is in short supply.) In my previous two homes, I...

In my last house, I experienced an occasional but obvious sewer gas smell from at least two of our three toilets. The third one got little use. I did many things to troubleshoot. The smell was definitely coming from inside the bowl. Both offending toilets had overflowed at one time or another...

I only use about 80 gallons of water per day. The hardness of my water is about 127 ppm, which comes to about 7.5 gpg. Mostly calcium. This is enough to cause difficult-to-remove spotting of glass shower surround, glass dishes, etc. Not sure about clothes (not my forte). I would like to...

I've noticed some homes in my area have expansion tanks connected to the water heater, while others don't. These homes are not particularly expensive so I'm guessing there must be a logical reason for the tank. Can someone explain this to me? :confused:

Hi, My area has been experiencing record cold temps and one of our hose bibs broke last night as temp hit 19. Our codes don't require freeze proof bibs as it rarely gets below 30. This particular bib sticks out from house about 6" to accommodate a T to an irrigation system valve, which had been...