Recent content by Paul Blakely

Well lads, thanks for the advice to take it apart and clean the trap! I was astounded by how gross it was. I'm sure that fixed the problem - and it was something I hadn't even considered. I LOVE THIS FORUM!!!!

After 4 to 5 years trouble-free, we're now frequently smelling sewer gas from the bathroom vanity sink. The only thing I can think of is that the p-trap must be siphoning out. Is it because the 13" length from the bottom of the sink to the bottom of the p-trap is too long? It's been 6 years...

I've removed the upside down PRV and will install it with the proper orientation, after cutting back a bit of the pex on each end so the sharkbite can bite into new tube. I'm still mystified by the water from the city shutting off while I'm trying to fill the system. If that isn't caused by the...

Thanks to much assistance on this board almost a year ago, especially to Wayne Whitney. I'm about ready to move into our new house. I've held off filling the waterlines until now, tho I did do an air pressure test on the lines maybe 8 months ago and it looked good prior to installing the...

YAY!!!! Thanks for the quick response, John. Really appreciate it.

In the attached photo of venting a double vanity, I see at least one mistake: I should have used a tee instead of a wye where the two vents join to go vertical. And I've also seen a more efficient way of doing this: a double wye from the vent stack at the level of the two drain outlets instead...

I thought it was standard operating procedure to do an air test first to avoid a mess. But since I haven't insulated and can still see all the lines, wet test may be the most efficient way to proceed. Thanks for the response. I was looking at my email to see if anyone had responded didn't...

I'm finally getting around to doing an air pressure test on the PEX waterlines I've installed. I probably should have tied the hot and cold together before running them into the empty hot water tank, but this should work anyway. Except I'm having a very frustrating time trying to identify why I...

Thanks Wayne! I ended up using the 6/3 UF and it wasn't too bad stripping that extra insulation away. Just gotta head over to the hardware store to get some super-sized cable staples to tack the cable to the bottom of the floor joists in the crawl space. And by the way, I finished swapping out...

Looking to run 6/3 gauge for a 50 amp electric range. 50' of the outdoor is $50 less than comparable indoor, but all the insulation around the wires looks like a nuisance to deal try to get it into the panel and the range receptacle. Is it within code and/or advisable to do it with the outdoor?

Well Wayne, I finally get it. I read your posts several times before I realized the source of my confusion. I wasn't picking up that the 3x3x1.5 reducing san-tee was a STREET. I didn't know there was such a thing and in fact, I had to go to a second plumbing supply store to get one. Thanks for...

I think I'm ready to start cutting, but I want to make sure I've understood your second option, Wayne. Again in the attached photo, I would cut out the first san-tee, the one that currently has the bath drain running into it. that san-tee can be replaced with a 3x3x3 wye that would have only...

You da man, Wayne! I will try this proposal and let you know how it goes. Appreciate you, Paul

Wayne, you are a much appreciated God-send! I can see that the vanities drain connection can be made just as you suggest. The one I can't get my head around is the tub/vent/WC solution. I had purchased a wye and street san-tee as a possibility, but I couldn't really determine the height without...

Well that sketch I had provided earlier did not show what I had proposed to do following the toilet and shower hookup and I appear to have messed up by using a couple of san-tees rather than wyes. Inspector told me today I have two san-tees placed on their side and I should have used wyes. ...