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Running pex to my bathroom and I’m wondering if I can use 1/4 turn supply valves instead of ball valves for shut-offs. The 1/4 turn valves come with a pex crimp end and a threaded end that I can attach my braided supply to. Thanks, Dan

My water main supply comes up into my kitchen through the slab and takes a 90 to go into the utility room where the manifold is. Instead of supplying the kitchen sink with a home run from the manifold I’d like to install a 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/2 tee at the location of the 90 in the kitchen and supply...

Recently installed an AO Smith GDV 40lp water heater. Water system is a private well and since I have a pressure tank I didn’t install an expansion tank. When I leave for an overnight or more I shut off my main to err on the side of caution, but I got to thinking that this would isolate the...

My Bosch Aquastar 125blp recently wasn’t getting water as hot as usual, and it got progressively worse over a few days. The water valve selector screw made minimal difference in flame height/intensity which is very low. Burner is clean and free of any debris. Cleaned the cold water intake...

I recently put an AO Smith GDV-40 lp gas, direct vent, sealed combustion water heater into service that utilizes a 7” air intake which houses the exhaust vent. This is a non-powered direct vent heater. Condensation is forming on about a 3”length on the outside of the air intake pipe right where...

Toilet suddenly began flushing poorly and then not at all. No clog after snaking, and bucket of water poured in flushed it fine. A couple months ago I cleaned out quite a bit of dark grey brittle buildup that had formed in the large siphon jet opposite the bowl exit drain and that corrected the...

I just put a new Viega manabloc into service yesterday and 3 of the 8 ports that aren’t in use are leaking ever so slowly. I guess I misunderstood the function of a manabloc having thought they were effective shutoffs for each supplied fixture since support at Viega said they were only “service”...

I’ve got a bit of a dumb question, I suppose. I’ve done my fair share of plumbing, but I’ve never had to select and install a new shower fixture/faucet and I could really use some guidance. Am I better off buying a quality shower valve and then buying a trim set separately? I’m assuming that the...

1” water line is approximately 25’ long between valve for compressor hookup and vertical drain pipe. Shallow black poly waterline will need to be blown out for winterization. Will it be possible to blow this out and what size compressor might do the trick? Thanks

Installing an AO Smith gdv40 - their non-power vented direct vent water heater- and finding that their tech support seems to not have any knowledge. The manual allows for two 90’s- one from the vertical off the top of the unit to horizontal, and a second if there’s a need for an off-set exit...

Insulating pex lines for a new whole house system. K-Flex closed cell foam with adhesive is $8.60/6’ length, and H.D.’s Everbilt is .78 per 6’ length, no adhesive, but I’ve got plenty compatible tape. Is there any reason to even consider the K-Flex? Thanks, Dan

I’ve got to install a direct vent lp unit and would prefer Bradford White’s model, but can get AO Smith’s unit for $350 less. Specs are nearly identical on both units. Is the up-charge on the BW worth it? Thanks, Daniel

installing 3/4 sch40 black steel, and my Toledo dies weren’t cutting very clean threads. Teeth were sharp and undamaged, but I went ahead and bought a new Ridgid 12R threader, since Toledo doesn’t make the old die design anymore and I figured the dies were more dull than I thought. I hadn’t used...

I’ve got several ridgid pipe cutters - 3 and 4 wheel cutters - that were my father’s, and I bought a replacement set of cutting wheels for the no 2 cutter (same as today’s 2a). I was surprised to see that the wheels have a more blunt edge than the old wheels I took off, which are relatively...

Does a reduced port ball valve have much if any effect on flow? My understanding is that the port reduction has an effect on water, but no so much on gas. Is this correct? I can’t find anything regarding this in the National code, and when my local gas company made the connection between my...

Trying to find out what the total length is of the expandable vent for AO Smith’s GDV-40 water heaters. AO Smith customer service says they don’t know and to reference my supplier who also doesn’t know. Checked with my hvac supplier who can get the part, and he says there’s no info and when he...

Trying to apply some solder to the pinhole leak in the tubing on my Bosch water heater heat exchanger and it beads and rolls right off. Yes, I cleaned it, buffed with emery cloth and fluxed. It looks like copper, cleaned up and sanded like copper, but no go on the solder. No problem at all...

I'm looking at a new construction installation of a PEX home-run system, and I'm seeing some big price variations between PEX brands. Apollo and Bluefin are substantially lower priced than Viega (all type b) but overall, Uponor, Viega are priced substantially higher than their competitors. Is...

My need is for a sealed combustion, direct vent, no electric requirement lp water heater and the gdv-50lp meets all the criteria. I believe Bradford-White makes one too, but they're currently on backorder for a while and priced higher that the A.O. Smith model. Is there a similar unit out there...

Could it possibly be as difficult as it seems to find a replacement pitless o ring? My plumbing supplier - a major supply in the nearest city sold me my harvard pitless 14 years ago and has no replacement o rings for it. Their suggestion is to install a whole new pitless! My pitless is too deep...