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Sabotage by my 10 and 15 year old sons. Up at the top of this weekend's to-do list, gutter guards. The catch basin (or whatever you want to call the hole in the ground where my drain pipe starts in the backyard) also has a cast iron cover that gets constantly moved out of the way by the kids...

So this is why there's the old adage you get what you pay for. I've had these drains cleaned before, front to back, without ever really having much come out. Today, on the other hand - the plumber went directly to the shower drain where the backups typically occurred. He said it had some...

The real plumbers (who I'm hoping are as good as they are costly) are coming tomorrow morning. I'm trying to know as much as I can in advance so that I decide wisely and not with my pocket. I tend to get sticker shock, so if I have a feeling something is costly but warranted I'm more likely...

Thanks - my issue is that I've had the drain cleaned on an almost yearly basis, and it seems to continue to recur regardless. That's why I thought it might be time to hit it up with a camera. I'm glad to hear it's not the vent, because that sucker is buried inside the wall and I'd have to...

I should clarify - this is a home I own in Brooklyn. In NYC, it's common for the gutters to be tied into the city's sewer system (in fact, I've been told it's illegal to drain it to the street, but I don't know if that's true or not).

So I'll preface this with the fact that I have a plumber coming in on Friday, but am curious as to what the consensus thinks might be an issue and what troubleshooting steps they might want to take before they get here. I have a 2 family house with the storm drain routed through the basement...

Thanks hj - I know from reading your posts you're a big advocate of cast iron, but the contractor maintains it's just too difficult to maneuver in that small a space. He was pushing the enameled steel option pretty hard, but the reviews I saw on those were pretty hairy. Is there any special...

So in another thread on the forum I came to the conclusion that the leak in my shower was coming from behind a fiberglass enclosure that my wife has always hated, so the time has come for us (the enclosure, not the wife) to part ways. I did some cursory research and decided on a cast iron tub...

Yeah, I know that unless the plumber or contractor finds something I've overlooked it means that surround is a goner. I don't mind either, I've hated that thing since the day we bought the house, it's the epitome of cheapo builder quality junk (and I won't get started on how the plumbing inside...

So I tried all but Reach's last suggestion. At first I thought I was gold - plugged up the diverter by hand, showerhead off, no leak. Replaced the shower arm and repeated, no leak. Put the new diverter on and changed the o-ring, no leak. Added the showerhead - leak. I had one of those...

Thanks again Terry, that's good to know in case it's the valve body. That I can actually get a good look at and don't see any water running from, so I'm assuming it's OK. I'm going to replace the shower arm and the o-ring, and if I'm still getting water, that surround is meeting the sawzall.

Thanks Terry - just for my reference, the remodel plate you're referencing is a surround for the tub? Or a trim for the valve body in case I need to break open that space a bit? I'm going to replace the shower arm and change that o-ring first and foremost only since it's a relatively easy and...

I haven't - I tried tightening it a bit but it wouldn't budge (and the pipes behind the surround are not secured much, if at all - you can basically pull the shower arm 6" forward with little to no effort. Given the low cost of replacing, it's definitely doable. I just didn't think it would be...

Tiled wall of the master bathroom. Would rather just rip out the dopey fiberglass surround.

I don't know - so far my testing has been limited to: - Dumping water into the tub with nothing running (no leak) - Running the bath (no leak) - Running the shower with and without the showerhead (leak in both instances) I didn't think the overflow could leak unless there was water backing up...

Thanks Reach. It hadn't occurred to me at all that I could troubleshoot it without the spout on by blocking the water manually (which, just typing it makes me feel really stupid right now :-) ) I'll give that a shot first and foremost. If I see water leaking, I can assume that either it's...

I've had an issue with my upstairs bathroom for some time now, but the problem has gotten worse. I called in a plumber, who initially said there was no evidence of a leak and thought that it was due to the fact that the caulk around the bathtub was older and cracked in some places. He didn't...

Giving this one a single bump before I let it go - really looking for a pro's advice on how much space you need to access and solder in a replacement. I'm not making this a DIY repair, don't trust myself under those conditions, but wondering whether it makes sense to just cap this connection...

Hi all- Over the winter, my frost-free silcock went out thanks to my stupidly forgetting to remove the brass Y fitting outside (genius remembered to remove the hose, though). There's a nice split right down the middle of the silcock, so it has to come out. I'm very handy, but I'm no plumber...