Homeowners Can't Tell If DIY Plumbing Will Pass Inspection
19 posts across 2 communities in the last 60 days; 95% from r/Plumbing.
“Alrighty, here’s the deal, I have mystery water leaking out in my basement. I am trying to determine if this is natural land seepage or if this is this an actual plumbing leak? Yesterday, I turned off the main water valve for the house, checked the meter which wasn’t moving, but…”
“Hi everyone, I recently purchased a house and found this setup in the backyard. I’m not familiar with plumbing/irrigation systems, so I’m hoping someone can help me identify what I’m looking at. From the photos, it looks like there used to be some kind of sprinkler/irrigation…”
“Keep the broken sections and exact location documented, and don’t reconnect or remove anything until it’s identified. Building Control may accept a redundant drain being capped, but if it serves another property or is adopted, Severn Trent will need to deal with it.”
Numerous posts detail homeowners facing plumbing problems, from leaks and cracks to tankless water heater installations and drain line repairs. Many express frustration with finding solutions or understanding proper procedures, often relying on professional help.
SOURCES (60)
“We just moved in not even a month ago and we need help it's seeping into grj garage. submitted by /u/plantrose [link] [comments]”
“The guys around here use high-temp rtv silicone (the red stuff) designed for this purpose.”
“Recently moved to a new town home and I was looking for a spigot to hook up a hose to and found this in the garage. Can someone just explain to me what I’m looking at here please. submitted by /u/Dexinthecity [link] [comments]”
“DIY’ing basement bathroom Just finished roughing in shower drain where toilet was and shifting everything down. Ready for inspection? ETA: there was a toilet that was vented in place before. Will figure out how to vent shower. A lot of butt hurt people when all I’m doing is asking for advice. Never said I was a pro but since this is in slab i want it correct the first time. submitted by /u/ShrunkWrapped [link] [comments]”
“Could be from an old 1 pipe radiator system. Putting a bed over it will be fine. If you are worried about anything leaking, just make a little mixture of dish soap and water and brush it around the cap and threads. If you see it start bubbling, it's leaking something.”
“I don’t have any idea what this pipe is and why it’s constantly dripping water, but I’ve had this puddle for a while now. Can anyone explain this to me? submitted by /u/Master_Roof4915 [link] [comments]”
“Clogging of main drain. Get it snaked and then scoped. It may be that it is cracked and full of roots.”
“Looks like 4” cast iron sewer clean out. Could be for the sewer or rain drain system. If it’s sewer you could put your ear up to it and have someone flush inside and see if you hear it. If so, it should be capped or plugged. I would recommend cutting it a little shorter and putting some sort of plastic irrigation box over it flush with the ground to protect it and avoid nailing it with the lawnmower”
“To me it looks like a sewer clean out. I live in Pa. and this is very common in my state. Like someone else said, it could also be a curb box sleeve for the curb cock down below( whole house water shut off valve)”
The water still gets super hot and haven’t noticed any issues- any idea why? But good to know. Thank you.
“You can absolutely vent through a wall as well. As long as it's the required distance from doors and windows.”
“Recently purchased home and went to check attic for leaks. Noticed this substance, any idea what this hose is for or what the substance is? submitted by /u/BunsForAll [link] [comments]”
“Alrighty, here’s the deal, I have mystery water leaking out in my basement. I am trying to determine if this is natural land seepage or if this is this an actual plumbing leak? Yesterday, I turned off the main water valve for the house, checked the meter which wasn’t moving, but came back down to the basement and still saw water seeping out of the ground/foundation. I checked around the outside of the house and it’s completely dry. The problem I have is that there are pipes that are behind that”
“Do not take it out until you know where it terminates if someone cut it out inside the home and its behind wall or in attic, rain will pour down straight into house.”
“Could any of you guys confirm if this is a vent stack pipe in a recently purchased old house that a vinyl company I hired just covered over? Wouldn't it need one of those outside wall vents? Should I call them back or should I cut the pipe and cap it being we are deleting an old unused bathroom in garage, this pipe was behind where an old latrine used to be, thanks gentlemen I am not a plumber! submitted by /u/MoistLabia6969 [link] [comments]”
“Lived in this 20 year old home for 5+ years. It’s a single story with a finished lower level (basement). Recently the lavatory has started to back up after about 10 secs. then drains extremely slow. Also, the toilet is flushing with about 1/2 the force it once had. I have cleaned the trap and tailpiece. I also snaked the drain for about 25’ finding no blockage. The bathrooms on the main level all work correctly, as does the kitchen sink. My question generally is what is a likely cause? And more”
“I've hired a few plumbers and none have been able to identify how this leak occurs, but the HOA feels it's coming from my retail condo unit (currently being leased to a coffee shop) and they are threatening to sue unless I come up with a "permanent fix" - for context this leak happens once or twice a year, I usually then I hire a plumber who says everything is a OK, gets the HOA off my back, then it happens again eventually. Does anyone have any suggestions or if anyone is in t”
“Hey! A complete non DIY person here! Just bought this flat with a fancy insinkerator - never had one before. It’s started leaking after a few days, narrowed down to this pipe here, seems such a strange pipe work situation. Any direction on what to do here would be much appreciated. Should I call someone out to replace this? submitted by /u/milligee [link] [comments]”
“I don't smell gas but noticed this while going into the basement today. Just curious if this warrants a call? submitted by /u/gorliggs [link] [comments]”
“Genuine question for whoever could help me, been working on my food truck for the past month or so and finally got around to the plumbing can’t really find the best response from my city, would I need a separate vent for both sinks? Did this all myself and just trying to figure out if this would pass or not submitted by /u/No_Office_6700 [link] [comments]”
“I bought a home in the last few months, and the previous owner was obviously a DIY-er. The duct that's indicated in the photo goes off to another section of the rough basement and then is just open. It seems to me like it's attempting to provide AC to the area near my washer & dryer. Is this something that I can cap off? EDIT: Thanks all, this has been very helpful. I'm gonna check out the damper switch, and probably put some type of screen, but otherwise leave it alone. Apprecia”
“If that is the case I would say you need independent licensed gas and plumbing inspectors, NOT related to the owner. If you're in the USA this is could definitely be a code violation, and I don't know of you want to start there letting them know you believe there is cross-connection in not only the waterflows but also gas, possibly electrical with your neighbor.”
“Hi everyone, I recently purchased a house and found this setup in the backyard. I’m not familiar with plumbing/irrigation systems, so I’m hoping someone can help me identify what I’m looking at. From the photos, it looks like there used to be some kind of sprinkler/irrigation system connected to this outdoor faucet. There is also a pipe coming out of the bottom of the faucet assembly and the end of the upper pipe appears to be broken/open. I’m not planning to use the sprinkler/irrigation system.”
“Keep the broken sections and exact location documented, and don’t reconnect or remove anything until it’s identified. Building Control may accept a redundant drain being capped, but if it serves another property or is adopted, Severn Trent will need to deal with it.”
“Hello all. I decided to check water meter to see if there is a leak. First pic was taken at 6pm yesterday and second pic was taken at 7am today. No water was used during the hours and i turned off fridge ice maker. I notice that blue indicator moved tiny bit. I draw red line on pic #2 to indicate where it was yesterday. So is this considered as leak? Thanks submitted by /u/SoulHunter91 [link] [comments]”
“Yes. You should have something likely in the basement or anywhere near a main water line. Should be a box on the wall. Sometimes they mount them on the exterior but interior is more common. Look for any box that may or may not be plugged in and post a picture of that. Might even be a mechanical timer depending on how old it is. But those orbit heads aren't super old”
“I had a plumber under my crawl space inspecting a leak (entirely different issue to this post). When he came back from the crawlspace he told me that our water heater was installed incorrectly and is against code (I'm in California), and likely leaking carbon monoxide up into our house. He said that the previous home owner had an atmospheric / conventional venting water heater installed and then exhaust piping built as if it were a direct venting heater. He is telling me that it is not a &qu”
“I moved to a building which has garage under it so a lot of different pipes going above the cars. Whenever I park and go upstairs I’m afraid that something will leak. How often these problems appear? Do I need to worry or I totally overthink? submitted by /u/CookingTheTea [link] [comments]”
“I’m sorry, but I am doing this as a homeowner so this is a DIY project. What do you mean cut it off from the inside? Is it a crack or burst in the internal pipe?”
“It looks to be rolled into the concrete in what I assume to be your garage, cut the top but see if you can turn your meter off at the street before some places you can - licensed plumber”
“I mean it looks like shit, has no support. But if it drains and doesn’t leak functionally it should work temporarily if there is some reason the wall is not an option until they figure something out. I mean yeah it does look like a homeowner hack job.”
“I don’t think they did. They did pull up the PVC pipe out of the vent closest to the porch. There was a flap on the end that he said was a back flow valve. Is that the back flow preventer?”
“New homeowner. No idea what I’m looking at any advice is greatly appreciated. I’m pretty handy but don’t know much about plumbing. Is this DIY or should I call a plumber? submitted by /u/AboveAverageBean [link] [comments]”
“For our homeowners insurance we had to install an auto-water shutoff valve. Originally they installed it on the outside, but after they left I noticed the absolute first thing on the instructions with the valve said they had to do it inside. I called them back out and then they installed it on the inside of the house. Aside from the fact they did a shitty job cutting the access panel out (which I can deal with), I just today noticed that installed pex going into the house like this. I pulled thi”
“This is my second plumbing emergency today (unrelated to the first 😵💫) and my brain is mush - I cannot remember which valve is the main water shut off. Can’t get a plumber until the morning and my basement is flooding. submitted by /u/OilConsistent440 [link] [comments]”
“Can anyone tell me what this is? It’s under my in-laws house coming from the main water line before it goes up into the house. It’s leaking and I need to replace it. submitted by /u/Informal-Pipe-7047 [link] [comments]”
“I'd go with the pex around the outside if it was mine. But I'd go up one size since pex has a smaller inside diameter than equivelant pvc and you're adding length. And if it was mine and I tore up the driveway, I'd replace that whole section under the driveway with schedule 80 PVC to make sure it didn't have to happen again.”
“That looks like a lazy and slightly sloppy install. The line below you circled is capped so you don’t accidentally kick the valve and flood the room.”
Cement. I all seriousness youd need something completely air tight
Its very important to show the vents! Is the garage vertical vented?
“I'm replacing this wall hung sink with a proper vanity but the water inlet for the toilet is in the way. How easy would it be to move it behind the toilet? Would this be a major remodel or an easy day job for a plumber? submitted by /u/Suspicious-Jello-exe [link] [comments]”
“Hey guys, not sure if this is the correct page to ask this question but feel like someone experienced with this might help. My family and I were recently on a trip for a couple of days and while we were on our trip, this sprinkler line (I actually don't know what it's called so sorry about that) appeared to burst and leak water for a few hours, leading to flooding our neighbors basement and the city fully shutting our water off. We had someone come over and look at it, they saw that one”
“Hi everyone. So I have a water leak issue. I live on the second floor of a multi-family. I have a leak coming from my kitchen sink and leaking into the basement. I’ve narrowed it down to a drain leak. I clogged my sink and ran water. No leak in the basement. As soon as I let the water drain, I get the leak in the basement. However, I opened up the wall under the sink and I can see the PVC pipe that connects to the main iron pipe and no leak. I’m able to use my shower, bathroom sink and toilet wi”
We recently moved into our new home in NJ. This is our garage wall (closest to the house). It sits below the second floor bathroom. We recently got our toilet changed out…
“5 gallon bucket you got a few days at least. Mitigate water pooling on the concrete”
“Came back from dinner and noticed this. I have an 8am plumber appointment booked for tomorrow and I’ve put a bucket and towels underneath. Is this worth having the city come shut off our water at the street or can I let this go for 11 more hours? submitted by /u/Feeling_Anteater_389 [link] [comments]”
“Our water main shut-offs in our basement are looking iffy and next month we are getting them replaced and a moen flo automatic shut-off installed. Our plumber said that he will be contacting the water department to turn off the water to the house, via a shut-off between our house and the water main in the street. We know about where the outside shut-off should be, but can't see it and it's likely buried in the lawn. I know the guy from the water department will figure it when he gets her”