Homeowners Frustrated with Plumbing Work
37 posts across 2 communities in the last 30 days; 97% from r/Plumbing.
“The problem that has put me in this position is the last picture, the corroded gate valve. Been in the house for 1.5 years and only one winter. That valve controls the wall hydrant, 16 feet away, and it’s always been open but didn’t freeze last winter. I’ve wanted to do it right…”
“I have a kohler dual flush toilet (tank style is Wellington I believe). It was making terrible whining sounds. The plumber replaced the fill valve (pro 45 was installed) and the sound is gone. However, now the water level is very low. Too low. The fill valve is adjusted to max…”
“I'm normally pretty practical but can't see an obvious way to remove the broken part in order to replace it. Hopefully it doesn't need a whole mechanism inside the cistern replacing? Many thanks for advice in advance!”
Several posts highlight poor plumbing workmanship, including questionable material connections and lack of proper support for pipes. This suggests a need for improved contractor standards and quality control in residential plumbing projects.
SOURCES (60)
“So I have an old toilet with the 90 degree pipe connection between the bowl and tank. My water usage skyrocketed and I realized it was because the flapper on this toilet wasn’t sealing. The valve was so quiet that I never noticed what was…”
“Don't do that. Go to Home Depot or Lowe's, get a quality faucet by Delta. [re: Installing a new facet and the last set is the cold water connect. The hot water threaded on fine but the cold water doesnt have any threads. What can I do?]”
“First time home owner and our tub faucet broke. I wanted to replace the whole trim kit to keep things cohesive, but the moen posi-temp valve trim kit I got doesnt fit because of this silver extender thing. Is this not a posi-temp valve? The other trim pieces were moen so I just assumed. Is this silver piece something I can remove? Any help would be appreciated. submitted by /u/ItsMeB-21 [link] [comments]”
“The problem that has put me in this position is the last picture, the corroded gate valve. Been in the house for 1.5 years and only one winter. That valve controls the wall hydrant, 16 feet away, and it’s always been open but didn’t freeze last winter. I’ve wanted to do it right but just haven’t decided how yet. Well after a little research and some removal of 80s newspaper, I learned having galvanized pipes before copper can mess the copper up and I actually have copper back until the tee to th”
“Currently this area has one toilet and one sink. The existing plumbing is copper: Purple: 3" toilet drain Orange: 1.5" vent for the existing toilet Blue: 1.5" sink drain/vent Red dot: proposed location of a new second toilet Purple dot: existing toilet location, which will remain a toilet Green dot: proposed freestanding tub location I included photos from both the bathroom and the basement so you can see where the existing drains and vents actually run. The sink is being removed”
“Asked my plumber to "replace" existing multi-turn toilet shutoff valve (with 1/4 turn valve) as it was causing the tank to cycle rapidly. After staff left, I noticed the original valve handle & housing. It appears they just rebuilt the internals. It works fine at 1/2-turn now, but feel duped. It feels at turn kind of rough, and I expect this valve will act up again. Thoughts? submitted by /u/tinyhousefever [link] [comments]”
“I have a kohler dual flush toilet (tank style is Wellington I believe). It was making terrible whining sounds. The plumber replaced the fill valve (pro 45 was installed) and the sound is gone. However, now the water level is very low. Too low. The fill valve is adjusted to max. The plumber sees no problem of course but this is no longer a functional toilet unless you want to clean it daily. What went wrong? Many thanks for your time. submitted by /u/Level-Astronaut2641 [link] [”
“Just installed a new bidet and had to replace the previous pex line with a new connector and valve adapter. Obviously these new lines are longer than needed, but are there any concerns around the bending? Want to make sure this thing doesn’t burst on me in the middle of the night. Added photo of the pex line before being replaced for reference submitted by /u/ReMiCkS_25 [link] [comments]”
“I have a standing water tank (Image 1) and for quite a little while now it has been giving me trouble. In the past year it has been overflowing from the top on occassions. Whenever that happened, I just took out the Hudson Float Valve [Part # 4,258,748, Phone # 800-748-6218] (Images 2 to 6) that is screwed onto the hose that feeds into the top of the tank (Images 7 and 8), cleaned it, and reattached it. That worked for a time but then it leaked again and I decided to buy another Hudson Float Val”
“Hey. Not a plumber but handy. Have a house with an old ass shutoff valve before the meter. Yes it's my responsibility and yes I have the ability to shut off the water at the curb. The packing nut is cracked and, thus, is leaking. The piece on the left goes to the meter. The upper piece, including the female end, is the line from the street. So the valve has a male end attached to the line from the curb and then a female end at a 90 degree bend that goes to a piece that attaches to the meter.”
“I'm normally pretty practical but can't see an obvious way to remove the broken part in order to replace it. Hopefully it doesn't need a whole mechanism inside the cistern replacing? Many thanks for advice in advance! submitted by /u/Physical-Heart-4097 [link] [comments]”
“As another person commented you can’t use brass for condensation lines or copper. You should replace with pvc. It’s 1/2” size. The fitting your looking at is a 1/2” fip pex adapter. What you want is a 1/2” pvc fip adapter and some glue and pipe and fittings.”
“Plumber I reached out to suggested that Viega is good enough. The two repipe companies I reached out to only use Uponor, but they seem like salesmen for it tbh. Wonder what the Plumbing community thinks. submitted by /u/miggy_mo [link] [comments]”
“That close to the wall you're gonna have a bad time trying to get a coupling on there cleanly. The saddle valve scarred the pipe up anyway so you're better off opening the wall behind it if you can, cut back to fresh copper and stub out a new piece. Way less headache than trying to polish a turd with a 1/2 inch of chewed up pipe”
“The second valve is a reasonable choice, there was going to be some sort of coupler there regardless adding a point of failure. If there is no shutoff accessible at the street that might save someones butt down the road. My biggest complaint is there is no support for those valves. Slam a 2x4 in behind that and put some appropriate (for pex) clamps on either side of each of those valves so the whole thing isn't flopping around when the valves get used.”
“If it was gonna be a spliced connection with a coupling anyway because the repair caused the main PEX line to be too short, than an extra valve doesn't hurt there since you have 2 crimp connections for the coupling. If there was plenty of existing PEX to reach after the repair without adding the 2nd valve then I would definitely question the point of adding another failure point since you'd have the same problem if the bottom most crimp ring starts to fail.”
“A while ago a plumber took out my valve cause the pressure coming in was 60psi. No my pressure is about 70psi. Could someone recommend a residential valve that would be appropriate? submitted by /u/FrankieCugine [link] [comments]”
Sometimes it's on to get a new faucet. 16 years is a good run.
“Have an old American Standard that needs new insides. Complete novice to plumbing so just need to know what parts these are to replace them. Thanks in advance submitted by /u/Ztrukj [link] [comments]”
“Why the hard piped bypass around the whole house filter? Is that required by code in your area? Mine has a 3 way knob at the top to swap it out. Filter/off/bypass”
“I recently purchased a home and the final plumbing fixtures weren’t installed or present…does any know the brand so I can just purchase the proper trim kit submitted by /u/Any-Intern3891 [link] [comments]”
“We used to be able to simply say "replace the flapper" but now there's so many variations out there...a picture of the inside of the tank would help a lot.”
“Mooved into this house and first time Ive run into a toilet with two separate valves. The toilet has a tendency to keep running and the flush lever needs to be juggled just the right amount to let the flapper valves close. I want to fix the issue and Im not sure if I should replace the whole toilet because this is a bad design or its likely a bad valve(s)? submitted by /u/Texaspilot24 [link] [comments]”
“Does anyone know what spigot this is? It would be from the mid 70s and I need some replacement parts but I don’t even know where to start since I don’t know what kind it is. submitted by /u/TnMtbr1010 [link] [comments]”
“Hello everyone. I want to know what is the consensus on Poly B pipping in a home. Should I change it immediately or will it hold up? The home was built in 1985. Thank you. submitted by /u/xwwerawdeal [link] [comments]”
“Three years later these comments are still helping folks out! I got lucky and ended up purchasing the same model that I had, which happened to be a Kohler-branded Fluid Master and was able to pop the locking ring and simply replace the top half.”
“No requirements for a brand new baxkflow. I'm a certified tester with the BCWWA in the Vancouver area”
“Recently purchased a house. The faucet needs a new cartridge. It is definitely a ceramic disc valve. I love the faucet even though it is in rough shape. Can’t find a brand anywhere on it. Next step is to pop out the cartridge to see what I can find but want to try this first. Thank you! submitted by /u/crisismanual [link] [comments]”
“Can anyone help identify the brand of this, and is it worth rebuilding? if not, how difficult would it be to go to a more modern setup? do I need to open up the wall, and swap out the valves? Bought an old house, and the bath tub leaks when the water is on. I wouldn’t think this is a problem if the drain flange weren’t also broken, and the PVC needs to be reattached. This is also the only working faucet due to the house sitting for over a year. So I figured this is a good first step to get the w”
“Just curious if anyone has any suggestions on the installation of a fitting that works best for blowing out the water lines when leaving the house empty for three months in the winter time??? Thanks!!! submitted by /u/Leather-Bottle1402 [link] [comments]”
“The screw stops are absolutely buggered beyond repair. Both screw heads are broken, and it looks like the previous owner used screw extractors to try to turn them - which has now developed into a hole through the screw which is leaking. (Yes, it's currently plugged with the end of a q-tip.) I want to replace the integral stops, rather than the whole assembly. Can someone help identify the brand / where to get replacement parts? https://preview.redd.it/qmcxyinba5rh1.png?width=1174&format=”
“From my research seems like replacing this valves is a easy enough job. I would consider myself pretty handy, have not done something exactly like this before. Any tips or things to be careful of? submitted by /u/Efficient_Bologna [link] [comments]”
“I replaced the flush valve and fill tube/flapper valve with a Fluidmaster kit in my Kohler toilet -the kind that has the triangular bolt pattern between the tank and the base. I bought a new Kohler brand replacement gasket. I'm pretty handy and I followed the directions closely. My problem is that it leaks when it's flushed. It doesn't leak through the bolts or the valve connection. Only when it's is flushed. I made sure that I tightened the nuts evenly, a little at a time. The f”
“My parents' single handle shower faucet has stopped putting out cold water and i'm trying to find a replacement for it, and i'm not sure where I can get one, because I can't find any exact matches online. submitted by /u/WhenInDoubt_Cum [link] [comments]”
“If you replace the cpvc with the pex, do the cpvc elbows at the left and right need to be replaced with pex elbows? I'm not sure if I want to have the plumber cut open the wall to go inside the wall. If pex pipe is put on, does the new valve get put on with clamps tightened down to the pex pipe? And no primer/glue needed? Would a brass ball valve likely be ideal onto the pex pipe?”
So I can just replace the hose I have to replace the faucet?
“Alright so I didn't realize that the valves that are installed have 3/8 inch threaded outputs. Can anyone tell me the best way to make this valve work with 1/2 CPVC lines? I intended on just using 1/2 shark bite connectors but didn't realize it was 3/8. submitted by /u/Personal_Ambition_42 [link] [comments]”
“I had the two upstairs toilets replaced and I asked them to switch out the shark bite shut off valve and put an actual manual twist valve and this is how they installed them(picture 1). (Picture 2) is how another company installed a toilet in my downstairs bathroom and actually threaded on a fitting to the pex. I’m just worried about that little band clamp if that’s something reliable or up to code. Not looking to come home to a flooded house. submitted by /u/Narrow-Cook4841 [link] &”
“I’m replacing my bathtub spout and want to switch to a matte/flat black tub spout with a diverter . The existing pipe coming out of the wall is copper with what looks like a soldered fitting/coupling and male threads at the end . The threaded end is roughly 3-5/8" from the finished wall . I originally bought a slip-on/set-screw style spout, but there’s only about 3/4" of plain copper before the soldered fitting , so I don’t think that style will work without redoing the plumbing. I’d r”
“Please ID this P Pfister shower control. . Single lever pull toward you at an angle for pressure control and turn left to right for temp control. From 1970-1980s possibly . Need part number for replacement cartridge and tips on how to change. submitted by /u/AccomplishedServe234 [link] [comments]”
“Replacing faucet for an upgrade. We cannot get the escutcheon plate flush or the faucet to be any closer than this. Info I know: Original fixture is from when house was built in 2009. American standard brand original AND replacement to be able yo use existing cartridge. There is no access panel from behind. There is not a plaster guard. Faucet is not a slip on- it is threaded/screw on submitted by /u/Quiet-History-2310 [link] [comments]”
“The filter head is 1" Female NPT. I have no idea what thread the fittings are yall use over there but whatever it is, you need to somehow go from that to a 1" Male NPT so itll thread up to the filter head.”
“Brother buy one of these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-1-2-in-Showerhead-Washers-3-Pack-3075-561/204511132 Don't even bother with the teflon tape, just throw one of these gaskets in the female side/cup of the shower head threads, and put a little pipe dope on the male threads. Tighten. Then buff off the excess pipe dope after you thread the shower head on. It will look shiny and nice, spit on that thang https://preview.redd.it/pp4cuz199roh1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=”
“We can cut into the wall and replace the valve, as long as there is room for a cover plate.”
“Anyone know what these are called or where to find? I can't come up with a good search term that shows me what I'm looking for. Closest thing I could find is Roman tub faucets that have a hose connecting the valves to the spout. I have a very old Speakman shower-tub fixture. It's not possible to match the current valve spacing with a new fixture, so I'm thinking about trying independently spaced valves. submitted by /u/jpl2045 [link] [comments]”
“It is Delta Monitor bathtub faucet. I need to buy a cartridge that fits the model of this faucet. This is an old house (20+ years old) where the pervious owner didn't provide the manual for bathtub faucet so I don't know what model is this Delta Monitor faucet. Does Danco by chance sell cartridge that has universal fit for most Delta Monitor bathtub faucets? Thanks for your advices. submitted by /u/Different_Compote504 [link] [comments]”
“I need to replace this diverter valve in an older hot tub. Got the new one in and am just about to sawzall this broken one to remove it. I was going to cut on the “red” to remove it. But it looks like there reducers/adaptors going into the diverter? What will I need to get the new one to fit in its place, if I cut it out on the red. Thanks for any tips/help before I get going submitted by /u/mikeyjw600 [link] [comments]”
“I've been living with these valves for almost six years. If you want to get in there and see what happens when someone flushes a toilet or runs hot water, be my guest. I'll need you to sign a waiver first, though.”
“Heya, In the middle of a semi-arduous bathroom reno, and different plumbers from the same company have offered different takes on what's been installed: Our longtime plumber installed the megapress between our old galvi & new copper. A couple members of the same company brought up concerns about electrolysis, but said ultimately it'd be ok. I've had to pull out improper backing from an SC install, so while the plumbing's exposed, I'm wondering: What's the lifespan I m”
Just go to the store and buy right part, ask them for help if needed
“I'm replacing a vanity and these are causing me trouble. I will take any and all advice. I need to replace the valves, they're leaking. This is a double bowl vanity so I need to thread the needle on these two and the other two on the other side, and this left one in the picture is bent back or something. I plan to kill water, cut copper pipes below valves, bend the left one back if possible, measure and cut holes in the bottom of vanity, measure again, lift and slide over these, install”
“I recently moved into a new home and I’m trying to change the shower fixtures but I’ve been having a hard time finding the correct fixture for this push/pull shower valve. I’ve bought at least 3 different plates and handles but none of them are the correct one. I was told I need to know what brand it is first but it doesn’t say anywhere on here. Any help would be appreciated! submitted by /u/Lucky_Quiet_3131 [link] [comments]”