Recent content by analogmusicman

both sink water supply valves leak. I was thinking of replacing both but they're both compression type (they have brass rings that fit over the end of the 1/2 in. tubing and then a nut tightens against the valve body and compresses everything) I've tried in the past to remove that brass ring so...

as you can see from the pic,my cast iron toilet flange is broken. hope it's not bonded in some way to the concrete which I'm suspecting since the holes where the screws should be are empty.my question is whether another CI flange should go in or just a cheaper PVC one from HD? also are regular...

yes,but the question remains whether those "spacers" are needed. they add about a 1/4 in. to the height of the door and this leaves too much space under the door . tnx

one of the "ball valves" which I installed with my new shower valve leaks only when turned on. (just a little). is there a "seal" " inside that I can get at by removing the nut on the valve? (yes,the nut is tight) this is a new valve and it's soldered in so it would be a real hassle to replace...

every pre-hung door I've installed comes with a plastic "spacer" on each leg of the frame presumably to hold the frame off the concrete if the door is going on a concrete slab. my question is whether that "spacer" is needed if the door is going to sit on tile which is attached to the concrete? tnx,

the tile has been laid down and now I've got to get the carpet to meet the tile. Question: does it look like "power stretching" of the carpet might close the gap between the tile and carpet? it is a gap of 1/2" to 3/4" tnx,

I've been looking around and I see some applications of different transitions that use a special adhesive to hold down "tack strip". does that stuff work ok?

as you can see from the pic,this is a carpeted room with a door to the outside. the carpet under the door when it opens is a problem since the door barely makes it over the carpet and anyway,it's a bad idea to be stepping right onto carpet from the outside. the solution is to cut out a square of...

is it still recommended to use enamel in baths? I ask because I think someone said once that regular latex is ok, is that "bull" and should I just stick with enamel? tnx,

I'm guessing that plumbers might have some sort of tool that clamps onto the pipe with the hub and the pipe that has to be pulled out of the hub in order to separate the two. Dunno but that would make sense. tnx,

gee,oakum and lead hasn't been used in decades. you must be LOOONG retired.:) what is used nowadays is a gasket or "donut" that fits in the cast iron hub and the pipe (ci or plastic) goes snugly into that. this is a very tight arrangement and explains why it's so durned tough to remove it. tnx,

well,look NEALTW,seeing as how it's so damned tough to get a "donut" out of a hub,I may be wrong but, a slight movement of a pipe couldn't "break the seal"! (in my view anyway) anyway,what do homeowners do when there's a slight EARTHQUAKE which moves the underground pipes a bit,dig up all the...

you can see from the pic that this is a ci shower drain (people use plastic nowadays but 40 years ago they used ci I guess) you can see that this ci thing is a trap too. BTW had to pull out the old "donut" since it had a piece of broken pipe in it which I probably broke with the "air hammer" as...

I'm about to bore a 4.5 in.hole through my rim joist for a bathroom vent. I'd like to bore the hole as close to the top of the rim joist as possible because of a possible obstruction on the outside (the house is "stuccoed" and the so-called "belly-band" may get in the way) Is there any rule as...

no,it's not black.. I've rigged up my shop-vac to my belt sander and with a rough enough "grit" I might be able to do this small area. (35 sq ft) tnx,