RESPONSE"
, We purchased a ThermoFlow Hot Water Tank 6 years ago on the reccomendation of a local plumber who installed it. The water was heated by the boiler so that the tank was in fact a seperate "zone". This may be what you have. After 5 years and one month the unit failed (water leaking out the rusted out bottom. I realize it was a 5 year warranty but I would never have bought one if I expected to replace it so soon. ThermoFlow said we were out of warranty and out of luck. When the SAME plumber who installed the unit came back to provide an estimate for replacing the unit he said: "Those ThermoFlow units are crap. They often fail in 5 years." After explaining to him that he had suggested we purchase it in the first place he became somewhat sheepish. We decided to find another plumber and buy another brand.

QUESTION:
>We have a 30 year old house (California) with two back-to-back bathrooms. >If you flush the toilet in one bathroom while someone's taking hot water >shower in the other bathroom, the person taking a shower suddenly gets >steaming hot water. This continues till the toilet tank is refilled >(1.6 gallon) and then the hot+cold mix flow resumes back to the original >setting. >We have 3/4 inch pipe for hot water with 1/2 inch risers to the bathrooms >and all plumbing is in Copper. >How can I solve this problem ? Please E-mail me directly.

RESPONSE:
If it was me, I would put a new Moen faucet in the tub. Either a Positemp or Moentrol pressure balancing faucet. It will keep the temp. within 2 degrees. I prefer the Moentrol. With that faucet, you can slowly add mixed temperature water to fill the tub. With the Positemp by Moen, it is full force to fill the tub.

QUESTION:
>>> I have a pretty bad problem with my sweating toilet. It has produced, >>> some nights, quite a puddle. This has only started, of course, as the >>> temperatures are much colder. The water in the bowl and tank are quite >>> cold and the room temperature is usually around 70 degrees.

RESPONSE:#1
>Put a toilet tank cover on the tank. A tank cover can be found in WalMart >where the bathroom rugs, towels, etc. are located. A tank cover will >insulate the tank water temperature from the room temperature and prevent >the tank's sweating during cold weather.

RESPONSE:#2
My toilets used to sweat. My wife bought a set of toilet tank liner kits that I installed. There were several fairly large sheets of closed cell bubble plastic about 1/8" thick and an adhesive. I drained the tank, cleaned it and let it dry. Cut the side panels and bottom so that the panels would come a little above the water level. The bottom was a bit more complex than the sides of course. Then I doped the bottom with the adhesive and set the bottom panel in place and then . . . . . Now that the tank is insulated it no longer sweats. Another approach is to knit a sweater for the outside of your toilet tank. Or you could stop by a pet store and get a doggie sweater and see if you can adapt it to your toilet tank 8-) Frankly, I prefer having the insulation inside the tank instead of outside the tank. A third alternative is to place a collection of tin cans on the floor where ever the toilet tank drips. That will give your pooch something other than the toilet bowl to drink out of while wearing the sweater that you didn't put on the toilet.

QUESTION:
: >Now what I want to know is, can we just put such a hi-pres relief : >(say 800 psi) into our systems in a location where a dribble or squirt : >won't cause damage or do we have to wait for the fancy faucets?? : Ah, but do we know where the ice blocks will form, so we can be sure : to have a relief between them??? :-) Suppose I have 2 form a foot : apart? 3 form on alternate legs of a tee.... etc etc.....

RESPONSE:
The prevention of the high pressure from ice in the pipes seems to have only one good solution, the one mentioned in the article - a washer that will relieve high pressure and let a little water squirt into the sink. The trouble is, how do you make such a washer that will work on old style faucets? I can see engineering this into new faucets, making it work with old systems seems tough. You have a rubber washer that is screwed down against a metal seat - how do you make it relieve high pressure without leaking at low pressure? As for the situation that Vince is talking about, ice forming in multiple points in the pipes - I don't see any solution. Maybe air filled lengths of pipe teed upward at various points, to allow expansion? Could be expensive, probably better to insulate better so that you can't have more than one point of freezing (or better none at all).

QUESTION:
>We've got fragments of mineral deposits breaking free and clogging up our >faucets and shower heads. It's so bad that on any given day I have to >disassemble part or all of at least one faucet or shower head in the house >and clean it out. I don't know for sure whether it's coming from inside or >outside the house, but the neighbors don't seem to be having a problem. >The house (as well as all the neighbors' houses) is just over 3 years old, >with 50 gal. natural gas water heater and copper supply lines throughout. > >Our water is hard, somewhere around 160 grains. We don't have a softener. >I know we need to get one, but am I destined to spend every day for the >next 20 years cleaning out faucets!!?? If anyone has any advice, I'd sure >love to hear it.

RESPONSE:
Try installing a filtration/softner system soon. Hard water has a nasty way of building up quickly, but with a good filter, it should slow the builld-up and breaking-up of the pieces quickly. Does it semm to be only the ot water doing it or is the cold doing it as well? Try flushing your hot water tank.

QUESTION:
This is an answer to a question posted by an individual who had stripped the threads on a pipe to his steam radiator.

RESPONSE:
You will never do that again....I did it last year. What a monumental pain in the ass. I would suggest calling an older plumber....someone who has experience working on steam radiators. What you've done is snapped the brass coupling connecting the radiator to the steam valve union. If the gods are smiling you can remove the broken end inside the radiator with a special spud wrench which is used for this purpose. More than likely you will end up breaking the little brass "tangs" inside this coupling. If the tangs are broken you will have to do surgery. Chuck a metal cutting blade in your Sawzall and saw inside the coupling at three different places (perpendicular to the coupling). DO NOT SAW THROUGH THE COUPLING. Just saw it enough to put a 1/16 groove into the coupling. Take a metal chisel and break out the coupling around the edges. It's soft brass so it will break pretty easily. Go down to the plumbing supply house and buy a new steam valve. All you really need is the brass coupling (not the valve) but you'll have to buy the whole valve. Also buy a can of "blue block" while you're there. This is the stuff you will use to coat the threads of the coupling. Back home..you will insert the new coupling with the spud wrench and tighten it up. You will then put the old radiator back into position and reconnect it. This time you will have your shim in position before you reconnect the radiator so you won't have to lift it again ever, for the rest of your life. I do not recommend tring to replace the whole steam valve unless absolutely necessary. It's real easy to mess up the riser and the valve does not come off easily except using great force. None of this is easy.....but is surely builds character.

TOILET DRAIN PROBLEMS
QUESTION:
>>My husband requested that I post this message, he's stumped on this >>one. " Toilet problem: will not take solid material away with one >>flush. Water continues to swirl around but has problems going down the >>drain." >> >>"House has two toilets going into one drain, other toilet works OK and >>problem toilet is closest to main drain outlet of house." >> >>"Recent repairs made to toilet to try to correct this problem: new >>fill valve, removed toilet and took small plumber's snake, stuck in >>every opening and found no debris. Replaced wax seal. Also poured >>bucket of water down opening before installing toilet and water went >>down with no problems. This is a Kohler toilet, approimately 10 years >>old. Is it in need of being replaced?"

FIRST RESPONSE:
>If you hadn't said you've already lifted the toilet and checked for >obstructions, I'd say that there's an obstruction in it. It's easy for >something (eg a comb) to lodge about halfway through the toilet outlet >and produce the symptoms you see. (It might be possible to miss this if >you didn't actually look in the bottom of the toilet and even stick your >hand in there while you had it lifted -- a snake would bypass the >obstruction.) > >The other possibility is that the jet in the bottom of the bowl is >clogged (with hard water deposits, etc), preventing it from blasting a >jet of water down the drain when you flush. On some models this jet is >required to start the flushing action. > >There's also a slight possibility of a clogged/defective vent. > >A toilet doesn't wear out. If it ever worked correctly it should be >possible to get it back that way.

2ND RESPONSE:
Yup! Thats what I was told after hiring two plumbers in a six month period to come out for what sounds like an identical situation. However, our toilet was 17 years old (Kohler) and the second plumber (much more informative than the first) told us the holes around the inside rim of the toilet had become corroded from hard water deposits. He said we had two options. One, if we were very careful, was to pour approximately six ounces of muriatic (sp?) acid in that long tube that is in the center of the back part of the toilet, let it sit for approx. ten minutes and then flush. He said to be sure not to breathe the fumes (very toxic) and open all doors and windows and keep children and pets away from toilet. He said this may have to be done a couple of times and then once or twice a year to keep the build up from returning. He said this would not completely clean out the buildup, the only way to do that is to remove the toilet and take it to someone who specializes in this kind of clean-up/repair, but that fixing the toilet was probably a better deal in the long run. The explanation for the flushing problem, was that because debris is flushed by water pressure, if you don't get enough water coming into the bowl, it doesn't force the matter down. We have found that by holding the handle down, it helps also. And the muriatic acid has kept the toilet from completely clogging up again.

HOTWATER HEATER PROBLEM:

QUESTION:
> > I hope someone has an idea on this one, because I'm lost. We've got a 3 > > year old house with a 50 gallon natural gas water heater. It's always been > > great, until we noticed about 6 months ago that it started running out of > > hot water sooner and sooner. Even when it's not out of hot water, for > > example, the shower knobs have to be much further to the hot side just to > > maintain the same temperature as they used to be when straight up (Moen > > single handle shower valves). > > > > Tonight was the last straw. We were away from home for about 5 hours, with > > nothing running during that time. When we got home, my wife tried to draw > > a bath, and there wasn't even enough hot water to do that. I went down to > > check, and the burner was running full tilt, as if someone had used all the > > water. It's like someone poured 40 gallons of concrete into the water > > heater. > > > > We do have very hard water and no softener, but could that cause something > > like this in 3 years!!?? > > > > We have no leaks (if we did, we'd know about it by now). The central > > humidifier draws from the water heater outlet, but I made sure it's valve > > is closing all the way when the furnace isn't actually running. It looks > > OK. We keep the thermostat on the water heater set nearly all the way up > > for the sake of the dishwasher, but that shouldn't have any bearing on > > this, I don't think. > > > > If you have any ideas, PLEASE let me know!!! Thank you!

FIRST RESPONSE
:
> If it is a gas heater as you state, and you possibly have hard water, > your problem is a tank filled up (almost to the top) with sediment, > lime, or a white gloppy substance of minerals that displace the water in > the tank. You may only have about 5 gallons of useful hot water. There > are only two solutions. 1) replace the tank and every 2 months, tap at > least 3 gallons of sediment and water out of the LOWER drain on the > tank. Don't forget to do this. 2)If the sediment is loose, you may be > able to drain the stuff out from the lower valve, but it is messy, and > you have to have a lot of patience. You may even have to remove the tank > to the outside and flush it. It is very heavy, and it will take at least > 4 strong men and a boy to do it. My choice is the former. Just start > over wil a regular flushing with a new tank.

2ND RESPONSE
: Or you have a broken dip tube, could even be under warranty!!

TOILET SWEATING

QUESTION:
>I have a pretty bad problem with my sweating toilet. It has produced, >some nights, quite a puddle. This has only started, of course, as the >temperatures are much colder. The water in the bowl and tank are quite >cold and the room temperature is usually around 70 degrees. > >What are some thoughts about correcting this problem. > >I thought about heating the water somewhat that enters the toilet??

RESPONSE:
Probably the best solution is to install a mixing valve. These are available at most stores that specilizes in plumbing. If you are handy with a torch and solder you can install it yourself, if not then your local plumber, handyperson, friend or whatever should do install it. Check local codes to find out if your area requires a licensed plumber. The mixing valve tempers the cold water with warm water prior to filling the toilet tank, and can easily be adjusted to seasons. Usually toilets sweat the most during hot, humid weather but no doubt can sweat some in the winter if water and air temperatures differ enough. The little amount of hot water used and the cost of heating it is far out weighed by the high costs for replacing floors, removing and replacing toilet etc. not to mention the time spent cleaning up water, mold and so on. Hope this helps,