Plumbing Articles

Article / Updated 09-18-2023

A food disposer takes the place of a sink basket and drain piece on one of the kitchen sink bowls. To install this appliance, consult the installation instructions that come with the unit, because the steps vary among brands. Here are the basic steps for installing any food disposer: Remove the sink basket (if one was installed). Send the sink sleeve (which replaces the sink basket and secures the disposer to the sink bowl) through the hole in the sink bottom and secure the sleeve to the bowl by using the gasket and mounting rings, following the unit’s installation instructions. The gaskets and mounting rings keep the sink sleeve from leaking when you run water. There are two mounting rings: the upper mounting ring and a backup mounting ring. There’s also a snap ring that goes into the groove on the backup mounting ring as extra security for keeping the unit in place. Lift the disposer and align the mounting lugs (small, rolled curls of metal attached to the mounting ring) and mounting ears (90-degree angled metal cliplike pieces also attached to the mounting ring near the lugs) with the mounting screws located between the upper and backup mounting rings. The mounting screws are threaded. The lugs and ears are located on the lower mounting ring, which is attached to the disposer housing (the main body of the unit). Turn the disposer clockwise until it’s supported on the mounting assembly (sleeve and mounting rings). Attach the discharge tube (a short, approximately 90-degree plastic elbow where the waste and water is discharged) to the discharge opening (the larger hole in the side of the housing). The tube uses a rubber gasket and metal flange to secure it and keep it from leaking. If you’re draining your dishwasher through the disposer, remove the plug in the smaller dishwasher nipple and attach the dishwasher drain hose to the nipple with a hose clamp. If you don’t have a dishwasher, do not remove the plug! If you remove the plug but don’t have a hose to connect to the nipple, the water will spew out the hole. Connect the drain line pipe from the sink drain setup to the disposer’s discharge tube with a slip nut and washer. You may need to cut either the discharge tube or the drain line pipe to fit. Lock the disposer in place by using the disposer wrench (included with the unit). Insert the wrench into one of the mounting lugs on the lower mounting ring and turn it clockwise until it locks. A standard plug-end cord is the electrical power connection for most disposers. But you do need to connect the cord to the motor wires. Here’s how: Remove the disposer’s bottom plate. Strip off about 1/2 inch of insulation from each wire of the power cord. Connect like-color wires by using wire connectors. To ground the unit, attach the green ground wire from the power supply to the green ground screw that will be on the disposer housing. The screw is easy to spot, because it’s actually painted green. Gently push all the wires in and reinstall the bottom plate. Plug in the cord and you’re good to go!

Article / Updated 09-18-2023

After you have attached your faucet and water supply and set your sink, it’s time to connect the sink drain. Drain kits come in different materials and configurations, but installing them is a snap. Choose the kit with the configuration for your sink type, and you’re halfway home! You have a couple of choices for drain kits: chromed metal kits and PVC drain kits. Both work well and are about equally easy to use. The main factor on deciding which one to use is cosmetic — will the drain line be visible? If it will be visible, you’ll want to use the chromed kit. If it’s out of sight in the sink base cabinet, which most kitchen drains are, then the good-old white plastic PVC kit is the way to go; PVC is cheaper. Kitchen sink drain kits, whether they’re chromed or PVC, use nut and washer screw-together connections. Besides being easy to install, they also let you easily disconnect the assembly when it’s time to unclog a drain or quickly rescue that wedding ring that fell down the drain. A basic, single-bowl kit includes: A tailpiece, which connects to the bottom of the sink strainer A trap bend (or P-trap), which forms a water-filled block to prevent sewer gas from coming up through the sink drain A trap arm, which is connected to the downstream end of the P-trap and then to the drain line that leads to the main drainage line A double-bowl drain kit will have everything the single-bowl kit has along with a waste-Tee connection and additional length of drain line to connect both bowls to a single P-trap. If your sink has a garbage disposer, you need an additional longer section of drainpipe to connect the disposer’s drain line to the bowl drain line. The crosspiece that comes in the kit may or may not be long enough to make the connection between the disposer and other sink bowl drain pieces. You have to check yours out to be sure. Follow your disposer’s installation instructions. Assembling and connecting the drain kit is fairly simple. The pieces are easy to maneuver, so you can adjust them to fit almost any setup. Don’t expect the horizontal pieces to be in super-straight alignment with the tailpieces or the drainpipe. The only thing that matters is that they all eventually get connected together. Start by attaching the tailpiece to the sink drain and tightening the slip nut and washer by hand. If you have a multiple bowl sink, all of the drain tailpieces should be the same length for an easier installation. Slip the trap onto the tailpiece and then position the trap’s horizontal piece next to the drain line coming out of the wall. The horizontal piece must fit inside the end of the drain line. Remove the trap and cut the horizontal section to fit. Reattach the trap to the tailpiece and into the drain line and tighten the slip nuts and washers. Before you do anything else, get the bucket and rags ready. Lay some rags directly below each connection so that, if there is a leak, the towels will immediately soak up the water. And leave the rags there for a couple of days, just in case a leak develops over time. Have your helper turn on the water while you begin inspecting for leaks. Don’t be alarmed (or upset) if you have a joint that leaks. Just shut off the water, take a deep breath, disassemble and reassemble the connection, and check again for leaks.

Article / Updated 09-18-2023

Much of the work of sink installation takes place before you set the sink into the countertop. Taking your time with the preliminary work ensures a smooth installation. In most cases, the old plumbing configuration will work with your new sink. But if you’re making a major change in the design of the new sink, be sure that the old plumbing fits the new sink’s requirements. So, before you buy or order a sink, take a few measurements: If you don’t install your sink and faucet according to the instructions, you’ll have to foot the bill for the replacement even if the product is defective. If the manufacturer sees signs of abuse or misuse or an improper installation, they’re off the hook. Establishing the drain height: Make sure to measure the distance from the underside of the countertop to the center of the drain line that comes out of the wall. This distance is usually between 16 and 18 inches, which allows adequate space for the water to drop into the trap and still leaves enough space below the trap for storing items underneath the sink in the cabinet. The drain height is usually not an issue unless you’re going from a very shallow sink to one that has very deep bowls (9 to 12 inches deep). Even if you do switch to deeper bowls, it may only be a problem if your old setup had a shallow bowl coupled with a high drain exit position. This may sound like a less than likely setup but it does happen. If you do find that you only have a few inches of space between the bottom of the bowl and the center of the drainpipe, contact a licensed plumber to assess the situation and determine if the drainpipe needs to be lowered. Determine the shut-off valve heights: Measure from the floor of the sink base cabinet to the center of the valve. Houses built before roughly 1980 were not required to have shut-offs on every sink supply line, so you may not have any at all. If your sink doesn’t have shut-off valves, install them now while you’re working on the system. If your kitchen didn’t have shut-offs when you tore out the old sink and faucet and you’ve been working on the sink installation for a few days, you better have installed individual shut-off valves by now or your family won’t be speaking with you. Where there are no shut-off valves and there are open pipes or lines, the only way to keep the water from running out is to shut down the entire water supply. Not a good idea when your daughter is getting ready for a big date.

Step by Step / Updated 10-05-2021

Fixing a leaky toilet tank is a common plumbing repair that you can do yourself. Leaking toilet tanks can be repaired by changing out the rubber gaskets around the tank bolts and the spud washer, which can deteriorate and fail due to hard water and minerals. For this project you'll need the following tools: a screwdriver, adjustable wrench, small wire brush, sponge, white vinegar, and rags. In addition, you'll want to pick up replacement tank bolt gaskets and a new spud washer.

Article / Updated 10-04-2021

Even if you are careful about what you put down your garbage disposal, clogs happen. There are some simple things you can do to keep clogs to a minimum and steps you can take when that inevitable clog occurs. The following actions are what generally cause clogs in your disposal: Dropping a foreign object — usually a spoon or fork — into the disposal Feeding garbage in too rapidly Failing to run enough water (to completely flush out the drainpipes) while garbage is being processed Your garbage disposal can be finicky, so don’t expect it to devour and digest everything. For example, don’t throw corncobs, artichokes, avocado pits, or fish and chicken bones down a disposal and expect it to continue working without a clog. Flip through the owner’s manual to find out what your disposal’s limitations are. Never use chemical drain cleaners in a disposal. The chemicals are highly corrosive and may damage rubber or plastic parts. Use Mother Nature’s deodorizer for your disposal: Every few months, cut a lemon in half, throw one half in the disposal, turn on the unit, and let it run for a minute or two. The lemon removes the build-up of residue on the interior of the disposal and deodorizes the unit. You know it’s working by the fresh lemony smell. Steps for unclogging the disposal If the instructions in your user’s manual are no help, follow these steps to unclog a disposal: Shut off the electrical power switch. This switch is located under the cabinet, near the disposal, or on a wall nearby. If you don’t find a switch, go to the main power panel and turn off the breaker or remove the fuse that powers the disposal. Never put your hand in the disposal. Remember that the switch may be defective, so keep your hands out of the disposal even when power to the machine is turned off. Take a look in the disposal. A flashlight may shed some light on the problem — you may see a large object caught in the disposal. If an object caused the stoppage, use a pair of pliers to reach into the disposal and remove it. Wait 15 minutes for the disposal motor to cool. Turn on the power and push the reset or overload protector button. This button is located on the bottom of the disposal. If the disposal is still clogged, follow these steps: Turn off the power and insert a long dowel, a wooden spoon, or a broom handle — never your hand — into the drain opening. Push the bottom end of the wooden probe against the impeller (the blades that grind up the garbage) and rock it back and forth to free it. When the impeller moves freely, wait 15 minutes for the motor to cool, turn on the power, and push the reset button. Some disposal models come with a large L-shaped hex wrench. If you have such a model, turn off the power, insert the hex wrench into the opening in the center of the disposal’s bottom, and turn the wrench back and forth until the impeller is freed. Again, wait until the motor has cooled, press the reset button, and then try operating the disposal.

Article / Updated 09-29-2021

If neither cleaning the trap nor plunging clears a plumbing clog, your final weapon is a drain auger (also known as a snake). This tool, a coiled steel wire usually about 1/4-inch thick with a handle on one end, works the opposite way that a plunger does: You push the snake into the clog and crank it to drive the snake farther into the obstruction. While parts of the clog break up and flush through the drain, the snake helps you gain access to the clog so that you can pull it out. Some snakes can fit as an attachment on an electric drill, giving it more power to force it through the clog. Snakes are especially handy because they're long enough to reach clogs that are deep within a drainpipe. How to prevent drain clogs Your best defense against clogs is to avoid them in the first place. The following are some common-sense practices to use: Use a sink strainer: A clogged kitchen sink is usually the result of garbage or foreign objects entering the drain. Use a sink strainer to prevent garbage and small items from entering the drainpipe. Take care of your garbage disposal: When using a garbage disposal, run cold water at full volume while the machine is chopping up the garbage; leave the water running for a full minute after you shut off the disposer. This precaution flushes the garbage completely out of the small-diameter sink drainpipe and into the larger main drainpipe, where it's less likely to cause a clog. Don't dump materials down your drain: Do-it-yourselfers often flush building materials down the drain. The most common offender is plaster or wallboard compound, which seems innocent enough going down but can harden in the drainpipes and clog them. To prevent these clogs, never dispose of leftover building materials in sink drains. Steps for using a drain auger You can rent a manually operated or an electrical drain auger for a few bucks at a rental center. The equipment is easy to use, but ask the dealer for operating instructions. The basic process is as follows: Push the end of the snake into the drain opening and turn the handle on the drum that contains the coiled-up snake. The auger begins its journey down the drain. Keep pushing more of the snake into the drain until you feel resistance. You may have to apply pressure when cranking the handle to get it to bend around the tight curve in the trap under the sink. After turning the curve, the snake usually slides through easily until you hit the clog. Rotate the snake against the blockage until you feel it feed freely into the pipe. The rotating action enables the tip of the snake to attach to the clog and spin it away or chop it up. If the clog is a solid object, the auger head entangles the object. If you don't feel the auger breaking through and twisting getting easier, pull the auger out of the drain — you'll likely pull the clog out with it. Run water full force for a few minutes to be sure that the drain is unclogged. Sometimes, the clog flushes down the drain; at other times, the clog comes out attached to the snake.

Article / Updated 04-27-2017

If you have to make plumbing repairs around your home, it helps to understand your drain-waste-vent system (DWV). The fat pipes in your house make up the DWV, carrying wastewater to a city sewer line or your private sewer treatment facility (called a septic tank and field). The drainpipes collect the water from sinks, showers, tubs, and appliances. The waste pipes remove water and material from the toilet. The vent pipes remove or exhaust sewer gases and allow air to enter the system so that the wastewater flows freely. The drainpipes are made of cast iron, galvanized pipe, copper, or plastic. Local building codes that regulate the materials used in the DWV system have changed over the years, so most older homes have a combination of materials. A typical bathroom sink is a good example of how all these components work together. You probably haven’t spent much time observing the pipes beneath your vanity, but take a look and this is what you’ll see: This diagram of a typical DWV system is called a plumbing tree. Water runs down the sink drain into a p-trap (so called because it’s shaped like the letter), which fills up with water to prevent sewer gases and odors from getting into the house through the pipe. This water gets refreshed whenever more water runs through it. A drainpipe attached to the p-trap goes into an opening in the wall. Behind the wall (where you can’t see), a vent line and drainpipe lead to a soil stack, which is the control center of the wastewater system. Drain pipes take the wastewater to the soil stack; through the stack, sewer gases are carried up to the roof through vent lines. All the faucets and water appliances in a house use this same system of drains, pipes, and vents. All the waste lines have a cleanout, which is a Y-shaped fitting that’s accessible so that you can clean out any serious obstructions within the system.

Video / Updated 03-28-2016

Repairing a leaky faucet usually requires replacing a washer. Conserving water and avoiding a professional plumber in one DIY home-improvement project? This video shows you how to fix a leaky faucet by replacing the washer.

Video / Updated 03-28-2016

Water on the floor next to the toilet bowl usually indicates a damaged gasket seal. This DIY step-by-step video shows you how to shut off the water; drain the toilet; and move the toilet in order to replace the seal and fix the leak. It's easier than you think!

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

Sweating a copper water line is relatively easy. Knowing how to sweat copper pipe allows a do-it-yourselfer to install pipe yourself. A properly sweated joint will last for years (in many cases decades). Sweating copper pipe isn’t difficult, but it takes practice. Mastering a perfectly sweated copper joint takes a bit of practice. Be patient! Your first couple of attempts may not look beautiful, but soon you’ll be sweating copper that not only doesn’t leak but also looks good.