Ask Me Anything • Licensed Master Plumber

Jaytee said:

seems like air is trapped somewhere in the system. Check the first vent down in the basement, it will be on the big pipe close to the furnace. That’s a number 1 and it can get clogged up. That’s all I can think of. But of course the master plumber will have a good idea of what you’re dealing with. 

I am getting some heat now it’s slow.  I have a feeling that the inside of this pipe is probably gunned up inside as it is outside.

lanky said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

lanky said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Plumbing question. I had a new bathroom put in in 2020 (during Covid). Lovely all around. Lately the toilet has been swiveling around the center pipe, as if the two bolts on the side aren't seated in place.  It's swiveling just a few degrees off center, but it's clearly not fixed in place as it should be. How would I go about fixing that?

TIA. 

we are currently looking to put in a second full bath on our second floor - of you are comfortable with sharing who did yours, we'd love the info.  Neighbors of ours had highly recommended Jarek but they/ he are retiring

I wouldn't recommend the contractor that did mine in JC. But I will recommend another contractor who did lot of work for us in Maplewood. I'll check with him and PM you.  

Many thanks.

I just sent you an MOL message with his contact and and some other information. 

2 floor house with finished attic, steam with oil, one furnace.

First floor is overheating, while 2nd and third reflect 76 degrees.

Ay ideas?

What is the thermostat set at?  

My guess is that you need smaller air vents on the first floor (or larger ones for the 2nd & 3rd floors). 

joan_crystal said:

What is the thermostat set at?  

67

RichardR said:

My guess is that you need smaller air vents on the first floor (or larger ones for the 2nd & 3rd floors). 

It is steam heat. Air vents don't apply.

Thermostat probably bad. Is it the type that has batteries in it? 

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

It is steam heat. Air vents don't apply.

You don’t mention whether you have one-pipe steam or two-pipe steam,  but air vents absolutely apply In a one-pipe steam heat system. Do you have one or two pipes connected to each radiator? If one, then there is an air vent sticking out of the side of the radiator.

Each air vent allows air to escape the radiator and piping while the system heats up and steam is delivered. Once the radiator is filled with steam the vent closes because of the temperature change. As the heat is emitted, the radiator cools, steam condenses into water and the vent re-opens to allow more steam in.

Not saying this is your issue, but it could be a factor. The thermostat sounds like a problem as others have mentioned.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

67

Where is the thermostat located?  Where on each floor are you taking temperature measurements?  Location makes a difference.  If the thermostat is located in the coldest space in the house, it will call for heat more frequently and heat can build up in other rooms, especially if those rooms are well insulated.

Did the problem just develop at the time you reported it or have you noticed this kind of discrepancy in temperature readings even on relatively warm days?   If you only  noticed the problem during the recent frigid weather with high winds, there may be nothing wrong with your system.  See if you detect a similar issue when the temperature rises later this week.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

2 floor house with finished attic, steam with oil, one furnace.

First floor is overheating, while 2nd and third reflect 76 degrees.

Ay ideas?

Actually we have a boiler, not a furnace

For us/you steam heat people, I started reading this.  Very funny and informative.

https://www.amazon.com/Got-Steam-Heat-Dan-Holohan/dp/0974396001/ref=asc_df_0974396001/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312132076760&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9082973483620458131&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003528&hvtargid=pla-568803984470&psc=1&mcid=2f3446dd880338908183da1a103921bb&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwbitBhDIARIsABfFYIJ7NFnh95jHi-x-SiIGD1khTWpWyZm1HQIYij7cgwGTQwlqolttMtQaAmdwEALw_wcB

bub said:

For us/you steam heat people, I started reading this.  Very funny and informative.

https://www.amazon.com/Got-Steam-Heat-Dan-Holohan/dp/0974396001/ref=asc_df_0974396001/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312132076760&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9082973483620458131&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003528&hvtargid=pla-568803984470&psc=1&mcid=2f3446dd880338908183da1a103921bb&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwbitBhDIARIsABfFYIJ7NFnh95jHi-x-SiIGD1khTWpWyZm1HQIYij7cgwGTQwlqolttMtQaAmdwEALw_wcB

Excellent book.  

I left it for the buyers when we sold and moved on to the world of "scorched air," as Holohan would call it. 

We just bought a 100+-year-old house in Maplewood that has never had a sump pump. There was a jerryrigged drain that has been replaced. Plumbers say we need to install a sump pump to drain the ground water away from the house. We've never lived in a house with a sump pump. What do we need to know? (and, how much should a sump installation cost, where should it be placed? where should the drain lines go, etc?)

shestheone said:

We just bought a 100+-year-old house in Maplewood that has never had a sump pump. There was a jerryrigged drain that has been replaced. Plumbers say we need to install a sump pump to drain the ground water away from the house. We've never lived in a house with a sump pump. What do we need to know? (and, how much should a sump installation cost, where should it be placed? where should the drain lines go, etc?)

what type of drain do you have now? 
to install a sump pump you will need to install a French drain around the perimeter of the basement and dig a big hole into one corner of the basement to accommodate the sump pump, plus it needs a designated electrical circuit and the discharge pipe has to run outside away from the foundation. It is a major project. If your basement doesn’t flood, it might be not worth it.

Scully said:

Actually we have a boiler, not a furnace

so did you guys figure out what is wrong?