Frequently Asked Questions

They are plumbing shorthand terms for common things we encounter on the job. Some of the most used: W/C = toilet, FD = floor drain, LT = laundry tray, CWM = clothes washing machine, HWT = hot water heater, DWM = dish washing machine, LAV = bathroom sink, CFT = claw-foot tub.

First, turn off the electric power or gas — you'll damage the heater if the element comes on while the tank is dry. Turn off the water as well. A time switch is not a safe place to turn off the electricity: use the circuit breaker or pull the fuse. If you're uncertain, call your local plumber and double-check.

Drain the water heater, then with the hose still attached, open and close the inlet valve a few times to flush the sediment out. Do this until the water runs clean. You may have to dismantle the valve if large chunks of scale are coming loose.

Remove the sacrificial anode (a plug-in at the top of the tank) and inspect it — it should be almost as long as the water heater. Replace it if any portion is thinner than about a quarter inch. With the anode out, shine a flashlight inside the tank to inspect for rust. If you see a lot of rust, it's time to replace the heater — before it fails.

Until 2001 there were a lot of consumer complaints about 1.6-gallon toilets. Manufacturers had to design them to government specifications, plumbers blamed Congress, and consumers blamed the manufacturer or the plumber.

The real problem lies in pipe design. The toilets were tested on modern plumbing — 3-inch plastic piping — but most structures still use 6-inch cast iron pipes, which produced poor results in real working environments.

Is the top of the flange level with the finished floor? If it's too low, try two wax rings: one regular on the bottom and one with the plastic horn insert on top. Leaks also happen when a glued flange isn't glued in all the way — check that your floor and flange are flush. Sometimes you'll need to shim the toilet if the floor is uneven or the flange is too high.

If high water pressure makes the toilet run even with a new fill valve, you need a pressure-reducing valve. If pressure to the house is more than 60 pounds, a regulator is best — 80 is code throughout most of the United States.

Use the large donut gasket — the type that is square-cut inside to match the shape of the nut on the bottom of the tank. A sealant will not help. Tighten the bolts evenly until the tank is snug on the bowl, and use caution: over-tightening will break the bowl or tank.

Nine times out of ten it's the grout or a bad pan under the shower. First determine whether the leak is constant or periodic. If it's constant, there's a good chance it's in the pressurized water lines. Usually it's intermittent, so run a series of tests.

Fill the tub halfway and drain it, watching for leaking — that tells you if it's the drain pipe. For a shower, block the drain and fill the base with water; if it leaks, it's the pan. Another test: remove the showerhead, put a half-inch cap on the shower arm, and turn on the pressure — that tells you if there's a leak between the valve and the shower arm. If all tests come up dry, suspect the grout or tile.

Take off the overflow plate — the chrome piece on the tub with two screws. When you pull it out, two sections of the stopper mechanism come with it (it's hinged, so it bends through the hole). Chances are the hair caught on the end of this mechanism is what's clogging your drain — you may not even need to snake it. Note that a snake will not go through the drain hole at the bottom of the tub.

The washing machine line could be connected too close to the 'suds rinse zone' — the washer waste ties into the waste or soil line of another fixture too close downstream. Water rushes past the suds at high velocity, and the nearest fixture becomes the point of relief, so suds come up in the fixture — even a toilet. Code requires that a washing machine, sink, shower, or dishwasher line connect at least 5 feet downstream from any fixture branch. This is one possibility of many, and it can also appear after a bathroom remodel.

The energy efficiency of these systems depends on other factors, like heat loss from a traditional storage system and how long hot water is stored before use. In reality they require more energy per volume of heated water than conventional systems, and they usually can't supply more than one fixture at a time. A traditional tank can be quite efficient if the tank and hot water pipes are properly insulated.

On-demand systems do have their place: locations where hot water is used only occasionally, or fixtures far from the main tank — a guest house, pool house, or a building that has only had cold water. Ask us and we'll give you a straight answer for your situation.

At least 18 inches off the floor — combustible fumes are heavier than air and sink to the ground, and the height also helps with air intake.