So, over the three years that we have lived in this house, through major showers and spring melts, I have never heard the sump pump run. As of an hour ago, it is running constantly. The pit fills as quickly as it empties. For some reason it only activates when the water reaches the top of the pit. I am wondering whether the substrate has filled with water. I am going to call plumbers but getting a plumber on a saturday night would be a miracle. Suggestions?
So, over the three years that we have lived in this house, through major showers and spring melts, I have never heard the sump pump run. As of an hour ago, it is running constantly. The pit fills as quickly as it empties. For some reason it only activates when the water reaches the top of the pit. I am wondering whether the substrate has filled with water. I am going to call plumbers but getting a plumber on a saturday night would be a miracle. Suggestions?
you might have a water main break somewhere close to the house.
Figured it out. Because of the cold, we switch the outflow to the city storm drains in the winter. You are supposed to switch them back in the spring but I forgot and I think we git some back flow. Fixed it now and the water level in the sump is dropping.
steam radiator not getting heat - everything should be turned on properly. I just turned down the heat a little - to 67 - then will raise it back up to 69 to let it cycle longer and see if anything comes in. Any thoughts?
steam radiator not getting heat - everything should be turned on properly. I just turned down the heat a little - to 67 - then will raise it back up to 69 to let it cycle longer and see if anything comes in. Any thoughts?
steam radiator not getting heat - everything should be turned on properly. I just turned down the heat a little - to 67 - then will raise it back up to 69 to let it cycle longer and see if anything comes in. Any thoughts?
I have found that in the first weeks after you start using the heat in the Fall, sometimes an air vent gets clogged with water. I do what Jamie did -- take off the vent, blow out the water, and reinstall. So far, that has always worked to get the radiator hot again.
From a quality and price perspective, can you recommend 2 or 3 brands you’d recommend. Currently running a 2 pipe steam oil fired system. Looking to convert to a gas fired unit in the near future. 3bed/1.5 CH Colonial approx 1800sqft living space. My understanding is I should consider a 56-60k BTU unit. TIA
From a quality and price perspective, can you recommend 2 or 3 brands you’d recommend. Currently running a 2 pipe steam oil fired system. Looking to convert to a gas fired unit in the near future. 3bed/1.5 CH Colonial approx 1800sqft living space. My understanding is I should consider a 56-60k BTU unit. TIA
When sizing a replacement steam boiler, the square footage of the home is not a direct factor in determining its output. The size of the rooms and an appropriate multiplier are what determine the radiator sizes. Then, the combined surface area of the radiators dictate the boiler output. This is called an equivalent direct radiation (EDR) calculation and it is the term and process used for many decades to rate radiators and boilers. Specific brands I recommend are the top three: Weil-McLain, Burnham, and Peerless. Weil-McLain years ago acquired a smaller company called Williamson and now makes their boilers for them which are, practically speaking, identical to the parent company's product and carry the same warranty.
Thank you. I currently have a 55 year old Peerless that’s running at 82% efficiency based on the service that was done a week ago. Thing is a workhorse!
Thank you. I currently have a 55 year old Peerless that’s running at 82% efficiency based on the service that was done a week ago. Thing is a workhorse!
Those field combustion efficiency tests are always impossibly high and the oil companies are happy to go along with it. 55 years of debris fused to the bottom of a boiler takes a toll. It may have run at 82% efficiency the day it was sold but certainly not now. People love their old boilers in America. Or rather, hate to hear they'd be better off buying a new one.
A family member bought a new house recently and moved walls and corresponding hot water baseboard heaters. I went out there last week to bleed the lines and get heat going. It is an oil-fired furnace with 5 zones one of which is a loop to a heat exchanger tank for domestic hot water. The house is 3 stories including basement. At that time I had everything working except one zone which I determined to be a bad thermostat.
I went back today to address the tstat and a few other issues. I found a puddle around the furnace originating from the vent line on the back flow preventer. Water leaks from there non-stop regardless of whether the furnace is firing or at rest. It's not enough to cause any damage, but it's too much to ignore. According to my BIL, this leak is a new development today. I'm not an expert, but neither am I new at this. The fresh water coming into the house is from a well, the gauge reads about 55psi where it comes through the wall. The dual gauge on the furnace shows about 12psi. The common expansion tank only reads about 4psi on the air side, but I didn't take as many readings there as I probably should have. Per writing on the exp tank it was installed in Feb 2010.
I'm inclined to change the expansion tank and confirm that it has 12 - 15psi on the air side of the bladder. Thoughts? Could it just be a bad back flow preventer (Watts 1/2" 9D-M3).
I hear the water refill going on a couple times during the day in my furnace. I don't recall it happening so often in the past. Is there anything I should look into or be concerned about?
There are many reasons to be losing water, worst case scenario is a cracked boiler. Otherwise, if you are losing that much water you might be able to see evidence of a leak somewhere. Yes, be concerned.
I hear the water refill going on a couple times during the day in my furnace. I don't recall it happening so often in the past. Is there anything I should look into or be concerned about?
Did you check the water level through the sight glass in the boiler ? If the automatic feed is not malfunctioning then you are losing water/steam somewhere. When the furnace is running go outside and look up at the chimney stack to see if steam is coming out of the chimney. If it’s steaming your boiler is probably cracked. Next check your radiator vents to see if there’s steam coming out of them. Also check every valve at the bottom of the radiator for water leaks.
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?
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.
that’s not good. Try tightening the two bolts some more, if it’s not getting tight after a couple turns stop! Is the toilet rocking also? It has to be secured properly or else water will start leaking through the wax ring and cause unseen damage. The best way to fix this is taking the toilet up and checking to see if the bolts are properly installed in the flange that’s connected to the drain pipe. If the tiles aren’t level on the floor it can cause this problem. There are different ways of solving the problem, but you have to take care of it sooner than later.
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.
that’s not good. Try tightening the two bolts some more, if it’s not getting tight after a couple turns stop! Is the toilet rocking also? It has to be secured properly or else water will start leaking through the wax ring and cause unseen damage. The best way to fix this is taking the toilet up and checking to see if the bolts are properly installed in the flange that’s connected to the drain pipe. If the tiles aren’t level on the floor it can cause this problem. There are different ways of solving the problem, but you have to take care of it sooner than later.
I had the right sized wrench and tightened up the nuts. They were very loose. That seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks!
I had the right sized wrench and tightened up the nuts. They were very loose. That seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks!
After installing a new toilet, the wax ring settles in and the bolts loosen because the toilet settles down. I would put some clear silicone around the base of the toilet to secure it a bit better. Glad it worked out for you cause removing the toilet is not a pretty sight.
Cold radiator- I tried the advice I gave to someone else which was to take off the valve and blow it out but that didn’t seem to work in this case. when I do take the valve off and the furnace is on I’m getting puffs of cold air.
Cold radiator- I tried the advice I gave to someone else which was to take off the valve and blow it out but that didn’t seem to work in this case. when I do take the valve off and the furnace is on I’m getting puffs of cold air.
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.
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
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.
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.
So, over the three years that we have lived in this house, through major showers and spring melts, I have never heard the sump pump run. As of an hour ago, it is running constantly. The pit fills as quickly as it empties. For some reason it only activates when the water reaches the top of the pit. I am wondering whether the substrate has filled with water. I am going to call plumbers but getting a plumber on a saturday night would be a miracle. Suggestions?