My dad, Jim Fromholz, has been a plumber for 48 years. He is a Master Plumber in Michigan and a C-36 Licensed Plumbing Contractor in California. Since my wife, Erica, and I bought our home 5 years ago he has saved us tens of thousands of dollars on plumbing and construction advice from his years of experience. With retirement comes the need to pass on his knowledge to those DIYers, landlords, homeowners, and renters who need honest, practical, and money-saving plumbing advice.
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Update ... next year my hot water heater will be 20 years old... Just changed the anode again July 2024 and it was in pretty decent shape, about 1/4 worn down... Put in a ball valve and flushed it and kept flushing till the water ran clear... On to the next project 👊🏻
PEX has a 30 year lifespan. Its not going to last nearly as long as say copper, but copper is expensive where as PEX is cheap. So there is the trade-off. The downside to PEX is that its indoor piping only. You can't use it outside, the UV rays will deteriorate it and rodents can chew threw it nor is it fire resistant. The upside to PEX is its cheap and easly customizable.
@@bryanfix872 I’m old school so I’ve only used wax rings. I would worry about a good seal with a rubber ring. Wax will seal well, even if the toilet is not sitting right. You get a better seal if you need to use two w@x rings.
@@bryanfix872 I’m old school so I’ve only used wax rings. I would worry about a good seal with a rubber ring. Wax will seal well, even if the toilet is not sitting right. You get a better seal if you need to use two w@x rings.
Im 67 yrs old and still learning. However, my 38 gallon electric water heater is now 20 years old and still running. I live alone, have it set on a timer for one hour every morning. Plenty for me to shower and use the dishwasher. If fact, I can still shower the next morning with warm water! I've never flushed the unit but thinking it may be time to replace!!! Hearing these tips from you solidifies my beliefs, don't do anything! lol I know I have saved TONS OF ELECTRICITY over the 20 years by using a timer and simply having the heater turn on for one hour every day. Why keep it working 24 hours?
Thanks for your advice. I agree that the small height increase for an ADA compliant (“comfort height”) toilet makes a noticeable difference, at only a slight price increase.
It is also a good idea to have an emergency plumbing kit as well. Say it's late evening, all the stores are closed, and you have a leak on the side of your copper pipe. If you had a slitted rubber hose and some hose clamps with flathead screws, you can slip the slitted rubber hose on top of the leak and tighten the hose clamps to make a temporary patch to stop the leak. Then, at a later time, you can have that pipe leak taken care of. Having an emergency kit of common plumbing parts can be a life saver in a home plumbing emergency. Maybe you can do a video showing folks what kind an emergency kit with plumbing parts that folks should have.
@@keithshort688 if you have a plumbing emergency, turn the water off. If you have a plugged drain, do NOT call a drain cleaner at night or on the weekend. They will drain your checkbook. Call a couple of plumbers and leave a message and make sure they are not a handyman. Hopefully, a plumber will get back to you in a timely manner.
Sounds like some people get butt hurt do to a person who has invested the time and effort to become a licensed plumber and make a larger paycheck then they do 😮
This brand is nothing but junk.. customer service is non existent, They do not stand behind the warranty at all. If you want a good tankless water heater go with the Bradford white or nortiz..
I have a question, cold water line has great pressure ,but hot water does not ,turn on the faucet ,works great for 30 seconds then reduces by 2/3 ,how to diagnos and fix
@@markluman334 you probably have a blockage either at the cold water inlet or the hot water outlet. If you have flexible supply lines, you turn off the water, disconnect the flexes, take a screwdriver and knock the blockage out of the inlet or outlet and reconnect the flex lines. You can get electrolysis on the nipples on top of the water heater but it’s easy to fix as I just described.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber I have taken all lines off no blockage reverse flushed my hot water heater dug up main water meeter ,guy at city told me to git with a hammer to loosen ,it did nothing still no water pressure ,what's next steps ?
@@markluman334 you said you have good cold water pressure so don’t screw with the cold water. There mush be a blockage in the hot water line. First thing I would check is the supply valve on the water heater to make sure it is open all the way. Did you change the supply lines on the heater? Do you have di-electric unions? Make sure they are not blocked. You can get electrolysis that will block the piping. Check and see if you have a connection that goes from copper to galvanized pipe as that could be blocked. Do you have a water softener that is just softening the hot water? If so, bypass it and see if that gives you more pressure. Can you put a flexible line from the cold water supply to the hot water supply, bypassing the water heater? See if that gives you better pressure. Check all the hot water lines to see if there is a valve that is not open all the way or a connection between copper and galvanized.
@@markluman334 you said you have good cold water pressure so don’t screw with the cold water. There mush be a blockage in the hot water line. First thing I would check is the supply valve on the water heater to make sure it is open all the way. Did you change the supply lines on the heater? Do you have di-electric unions? Make sure they are not blocked. You can get electrolysis that will block the piping. Check and see if you have a connection that goes from copper to galvanized pipe as that could be blocked. Do you have a water softener that is just softening the hot water? If so, bypass it and see if that gives you more pressure. Can you put a flexible line from the cold water supply to the hot water supply, bypassing the water heater? See if that gives you better pressure. Check all the hot water lines to see if there is a valve that is not open all the way or a connection between copper and galvanized.
@@ClarenceBolton-cl9ci you have a blockage either on the cold water inlet or the hot water outlet. Remove the supply lines and you can remove the blockage with a screwdriver and a hammer in the supply nipples. First, turn off the water before disconnecting the supply lines.
@@steveeric8818 who told you that? You have to install a wall- mounted carrier in the wall and it must be anchored properly to hold all the weight of a wall-mounted toilet. Four lag bolts screwed into drywall or wood will not hold a toilet.
It's been my experience that the higher quality the faucet is, the easier and more solid the install is period, stay away from the box stores. if you're buying a Kohler faucet, go to a Kohler showroom
My grandpa was a plumber and had his own business...my dad was a plumber for all of his working life. I never once saw my dad flush his gas hot water heaters. I've had my current gas water heater since 1999 and it's never been flushed and still works like new.
Good quality fixtures include Grohe, Hans Grohe, ( not the same company), Newport Brass, and Kohler. Competitive faucets include Moen, Delta, American Standard and Gerber. These are good companies too.
Yup…Grumpy nails it again. The only two words you need to know when it comes to faucets, fixtures, toilets, pipes, etc…plumbing supply. The worst quality item bought from a plumbing supply is better than the supposedly best quality item from a big box store. And remember, most plumbing supply stores are locally owned. You might spend a little more at a plumbing supply store but, you’re getting an improved quality item while also supporting a local business.
Buy pfister and you will never have to buy parts. One email and the sent me the parts no questions asked. Well they did ask what the model was. I didn't remember so I sent them a picture. They sent me the part
It’s easy to install a water softener. Looking at the softener from the front, the water goes in on the right side and the softened water comes out on the left side. There are arrows marked on the body. Use sharkbite male adaptors and two 3/4x24 water flexes. The drain is usually a half inch and you can use a male or female adaptor, depending on the threaded outlet of the drain. Use some flexible hose to run the water to the drain. Hope this helps as I don’t have a video.
Thank you for your advise. It's great to have a great son who cares. I have a 30's house and have installed Grohe 15 years ago for all replacement hardware in a black American Standard porcelain sink and as well, installed a Delta mixing valve in the tile shower 20 years ago. All still functioning but I have, in reserve, replacement parts for me to DYI if needed. Again, thinks for doing this.
I have certainly learned my lesson on buying faucets from big box stores. I have one kitchen faucet that’s 20 or 30 years old and works perfect. It was bought from a local plumbing supply. Then I had two in a row bought from a big box that were utter crap right out of the box.
Most Excellent ¿ People tell me they the package says they are flushable. I tell them you can flush rocks or money down as well. Rooter guy love them. One plumber told me those wipes are paying for his kids' college. ¿
guys. I love your vids. But please, please, buy a set of bluetooth lapel mics. They plug right into the base of your phone, are ridiculously easy to use, and sound amazing. :)
I’m not familiar with the Kingston brand. Have you looked at Newport Brass? They make lever handles and cross handles. The cross handles have an antique style.
@@TheGrumpyPlumber thank you for replying so quickly. I spoke to someone at a local hardware store that sells them, but not the one I want. He said they're good faucets, but hard to find replacement parts, which of course need to be Kingston. I'll check out Newport Brass and see what they have. Again, thank you very much.
My home was built in the mid 80s. Just today we started hearing a banging when out toilet in the main bath gets flushed or the cloths washer is running in the next room. Bathrooms in other parts of the house are silent. The room in the basement where the gas water heater and water service is quite.
Have you checked your water pressure? The best place to check is at the water heater drain. You’re probably getting an air hammer. The toilet and wash machine are quick closing valves. First turn off the water to the house. Do you have a hot and cold valve in the basement? If so, open both of them to the on position. Open all the faucets in the house and let them run until they all drain to the lowest level. Then turn all the faucets off and turn water back on. Open up each faucet until you get all the air out. These steps might stop the air hammering. If not, you might have a bad fill valve on the toilet. open the faucets one at a time
Don't listen tot his guy...he is an old school nut who doesn't understand how tanks work. Do not remove your anode! The rotten egg smell does not come from the anode.
