Don't want to call a plumber, too expensive.
The most likely problem is the 'U' bend, this is a safety device just under the drain from your bath tub, just put a bowl underneath it and unscrew the two retaining rings, they are usually only hand tight.
You will probably find it's full of your hair and maybe a hair grip, clear it out and replace.
We have a 2 story home with dry wall ceilings. We have had some leaks from the upstairs bathrooms. 1) How can I find the source of the leaks without tearing out the ceiling. 2) I have very little ability in repairing things, should I call a plumber or a contractor? 3) I think the toilet in one of the bathrooms needs to be reset. Should I do that first or go directly to a skilled plumber or contractor. Please help, I have company coming in in 3weeks.
You could rent a borescope, and make small hole in the ceiling until you find the cause of the leak.
check out the link below.
http://www.calcentron.com/Pages/provision/provision_home.htm
Hope it helps.
A week ago a game of darts resulted in a pin sized puncture of a copper pipe in my basement, causing a slow drip. I put some putty on it and covered it with two clamps and a piece of rubber. That worked for a little while but the dripping started again with much greater frequency and even spurting at times. I called a plumber and his solution was to replace the pipe completely; which is what I anticipated. What I did not anticipate though was the price he quoted me of $780!! I had anticipated that the price for this would be in the $200-$300 range. $780 seems quite excessive. Is this a fair price? I want to get this problem fixed properly and safely, but I don’t want to get ripped off? Any recommendations or insights would be appreciated.
That seems like a rip-off. To fix a small hole in copper pipe, all they have to do is clean the pipe, cut the hole out, and install a repair sleeve, not the whole pipe.
If the pipe is accessable, the whole job should take no more than an half hour, to one hour.
So, I would say your idea of about $200.00 would be in line with the correct cost.
My parents run a shop at a commercial location. There has been a drainage pipe that has somehow become corroded and must be replaced. This is a very costly project.
The pipes are such that the waste of every single shop in the complex will run through the corroded pipe.
Now, our argument is that because the plumbing is shared, we shouldn’t be held responsible for repairs just because they are under our shop. The plumbers say that we shouldn’t be liable, but they’re not lawyers. We’ve had others tell us that shared plumbing is part of the structure, and the landlord should pay just as if the wall collapsed due to age.
Does anyone know who is liable or have any advice? We are going to have a lawyer read our lease, but we don’t know what to do beyond that. We live in Los Angeles, if that matters.
“The pipes are the landlords, and the fullness there-of.”
Unless there’s some clause in the lease making the
tenant responsible, (doubtful), it’s a general maintenance item.
You might be held responsible for piping installed for, and dedicated to,
your use, but not piping for the general use of the whole building.
When we first moved in (10 mo. ago) he knew there were plumbing issues because the house wasn’t winterized properly (pipes burst) and he sent a plumber out and the plumber told him (in my presence) what was wrong. The plumber was to come back the next day and repair the minor problem but he also told us some other areas that would eventually go wrong so we mentioned it to the landlord later the next day and when the plumber came back he said that the landlord chewed his butt about telling us what would eventually go wrong. So the plumber told us that whatever he tells us we can’t tell the landlord he said it. So now the landlord says that its at his discretion as to whether or not he will repair the plumbing issue especially since we’ve been late on our rent recently (we paid late fees & now we’re current). According to the lease it says any repairs over $200 the landlord pays it does not say at his discretion if that be the case we will never get any repairs made because I’m sure the discretion will never be in my favor. Should I pursue this matter?
It may be at his discretion. Will the issues in the plumbing make the unit uninhabitable? If so then he does have a legal obligation to get those issues fixed. Check with the local code/building inspector to see if he is responsible for those issues. If they say he needs to bring those issues to code then you have a leg to stand on. Also check with the state that you live in to see what your rights are as a tenant and what avenues of resolution you have.
For the past 3 weeks I have major plumbing problems. My sisters (who live out of state) and I together own a small trailer park. For the past 3 weeks I have had major plumbing problems. We dug a 10 foot long trench and found we have orange berg sewer pipe which is beginning to collapse. I finally got one plumber to come and take out a piece that was bad and put in a patch which he did a poor job on and its leaking so all I have is a tench full of water and sewer. I called him to come back and repair it but that was almost a week ago and he never came back. I have been told all the sewer plumbing needs a burst … and I have called everyone that is in the plumbing business. They are either too busy or don’t return my calls. The cold freezing weather is fast approaching and I need this repaired!!! What can I do? Is there any agency that can help me? Should I go to the health department? Would they be able to convince someone its an emergency and health hazzard?
Try a website servicemagic.com
They should be able to help you.
my landlord is trying to hold us responsible for a plumbing bill, and replacement of carpet padding in the bathroom and kitchen, becaue we had a back up in the shower drain, he is trying to telll us that HIS plumber buddy found baby wipes when snakeing out the drain, therefore we are responsible for the damages and the bill. (they are FLUshable wipes made by kleenex) we called a plumber out of the phone book and he came over and looked at our plumbing and told us that the plumbing is outdated, and the tub is missing a p-trap. He said that it was very unlikely that those wipes would have caused aa problem that big.
the landlord is threatening to evict us if we dont pay the bill, what shoud i do?
i am in Ohio. we have had a problem with our toilet since we moved in. about 2 weeks ago, i called the landlord and told him that he needed to get a plumber over here, there was gurgling noises in all drains and the toilet, and a strong odor coming from the drain, that nite the shower overflowed while the tub was draining, and water spilled out over the edge, causing it too not only cover the bathroom carpet, but it came thru ceiling in kitchen and ruined kitchen carpet, he says that his plumber(came to fix it next day) said that he discovered baby wipes clogging drain. (they arent babywipes, they are kleenex flushables). he says that we must pay for the bill, and damages and repairs, because he feels that it was our fault that it happend. we called a plumb. out of yellow pages, he wrote us a estimate saying that the plumb.is outdated,lackingp-trap,and it is impossible wipes could have casued. landlord is threaten to evict us if we do not pay for all of this. what do we do????
this is for cowboydoc. reread what she wrote. the tub was draing. when a clog happens, it backed up to the shower drain. water wasnt running, it was draing. flushable wipes equal to about 4 tabs of toilet paper and was made to be flushed hence the name. they degrate inb water almost as fast as TP. and they didnt know it was “packed” with wipes til it overflowed. old plumbing CAN be a problem, bc they didnt vent properly, use the correct pipe diameter anjd often done by the original homeowner bc they didnt do inspections. so just like this poor lady’s bathroom floor, you re all wet.
as for your question, sounds like you have a cheap landlord that prolly claims tenants errored all the time. your plumber is your best bet, compared to his “buddy” who has an agenda. good luck
I am considering purchasing a house, built in the 1920’s, that currently has plumbing problems. When multiple people are occupying the house the plumbing backs up severely and cannot be used.
I believe there are roots growing into the plumbing, and this has probably been going on for some time now. If the roots actually need to be mechanically removed and/or the pipes replaced, how much does this typically cost?
Be sure it really needs to be replaced. It costs in the low thousands to have it done, but you may be able to avoid that. Call your city water or sewer department and tell them what you’ve said here. Tell them you want to be sure it really needs to be replaced. There is a test using pressure (my memory is sketchy) from the main city sewer line and the spot where your house line connects. They know.
I was saved by a city worker who had a vendetta against plumbing companies ripping people off when it wasn’t necessary.
You probably do have roots growing into the pipes. A plumber can rout the roots and then you use a product called RidX (~10.00) every year. And that truly takes care of it for me.
Another thing I learned by trial and error is that tissue/Kleenex, Puffs, etc does not degrade. It’s not supposed to. That cost me about 100.00 to learn. Roots + kleenex = CLOG and stopped up pipes.
Cleaning the pipes of roots etc costs over 150.00 now I would imagine. The last time I had to have it done it cost me 75.00 and that was 10-12 years ago and I do have big trees.
Good luck and don’t let them rip you off.
I have a problem. I always flush my cig butts down the toilet and now there is a plumbing problem in my apt building. They will be turning off the hot water for repairs. Will It get traced back to me?
Only cold water it routed to the toilet. Flushing drains the water to the sewage pipe. Hot or cold bears nothing to this, its all sewage.
pipe sags underneath my townhouse. results in horrible drainage of my downstairs bathroom. home owners association refuses to pay because the problem starts underneath my unit. plumber sais it will cost 13 THOUSAND dollars to repair it. Does anyone know of any other way to repair the problem, other than to digup the floor and re-route the pipe
Go to your county building and find the local estate authority officers. Do you own it? Who did you buy it from? The county would have record of it and you could track that down see what you get.
Or who were the builders? They would be held accountable.
If you don’t own it, the landlord is responsible.
Good luck.