Homeowner Forum / Repair / February 2004

A builder I know is offering a choice of plastic or copper plumbing in
new home construction.  He recommends plastic as he says it is
quieter.  He charges the same for either one.  Anything else to
consider?

My house used to have a partition wall between the living and dining
room and some joker removed it. I want to put it back. After I frame
the wall and sheetrock it, what do I do inside the partition? Cut
sheetrock into the width of the wall and install it to the inside stud

I have a sink in my lab that has a placard saying "Industrial Water,
Non-Potable" and my question is, what exactly is industrial water?
There's an office upstairs that has 'real water' in it.  Is industrial
water unclean, does it have heavy metals in it?  Is it run with cheaper

A few weeks ago I asked some plumbing questions, including how to
plumb back-to-back water closets.  The upshot was that UPC 704.2
(operative in my area) requires the use of a "double fixture fitting"
(DFF), not a double sanitary tee or a double combo.  Subsequently, two

Greetings. I had to bust out a brass cleanout plug in my basement and
now I can't find any replacement that fits.  House is 40 yo and pipes
are iron.  I've measured the hole as best I can and the busted
cleanout plug, which is largely intact and they both measure 2.75

I have a question about self leveling "concrete". Is that even what it's
called? Actually I imagine what I am referring to is some kind of epoxy
based material. I've heard of a material that you can pour on a floor to
better prepare it for tile or vinyl floor covering.

I thought I would get my York central AC unit repaired well before summer
hits.  The unit is about 9 years old.  Last year, the unit stopped cooling
but the fan still ran fine.  The repair guy look at it and the wires going
from the compressor area to the capicator had melted and ...

the dishwasher (a GE model with hard food disposer and god knows how many
filters) sometimes gets really clogged and we have to pour vinegar in it and
drain it many times and so on.
other times, however, I open it and there's water on the bottom. I start a

I am doing an extensive remodel.  The main shower is at least 60 feet from
the 40 gal.(electric) water heater.  I would like to have hot water
available without waiting or using up too much water.  I could install a 30
gal heater near the bathroom and replumb the two lavatories and ...

I have a GFCI in my kitchen that seems to keep making a clicking
noise.  The GFCI is connected to one other outlet along the
countertop.  The funny thing is that it keeps doing this every 15
minutes or so even after it has tripped off (without me reseting it).

I have a clogged drain in a 50YO house that the plumber could not snake
out.  He suspects that the clog is in a section of pipe that he is
guessing goes vertically from the one bathroom sink to the other
bathroom sink and said that the plumbing will have to be disassembled

I posted this question in another thread but figured i'd try it on its
own in case some "electrical" people didn't bother to read it..
Can someone recommend a good, efficient electric
space heater to heat around 600 sq ft in a very cold environ?

We're going to have a deck built this spring, and want a low-maintenance
deck that looks decent. Our local lumberyard and local contractors seem to
recommend Trex or WeatherBest composite decking -- the newer kind that has
the woodgrain design.

I'm looking for a small deep fryer that can be mounted in a counter, not
set on top.  All that I have seen are fairly large.  What I want will
contain no more than 1.5 liters of oil.  Has anyone come across such an
appliance?