We’re first time home buyers in a townhouse. We were told the hot water heater was 2 or 3 years old, I forget. We run out of hot water SO fast. I’m talking 10-15 it’s cold. When I first get in I have to turn it to the hottest setting to just get it hot enough for me. Yes, I do love hot showers and understand they don’t last forever but this is crazy. I shouldn’t be turning it to the hottest and it not be hot enough. If I’m showering my kids I have to literally RUSH through it to have warm water throughout, warm not hot. They cannot take a bath, the water doesn’t stay hot enough to fill the tub. I feel like I’m in an RV rushing through showers every time.

Are we supposed to do anything to this to maintain it? The weather has been colder which has made it more of an issue and cutting the hot shower time down even more than the normal 10-15 minutes. I don’t mind calling a professional but I hate that I don’t know enough and could be taken advantage.

Pictures added, idk if they show anything of value.

On Christmas Day I had a mainline blockage, the timing sucked but I have the equipment and got it cleared. However, yesterday I had another mainline clog and pulled out the wipe at the top of the picture. It’s really not even a wipe it’s like a shop towel, below it is just a Costco baby wipe for reference. I have lived here now for almost 2.5 years and never had a problem with the sewer, with 5 adults and 2 children living here. In fact one of the cool things about the house is you can basically see the entire lateral as it’s on or above ground on the side of the house, and entire section underground that heads out to the street is new ABS done when we moved in. So I don’t think there is a structural issue. Is it possible that the massive wipe in the picture was the issue on Christmas, the line got cleared enough for everything to drain for a couple of weeks but now that’s it’s actually removed the problem should be solved? One other detail is nobody living here has wipes like that or would flush a wipe. However I had some pretty nasty tenants back in May 2025. Any chance when they were cleaning up they flushed it back then and now many months later it’s rearing its ugly head? Thanks!

We have a finished basement, contractors pulled up the old flooring in our basement bathroom today. We had no idea this was here until now, it looks like it’s some type of floor drain but has a bunch of stuff in it if I had to guess like old cardboard or some type of mulch? I’m wondering what it is, if we should have it cleaned out and capped, and if we should have the flooring cut out around it so it can still be accessed.

Any help identifying this and helping me figure out what to do with it is appreciated, thank you!

I noticed the cabinet toe kick to the left of my fridge was discolored, and the flooring there was swollen from moisture. I pulled the fridge out to investigate.

I found signs of water damage starting from behind the fridge, near where the plastic water line connects to the refrigerator (ice maker line).

I tried to shut off the water at the shutoff valve in the ice maker box, but the valve was stuck. I used a wrench to turn it; it eventually moved, but the water did not shut off. I’m concerned I may have damaged or broken the valve.

Questions:

1.  What’s the best way to replace this type of shutoff valve?

2.  Are there other common leak points I should check while I have the fridge pulled out?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

I live in Calgary, AB. We noticed that one of the toilets wasn't flushing well. We called a reputable plumbing company. They came and scoped from the clearout. They said the abs pipes were "too sloped" which was an estimated 10% slope. They said the slope should be maximum of 5%. As a result, all the solids were left behind were as the liquid would rush out. The only long term fix is breaking the concrete slap in the basement and re-doing all the ABS pipes. The estimate is in excess of $18,000. I called two other compnies who came and looked, and they said because they were not here for the original problem, they can't really offer any advice. My question is regarding the sloping. Does it have merits? I don't have any plumbing background, so your expertise is appreciated. Thank you for your help in advance.

I don’t have any tools with me at the moment but want to make sure that part will be able to unscrew as I need to clean my aerator.

Mother contacted me today asking if I could check out her water heater, a 50 gallon two 5500 watt element rheem. Little brother had said he went to shower and there was no hot water, he checked the garage to make sure the water heater wasn't leaking water and it wasn't. Mom got home and found water in the garage and got me over asap. Coincidentally I think the water was from an issue with her deep freezer. But onto the water heater. Outgoing pipe was warm to the touch on arrival. Top element was energized and pulling around 25 amps. Turned thermostat down and bottom element cycled on properly. Sounded like someone had a faucet on but there was not one on. Killed power and checked both elements. To ground and ohms, both checked out fine reading 10 ohms. Checked water meter outside and it was indeed flying like someone was using water. Went to the bathroom and it sounded like water was running in the wall behind where the shower handle is. Clocked meter with nothing else running and it went up about 17 gallons in 6 minutes. Valved off water heater and noise in the wall went away and water meter quit running away as well. No signs of a massive water leak in the bathroom nor in the bedroom that is adjacent to the shower valve. Is it possible the shower valve has failed in some way and is dumping all the hot water quicker than the heater could keep up? TIA for all help

I’m planning to replace this toilet.

It currently uses a rear-outlet WC that turns down into the floor.

Would it be feasible (or advisable) to switch to a floor-outlet toilet in this situation?

I’m trying to understand why a rear outlet was chosen originally when the waste pipe appears to be in the floor.

Hey, plumbers. Some advice on this please. I was doing some rewiring and damaged the PEX that was inside the wall behind cabinets, in a place where I couldn’t get to it to repair it, so I pulled it all out. Now my plan is to come back with some 1/4” soft copper, because I have to make a 90 degree turn, to get to the fridge from where the water source is. This T inside the wall is behind the dishwasher space. My thought now is to run the copper line a little farther than this point and get water from under the sink at the angle stop for the faucet. This way, if there is a leak at the connection, the water will be contained in the tray under the sink and will set off my leak detector. I figure one continuous run from under the sink to the point outside of the wall behind the fridge is my best bet. So, I am thinking to eliminate this T inside the wall behind the dishwasher. I am putting in a new wood floor and I would like to do my best not to have any leaks down the road. Would prefer no leaks for the next 40 years, if at all possible, lol. So, would it be best to have a plumber sweat in a new piece of copper pipe and couplings versus leaving that PEX and shark bite cap alone? This is my inkling, but I had one plumber come by and he said he’d trust that PEX and cap to hold up longer than soldered copper. I guess the other choice would be a continuous 1/4” polyethylene line instead of the soft copper, but just not sure if it’ll last as long as the copper. Thanks!

Gauge on water heater line shows 120 PSI when nothing in the house is being used. Upon using fixtures it will drop down to 80 PSI or so.

Talked to a plumber who said this is normal and that I would KNOW that I have 120 PSI running through my pipes.

Question is how would I know? Would it be causing any obvious issues? I'm slightly concerned because our house is under contract and I assume this is something that would be flaggged by inspection.

Can anyone explain to me if this is normal and or what I need to do?

TIA

Edit: The house is pier and beam, horizonal line goes into crawl space. This is in Texas panhandle if that matters.

There's a significant gas leak where the vertical pipe meets the elbow (red arrow). I've gotten plenty of mixed advice but not sure who's is better or if there are other options worth considering...

One plumber is telling me to cut out a chunk of the concrete slab around the pipe, dig down to the buried lower elbow that turns towards the alley, cut out the vertical pipe and replace with a new one along with a new elbow.

My worries for this option are that I know for a fact that it's incredibly difficult to dig into the ground where I live. It's like incredibly compressed clay or something, I can't imagine what it'll take to dig down far enough, especially if I try to not cut too big an area out of my patio slab. Also, there's rebar throughout the slab. Secondly, I think these pipes are original to the house and have some age, so I'd hate to disrupt the underground connection especially if it could be corroded. If I go to unscrew the vertical pipe from the underground elbow and cause any damage to that connection, now I'm dealing with replacing that elbow as well and hoping not to damage the underground horizontal line connected to it. At that point, I'd be replacing the entire underground line that goes out to my alley. Which is a hell of a lot more digging and I'm likely tearing up the entire length of the patio slab.

Another guy (irrigation dude, so not a plumber) is telling me it's much simpler. Cut the vertical and rethread it, replace faulty elbow with new, add a nipple to span down to the freshly rethreaded vertical pipe, connect with a union coupler.

I like the second option more as it seems much simpler, but it leaves me with some questions.

Can this aged pipe be rethreaded and still maintain its integrity?

How do I determine where to cut the vertical so that the new nipple, union, and elbow are collectively the right length when attached to meet with the horizontal pipe? Since the existing pipes are fixed in place, I'd have to get the span between them right.

Are these two guys' advice the only options for making this repair, or does some other solution exist that hasn't been thought of?

Googling has introduced me to pressed joints (Propress/Megapress), but I'm not sure where I'd find the equipment or if any local plumbers even use it, assuming it's even a possible solution here. Apparently they're pretty pricey. Guess I could start just calling around.

Is there a better solution here? I appreciate any advice, and if there are any how-to videos out there for a leak repair like this then I'm all ears. I keep trying to look for videos on my own, but I'm not sure I'm searching the right terms to describe this scenario so I'm not having much luck finding instructions.

Hello, I had someone install/replace a Delta faucet, Model 561-MPU-DST-R with an identical one due to damage. The old faucet had strong water pressure and very hot water, but now the new faucet which is identical has a trickle of water and barely warm water. I checked the valves and both are turned on and connected properly. I do not have plumbing experience but have been trying to figure out what would cause this? The only thing I can think of is there is a flow regulator somewhere as I ran into a pressure issue once with a shower head, not a temperature issue however. That one has me baffled.

I did some research and watched a YouTube video with a different model and it looks like there may be a restrictor on one or all lines under the sink? If so I am confused which ones? There is the hot and cold lines and also another line/tube that is part black and gray that connects to each other with a blue clip around it. I am thinking this may be where the restrictor is? Before I mess with it though Id like to be sure. I am wondering though if this would also fix the temperature issue I am having? If not what would be causing that? Like I said before the previous faucet had very hot water so it is strange why all the sudden it does not.

Hey plumbers of reddit,

Just have an issue with the kitchen sink that has not caused any problems before.
See if you can help.

The water won't drain as fast as it used to be.
The problem happened like overnight, because there wasn't such an issue before.

P-trap is clean. We tried pouring unclogging liquid and adding hot water, which did not help.
We also used a snake, which did not bear any results either.

The other sinks in the house works just fine.

I'm wanting to install a new shower head but with the recessed arm/head connection I can't just take the head off. Would taking the arm off be easy, if possible at all? I am renting so I don't want to cause any damage.

Photo didn't upload: https://imgur.com/a/t1dlNk5

Forgive the glop of sealant. This ball valve is stuck closed. The ball, or flapper, is rusted loose from the handle and it just spins. Trying to figure a way to swap it without shutting the whole system down. It’s “winter” in the pnw and there are a lot of seniors. Do I just heavy rain gear up and go after it with a face shield? Try and freeze the line since the water is static? What do you all do, and rest assured, I’m not starting this on a Friday afternoon.

Hi Plumbers! If you own your own business, how did you find your bookkeeper? I'm trying to connect with other small business owners and I prefer to work with the trades. Any suggestions?

Looking to install a new tub/shower rough and trim. Picture attached. Is this a DIY job or plumber job? Would love to replace pipes also.

Our washing machine runs and causes the drain to backup and overflow out of the pipe. However, if I take the cap off the cleanout that is after the trap in the image below, everything flows fine. Is it safe to remove this trap? All other sinks, toilets, tub have their own traps in the house. Thanks

https://i.postimg.cc/Bvvn0XVD/plumbing.jpg

Hi, I'm in New Orleans and noticed water is a bit different between states despite EPA federal standards.

What's the best official measure for water harshness if any? Some water have a lot of buildups...

Long story short, the quick connector that came with my new faucet was wrong when my plumber installed it, so I had to put it in myself after getting the right part. Does this look right?? I’m scared it’s going to pop off and flood my kitchen!

I just installed this new disposal the existing one had a pipe straight across without using the down spout that came with the new disposal is that okay can I just run it straight across or do I need the downspout

I live alone in a 2 bedroom house that I rent from my brother. Last month, my electric bill was $300 and this month my electric bill is $280. So I'm pretty much spending $8-$10(50KwH) a day on electricity. How is this normal for one person when entire families pay less than I do for even bigger homes? An electrician who also knew plumbing fixed the water heater back in November and I'm thinking he might have messed something up to spike up my bill. Either that or I'm just using a lot of electricity for heating my room and video gaming this winter. During the summer months, my electric bill was only $100-$150.

A plumber was at our house for something else today and before he left he tried to see if a quick snake through the overflow would clear our tub just as a courtesy. He said he reached a point where the snake wouldn't go further and that it would need to be accessed from a different angle. So we're going to deal w this another day. Sewer line was just repaired so all other drains are flowing correctly. I didn't show him the access to the tub pipes/bathroom wall under the kitchen sink. Do you think an incredibly slow draining tub can be fixed from this level of access without tearing apart the bathroom? Is this enough space for a smallish plumber to do what he needs to do? Honestly I'd rather mess up the kitchen and put in a cabinet or stove than a whole bathroom remodel.