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I have a 2-valve tub faucet and i believe that the washers in the valves need replacing since the spout is leaking no matter how tight i turn the knob.

My problem is that i’m having a hard time taking off the knob. I’ve already pried-off the little “H” and “C” caps which hide the screws, but after I unscrew the screws the knobs still refuse to come off the pipe. So I think that the knobs have become corroded onto the pipe after many years of use.

Is it ok to spray some wd-40 or something on the fitting of the knob and pipe and hope that that’ll loosen it up? Use a pry bar to pry it off? Are the knobs attached some other way than the little screw?

thanks for any advice.

They sell a special tool for this problem. I used to use it all the time on the older faucets. Most new faucets have plastic and this tool is not needed.

I think it is just called a handle removal tool. It is similar to a pulley tool mechanics use. I don’t know for sure if the big box stores carry it. If all else fails go to a plumbing supply house or see if you can get one on the web.

Posted under Plumbing

I am having a hard time determining the next potential source for a problem i am having with my kitchen sink and am looking for thoughts/ideas.

My kitchen sink is not draining (unless i run the garbage disposal, this seems to put enough pressure on the water to force it down). originally i thought it was the GD as it was very old, so i replaced it. yet the problem returned with the new GD. i ran a snake all the way to the stack and can find no blocking. i have disassembled and reassembled the kitchen plumbing and new GD several times and can find no blockage or reasonable explanation for the backup.

When i run the water after draining the trap, it takes about 45 seconds before the water backs up, but once it does, afterwards its immediate every time.

no other plumbing in the house is backing up or holding water.

I do have construction going on in my upstairs bathroom, where the toilet drain, shower drain, and sink drain are open, but i cannot imagine this would cause any issues, though i cannot recall if my issue began at the time construction began.

I also have trouble thinking its the drain stack as i would expect the problem to manifest in other areas of the house.

Help, anybody, somebody...i need ideas on where to go next (besides calling a plumber) as i dont think this is rocket science, just that i am missing some essential understanding or piece of information.


Your line is clogged downstream. The GD has the effect of acting like a "pump" and it will cram a lot of water down there, which often backs up into the sink when you turn it off. It will not clear the clog. You need a good snake in the hands of a professional.

Posted under Plumbing

Having a hard time finding out how far to space my TV/data/phone/power lines from each other while roughing in. In other words, I don’t want to run all of these through the same hole in the stud, right?

Next question: For cable/satellite, do I need to wire a home run to every box or can I run them in series? I’ve been hearing that I need two or more home runs to every box. True?

Same question for telephone/data wiring.

Thanks

1. Avoid running Low-V thru the same hole with 120/240. Space as much as practical. You’ll get varying answers on this. I suppose a foot would be great. It’s probably best if they don’t run parallel for any great distance, but I have certainly done so and not noticed problem.

2. For any low-v cabling you want to home run all of it.

3. Inevitably, if you do two runs of RG-6 to this outlet, and only one to that outlet, you’re going to need just the opposite. Yet if you do two runs to all outlets, you might need three here and none there, and now you’ve wasted a whole bunch of money on copper. That’s your business but …

4. Save yourself some future hassle and run 3/4″ or 1″ smurf tube (ENT, blue or yellow corrugated plastic, in 10′ lengths or 100′ rolls) instead of wire. Then you can put in whatever you need in the future. Only downside is you need to bore larger holes in the studs and you want to avoid more than 180 degrees of bends between two pull (accessible) points. You can make this a lot more complicated or fancier but the basic idea is the same: A way to get wire into your walls in the future without making a mess. One place you can get an ENT catalog is from www.carlon.com.

If you do this, I would guess some of those cable companies that advertise installation of “free” outlets would be happy to pull the cable in there instead of drilling through your outside walls and so on.

Good luck.

Posted under Electrical