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    8x10Andy Orin
    9/10/16 10:31am

    I have a very simple DIY project at our house that is not going to get done until we need a plumber for something else. The outside faucet on the front of the house froze and burst (only leaks if you turn it on). Happened before we moved in. Only problem is, the opening to the crawl space is in the back. Plenty of room in the back part. But by the time you get to the front, there is only about 18" to 2ft of clearance. I’m getting too old to crawl up there twice to do this simple job.

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      Legless Legolas' LEGO Lass8x10
      9/10/16 12:13pm

      You just need a gullible...err, helpful youngster with handyman experience. My neighbor enlists me to fix stuff like that because he just doesn’t bend like he used to, and I get a 6 pack out of the deal.

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      crackblind8x10
      9/10/16 12:42pm

      If you plan properly, you can have someone help you in 5 years, 9 months.

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    toecutter (so grey, I gotta wear shades)Andy Orin
    9/10/16 1:23pm

    Hot water heaters. Hot water heaters is always the answer. What seems like a thirty minute job usually turns into two days for an amateur repair person. Call in a pro, and it’s a thirty minute job, but for $800.00. The decision is yours.

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      Dustintoecutter (so grey, I gotta wear shades)
      9/10/16 1:56pm

      Why do you need to heat water that is already hot? My water heater heats cold water.

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      toecutter (so grey, I gotta wear shades)Dustin
      9/10/16 1:59pm

      It’s much akin to buying a cold water chiller. Pretzel logic. It’s like driving in a parkway and parking in a driveway.

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    OMG!PONIES!Andy Orin
    9/10/16 10:40am

    Most importantly, never ever mix metals. Don’t put steel connections on brass fittings and vice versa. You will wind up with corrosion and, in the event that you need to replace a piece, it will take a lot of effort to get it loose.

    Case in point, when I had to replace my sink faucet, I found that the prior owner had put a brass nut on steel pipe. Which is why my family’s motto is now “Fucking Rileys.”

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      mwatson2OMG!PONIES!
      9/10/16 1:59pm

      Wow, that’s a good tip I’ve never heard before!

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    fiji.sivAndy Orin
    9/11/16 1:13am

    Here’s a simple one: always cover the drain with a rag.
    Remember showers and especially sinks are shaped so everything flows towards the drain. That goes for water... and screws and washers and special parts you had to mail order via Pony Express from the east coast.

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      kafrometfiji.siv
      10/20/16 2:58pm

      That’s honestly probably the best piece of home repair advice I’ve heard.

      It was definitely one that made me go “duh, why haven’t I been doing that?”

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    sgtyukonAndy Orin
    9/10/16 12:39pm

    The idiot who owned my house before me used a toilet riser to bring cold water to the kitchen faucet. It was just jammed in there. Toilet risers use a special nut to attach to the valve in the toilet. That nut would not have fit a kitchen faucet, so he didn’t use anything. Obviously, one day, it let go. My dear wife ambled up to the second floor to tell me, then ambled down the stairs in front of me, instead of letting me race to the shut off valve in the basement.

    Once the water was shut off, I was astonished at what he had done. I had to do without water in the kitchen over night until I could go to the plumbing supply house. I figured he must have done the hot water side like that too, so I bought the correct parts to replace both. I also had to buy the special wrench for fixing that. Everyone should own one.

    So, my advice to avoid plumbing mistakes is, if you don’t know what you’re doing, find out first and only then proceed.

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    MncaAndy Orin
    9/10/16 3:21pm

    Choose the manufacturer made replacement parts; “made by X” instead of “made for X” .

    The difference in DIY? $265 2-6 months later when the pro comes to put the real “made by X” branded valves and diverter into the two showers you changed out yourself and they loosened or just leaked out through the wall/under the tub. Pro said very common issue and easy fix for him with a regular fee.

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    iamjustjulesAndy Orin
    9/10/16 8:48pm

    I was a plumber’s apprentice in college and found that if you have the skill to do your own work, double-check your work. Especially which lines you’re running.

    One dumbshit coworker hooked up hot water to the toilet in the powder room in a new home and the owner never used it. First winter, she has the window open let in some fresh air after doing her business, flushes it, and just the right hot water/ cold air burst causes the toilet to fracture like crazy. Shitwater didn’t go out, but the clean water just eat flowing in until she called my uncle,the owner of the company.

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    vinylrakeAndy Orin
    9/10/16 8:12pm

    Dang, a few hours too late. This afternoon I literally crushed a bathroom S-trap while replacing the drain. The S-trap was apparently made of chrome covered cardboard.

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