SPRING 2008 HOW TO OPERATE YOUR HOME So you own a home—and you’re not sure what to do next? Here’s your operating instructions! Pounding pipes Why pipes knock, and how you can ﬁx them K nock, knock. Who’s there? Pounding. Pounding who? Pounding pipes that bother you! Clunk, knock, rattle, shake and pound – what are those pipes doing? The washing machine is ﬁlling with water, and wham!...the pipes in the kitchen start pounding and shaking. Last week they were just ﬁne; what’s up now? Or suddenly the toilet thumps a little when the tank is full, and pipes pound inside the wall. What’s going on? (illustration P015). These eventually lose their air cushion and ﬁll with water as air becomes absorbed into the water. When the air cushion is lost, your pipes start to pound. (Continued, next page) This problem with pounding or shaking pipes is oﬃcially known as water hammer. Serious water hammer can damage your piping and cause a leak. Even minor water hammer is annoying. Water hammer occurs when water ﬂow through a pipe is halted abruptly. For example, an electrically operated valve in the washing machine can close very quickly to stop ﬂow. Water is heavy, and it carries a lot of energy as it moves through pipes. When it stops quickly, this energy makes the pipe shake and pound. Think of the energy in a sprayer nozzle at the end of a garden hose. In residential piping, the problem is solved with a water hammer arrester. The arrester provides an air cushion in the piping system. Take a look at illustration P015, which depicts arresters typically used in older homes. Illustration P032 (next page) depicts a modern water hammer arrester with a sealed air chamber. Both arresters use the same principle. When water ﬂow stops quickly, energy is absorbed in the air cushion at the top of the arrester. Water can’t be compressed, but air can, so the air absorbs energy as it is compressed by water pressure in the pipe. Maybe your home has the old-style arresters. These were made of common plumbing parts and ﬁttings to form a vertical tube HOW TO OPERATE YOUR HOME Featured in this issue: –Sliding Door Rubs Carpet –Fix Leaky Garden Hose Connector How To Operate Your Home – Spring 2008 © 2008 - Tom Feiza - Mr. Fix-It, Inc. Publisher: Layout: Editing: Tom Feiza (tom@misterﬁx-it.com) Tom Feiza III ([email protected]) Leah Carson ([email protected]) This newsletter contains basic information on homes not wholly applicable to every situation. Seek professional advice prior to acting on information contained herein. To reprint any article, please contact our ofﬁce. Newsletter | Spring 2008 It’s easy to restore the air cushion to old water hammer arresters. You can start by simply draining all water out of the piping. First, locate the main water valve and turn it oﬀ. Be sure the valve is in good shape and is easily turned. If the valve is old and worn and looks like it has not been used in 20 years, it’s time to call a plumber to repair or replace the valve. You don’t want to operate an old valve and create a major or minor leak you can’t ﬁx. You’ll also want to make sure that your home’s main shut-oﬀ valve works in the event of a water leak emergency. With the main water supply turned oﬀ, open all the faucets in your home to drain water and allow air into the system. Air will be drawn into the upper faucets, and water will ﬂow from the lower faucets. In a few minutes, when this ﬂow stops, you’ll know the system has been drained. You shouldn’t drain water from the water heater. Since the heater is located low in the system, it usually doesn’t drain. If you suspect that your water heater will drain, you may want to seek help from a professional plumber. toilets over time. Often, rebuilding the ﬁll valve solves the problem. On a temporary basis, you can throttle or partially close the shut-oﬀ valve feeding the toilet. This will slow the ﬂow and eliminate most toilet-related water hammer. Typically, water hammer arresters are located at the washing machine, the dishwasher, and perhaps at the water main. If you don’t have arresters, consider adding them to prevent this pounding. For washing machines, you can obtain water hammer arresters that simply connect between the washingmachine hose and the faucet. Almost anyone can install these with the simple hose-type connector. Also, check that piping to the washer and dishwasher is properly supported, because the banging can be compounded when pipes move around and hit wood framing or other objects. Adding a support may help correct the problem. Don’t allow your pipes to pound for any extended period. Eventually the movement can damage piping and even cause a leak or a failure. Now reﬁll the system. Slowly open the main valve slightly. Turn oﬀ the lower and upper faucets as a steady stream of water ﬂows through them. Finally, open the main valve fully. You have now restored the air cushion to the older arresters. Be aware that in older homes with steel piping, turning oﬀ the water may loosen sediment inside the pipes. You may see rust and other debris in the water when you turn it back on. Also, since you have introduced air into the system, a compressed mix of air and water may shoot out of the faucets the ﬁrst few times you turn them on. Modern, manufactured arresters have a sealed air chamber and shouldn’t lose their air cushion. But never say “never” – they can fail. So if water hammer occurs even though your home has modern arresters, consider replacing the problem arresters. 6 5 5 7 7 3 2 2 1 1 11 10 11 10 Garden hose connector leaks 3 9 9 4 4 8 8 Mr. Fix-It Quick Tip 6 A toilet can also exhibit water hammer if its ﬁll valve becomes worn and the valve closes quickly. This happens to many Why does the garden hose always leak at the connectors? Because you run over them with the car? Because they are bent? Most leaks at garden hoses are caused by missing or hardened washers in the ﬁtting. Replace the washer with a fresh, 10cent washer, and often the leak will be stopped. If the connector is bent because you drove over it, simply cut oﬀ the connector and replace it with a new connector from the hardware store. Cut, slip it on and tighten the screws. Stop wasting water and wetting your foot – replace the washer or the connector. HOW TO OPERATE YOUR HOME Newsletter | Spring 2008 The Honey-Do List – Tom and Gayle Feiza When a Sliding Door Rubs the Carpet Gayle: Well, here we go again. My sliding closet door is rubbing on the carpet. It also doesn’t ﬁt in the doorframe. It seems to be tipping or something, so it looks bad. Tom: Is that the same door I ﬁxed last month? Gayle: Yessss – and it has been rubbing for a few weeks now. This time I want to ﬁx it myself. Maybe I can get it right. Tom: Great. Take a look at the top of the door, inside the closet. You will see a little roller in a metal track. The adjustment should be made at the roller and track connection. A metal bracket holds the roller to the top of the door. Tom: Good job. There are several types of brackets, and they all tip up or roll up somehow to raise the door. I made a guess on the type of roller bracket. A good look at any door’s bracket will give you a clue on how to raise the door. You’re getting pretty good at this. Want to move on to the front hall closet? That door is starting to rub, too. I’d ﬁx it myself, but I’m a little too busy writing my new home repair book. Gayle: Does your new book include tips on how to adjust a sliding closet door? Loosen the screws in the bracket and adjust it to lift the door. Sometimes you can just lift the door with the screws loose and then tighten them when the door is in the right position. Some brackets tip, some turn, and some just slide up. Give a holler if you want some help. Gayle: I suppose I’ll need a Phillips screwdriver and a small step stool? Tom: Sure. This won’t be hard. Take a regular screwdriver, too. (Later) Gayle: Take a look at my handiwork. The door doesn’t rub anymore, and when it’s closed, it is square and plumb in the door opening. And by the way, the hinge bracket was totally diﬀerent than you described. The screws were loose. I think someone forgot to tighten them a month ago. Tom: Oh... Gayle: The roller bracket had a little oﬀ-center round thing. I just loosened the screws, lifted the door and turned the round thing. The round bracket held the door in the right position. Then I tightened the screws, and all is good. It did take a few adjustments to get it just right, but it was easy to do. HOW TO OPERATE YOUR HOME Tom Feiza, “Mr. Fix-It,” is a professional home-improvement expert. His wife, Gayle, keeps track of the couple’s lengthy to-do list. Newsletter | Spring 2008 Serving Kitchener, Waterloo & Surrounding Areas Comprehensive Home Inspections Pre-Purchase Inspections ■ Pre-Listing Inspections A Baseline inspection includes: • • • • Rodney MacGillivray Registered Home Inspector (RHI) One-on-one education about the home with your home inspector Home Inspection Report, complete with COLOUR pictures of any issues Secure online download of your inspection report from our WEBSITE! Free “How to Operate Your Home” book – a must have owner’s manual LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED Tel: (519) 656-2402 Email: [email protected] © Baseline Inspections Inc. (519) 656-2402 www.baselineinspections.com