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Here are some articles I've written that not only provide technical information but also describe the satisfaction, challenges, and humour that can be found in doing household plumbing and heating jobs. I hope you find them interesting and informative. Jerry.

Most people understand that waste water draining from a sink, bathtub or toilet, passes through piping underneath the fixture and continues on into underground sewers. It eventually is led away outside the building. Because the majority of plumbing is hidden inside walls, above ceilings and below floors, it might be difficult to imagine that some of the drains have vertical extensions, which ultimately terminate above the structure's roof. These sections of piping are called vents.

Although the only form of water within these conduits is minute droplets of vapour, without these tubes, waste would not be able to flow. Gravity and pipes sloping downward enable fluids to drain from a plumbing fixture. However, as the quantity of liquid descends, not only does it push against air which is in its way, it also creates a vacuum behind itself. This negative pressure increases until it is equal to the force of gravity. At that point, movement stops.

However, if air was available to be sucked into the drain pipe, the vacuum could not exist. That is one reason why vents are open to the atmosphere. Another important fact is that due to decomposition of organic waste in the street sewers, there are times when expanding methane gases flow backwards. The building vents offer convenient exits for this backpressure.

Returning to the topic of negative pressure created by water trying to flow downward, I would like to suggest an experiment which would very clearly illustrate the power of the force called vacuum. Fill a one half litre jar of water, almost to the top. Now repeat the process with an empty two litre plastic soft drink bottle. You don't have to be a mathematics whiz to realize that the larger container has four times the volume as the smaller one and is therefore heavier.

Stand the jar in the kitchen sink and upend the bottle so that you are holding it upside down, with its opening submersed below the top level of the jar's liquid. How is it possible that the force of gravity combined with the weight of the heavier volume of fluid, cannot enable the water in the soda-pop bottle to escape ? The answer is that a small vacuum has been created at the closed end of the container. Lift the bottle so that its neck rises above the jar's contents. What happens is that a quantity of fluid will spill out only as an amount of air, in the form of bubbles, enters the cylinder to take the liquid’s place.

The next time you are planning to remodel an existing bathroom or build a new one in the basement, for example, try to have the work done by someone who understands the relationship between drains and vents.

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There is oxygen in water. Fish breathe it by passing the fluid through their gills and removing tiny bubbles of the gas. A hot water ( hydronic ) heating system which was drained in order to have some piping replaced, is now ready to be refilled. All the radiator air vents are closed and fresh water is re-introduced into the circuit of pipes, heating elements, safety controls and furnace. As pressure builds in the system, air can be removed by slowly opening the bleeder vents, on each radiator, until water appears. After all the air has been eliminated, the burner is ready to be activated. Sometime later, the circulating liquid heats up to its desired temperature.

What happens to the oxygen inside the water that continuously travels from one end of the circuit to the other? The answer is that over time, it bubbles out from the super-heated liquid, on each pass through the boiler. Air is lighter than water and naturally rises as high as it can go. That is why you might be bleeding the radiators before each heating season, years after the system was drained and refilled.

Some people wonder why a galvanized steel, potable or drinking-water pipe, would erode after forty years and a black, or untreated metal pipe in a heating system, might not rust in a lifetime. The response is that the process of rusting is scientifically called oxidation and can only take place in the presence of oxygen. Theoretically, if you are able to remove all of the air within your heating pipe and never have to introduce fresh water into the system, the piping and fittings will outlast you.

Some important tips to remember, regarding your hot water heating system are (a) when you bleed air from the radiators, try not to let any droplets of water escape. There is a pressure valve called a heat control ( sometimes given the name mueller ) usually installed in the ceiling area above the furnace which automatically replenishes any amount of liquid lost from the system, up to a set pressure. Remember that fresh water contains oxygen and if you allow liquid to drain from a heating coil, an equal amount of fluid will be re-introduced, extending the length of time it takes to eliminate all the air. (b) A safety valve dripping water on the floor may be defective or just doing its job, of relieving excess pressure or temperature, from the heating boiler. You must attend to this situation immediately not only to remove stress on the furnace but so that as little water as possible escapes. (c) Although air is lighter than water, an accumulation of it at a high point, will hinder and sometimes block circulation of hot water trying to reach a heating coil. When it comes to hydronic heating systems, air is the enemy.

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In order to tackle a plumbing or heating problem, knowledge about the way something is supposed to work is a good idea, a willingness to get your hands and maybe other parts of your body dirty, is important as well and finally, having some of the proper equipement to handle the items you are preparing to manipulate is necessary not only to do the job at hand but also to protect yourself from injury. Most of the tools of this trade are specialty implements and while it is true that you may sometimes see a frustrated plumber using a steel wrench as a hammer, you will never witness him attempting to unscrew a pipe with a mallet.

Steel wrenches have now given way to aluminum ones which are much lighter in weight and mostly able to perform the same function. Two disadvantages are that hammering against that metal or putting a section of scrap pipe on the end, in order to lengthen its lever and therefore exert more force, may cause the substance to crack. However, if you have to go to that extreme, perhaps the job might be better taken on by a professional. Wrench sizes start at six inches long, from end to end and go up to forty-eight inches. I would advise a would-be plumbing apprentice to start off with a ten and fourteen inch straight as well as a twelve inch, offset wrench.

Another similar tool which I personally find indispensable, is a vise-grip. I'm aware that it's a trade-name but to my knowledge, knock-offs are generally called that as well. While on the subject of name brands, I would have to say that experience has taught me one thing when it comes to tools ; if you are buying something that you hope will last a lifetime, buy with quality in mind. Vise-grips come in various sizes and shapes and the important thing to know about them, is that they are a sort of pliers than can be locked so that when you release the tool from your hand, it will remain attached to the object that it is seizing. I have a plumbing colleague who calls me a sissy everytime he sees me use one of these but as I’ve pointed out to him many times, it's like having a third hand and there are moments when you may need one.

A wescott can be used in the same way as a wrench, either tightening or loosening something, however, it differs in that its gripping surface has no teeth. I guess gripping is not the right way to describe the action, since it is really an adjustable spanner. If you have to manipulate a hex-headed bolt, you would want to use this tool because the flat surfaces of the bolt head would not be damaged. On the other hand, forcing with a wrench or similar-type implement, would chew up the pointed edges so that after a time the only tool that would be able to perform an identical function, would be one that gripped the object. Wescotts are also needed when a flat-surfaced object having a fine finish, such as chrome plating, has to be secured or removed.

Pliers are very handy and come in different sizes and configurations. There is, what I call a regular one, an offset unit sometimes referred to as a pump or gas pliers, straight and offset pointed end or needle-nose pliers and others which can cut electrical wiring and shear off the plastic casings. Nowadays many tools are multi-functional and it's like having a ( plumbing ) Swiss army knife that you can safely stow away in a tool box. Most of these implements are made from fine-conducting, electrical current, metal and that is why the handles should be encased in plastic material to potentially save you from being mildly shocked or worse.

Screwdrivers always remind me of a science exhibit I visited one summer in Boston. The screw is a scientific marvel and that form has been used over the centuries to raise water from low-lying ponds to higher fields, allow people to ascend and descend heights by using spiral staircases, where space constraints prevented the installation of regular, sloping entrances and exits and of course to hold things together, just to name a few of the applications. There are many kinds and sizes of drivers but the three most important are slotted, star ( Phillips) and square (Robertson). Plumbers tend to abuse slotted screwdrivers by utilizing them as mini-crowbars or chisels but the fact is that sometimes you have to sacrifice your buddy instead of your body ! A screwdriver can also be used as a defensive weapon ( I'm not kidding ! ). Lets's say you're on an earthen floor in a crawl-space and you hear the rustling sounds of little or big critters. You can whip out your would-be dagger and commence a rendition of your favourite country and western song. Just don't get carried away with the crooning. Remember, you want to repel, not attract !

A good-quality, two pound, steel, claw hammer that has a shock-resistant handle allows you to break open plaster walls and ceilings. Did you ever wonder how a plumber deals with frustration ? Of course this tool enables you to put things together as well. A hammer is an implement that is universal to all trades in the construction industry. Likewise, a measuring tape will make life a lot easier when positioning fixtures or detailing where you need to have a pipe cut. I can't express how important a common, lead pencil can be. Although, after years of experience, you may believe that it is not necessary to mark things down or scrawl lines where you require incisions to be made, but one error in judgement or sloppiness can cause a lot of grief. Why not play it safe ?

Copper pipe cutters can be mini tools which handle one quarter inch tubing all the way up to larger ones, capable of cutting four inch diameter conduits. A small wood saw is absolutely necessary as well as one which can saw through metal. An electrical tester with the ability to register voltage up to two hundred and forty, is something I wouldn't want to be without and I would say the same, regarding a continuity tester. Where do we put all of these things ? Why in a tool box, of course. Choose one which is made out of plastic so that when it is placed on the floor, it will not scratch the surface. You might want to pick a container that has individual compartments for separating extraneous material such as screws, nails, tape, plastic shields, etc. And by all means, feel free to add whatever tools you desire to your list because as you go along, you will find that some repairs or installations require a specialized-tool approach.

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Whether the fuel used is natural gas, oil, electric, wood, a combination of these or something else, the container itself is practically identical. The unit is free-standing and often rests on cement blocks, bricks or the like.There is an inner steel cylindrical tank which is glass-lined. The thin sheet of glass acts as a buffer between the water and the metal. The part that you see is an outer jacket and there is a layer of insulation material between it and the metal skin of the water heater. There are cold water in, hot water out, safety valve, drain valve, anode tube and other connections tapped into the tank.

In the case of natural gas or oil-fueled units, a burner creates a tremendously hot flame, which heats the liquid. The combustion chamber, while part of the tank, is sealed off from the fluid-bearing partition and heat is transferred by conduction even as exhaust fumes ascend into the chimney. There are temperature-setting and safety controls which may be attached to the outside pipe surfaces, inside metal surfaces, probes which extend inside the tank itself and chimney sensors, monitoring the spent gases. I am going to write about electric hot water tanks because although I have worked on burner-type units, whenever there was a problem with start-up, I was not personally able to get past dialing the specialist's telephone number

Most plumbers are able to trouble-shoot problems with electric hot water tanks and the information I am about to express is fundamental. The hot water outlet is typically located on the highest point of the vessel with the safety valve connection nearby. The cold water inlet can be in the same vicinity or at the lowest level, on one side. There is a solid anode tube screwed into a top tapping and extending almost to the bottom, within the tank. Cold water which enters from above, must be forced down to the lowest point. This is accomplished by a hollow plastic pipe ( drop-tube ), having a small hole drilled into it. If you stripped away the outer jacket and insulating blanket, you would see the following.

Upper and lower elements are screwed into or bolted onto one side of the unit. Their probes extend within the tank and the entry points are sealed with some sort of gasket material. Two hundred and twenty volts of electricity travel from an electrical on/off switch, usually located a few feet away, to an upper thermostat whose sensor touches the metal surface. Similar in design to a room thermostat, it will call for and maintain a desired water temperature. If the liquid within that proximity has lost enough of its heat, the thermostat will trigger an electrical gate to be opened and current will flow to the upper element. Once the water temperature has risen to the factory-set setting, the gate to the upper element will be closed and the power will be diverted to the lower thermostat whose sensor will determine if electricity can pass through the lower gate into the bottom element.

The elements cannot work simultaneously because of the way they are connected electrically. An element which becomes defective will only influence how much water can be heated at any given time. On the other hand, a thermostat which has lost its ability to open a gate or divert power, will cause havoc and little or no hot water. That's not to say that whenever there's a problem, the culprit is definitely electrical. On cold water, top-fed tanks, the tube which forces the liquid to the bottom of the tank, may begin to disintegrate thereby causing incoming cold water to mix with outgoing hot water. This is called a ( plumbing ) short- circuit. Another problem on the plumbing side may be that the bottom element wants to work but is completely encrusted with sediment, built up over time.

Sometimes, after electrical circuits and obvious plumbing possibilities have been ruled out, there remains a situation where from time to time, only cold water appears out of certain, hot water taps. The case becomes more complicated by the fact that it is an intermittent problem. However, that’s where experience and some inside knowledge comes in handy. A washing machine hooked up to both hot and cold water connections or a laundry sink faucet in the garage, having a rubber hose attached with a pistol-type gun at one end, may be the source of the difficulty. Cold water can enter the hot water line, travelling through the solenoid valve of the appliance or from the right to the left side of the garage faucet, if there is a drop in pressure in the other line due to someone opening another faucet nearby. Eliminating this likelihood is easy. Just close the water shut-offs when you are not doing laundry and/or shut the garage faucet when you've finished with the hose.

In the case of a plumbing short-circuit, there is an easy way to determine if the plastic drop-tube has begun to disintegrate without removing it for inspection. Afterall, this would entail shutting down the power source, emptying some of the contents, cutting into the inlet pipe and then unscrewing the connection from the vessel. In some cases, hot water tanks are installed under stairs or in low-ceilinged areas where even if you performed the necessary steps to remove the tube, you wouldn't have enough head-room to take it out entirely. No, the easiest way to find out if this piece is beginning to come apart, is to unscrew a faucet aerator and examine the particles that the wire screen has trapped. If you see whitish spects of plastic, you can be sure that the tube is indeed breaking up.

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I welcome feedback, both positive and negative, on any of these articles. Please e-mail me at jerry@virtualplumber.ca