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Post by Tallpines on Feb 15, 2021 5:08:58 GMT
-20 on Saturday and we were without water đ±
and not a plumber to be found!
Our old reliable plumber of 50 plus years has RETIRED ..... and dropped his phone line ..... in favor of a cell phone and we donât have the number.
So 78 year old DH and the âhorse and buggyâ Mennonite neighbor ended up doing the work.
They needed to pull the 180 foot well đ„ș.....
Replaced the pump .....
Hereâs where our problem is NOW!
Lots of dirt/mud/silt got drawn up into our lines.
We have one sink and one toilet working.
We have 4 faucets still plugged ...... we have removed the screens on the faucets, and removed lots of debris but only get a very slow drip ...... DH is not physically able to get under the sinks to totally remove the faucet apparatus to clean it. Tomorrow grandson will come to help him with that and hopefully be able to clear the plugged lines.
My real concern is the dishwasher!
We have not attempted to use it yet, in hopes of avoiding drawing damaging debris into its internal workings.
Looking for advice on how to do a reverse flush on its lines BEFORE we try to use it.
Its a General Electric .... about 2-3 years old.
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backwoodsman
Full Member
Not quite at the ends of the earth, but you can see it from here.
Posts: 104
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Post by backwoodsman on Feb 15, 2021 5:57:28 GMT
If pipes are plugged with debris, you can blast a little compressed air into the faucets to dislodge it, using an air gun attachment on a portable air tank or air compressor. It's usually easier to do it at an outside faucet. You have to get a fairly good seal between the air gun and the faucet, then open the faucet all the way, and hit the button on the air gun. You only need a quick burst to dislodge the clog, then get out of the way of all the junk that'll be coming out.
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Post by Cabin Fever on Feb 15, 2021 15:06:44 GMT
Don't run the dishwasher until you have the other waterlines in the house running clear. If you do this, there shouldn't be any debris that would get into the dishwasher.
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Post by Tallpines on Feb 15, 2021 16:20:40 GMT
Our air compressor is a LARGE cumbersome assessory that âlivesâ in the garage.
Need to figure out how to reach the business end of the hose inside the house, to the faucet while creating an adequate seal for the blast of air to move the clog.......
Maybe we need to rent a smaller air compressor?
Any other options?
(I have never had experience in the plumbing department ..... and sadly, the DHâs problem solving abilities are declining .....
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backwoodsman
Full Member
Not quite at the ends of the earth, but you can see it from here.
Posts: 104
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Post by backwoodsman on Feb 15, 2021 16:38:47 GMT
Our air compressor is a LARGE cumbersome assessory that âlivesâ in the garage. Need to figure out how to reach the business end of the hose inside the house, to the faucet while creating an adequate seal for the blast of air to move the clog....... Maybe we need to rent a smaller air compressor? Any other options? You could rent; or, if you need to spend money, you could put it into buying more air hose. Or, borrow whatever it takes to get some compressed air to the clogged faucets.
You may only need to do one faucet, if it's only one clog affecting several faucets. So if there's one that's made to take a hose, like an outside faucet or laundry sink, that's where you want to start; those can be easier to press an air gun into and get a good enough seal. It doesn't have to be a perfect seal; all you need to do is shift the clog a tiny bit, but the better the seal the dryer you'll be when it's over.
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Post by Cabin Fever on Feb 15, 2021 17:35:40 GMT
Depending on the type of sink faucets you have, you may want to consider removing the cartridge (single lever faucet) or the valve and stem (duo hot and cold faucet). Remove the part while the water is off. Then when the part is removed, turn the water back on. Be careful, this will cause a geyser coming from the open valve, but it should flush any debris out of the valve.
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Post by Tallpines on Feb 15, 2021 19:03:59 GMT
Off to my Physical Therapy session now ......
Yep ...... when it rains it pours!
Both the body and the plumbing need work.
Definitely high maintenance !
Plumbing project put on hold for a couple hours .......
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Post by Tallpines on Feb 17, 2021 1:17:30 GMT
Hurrah!
Kitchen faucet and dish washer are working!
The utility room sink, toilet and shower still need work, but BOTH the laundry and dish washing machines are functional đ€.
David, a 19 year old grandson came over to help.
They started by removing the dishwasher from the cabinet, and cleaned out the track carrying water to the machine.
Retrieved lots of debris! Very good thing it was not carried deeper into the machine.
Next was the kitchen sink faucet.
Big job but again recovered lots of crud!
DH gets very impatient, especially when I am his helper ....... but David really has a way to keep DH more mello when stressed.
David is our grandson who was adopted from Ethiopia at age 4.
He is so very smart and kind and has such a calming effect on DH.
It took them 4 hours (with breaks) to get this far.
More doctor appts tomorrow.
Hope to complete the plumbing on Thursday!
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Post by Melissa on Feb 17, 2021 17:43:08 GMT
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backwoodsman
Full Member
Not quite at the ends of the earth, but you can see it from here.
Posts: 104
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Post by backwoodsman on Feb 18, 2021 17:54:01 GMT
Did the compressed air not work? I've not had it fail yet, but I suppose it could in some situations. It's always nice when a job takes seconds instead of hours.
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Post by Tallpines on Feb 19, 2021 2:31:09 GMT
We are old and slow and too many OTHER PEOPLE keep SHOWING UP to use up our time!
We already live in a woods!
Just not deep enough in the woods!
Now .... DH needs to drive a Mennonite neighbor to town 60 miles away in the morning ...... it will take most of the day ....
Maybe Sat. Morning he can get back to plumbing.
He is hesitant about the air compressor idea .....
Donât ask me why .......
Mostly because he is an ornery old fart ...
So far the crud we are coming to it pretty thick carp ..... ....
We have made enough progress to live comfortably ........
But ..... I look forward to getting to take a nice shower!
We are better off that a big bunch of people in Texas!
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Post by alice on Feb 23, 2021 18:50:47 GMT
I just ordered five of these for our house, renters, and friends. Our plan is to blow the water pipes OUT before the next event. Draining wasn't enough. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L3LN1ZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1Dual Purpose Winterize Adapter with 3/4GHT Thread, Winterizing Blowout Plug Fitting with Ball Valve/Stainless Steel Braided Hose, Blow Out Water to Winterize Garden Hose also RV/camper's water lines |
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Post by Tallpines on Feb 24, 2021 16:10:02 GMT
Update .....
The Shower was up and running Sat. Morning ........ felt really good!
DH said the shower was the easiest fix ....... should have done it first!
So ..... the sink in the laundry room was the last.
The faucet n that sink is actually called a âkitchen faucetâ ...... a high arched, Moen faucet.
It did not survive the repair.
Something got twisted off .... beyond repair.
Iâm certain the damage was due to the inexperienced âplumberâ.
Moen has a very good Warranty ..... but this problem was not a breakdown of the product .... but definitely caused by the repair man ...(DH).
I called Moen in hopes of finding a replacement part.
Moen lists this faucet as a $400 faucet!
They did not have âpartsâ for this particular faucet, but, they did have a whole new faucet.
At this point Iâm thinking we will just go to Menardâs to buy a much cheaper faucet.
Man on the phone says ........ with Moenâs guarantee, there will be NO CHARGE for the new replacement!
I reminded them .... the damaged faucet was not the fault of Moen.
They said that did not matter.....
As long as we were the original owners, even IF the faucet was 20 years old ........even IF we were responsible for the damage ..... there would be NO CHARGE for a NEW faucet.
It was my choice if I wanted FREE Shipping (about 2 weeks) or if I wanted overnight shipping for $20.oo.
IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS .....Fed-Ex was at our door with a brand new faucet!
Kudos to MOEN!
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Post by Melissa on Feb 25, 2021 20:02:55 GMT
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Post by janinco on Sept 3, 2021 15:18:53 GMT
Tallpines, What an ordeal! Wonderful to know Moen is such a customer oriented company. I'll remember that when we have to replace any plumbing parts. I sympathize with your hubby losing some of his 'abilities'. Mine, too and it makes him frustrated and angry at times. I try to be patient, thinking it COULD be me in that position. He calls me his 'corporate brain' when he doesn't remember something, saying 'I'll have to consult with my corporate brain'. It must be very hard for men, especially. We do what we can and I try to learn how to do as much as possible for the day when I am going to be the only one doing it. SO glad your wonderful grandson was there to help!
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