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I own a a Crouse Hinds Type 1 Electrical panel. The previous owner removed the panel screws and replaced them with sheet metal screws. I want to sell my house and the buyer's inspector flagged it as a safety issue. The Square D replacement screws do not fit...

Does it make sense to trench as little as 2 inches for irrigation line? What's the recommended depth? Is there a maximum depth for poly and/or drip?

I have a whole-house fan. Occasionally, when I turn it on, the pilot light goes out on one of my two water heaters. Then I smell gas. The fan is in a crawl space attic. The heaters are in my basement. Question: Should I smell gas if the pilot goes out? Or is it normal to smell gas...

This is getting ridiculous. I have called my landscape architect, two sprinkler companies, my very competent plumber ... No one who I called knows how to test a backflow preventer. These things are supposed to be inspected once a year. The testing procedure according to the FEBCO...

One of the four water pipe unions that I used to install two backflow preventers has a very minor leak. Is the possible problem that I used teflon tape on the male part of the union threads?

(1) My biggest problem is that my Wilkins 720A (http://www.zurn.com/operations/wilkins/pdfs/installation/IS720A.pdf) was not installed correctly by me ... at least according to Wilkins. Basically to make the plumbing simple, the backflow preventer is about 20 degrees off of horizontal. The...

This is only tangentially related to plumbing problems but you guys seem to know everything. This summer I had a new roof installed. The roofer insisted that all vents be installed by him because "I (the roofer) am responsible for all leaks". So I had him install the bathroom vent. We...

I don't work on gas pipe. Just chicken, I guess (see below). I don't work on stuff I don't thoroughly understand if there is a chance things will go horribly wrong. Nonetheless, I read with interest the thread titled Gas connection - thread sealant on flare end? and realized that I lack...

I had a Toto toilet clog. I have a "Master Plunger" that I successfully used to clear the clog but, ugh, the work. The plunger does not make a good seal with the drain. I can try to squeeze the plunger when the bowl is mostly empty and it does not make a good enough seal to have the water...

For reasons that I don't understand, one of my Toto toilets just doesn't flush properly all the time and, well, poop and paper clogs the toilet. Although I could (and, on occasion have) used a plunger to clear the clog, I was wondering if there is a safe enzyme or chemical that I can use to...

I currently have the following pump http://www. plumber surplus .com/pdf/03360.pdf (Grr. Frustrating that I can't put his url in without adding spaces) attached to my furnace. I'm going to install a Desert Spring Humidifier. (http://www.desertspringproducts.com/products/humidifier.asp) This...

I just had a new shower installed. It has a glass surround. My glass guy told me and my wife to use a squeegee to wipe down the glass every time we take a shower so that the glass doesn't go bad. He said it wouldn't matter if we had frosted or plain glass. squeegeeing is a pain in the...

My HVAC guy says that he "never installs bypass humidifiers" because it introduces moisture into an area that shouldn't get moisture. "It might work for fifteen years but why take the chance?" Any thoughts.

I'm not even sure if this is the right forum for this question ... but since I need water for the humidifier ... oh well. I have two forced air furnaces in my house. My HVAC contractor installed a Honeywell HE440A steam humidifier on the furnace that goes to my bedrooms. I am not happy...

Good general overview of backflow preventer, etc. I've read *sprinkler system project* and the good comments there. My question is about a different part of the system. My landscape architect has installed three drip lines. We're waiting until spring to install the plumbing. The...

I have a American Standard "Lifetime" drain. The drain has one of those new-fangled popup drain plugs. Mine does not popup when there is water in the tub and I have to hold the drain cap up away from the seat. Any ideas how this can be adjusted?

In another thread (sorry, don't have it) someone mentioned that copper touching HVAC material is a no-no because of the reaction between the two metals. The concensus was that this is true. Is the same true of copper touching black pipe?

Somewhere recently on this forum someone wrote that copper should not touch ductwork because of the chemical reaction between the two. Is duct tape adequate protection to prevent the reaction?

I've been taught that I should ream copper pipe before sweating the joint. What I mean by reaming is that after cutting pipe that there is a lip on the inside of the pipe that needs to be made flat. I've been told to do this in order to minimize the noise of water flowing through the pipe...

In another thread, *Extending shower/bath supply lines*, it was mentioned that one should not bother attempting to reuse a fitting. I agree. I've had very little luck with that and just throw the fitting away. Except ... Because of some, uh, interesting plumbing I had to reuse one end of a...