Tom Sawyer
In the Trades
Ok I admit my solution requires an adjustable wrench and a screwdriver.
Washer valve replacement -- what type do I have here ?
- Thread starter berkeleydb
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Was your old washer filling fine before the new one? Some of the new ones have the water "cut down" where it doesnt add much at a time and also some of them just adds it in "spurts"-lke off/on/off/on. Maybe it is more the design of the new machine than the piping. As far as the installers statement--some of them are clueless as to what they are doing so I wouldnt put much into their info. JMO.
How did the installer determine the flow rates? Did he actually perform a test, or did he just pull those numbers out of the air?
If you really want to check your flow, you can do that yourself:
1. Turn both valves off & disconnect the washing machine fill hoses from the valves. (If the valves don't seal completely, put some buckets under them to catch the drips.)
2. Get a garden hose (a short hose is easier to work with but any hose will do). Attach the hose to your the cold-water valve on your plumbing. Attach a hose shut-off valve to the end of the hose (you can get a small plastic hose shut-off valve from the gardening section of your hardware store for less than $1).
3. Open the hose shut-off valve and put the end in your wash basin. Now fully open the cold-water valve and allow some water to flow out of the hose (this purges all the air from your garden hose). Now shut the hose shut-off valve on the end of your hose (do not close the cold-water valve).
4. Place a 5-gallon bucket in your wash basin and grab a stop-watch (or a clock that reads in seconds). Put the hose in the bucket. Open the hose shut-off valve and simultaneously, start your stop-watch. When the water fills the bucket to the rim, stop the clock. Write down the time to fill the bucket. (Note: You can use a smaller bucket, but you will get less accurate results.)
5. Now empty your bucket and repeat steps 2 through 4, but this time using the hot-water valve. Be sure to purge the hose again as explained in step 3.
The time to fill the bucket should be very close to the same for both the cold and hot lines. If not, you have a problem, either in your valves, or elsewhere in your plumbing. If it is the same, then the problem is either in your washer fill hoses, or in your washer itself (if, in fact, there really is a difference in cold/hot fill rates that is not designed into the washing maching).
By the way, you don't have to calculate the actual flow rates, you only need to compare the fill times for the 5-gallon bucket. But if you want to know the fill rate, here is the formula:
F = (V * 60) / t
where...
F = Flow (in gallons per minute)
V = Volume of your bucket (in gallons)
t = time (in seconds)
Besides the torch, gas, solder, flux, emery cloth (or wire brushes), pipe cutter, pipe, fittings, fire shields, and fire-extinguisher, he would also need the most critical piece of "equipment": experience! While soldering is not rocket-science, it does take practice and experience to make good, solid, and long-lasting connections. Making a PROPER soldered pipe joint is not as simple as it looks. Many people with no experience attempt this, in order to save a few bucks, without ever considering the consequences and costs if the joint later fails.
Is everything hard in California?
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