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A few decades ago, when California was the first to require a maximum water flow from fixtures, I replaced a kitchen faucet for a client. Her house, like many here in Vermont, was on a private well that provides 30-50 psi. I could only get a pencil stream of water from the new faucet. I called...

You did not note whether you shut down the cabin when not in use. It appears that you keep the heat on at 45 degF? What happens when the heater fails? Will the pipes freeze? I would stick with the electric tank. A tankless would cost much more to install, but for occasional use in a small cabin...

The OP stated that he put the sleeve and face plate back on but could not turn the valve. The cartridge has an inner and an outer section. The outer section sits in the brass housing, with ports lined up inside the valve body. It does not move. The handle pulls the center part out for volume and...

The earth does move and with climate change a reality, you cannot be sure that your static level won't go lower or that your recharge rate won't decrease (I have seen several cases). As wpns noted, the pump is only working against gravity from the static level to the highest faucet. A new pump...

My concern is how you will secure the box to the tile/concrete floor. In my experience, at least 2/3 of all residential toilets are loose on the floor, which can break the wax seal. Your box can compound that problem.

I have had several clients with pinhole leaks. The leaks are almost always in 'M' pipe, not in 'L' and is almost always caused by acidic water. The solution is either marble chips or soda ash injection, depending on pH. If the copper connected to the shower valve is 'L', I would not be as...

Back to the original post, you DO have a tankless coil in your boiler. You asked if a call for heat would take away from water heating, and the answer is no. The coil shows that it is rated for 8 GPM, which is plenty of hot water. That coil sits inside a small tank of water that is heated by the...

I am not seeing any sign of a water heater. The boiler control aquastat is attached to the plate where a tankless coil would be installed. There is no piping there. So what does provide your hot water?

The MaP score is a measure of how much of a waste standard (using a paste and toilet paper) will flush. It is a voluntary test that is conducted by an independent testing company. You can find those scores and more in the technical specs on most manufacturer websites,, such as Gerber, Toto and...

I would use a 20-30 ft. heat cable (not heat tape) that is inserted into the black poly water pipe at a threaded Tee on both the house end and barn end. You don't have to keep it turned on, but if you do you they are self regulating and don't need any separate controller. When the water line...

Looking at where the rust is and how much, my best guess is that water was spilled over the top and not cleaned out of the electrical box. If there is also that much rust on the back of the access doors to the heating elements, then my second best guess is that there is a leak in both tanks...

It might be easier to only have to stock 3/4" piping and fittings, but larger costs more. Larger pipe holds more water, which can waste a lot of hot water, especially for lower flow faucets. Uponor's cold expansion fittings with PEX-A do not reduce the size of the pipe at fittings.

Addressing the original question, heat will always flow from hot to cold and insulation does not stop that flow but only slows it down. Using a "noodle" to insulate a pipe slows heat loss in all directions will only keep pipes from freezing if the water in the pipe can be replaced with warmer...

When the toilet flange is sitting on top of the finished floor, which is the ideal height, and a wax ring with a horn is installed, there is not a lot of room between the ring and underside of the toilet. In my experience that sometimes squeezes out the wax leaving just the plastic horn and a...

You can buy an inexpensive tile grout saw to clean out some of the grout and then re-grout. If it is a colored grout, you might have a hard time matching the color. I do a lot of ventilation work and I have tested many bath fans for actual flow rate. Most bath fans do not blow anywhere near what...

I have seen low water levels in septic tanks when it has not been used in months. I have been told by the guy pumping the tank that it is common for the level to go down when not used for some time. Common sense tells me that if there were a leak and the house had not been used in months, then...

Yes that could be s snippet of ground wire, but the NEC has required a separate ground wire for MC cable for many years. Depending on the metal jacket and connections for grounding is not allowed.

The orange sediment may be rust. A 5 micron will capture some but not all rust. The rust can be from iron in the bedrock or from the exposed steel casing. If it is rust there is a lot and that would require a different water treatment system. Have the water tested and consult a water treatment...

If the Supply and return are separate pipes that connect to the boiler supply and return and are both dead-ended on the far end, then monoflo tees are not used. If the supply and return is one big loop from the supply of the boiler to the return of the boiler, then monoflo tees are needed, and...

Heat, or thermal energy, flows from hot to cold. Just insulating a pipe will slow down the rate of that flow but won't stop it. If you insulate the water pipe coming into the house with a waterproof insulation such as foam pipe insulation, freezing weather will eventually cool the water in the...