Ill try to keep this brief. My wife and I bought a 20 year old home 2 years ago. The house had a water softener in line outside and Ive never messed with it. I got a quote for annual refills and maintenance and it was $1000 anually so I said Ill just hit my shower with CLR once a month.
Fast forward to last Wednesday. She calls to tell me weve lost water pressure and one of the toilets has what looks like "rusty mashed potatoes" in the tank. It was the resin from the water softener. It had penetrated the filter and or distribution tube and made it into the house. I stepped her through how to engage the bypass but it appears to have still made it all over the house.
I spent all weekend cleaning out valves and supply lines under the cabinets and my hotwater heater and now Ive got 80% capabilities back.
I have 2 trouble areas left.
Downstairs guest and master bath: my guest (half) bath gets hot water to the sink no problem but no cold water to it or the toilet. Also the toilet in the master bathroom is back to back with this toilet so Im guessing these 3 things are coming from one line that branches off to the these 3 (or maybe just the toilets and the guest sink is branched off from the guest toilet). The rest of the master bath is fine, hot and cold showers, sink, bathtub. Whole deal.
Kitchen sink and hose bib on exterior wall: I get hot water to the kitchen sink no problem but like the guest bath, no cold water. There is also a water hose bib on the exterior wall maybe a foot or two from the sink so Im guessing there is a clog at that T as well.
I guess my question is this, is there anything I can do to try and suck this stuff out from the valves? Houston is still in bad way for plumbing repairs right now and everyone is still booked for weeks after the freeze destroyed so many pipes in people's homes.
Im not comfortable cutting and replacing pipes on my own so if I have to wait to get those two toilets back and keep filling them with a painters bucket from the tub so be it.....but just wanted to see if yall had any advice.
Sorry for the novel, and thanks in advance.
Fast forward to last Wednesday. She calls to tell me weve lost water pressure and one of the toilets has what looks like "rusty mashed potatoes" in the tank. It was the resin from the water softener. It had penetrated the filter and or distribution tube and made it into the house. I stepped her through how to engage the bypass but it appears to have still made it all over the house.
I spent all weekend cleaning out valves and supply lines under the cabinets and my hotwater heater and now Ive got 80% capabilities back.
I have 2 trouble areas left.
Downstairs guest and master bath: my guest (half) bath gets hot water to the sink no problem but no cold water to it or the toilet. Also the toilet in the master bathroom is back to back with this toilet so Im guessing these 3 things are coming from one line that branches off to the these 3 (or maybe just the toilets and the guest sink is branched off from the guest toilet). The rest of the master bath is fine, hot and cold showers, sink, bathtub. Whole deal.
Kitchen sink and hose bib on exterior wall: I get hot water to the kitchen sink no problem but like the guest bath, no cold water. There is also a water hose bib on the exterior wall maybe a foot or two from the sink so Im guessing there is a clog at that T as well.
I guess my question is this, is there anything I can do to try and suck this stuff out from the valves? Houston is still in bad way for plumbing repairs right now and everyone is still booked for weeks after the freeze destroyed so many pipes in people's homes.
Im not comfortable cutting and replacing pipes on my own so if I have to wait to get those two toilets back and keep filling them with a painters bucket from the tub so be it.....but just wanted to see if yall had any advice.
Sorry for the novel, and thanks in advance.