Simple Plumbing Repairs in the Home

Part 1

Transcriber Note

Text emphasis is denoted as Italics and =Bold=. Whole and fractional parts of numbers as 12-3/4.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 1460

SIMPLE PLUMBING REPAIRS

IN THE HOME

PLUMBING often gets out of order, and upon prompt attention to the little repair jobs depends its smooth, satisfactory operation. This bulletin describes simple ways of doing little things, with the aid of a few simple tools, to keep home plumbing in good working order.

Washington, D. C. Issued September 1925 Revised October 1936

SIMPLE PLUMBING REPAIRS IN THE HOME

By George M. Warren, associate hydraulic engineer, Division of Structures, Bureau of Agricultural Engineering

CONTENTS

Page

Faucets 1

Stop and waste cocks 5

Ball cocks 6

Flush valves for low tanks 7

Clogged pipes 7

Thawing pipes 9

Removing scale from water hacks and coils 10

Leaks in pipes and tanks 11

Cracked laundry tubs 13

Hose menders or splicers 13

HOW BEST to make small plumbing repairs is a problem that comes to most householders, as it is sometimes difficult to secure the services of a plumber. In such situations a little knowledge on the part of the householder often saves much delay, trouble, and expense. Where local or State plumbing regulations are in force, and extensive repairs or alterations are contemplated, the householder should make sure that the work is duly authorized and is done by a properly qualified plumber.

Few persons realize the potential danger lurking in leaky waste pipes, drains, and sewers, or in piping between systems, whereby sewage or an impure water supply may even in the slightest degree gain access to a potable water supply.

In making repairs it is often necessary to tighten or to loosen a screw or nut, and the householder is sometimes uncertain in which direction it should be turned. To screw or tighten an ordinary right-hand screw, nut, or bolt, first think of the head of the part to be turned as being the face of a clock and the screw driver or wrench as being the shaft which turns the clock hands, and then rotate the tool from left to right, in the same direction that the clock hands move. Conversely, to unscrew or loosen, rotate the tool from right to left, in the direction opposite to clockwise. Small brass screws and stems are easily twisted off and rendered useless, especially if a large tool is used to turn them. Undue strain should be avoided, as it may result in the part or parts being broken at an unfortunate time.

FAUCETS

SEAT WASHERS

Badly worn washers make faucets noisy, hard to operate, and wasteful of water. Moderate force on the handle of a faucet in good repair should stop all flow and drip. Figure 1 shows an ordinary half-inch =T=-handle compression faucet which closes against the pressure of the water. To replace the seat washer, shut off the water to the faucet. Unscrew the cap nut with a monkey wrench. (Placing cloth or thick paper between the jaws of the wrench saves marring the cap nut.) Take hold of the faucet handle and unscrew the stem from the body of the faucet. With a screw driver remove the washer screw at the bottom of the stem. This screw is often hard to start. Applying one or two drops of kerosene and lightly tapping the head of the screw may help to loosen it in the stem. Use strong, even force on the screw driver, the blade of which should have a good square edge to fit the slot. The head of the screw often splits before the shank of the screw turns in the stem, because it is already corroded and weakened. If it splits, deepen the slot in the head with a hacksaw, cutting a little into the shank of the screw. No harm is done if the saw cuts slightly into the stem of the faucet. The washer screw may now be turned with a small screw driver. Replace the old washer with a new one, replace the washer screw, screw the stem into the faucet, and screw down the cap nut. Rubber and fiber composition washers for hot- or cold-water faucets cost 10 to 15 cents a dozen. A "floating" washer, costing 15 cents, is very serviceable. A few washers of the needed sizes should be kept in the home. If none are at hand, a temporary washer may be cut from a piece of leather, rubber, or sheet packing. Leather is preferable on cold-water faucets and rubber on hot-water faucets.

Part 2

Figure 2 shows an ordinary 3/8-inch, 4-ball-handle compression faucet for a washstand. To replace the seat washer, shut off the water to the faucet and open the faucet one or two turns of the handle. With a monkey wrench on the hexagonal part of the stuffing box unscrew the stuffing box from the body of the faucet. Lift out the stem, replace the old washer with a new one, as previously described, and screw the stuffing box into the body.

A worn washer with constant leakage over the seat of a compression faucet, together with grit lodging there, often causes the seat to become cut, nicked, and grooved. The trouble occurs more often in hot-water than in cold-water faucets. Such seats can easily be reground or squared with a simple seat dressing tool, two types of which are shown in figure 3, A and B. A seat dresser with four cutters for different-sized faucets costs about $2, and its use saves buying new faucets. To dress the seat of a faucet, unscrew the stem from the body to the faucet, as above described. Screw the adjustable, threaded cone of the tool (see fig. 3, A) down into the body of the faucet, as shown in figure 3, C, thus centering it over the seat. With the hand, as shown in figure 3, D, gently rotate the wheel handle at the top of the tool several times, and the cutter on the bottom of the stem squares the seat. Turn the faucet bottom side up and shake out the cuttings. Reassemble the faucet and turn on the water to wash out any remaining cuttings.

Seat washers are subject to damage from metal filings left in newly installed water pipes. A good plumber, before screwing up a piece of pipe, always stands the pipe on end and raps it with a hammer to clear the bore.

Figure 4, A, shows an ordinary half-inch lever-handle Fuller faucet which closes with the pressure. As shown in figure 4, B, the bottom of the spindle is eccentric, so that slight turning of the handle moves the rubber ball to and from the beveled seat. To replace the ball shut off the water to the faucet. Unscrew the body from the tailpiece with the hands or with a monkey wrench on the hexagonal part of the body of the faucet. It may be necessary to apply a wrench to the hexagonal nut on the tailpiece and press the wrench downward to prevent unscrewing the tailpiece. Unscrew the stem nut, which holds the brass cap and rubber ball on the stem. Put on a new ball and replace cap and nut. Red rubber balls are considered to be better than black balls for hot-water faucets. Avoid using too large a ball, as swelling of the rubber may hinder the flow. Screw the faucet into the tailpiece. Just before the joint closes or "makes up", wrap a little string packing or candle wicking around the thread on the faucet to make the joint water-tight.

TOP WASHERS AND PACKINGS

A top washer or packing; snugly fitting the stem is necessary to prevent leakage upward through the cap nut when a faucet is opened. If the space is too tightly packed, the stem binds, nudging it hard to operate the faucet; if too loosely packed, water spurts from the top of the cap nut. Figure 5, A, shows a soft rubber-and-fabric top washer suitable for the compression faucet shown in figure 1. This washer is one-eighth of an inch thick and rests on the top of the body of the faucet, making a water-tight joint when the cap nut is screwed down. Just below the soft washer and inside the top of the body a thin brass washer is placed to take the wear when the faucet is fully opened. These washers are separated in the illustration but are together when placed in a faucet.

New faucets of the kind shown in figure 1 usually have the top washers shown in figure 5, B. The rubber washer fills the space beneath the cap nut, and the thin fiber and brass washers are for the purposes described above. If no top washer is available, the space may be packed with candle wicking or soft twine, to which a little mutton or beef tallow should be applied to lubricate the stem, to preserve the packing, and to make it more impervious to water.

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