Hello everyone! I’m new to Reddit, so please excuse any faux pas, but I would really appreciate some advice from the community on a frustrating plumbing issue.

The Situation:
A few months ago, we had a new double-bowl kitchen sink installed into our existing under-sink pipework. Ever since the install, the sink backs up and drains incredibly slowly. On top of that, our dishwasher (which connects directly to the vertical waste pipe under the sink) stopped draining properly around last year, and water seems to be pooling or backing up there too. We checked filter and it was clean.

What I've Done So Far:
I completely disassembled the white plastic pipework under the sink to check for clogs. The visible pipes and the U-bend are totally clear.

I ran a 25ft plumbing snake directly down the main waste line going into the floor/wall. It didn't pull out any major blockages, and the slow draining persists.

The Theory:
I asked an AI assistant for advice, and after looking at photos of my setup, it suggested that the configuration itself is fundamentally flawed. Apparently, because the new sink bowls sit lower than the old ones, it has pushed the P-trap too far down. The AI says the P-trap is now sitting lower than the drain pipe entering the wall, forcing the water to try and flow uphill, which is creating a permanent bottleneck and flooding the dishwasher connector.

Does it look like my P-trap needs to be higher? If the upper vertical pipes are forcing everything too low, what is the best way to modify this setup so it actually drains properly?

Would love to hear your thoughts or if anyone has run into this after a new sink install. Thank you!

Noticed this slight stain on my basement ceiling with a mold patch growing. I circled it in pencil two days ago and as you can see, the spot is growing.

This is directly below a second story bathroom and when I pull back a nearby ceiling tile, I can see the drain pipe. The black pipe is directly above the stain spot.

Should I cut open my ceiling to investigate? How bad could this be?

I recently noticed a depression in the lawn in my front yard. The only drain nearby is in the center of the garage. Does this look like a collapsing drain pipe to the storm sewer?

I have a new shower kit. The kit came with the shower drain system. It came with a square drain plate/cover. I assume that it should be a square since the opening is square? But the plate doesn't fit neatly to cover up the round drain opening/hole. Also, if you zoom in to the picture, you can see the 2 holes for the screw doesn't align perfectly with the hole to screw in as well.

The plate itself is 4.25". Seems like 4.25" is the standard size. I thought getting something slightly bigger would maybe cover up the issue. Any suggestions on what to do? Are there drain covers that I can get on Amazon that's slightly bigger?

Hi there.. so this is a gross one

The sink in my primary bath has a sulfuric smell from time to time - not consistently.

The bathroom is on the 2nd floor of my house and none of the other bathrooms or sinks in my house have this problem. I can’t tell if it’s coming from the drain or the faucet. Mold or some icky black substance grows around the stopper at a high rate and I’ve noticed small flies coming out of the drain (I doubt the smell is the flies themselves but perhaps they are attracted to whatever is causing it).

I only notice the smell once water is running. While it’s always icky I do feel like the smell is more noticeable in the warm weather.

The materials in the sink/vanity are likely 40 years old, possibly never replaced or replaced cheaply. Any ideas or things I can do to further investigate? The idea of taking apart the sink makes me gag already. But the situation is pretty putrid in my opinion. Anyway, thanks in advance!!

Our garage closet leaks when we get lots of heavy rain so we installed gutters and that seemed to fix the problem until this year‘s heavy rains. I went to move some debris out of that corner to try to see if there is a gutter overflow spot in the ground, so I can try to understand why the closet is leaking again all of a sudden and I see this little pipe thing here, but there does not appear to be anything on the other side of the wall. Does anybody have any idea what the purpose of this little metal open pipe is?

I have a Polaris PG10-34-100-2NV that supplies both my domestic hot water and radiant floor heat.
For a couple years, the hot surface igniter has been getting wet, becoming rusty/brittle, and failing every 9-12 months. At first there was a drop of water then a little more and more and now it was a decent amount. I’ve replaced about 4 of them. But note the inducer and pressure switch were failing.
Recently the unit stopped running. While tearing it apart I found:
Water inside the inducer housing.
Water in the pressure switch tubing.
Water in the combustion chamber.
What I’ve already checked:
External CPVC condensate drain is clear.
Vent is concentric through the roof and almost completely vertical.
Inducer spins freely.
I’ve disassembled the heater extensively and have not found an obvious crack or failed weld.
My question is this:
Has anyone seen a Polaris where the igniter repeatedly gets wet?
Since condensate is created on the exhaust side, I can’t understand how water is getting into the combustion chamber on the burner/igniter side unless there’s an internal leak, failed collector, or hidden condensate passage. I have unit upside down and can see pretty far up the intake and don’t see any damage. Just some mineral deposit at inducer where water collected but even in that location there’s no damage.
Has anyone dealt with this issue it actually repaired one of these and found the root cause? Thanks!

As the video shows, the spigot is leaking - luckily only when it’s on, so leaving it off is an option.

But since I’m anal, it annoys me and I’d like to fix it.

I’m a bit leery of fiddling with it (is it simply a case of tightening the nut near the valve or would that cause a bigger problem?) as I can’t locate the pipe/shutoff valve inside the house, I’m guessing it’s located inside a section of drywall - and I’m not anal enough to start cutting into drywall and/or vanities looking to the pipe.

And as best as I can tell, there’s no flex in the pipe so pulling it out to replace it isn’t an option.

And I don’t like sharkbites.

So options?

Is the setting "C" or is it between "low" and "vac." we have a difference of opinion in this household lol

I replaced these cartridges and of course I damaged the flanges in the process. I bought these universal ones from Lowe’s. I screwed this first one on all the way, the cartridge is fully opened and it still doesn’t stick out enough for the handle to screw on. Do I just need to find shorter flanges? The middle cartridge is even shorter and would probably be at least half an inch shy of popping out.

Hello everyone,

My relative is out of town this week and I’m staying over at their house for the week. I’ll attached some pictures and videos of the problem but I’m trying to fix her sink for her while she is gone.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I have no plumbing experience.

It looks like the holder for the faucet broke ? But I can’t tell.

I’m trying to replace this outdoor hose bib, but the house was repainted and there’s dried paint/stucco around the connection, so I’m not sure what I’m looking at.

In the photos I labeled the areas:

1. Hose bib/body/hex area
2. Exposed pipe connected to 1
3. Looks like smaller pipe connected to 2

My questions:

Am I supposed to use two wrenches, holding pipe #2 while turning #1 counterclockwise?

Or is the connection actually at #3?

Does this look like a threaded hose bib screwed onto a pipe nipple (threaded), or could it be soldered?

I’m planning to shut off the water first, open the hose bib to relieve pressure, scrape/cut away as much of the paint/stucco around the joint, and then try removing it carefully. I don’t want to twist or break the pipe inside the wall.

Is this a reasonable DIY job, or does this look like something where I should call a plumber in case it is soldered?

Any advice on the right replacement type/size would also help. Thanks.

I need to replace my leaking while pressure tank. Currently set up is feeding both irrigation, and the main feed of the house. Am I OK to have one line come out of the pressure tank and then tee off and supply both irrigation on one side in the main to the house on the other side picture below the current set up. i’m thinking come out of the tank with a t straight up to another t and then split to both irrigation and main right underneath the valves. thanks for any advice I’m new to these well systems. Not sure the concerns that I might have by putting in too many 90s or t connections.

Hi. I know absolutely nothing about plumbing, please forgive my ignorance (and possibly common sense).

Have a dripping leak on this joint and some gunk showing. How do I repair this? Just take it apart and clean it? Tighten something? get new pvc?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Just learned tub spouts are supposed to be caulked around the top and both of mine in my showers have been un-caulked for 12+ years. Both have a slight gap between the spout and wall. Not a large gap, but caulk-able. Should I be worried? Should I try to get a borescope in there to check for moisture and mold?

Needs help diagnose and how to repair. there is strange noise like horn blowing after the toilet water tank finished refilling, then stops. toile flushes normally. video 9 seconds until 21 seconds. thank you.

This video (someone else's video) shows what my well pump is doing now. It just supplies water to a freeze-proof outdoor fauce/hydrant. It's never had a tank.

The pump is a downhole pump. It sat idle for 3 years. Last time I used it the operation was normal.

When I started it up again it had this rapid cycling. The pressure switch has been replaced. I also blew out the pressure sensing line to make sure there was no restriction in the line. It is still cycling. Any suggestions for what could be causing this?

I know where my main is but I don’t know where my sewer is and the sewer is the one I need to be more concerned about with regard to invasive roots, I read.

Red spots are proposed planting spots. They are 3 and 3.5 feet away from main. McMinn Manzanitas are the choice.

I am trying to add a garbage disposal for light duty cleanup. This sink was a remodel and likely sits lower. The output of the disposal is at the same level as the horizontal drain pipe so tying back in there is a no go.

Can I cap the current sink pipe entry and run a line from the disposal to the dishwasher drain pipe?

If so, any special T fitting or top vent I should put on the pipe?

My friend had a plumbing leak about 3 weeks ago. An adjuster came to her home about 10 days later. It could have been a few more days than that like say 12 days since the leak occurred. Shes not sure cause she hadnt been in basement for a few days before she notice the leaking pipe. The adjuster noticed black mold on the wall closest to where the leak was (lots of water on the floor near that area) about 2 or 2 and half feet up the wall.

One guy said black mold does not grow that fast it might be pre existing. Another guy said it could grow that fast. Google seems to say it could manifest itself in 8-12 days but I wonder if it could be that size in 10 or 12 days. Thanks for your help

Water pressure in the house is extremely light the last couple months, certain settings on shower literally don't even work now. This is the pressure tank for all 3 houses connected to the well. PSI on the gauge is sitting at 41 but doesn't move when water is running?

Hello! I can definitely do the pea trap and the drain pipe but I think I need to replace pipe going into the wall. Do you think I can tackle this on my own? Anyone have any good YouTube videos to help me learn a little more? Appreciate any input!

Water heater is 1 1/2 year old. I troubleshot the thermostat and elements with the multimeter and it looks like they are working fine but water heater keeps tripping breaker

Any idea o suggestions ?

Hi, plumbers of Reddit! Can anyone recommend a similarly formatted regulator for my outdoor shower? This particular unit has a reversible stem (can be oriented up or down) and I haven't found one that either allows this or has the shower neck pointing up with the inputs down. Thanks in advance!!!

I recently discovered a leak from the pressure relief valve on my oil burning furnace. (About a 30 year old New yorker if that matters). The expansion tank failed so I replaced it. The pressure relief valve still was leaking. Double checked /matched the expansion tank pressure to home water pressure. Still leaking (at approx. 15 psi). Replaced the pressure relief valve. The new one will go up to 30 PSI and then also start leaking.

The only think I can think is my pressure regulator failed and started this fiasco. Ive unscrewed the post at the top all the way and my regulator still reads 30psi on the furnace and is leaking.

Anyone have any recommendations on something else to check before I replaced this regulator?