r/askplumbing

I own a condo in a pre-war multi-unit building. The bathroom has a flushometer toilet (photos attached), and I’d really prefer a conventional tank toilet for aesthetics, noise, and easier future maintenance.

Before I start getting quotes, I’m trying to understand whether there’s a practical reason this setup exists.

Some questions:
1.) Is there a reason a previous owner would have installed a flushometer instead of a standard gravity toilet?
2.) Is this usually a straightforward conversion, or does it often turn into a much bigger plumbing project?
3.) Looking at these photos, does anything suggest that a conventional toilet wouldn’t work?
4.) Would this likely require opening the wall or relocating the water supply?
5.) If you were quoting this job, what would concern you?

I’m fine paying for a plumber to do it correctly.. I just don’t want to start a project that turns into a can of worms.

I just discovered it was leaking last night and it seems to be coming from the top. I think i will need to replace it but im wondering if it would be okay to wait a few days till i have time off. Any idea whats wrong with it?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice before I go ahead with repairs.
I have a shower leak that’s affecting the flat below. The leak is not constant - it only seems to happen when the shower is used.
One plumber has inspected it and said it’s most likely not a constantly leaking water supply pipe because the leak isn’t continuous.
Instead of removing the shower tray straight away, he recommends opening a small section of the downstairs ceiling, running the shower, and watching where the water comes from to identify the exact source of the leak.
Does this sound like the correct way to diagnose the problem?
Has anyone dealt with something similar? In your experience, what was the most common cause:
cracked shower tray,
leaking shower waste/trap,
failed sealant,
or something else?
Also, if you’ve had this type of repair done, roughly how much did it cost and how long did it take?
Thanks in advance.

What's this black plastic thing that the valve cartridge fits into called?

I got the rest of the faucet out, cannot get this part out. Am I missing something? It doesn't look. I put an Allen into the 2-holes on that u-shaped bracket and they both go straight through. I'm going insane and my wife is going to be mad if this isn't out.

Edit: wife was right, I'm an idiot. That long brass not came out and my new faucet is nearly already installed. Embarrassed to say I was staring at that for hours and didn't realize it

Context: I’m trying to install an RO system. But my sink has minor backups once in a blue moon. The disposal side backs up and running the disposal removes it. The right side gets backed up once in a while and it’s harder to clear but I can usually do it with a snake. So naturally I worry that the RO waste water would back up the right side where I’d install it more often.

So I’m looking to do a clean out of my ptrap and I noticed the ptrap is lower than the exit. Does this mean that the under sink pipes are holding more water than the ptrap is supposed to hold since the exit is higher than the trap itself?

Should this be fixed? Are my concerns about the RO system valid?

I found this at my work’s new location today. Ground floor of a new condo build, it’s a business if that helps. I’ve never seen plumbing not connect before, seems like an easy thing to get clogged no? Is there a logical reason for this?

Edit: Solved! An air gap (or as one user suggested, personal urinal) seems to be what it is. There are major AC units that make sense here. Thanks everyone for teaching me something new!

Hello, I been wanting to hookup my generator to natural gas but had some questions.

Will it be okay to add a valve to the capped of 1/2" nipple and add the quick connect fitting inside the house? I will run the 36 foot line out a window to a generator that is about 20' away from the house in the yard.

Will I have any issues with pressure drops to the water heater and stove ( stove will most likely not be used if I'm running the generator)? In the event that I have to use the generator in the winter then I would most likely be using my wood stove for heat in the house and not use the forced air heat.

I have a Firman T07571 and my gas meter runs at 5 psi , 20 c.f.h.

No other gas appliances in the house besides the 3 mentioned.

Hey folks. I'm doing a bathroom reno on my house built in the 70's. The toilet has a lead bend that has split where it was folded over the flange.

Any good ways to repair this? I've seen the Oatey twist and set but don't know if it's recommended to use with lead.

How would you go about this?

Looking to replace the male side of the connection and trying to figure out what it is.
The male white plastic bit measures 18.5mm on the outside threads.
It threads into a black flush tank of an RV.

Forgive me in advance for my non-expert explanation. I’m not a plumber nor do I understand anything about plumbing besides flushing a toilet!

We recently put in a half bathroom in the basement. Running event for the bathroom was a bit tricky because, well, it’s a basement and there’s absolutely lots of pipes and ductwork in the way. Big rainstorm today and it turns out our gutters need a little bit of cleaning. Some rain was spilling over exactly where the outside end of the vent is, which is located below our deck. Rain leaked through into the basement. Ruined a few ceiling tiles and we might have to repaint the wall underneath the leak.

Was this installed properly? Should we ream out our contractor who put it in or should we just politely ask him to put in some sort of soffit or cover over the vent to push the rain to the side?

I live in a 1700 sq.ft townhome, 3 stories.

My wife dropped her vape in the toilet while flushing. I can’t get the auger through the backside because of the split. It jammed in there pretty good.

Was able to get a coat hanger around it, but it straightened back out bc it’s jammed.

Next up is air compressor from the backside.

Edit: For all the really helpful people who came to share their opinions on vaping. It fell out of her pocket after she flushed and was pulling her pants up. Feel free to go be unhappy elsewhere.

Update: Had to go to work. Tomorrow I’ll try putting a rope through and tying a rag to it and pulling it out that way. Wish me luck and thanks to all the helpful suggestions.

Also wax ring, I know.

Final update: I bought a new toilet. Thanks everyone for the help.

Hey just want to know what you all think of this repair. Looks fine to me just want to get some opinions.

Purchased this tub and recieved in April. Hired a plumber end of May to install. No matter what he does the tub continues to have drips from the drain body.

Gaskets that comes with the tub, tread tape, sealant, silicone or puty in place of top gasket. Nothing seems to work. I told him I don't care what under the tub looks like I just need it to hold up to a 24 hour water test.

I apologize for the photos. Its difficult to take good photos with the limited space I have. Any assistance would be great because im loosing my mild and obviously I cant return it at this point.