Q. A realtor told this to my fiance on a house. Rather than going ahead and paying an inspector, what does this mean? What does "new plumbing" entail?

A. Well it depends on WHAT he told her....if he said new plumbing then he probably means new water AND drain lines......that would be a repipe of both systems.....but if he said new kitchen lines or bathroom lines then he meant just that......find out EXACTLY what her told her....NOW after saying that i would STILL get the inspector bacause he doesnt just check plumbing...he looks at the WHOLE house.....the framing and support.....electrical.....plumbing....foundation......roof......walls....EVERYTHING....so i would definitely get the inspector that way u will know everything thats needs fixing and not just the plumbing

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Q. I have a shower and the plumbing runs up from the floor. On the wall the containing the plumbing, on the opposite side, is an electrical switch and outlet. What is the minimum safe distance between the electrical lines and the plumbing so that a plumbing leak doesn't result in someone being killed or hurt?

A. There is no NEC (national electric code) restriction on this. The supply pipes and electric wire and box could actually all be on the same stud.

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Q. According to my previous research about ponds, I will need an electricity and plumbing source for a pump in a pond. I would like my pond to be around 100 gallons maximum. So how difficult is it to bring electricity and plumbing to my desired location? Thanks-- any help will work!

A. I have 2 ponds, both over 100 gallons, 40' from my house, and the only plumbing I have ever needed is in my outside water faucet, with my hose attached. If you want electricity, I paid a handy man $300. He dug the trench, laid the conduit, wired the box and tapped into my household circuit.

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Q. I had a main sewer back-up. A plumber came and snaked more than 125 feet away from my building and pulling not only baby wipes, diapers but also sweaters, plastic bags, duct tapes, which were impossible to come from tenant's toilets. He said my main sewer was 125 feet long, and there were such garbage so it takes time to clean. Then he said he had to jet water. I asked him if it would really solve the problem. He said yes. So I asked him to do it. I had used this plumber several times. When he came for the first time, he had told me his company would not charge with no result. He and his partner were jetting water for a long time. His partner was saying "Why so much sand and dirt coming out?" Another one was saying "because the main sewer to the city connection is 125 feet, it takes a long time to clean." It was already late at night. They wanted come back next morning. I asked if it would really solve the problem or something might be wrong with the main sewer, because how can that take so long to clean. They still said, if they jet water for two more hours, the main sewer would unclog. So I told them to come back next day. The next morning, the big plumbing company sent two different plumbers. They immediately said it must be a case of a broken main sewer even without trying to snake or jet water. The plumber said because there were so much dirt and soil in the pit, it must come from the crack in the pipe, any plumber would suspect it. Then they inserted a snake and told me that they felt there was a crack 5 feet away from the pit. They said they did not think my main sewer was 125 feet long but 20 feet to the connection to the city sewer, and that they would show us if it was a case of a broken main sewer pipe. Then they started to jet water, but not 125 feet away, but just 5 feet away from the pit. Water shot up from the dirt area on the street. They said "It was a case of broken main sewer pipe. Cleaning does not solve the problem. There is no charge for this job, you should call an excavation company because we don't do replacement of main sewer pipe," and left. A Plumbing/excavation company replaced the main sewer. During the excavation, everyone saw my main sewer was not 125 feet but 20 feet. All the workers and EPA inspector told me, "Any plumber in right mind would not think your house line is 125 feet, in this crowded neighborhood in NYC and when there is city sewer running just in front of the house." Then I saw a charge on my credit card nearly $2,000 for cleaning job for the water jet job. I called customer service only to be screamed, "We don't work for free!!" I said, "But your worker had told me your company don't charge for no result," She said, "Water jet is different!" I said, "He did not say that," She said, "He should have told you so!" The plumber who jetted water for hours to no avail called me. I asked him why he did not suspect main sewer was broken when his co-workers who came next day immediately could tell. He said he could not see the dirt in the pit because it was dark, (I don't buy it because the basement is always dark and he was using portable light.) somehow he came to believe my main sewer was 125 feet and tried his best to clean. About him having told me "They don't charge with no result," and not saying "But water jet was an exception," He admitted and apologized but said he could not reverse the charge because he was not in the accounting department. I filed dispute with my credit card company. They told me to get a letter from the plumber who replaced the pipe stating what the first plumber did was wrong. I got the letter stating, "the main sewer was not 125 feet but it was only maximum 30 feet and it was broken, we replaced the pipe," A customer service said the letter was perfect, reversed the charge and told me the plumber could not re-reverse the charge. Then someone else from the bank called me and said "The plumber's lawyers disputed the letter did not say what they did was wrong so they are offering $750 refund, Do you agree or not?" I could not make sense out of what was being told so said how I can't just agree when you are saying something completely different from the first customer service who called me? Then $2,000 charge is back on my credit card. I feel the plumber is no entitled to this fee. I understand they worked. But why did they have to work until the bill is $2,000? They could have just suspected the main sewer was broken before accumulating charge nearly $2,000. If they did not tell me that my main was not broken but 125 feet long that was the reason why they had to clean for a long time but it would unclog only if they kept doing, I would not have told them to do it. What should I do?

A. Nop·

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Q. I am just now starting to finish my basement. When we built 2 yrs ago we had it prepped for a bathroom and a wet bar. We are starting at the bathroom, do we put the walls up first and have the plumber out before the walls go up? Do we want the sink/tub/toilet there for him or is that not necessary? I guess my question is what steps do I take and in what order? Thanks in Advance!!

A. Do your framing for the walls, then call the plumber to have him install the pipes that will be hidden inside the wall. The bathtub etc can also be installed at the same time. Install the water faucets after the room is finished/walls installed so they will not be accidentally damaged during construction. Hint: Tape the drains & cover the toilet while you work so construction material, nails etc won't fall into the drain. 1 nail lodged in the drain, add some hair/sludge equals a real problem to fix later.

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Q. I cut a chase in sub-floor to change plumbing from a tub to a shower, i covered sub-floor with 1/4 durarock,then cement for a solid base,morter mix to slope floor towards drain i was then going to install a membrane when customers tile installer said it had to be removed and replaced that i installed it incorrectly. It was my understanding that after the membrane he was to install thinset over membrane and then tile ? can someone please help answer my questions i still am not sure if i made any mistakes i was trying to ensure a good base for durable longevity

A. The membrane goes behind the durock, and under the mortar bed, the idea is that the membrane holds all the water in and is the last defense between the wood and durock/mortar bed, thinset wont bond to the membrane, it is meant to be attached to concrete of some form whether durock or the mortar bed...putting a membrane in between will keep the the thinset from attaching properly and in turn would cause a horrible tile job, you will need to rip out everything you did and start over from the frame work, dont be surprised if this customer doesn't call you back for anymore work. i would suggest hiring a sub-contractor who knows how to do the job properly and eat the cost if you want to maintain any kind of reputation. and dont take jobs that you aren't 100% sure you know how to do. i dont suggest shoving the membrane under the mortar bed or making an attempt to "make" it work...if its not done right and it leaks you can face a law suit for future water damage because of poor installation of membrane. It has to be done right.

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Q. I had the plumbers in here on Friday to install a cutoff valve in hopes of getting a new refrigerator soon. I just had a "floating" vinyl floor installed 6 months ago. Good Armstrong high quality flooring. When the plumber moved my old peg-legged (no rollers on this baby) refrigerator he tore and "X" 4 inch by 4 inch section of my new flooring. They want to patch it. I say replace it. If it had been 4 or 5 years old I could live with a patch. I saved a long time to get this flooring installed. I paid cash for the materials and installation. What would you do?? Well good news!!! The plumbing company has agreed to replace my flooring. The President of the Company came out himself and said "if it was my house I would want it replaced too". End of story - problem solved. Thank you all for your answers. And oh Bob, nanananana!!!

A. Of course the contractors will tell you to patch it, they don't have to live with the floor. Is it too much to ask that the appliance be moved properly, is this his first job. A responsible contractor carries a set of furniture, appliance movers to avoid this situation. There is no way to patch this floor without leaving an obvious defect. Demand a new floor and if they don't respond, call the plumbers association and the better business bureau. That's the cost of doing business carelessly. If he broke your sink would you let him patch it, if it's a real business, he has liability insurance. Once you agree to a patch you are relinquishing your claim

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Q. - Quote to replace tub and tub surround - $1,700 - "this would be barring any problems" - Remove and dispose old carpet & baseboards - $300 - Paint entire apartment including kitchen and bathrom cupboards and hallway -$2,100 - Carpet installation (275 sq.ft) and vinyl flooring (275 sq.ft) - $2500 The apartment is a 1-bedroom only 550 sq/ft. it's a rental business and not in the best area in town in Ontario, Canada so I just want it to be nice and simple, not expensive fancy stuff. (for example commercial grade carpet is perfect). There was a heavy smoker living there before. is it possible painting is more expensive becasueof that for example? how much approximately should the above items really cost? THANKS.

A. If the tub quote includes the tub, new plumbing and faucets it is OK. Not good, but OK. The rest of those are nuts. The carpet and vinyl, removal, and replacement is more like 800-1000, unless you are buying high end carpet. Painting a place that small is maybe 60 in supplies and 100 to paint, it will take 6-7 hours to prep and paint. Another 2 hours for the cupboards.

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