Plumbing Work By James

If you need filtered water, a reverse osmosis system is a good solution Install a reverse osmosis system under your kitchen sink to supply purified water. You can do it yourself in less than 2 hours. Benefits, costs and performance If you buy lots of bottled or filtered water or you’re worried about your tap water, a reverse-osmosis water filter can be a good investment. They can provide 10 or more gallons of drinking water a day. A system costs from $150 to $300, plus $100 to $200 annually for replacement filters. Reverse-osmosis filters remove many pollutants and chemicals, separating them from the water and then flushing them into the drain line. The purified water is then fed to the storage tank or the spout on the sink. However, reverse-osmosis filters remove the minerals that give water its taste, so try a gallon (available at most supermarkets) before buying a system. Install a reverse osmosis system Photo 1: Mount water supply feed Push the plastic sup...

Everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask     PEX tubing and fittings are starting to push copper out of home-handyman (and plumbers') toolboxes. Learn tips for working with it and what all the specialized tools and fittings are for in this article. By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine Overview PEX advantages PEX costs less than half the price of copper and installs much faster. And since it’s flexible, PEX makes remodeling jobs easier. I’m not a plumber. But like any remodeler, I occasionally find myself relocating a hose bib or fixing a pipe that managed to get in the way of my Sawzall. For years, my plumbing kit was a torch and a bucket of copper fittings. These days, that bucket mostly holds PEX fittings and tools. And my soldering torch doesn’t get used much anymore. Switching to PEX wasn’t difficult; PEX is a whole lot easier to master than copper. The only tricky part was deciding what to carry in my plumbing buc...

Here are nine of our favorite simple tricks and tips to save you plumbing headaches a     To save you time, money and headaches down the road, we collected our favorite tips and tricks for solving common household plumbing problems. Most of these tips make use of things that cost less than $20 and these tips could save you an expensive service call. By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine Stop sink-sprayer hang-ups Use pipe insulation to prevent sprayer snarls If you have to jiggle the hose as you pull out your kitchen sink sprayer, chances are the hose is catching on the shutoff valves. For smooth operation, slip 1/2-in. foam pipe insulation over the pipes and shutoff handles. Tape it if it won't stay put. Get the insulation at home centers for about $3. Silence creaking pipes Wrap pipes in adhesive-backed felt Running hot water can cause copper pipes to expand and grind against pipe hangers and joists. So pick up some adhesive-backed fe...