Copper Plumbing – Aggressive Water Damage

Posted on by Tim Carter

Copper pipes and plumbing have traditionally projected a feeling of durability and strength when shopping for a house. This is especially true where I live, here in Cincinnati, Ohio. Perhaps it is based on the strong German heritage for which Cincinnati is famous.

However, new copper plumbing can deteriorate and develop leaks in certain instances. Often the cause is aggressive water.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

No, the water doesn't growl when it comes out of your faucets. Aggressive water does its work silently. Believe it or not, the actual mechanisms that cause the pitting and corroding of copper water pipes is not totally understood. The water scientists and chemists continue to debate this issue.

One thing is for sure though. Water, itself - that stuff you and I drink, is a chemical compound.That is scary. What's more, the actual chemistry of water can be varied and complex. Water you see has a tremendous ability to dissolve things. So there can be lots of different dissolved chemicals and chemical elements in the water in your plumbing pipes.

Even though the water may be safe to drink, it can still cause corrosion problems! Here is why.

Your drinking water, whether it is from your own private well or from a municipal water works, can have a slightly low pH (that is, be slightly acid); it may contain dissolved carbon dioxide (that is, be slightly carbonated like a flat soft drink); it may have dissolved sulfates, oxygen, or chloride. The presence of these things in your water may make it aggressive.

What Can Happen....

Thousands of homeowners have experienced the effects of aggressive water. It may express itself as an abnormally high water bill (your water line leaks outside underground), part of your foundation may settle due to erosion of soil by an underground leak, a pipe may spring a pinhole leak behind a wall or ceiling. It can happen any time of day or night, usually without warning.

Who's Responsible?

Depending upon how good your insurance coverage is, your insurance company may pick up the tab for cleanup and repair of your house. But, who really caused the problem? Is it really anyone's fault? Maybe more than one person is to blame?

Let's go back to the chemistry of water. Most people think that municipal water works plants just treat water to remove bacteria. Well, guess what, many water works plants do much more than that.

Most water works plants employ highly qualified chemists. These individuals monitor water for all sorts of things: bacteria, natural organic matter, hardness, organic chemicals, and so on.

These chemists are charged with a responsibility to not only make the water safe to drink, but also to make it safe for the water distribution system (pipes). They need to make sure that the pipes under our roads don't corrode. Well, the same is true for the water pipes under your yard and in your house. Your water company has an obligation, I believe, to make sure that your pipes don't fail.

Scale

The chemists at the water works have the ability to adjust the chemistry of the water in many cases. By adding basic chemicals, aerating the water (spraying it in the air to expose the water to the air), etc. they can, in many instances, make the water safe. Many people are aware that certain chemical elements (calcium and magnesium in particular) can make water hard. In fact, too much of these elements can cause a scale to form on the inside of pipes and clog them. But, if you adjust the hardness of water to just the right mineral content, only a very thin scale will coat the inside of pipes, fittings and valves.

This thin coating of scale is good for your copper pipes. It insulates the copper from actually touching the water. For this reason, older homes that contain copper pipe can often survive in the event that a water supply suddenly becomes aggressive.

Chameleon Water

Can water suddenly become aggressive? Well, I don't know about suddenly, but the character of water surely can change. Some water sources are more aggressive than others. For example, water works that derive their water from lakes, rivers, glacial runoff, or any other surface water source rarely produce aggressive water. The reason is simple: this type of water usually runs off very quickly into these bodies of water or is the result of snowfall or ice melt. This water simply doesn't have time to dissolve much of anything.

However, water that is taken from wells or aquifers is a different story. This water may have passed through countless rock formations. It may have been in the ground for months, years, maybe hundreds of years! It has had plenty of time to dissolve minerals that can make this water aggressive.

What happens if a water works system drills a new well, or drills an existing well deeper and runs into this type of water? If it does this, and then doesn't treat the water to make it less aggressive, you may suddenly have aggressive water in your home.

Is Your Water Aggressive?

Good question! How do you find out? First, do you know where your water comes from? The answer may not be simple. For example, here in the Cincinnati area there are many different communities all with different water supplies. To make matters worse, the major water producer, the Cincinnati Water Works, gets their water from two different sources. One source, the Ohio River, is a surface water source. The other, however, is a massive bank of underground wells in an aquifer.

So, here in Cincinnati there is a possibility that if the water from the aquifer is aggressive and if it is not treated to reduce its aggressiveness, I might start getting aggressive water into my house. It's complicated.

You can start your investigative process by calling your water works (if you have one.) Ask to speak to the head chemist - go right to the top! Don't waste your time speaking with someone in customer service, as they probably know very little about water chemistry.

Ask this person where the water comes from (surface, well, or aquifer.) Ask a few questions about quality. Is the water aggressive? Do they treat it? If so, how?

This is very important information for you to get, especially if you are planning to build a new home or replumb your existing house. The reason is simple. If the water is aggressive, or has the potential of becoming aggressive, maybe you should think of using a different piping material other than copper!

Copper Alternatives

If you want to eliminate corrosion problems associated with aggressive water, you need to abandon any metallic pipes. Metals and aggressive water simply don't mix. You are now limited to two primary piping alternatives: CPVC piping and polybutylene. CPVC is rated as an accepted piping material in all major model plumbing codes. Polybutylene is not. There have also been some major problems associated with polybutylene installations that would take me three more Bulletins to tell you about. So, let's stick with CPVC for now.

CPVC is simply plastic piping. It is very easy to work with and is an excellent DIY material. You don't need to be an expert with a soldering torch, as you simply use glue to attach pipes to fittings.

CPVC has lots of advantages other than being unaffected by aggressive water. It is not as noisy as copper pipe, it holds heat better, and it resists condensation.

CPVC piping made by reputable manufacturers is also approved by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). This organization develops very strict health guidelines that reach into just about everything having to do with food and drink preparation, distribution, etc.

The bottom line is simple. You need to do what is necessary to protect you and your home. A pipe which develops a leak during the night, or while you are on vacation, can cause thousands of dollars of damage. It can destroy items of sentimental value. You have the facts, now it's your turn to act on them.

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Ceramic Tile Shower Seat Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

shower seatShower Seat Permanent Installations

If you have ever had the pleasure (misfortune!) of demolishing an old ceramic tile job, you will understand why the tiles rarely, if ever, fell off the walls. The tiles were placed in a cement matrix - basically set in stone. Years ago, the tile setters mixed up a fine grained concrete mix and floated this mixture over wire lath. The tiles were then set soon after using a cement paste. The tile and concrete became one and the same.

You can achieve similar long-lasting results by using cement board. This product is 1/2 inch thick and is nailed directly to the wall studs surrounding the tub or shower area. If you use thinset adhesive(Portland cement, silica sand and often acrylic bonding agents), you will have the same long-term success that you see in those 100 year old houses. You can also get excellent results using the spread-on organic adhesives sold in cans or buckets.

Installing ceramic tile over regular drywall or the moisture resistant drywall is not a permanent solution. Water readily penetrates the grout seams in ceramic tile. This water then begins to degrade the paper covering of the drywall. Once this happens, the tile falls from the wall.

Plumb Walls and a Level Tub

Ceramic tile is very uniform in size and shape. The vertical and horizontal lines will readily telegraph a wall that is out of plumb. Tilting tubs will also be obvious. It is vitally important for you to take your time when framing walls and installing tubs or showers. Make sure they are plumb and level. If you are remodeling, you may have to cut long, thin shims to add to wall studs. You can also scab a straight 2x4 along side an existing out of plumb stud to create a plumb surface. The choice is yours. Plumb corners make cutting tiles easy. The dimensions are always the same!

Vapor Barriers

If your tub or shower is on an exterior wall, I would definitely install a vapor barrier on the studs before installing the cement board. This vapor barrier should extend over the up-turned flashing lip of the tub or shower. This way, if condensation develops on the vapor barrier, it will drain back into the tub. Use a heavy six mil vapor barrier.

Centerlines and the First Row

I always start laying tile with the wall that you look at when you face the tub or shower. This allows you to mask any cutting errors when installing the final corner tiles on the side walls. Draw a plumb, vertical center line that splits the back wall into two sections. Without using adhesive, see how the tiles work towards one corner. If you end with a thin sliver, you should lay your first tile centered on top of drawn center line. This will require you to shift the starting line over one-half a tile, but that is OK. The result is that you will end with larger pieces going into each corner. Try this and you will see what I mean.

Never lay your first row of tile on top of the tub or shower surface. These surfaces are almost never perfectly level. They often have a twist from the manufacturing process. I like to start approximately two inches up from the edge. I draw a perfectly level line and then tack a thin piece of wood lattice trim on the line. This little shelf supports the tile during installation.

Side walls do not use a center line. You determine where your trim tile goes first. Draw a vertical line that represents the grout line between the trim tile and the first column of tile. Begin laying tile from this line towards the inside corner of the back wall you just completed. Trim tiles are installed after all full and cut tiles are in place.

Installing Tile

I prefer to install as many full tiles as possible at once. I then do all my cutting at the same time. The job seems to proceed much faster. If you do this, do not allow mastic or glue to sit exposed where the cut tiles will go. The glue will "skin" over and not hold the tiles. Use a putty knife to remove excess glue from these areas. When installing the cut tiles, simply apply glue to the back of the tile and press into place.

Applying the Right Amount of Mastic

Mastic application is critical. Too little and the tile will fall off the wall. Too much and the surface of your job will look like a storm tossed ocean. You control the amount of glue by using the correct notched trowel. Correct pressure and angle is also critical. You must press hard against the cement board and keep the trowel at a 45 degree angle. When the coverage is correct, you will be able to see through to the cement board in each furrow left by the trowel. Be sure that you use the correct trowel size. Most 4x4 wall tiles require a 1/4 by 1/4 inch V-notched trowel. The tile manufacturer will have instructions concerning trowel size. Read them.

Grouting

Grouting is simple. Water is both your friend and enemy. You need to use water to rinse excess grout, but a sponge that is too wet will dilute the remaining grout, making it weak and prone to failure. Always squeeze as much water as possible from the sponge when striking the joints.

You will need to rinse the sponge numerous times. I would guess that I rinse a sponge no less than 100 times for an average tub grout job. Use a grout sponge. These sponges have very small holes and rounded corners. Sharp edge sponges will dig grout from the grout lines. If the tile looks clean while wet you are OK. The slight haze that remains will be removed in eight hours with a cloth.

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Regrouting

Posted on by Tim Carter

Grouting Ceramic Tile - It is REALLY Easy!

So, you survived the grout removal ordeal. Do you want to take a break or can you run with the big dogs and just keep going? Great, I knew you could do it. Let's get the few tools we need and get right to it.

Tools - The Bare Minimum

Installing ceramic tile grout requires only one sophisticated tool and a good sponge. You need a hard rubber float that has a crisp edge. These floats can be found at virtually any tile specialty shop. Don't get a rubber float that looks like it has a sponge pad! I want a float that has smooth rubber.

The sponge is very important. Grout sponges are synthetic and have rounded edges, NO sharp 90 degree angles anywhere. I like to use a sponge that measures approximately 5 by 7 inches and is 1.5 inches thick. You will need two clean five gallon buckets and a three inch wide mixing knife of some sort.

Wall Grout and Sanded Grout

Wall grout generally doesn't have sand particles in it. Sanded grout contains fine grain silica sand. It is used to grout joints 1/8 inch and bigger. Standard wall tile in most bathrooms will not accept sanded grout. It is used for larger tiles such as 8 x 8 and up where the grout joint is often 3/8 inch or so.

Mixing the Grout

I like to use clean water. I have tried the fancy additives. However, if you use colored grout, you may have problems with color uniformity. Only mix enough grout that you can use in one hour or so. That translates to about 32 volumetric ounces for an average job. Remember, it only takes four to five minutes to mix a batch. If you go slower and the grout hardens, you have to throw it away.

Mix the grout by hand until it resembles the consistency of cake icing. It should be able to stick onto a knife without any trouble. I don't want it as thick as peanut butter. Think you can handle that? As you begin to mix, the grout will seem lumpy. Mix it for about two minutes and just let it sit for three minutes. Spend this time getting warm water into the other clean bucket. When you get back with the water you will notice that the lumps disappear with a little additional mixing.

Start High - Work Down

I want you to only grout about five to six square feet at a time. Use the mixing knife to apply a wad of grout to the tile. Then wet the rubber float. Using back and forth strokes, bulldoze the grout across the tile. Always cross over the grout joints between tiles at a 45 degree angle while holding the rubber float at a 45 degree angle. Grout will get all over the tile and it will look a mess! That's OK. The grout lines will look fat and messy at this time. Remove as much excess from the tile as possible with the rubber float. Pull the float across the tile at a 45 degree angle to remove the excess grout.

Striking the Joints

Now for the fun part! Take the sponge and immerse it in the water. Squeeze the sponge to remove ALL water. Then gently rub the sponge across the face of the tile in a circular motion. The sponge will quickly fill up with grout. Rinse it out and squeeze the sponge dry again. Do this over the area you grouted until the tile looks fairly clean. The joints will still look fairly rough.

Rinse the sponge again. Now, turn the sponge on its edge. Run the sponge lightly up and down a grout line. You will notice that you can control the amount of grout in a joint by the amount of pressure you apply. More pressure, less grout in the joint. I like my joints about 1/8 inch or slightly less. Do this process on all grout lines and it will look first class. Rinse the sponge frequently.

If you did everything correctly, the joints will look perfect. However, there is still a haze on the tile. Wait about one hour or so until the grout firms up, and you can remove the haze with a clean and practically dry sponge.

Water - The Enemy

You need water, lots of it, to do a grout job. But the water is also your worst enemy. If you have too much water in the sponge as you strike the joints, you can dissolve some of the cement out of the grout. This will make it weak. It will crumble over time and/or powder and dust. Just squeeze the sponge hard every time you rinse and you should be fine.

Also, don't grout between the tub and the first row of tile. This joint should be caulked. Grout will get into this joint as you do the rest. No problem. Just use a tooth pick to remove it as soon as you finish striking the joints above it. The soft grout will readily come out with the tooth pick. Let the new grout dry 24 hours before using the shower. Any grout haze on the tile will come off with a soft towel.

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How to Solder Copper Pipe – Information Sources

Posted on by Tim Carter

Association & Literature Sources for Soldering Copper Pipe

You can get some awesome information on working with copper pipe or tubing from the Copper Development Association. They have great technical publications that help you understand exactly how to solder copper and the necessary steps to follow to get perfect joints every time.

There are numerous books that deal with plumbing. Each one usually has a section that deals with soldering copper piping. One in particular is the Plumber's Handbook by Howard Massey. It is published by the Craftsman Publishing Company. You can also find excellent material if you search the archives of Fine Homebuilding magazine or the Journal of Light Construction. Both publications have indexes that will help you locate articles. There is a good chance your local library may have each year's edition in bound copies. You will be delighted with what you can find. Don't hesitate to visit your local bookstore as well. Most stores are highly automated and can offer you a computer printout of books in print dealing with plumbing and soldering.

Click here to watch a video on how to solder copper pipes.

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Tile Grout Removal & Tools

Posted on by Tim Carter

Tile Grout Removal

OK, it's time to get to work. Hey, no coffee! It might make you jittery. We have four options available to us to remove the old grout. Two require hand tools, while the other two require the use of power tools. I'll describe each method and you be the judge.

Hammer and Chisel (Really an Old Screwdriver)

Option one works. I've used it for many years. It takes time, but it is effective. You simply chisel out the old grout. You must use a thin chisel, such as an old flathead screwdriver. The trick is to tap lightly and to hold the screwdriver at a 45 degree angle to the grout. If you pound straight ahead, you will chip tiles.

The other important step in this process is to chip "away from" grout that is in place. I know that you can not do this initially when you first start to chisel. However, once you have a half inch or so removed, you need to chisel towards the place you just removed grout from. This technique puts less stress on the tile than if you were to chisel towards existing in-place grout. You will never get all of the grout from between the tiles. You are simply trying to expose the sides of the tile or the unglazed portion. If you try to chisel too deeply you will chip the tile. NEVER drive the chisel down in between two tiles! This will crack tiles. Occasionally, you will have to gently scrape little bits of grout from the edges of tile. Take your time.

The Scraper / Digger Raptor Claw!

If you visit a ceramic tile store, you should find a hand tool that some people use to remove grout. It is simply a single piece of curved steel to which a singular thin carbide tooth is attached. You drag this tooth across the grout and sort of plow out the grout. It is tough to do and you run the risk of scraping a tile if not extremely careful. I have never liked using this tool to remove grout. It is, however, a very effective tool for scoring and cutting cement backer board for tile. Be careful if you choose this method!

Power Grinder - Dremel Tool

If you own or can borrow a Dremel®, this may be your best bet. These tools are variable speed hand held grinders. You can purchase up to 72 different tips to do just about any job. They have an attachment designed for grout removal. Once attached to the rotary tool, it keeps the tool at the proper angle and the cutting bit centered between the tiles. If you don't like the sound of a dentist's drill, this may not be for you!

RotoZip® - Another Power Option

Drywall hangers use a neat tool to cut out drywall around electric boxes and any other opening. These are basically a mutation of the Dremel Tool. The RotoZip uses special drill bits that are shaped so the side of the bit cuts. The RotoZip and Porter Cable companies make bits that fit this tool which will cut ceramic tile. If this bit cuts tile, it will easily handle grout. The RotoZip tool, in my opinion is much harder to control for grout removal than the Dremel Tool. However, it beats chiseling the grout by hand. Be careful and just go slow till you get the hang of it. There is a grout removal attachment for the RotoZip tools.

No matter which way you go, be sure to lay an old blanket or drop cloth in the tub/shower area. Grout chips, if stepped on, will easily scratch a tub or shower surface. Periodically, remove the blanket and vacuum or brush the chips from the tub area. The time will be well spent.

Column B150

Ceramic Tile Grout Removal

Posted on by Tim Carter

Ceramic Tile Grout Removal

How many 10 year old or older bathrooms do you know of that have pristine white ceramic tile grout? Does it look like the day it was installed? I can only think of two. Both of these bathrooms are used by people with no children. The rest of the house is also immaculate. Of course, I'm envious. I wish my life was so orderly to allow me ample time to keep everything so clean.

Grout is Really a Sponge

Do you know why it is hard to keep grout clean? It is because the material naturally absorbs water. Grout is basically cement with additives. If you look at grout under a microscope, the surface would look very rough and irregular. There are many places for small dirt particles, soap, mold and mildew to lodge. Bristles from scrub brushes and tooth brushes are much too coarse to get into these very tiny places.

What's more, certain cleaning techniques can actually create more problems down the road. For example, many people choose to use chlorine bleach products to clean ceramic tile grout. Chlorine bleach is a fantastic sanitizer. It can rapidly kill bacteria. It is also a very strong oxidizer. It will readily remove color from objects. However, it is a poor cleaner. It doesn't readily break apart dirt molecules.

One thing chlorine bleach does do, on a microscopic level, is to actually etch the surface of ceramic tile grout. This makes the grout even more porous! The chlorine bleach contains free floating chloride ions. These combine with free floating hydrogen ions that regularly appear in water. These two ions combine to form hydrochloric acid. The acid eats away at the grout! Want an alternative? I have found a non-toxic bleach called oxygen bleach. This is a powder that mixes with water. There are no harmful fumes as you experience with chlorine bleach.

The only drawback is that oxygen bleach does not work as fast as chlorine bleach. You may have to reapply it every 15 minutes or so over a period of hours. This is a small price to pay for using a product that is non-toxic. Remember, if you have a septic tank you can not use chlorine bleach. The chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria in the tank that eats the waste. oxygen bleach is a good thing thing for septic tanks. The oxygen helps the bacteria multiply!

Starting Over

Often ceramic tile grout becomes so dingy that it must be replaced. Or, the grout crumbles because of poor initial installation. In either case, your only option to create a sparkling white grout is to get rid of the 'old' and bring in the new! However, it isn't as easy as it sounds.

You can't easily bond new grout over the old grout. Attempts to do this often end up as miserable failures. One of the things that causes grout to bond to tile is its ability to grab onto the sides of a piece of tile. When these spaces are filled with old grout, the new grout just barely holds onto the surface of the old grout, not the tile.

The only real solution is to take out the old grout. This is a challenge, as you must not harm the ceramic tile in the process. Chipped or scratched tile can not be easily replaced or even repaired. The grout removal process is slow, laborious and tedious. It should be attempted only by those with the greatest patience and persistence.

Over the Hump

If you possess the right stuff to get the old grout out, you are over 95 percent done with the job....seriously! Installing ceramic tile grout is really not that difficult. During the past six months, I have given seminars at home shows across the nation. One of the talks concerns installing and grouting ceramic tile. I do my seminars somewhat differently. I don't do the work - the people from the audience come on stage and do it! It is fun and the volunteers really do great, especially with grouting.

The process is so simple that I am convinced you will get professional, or close to professional, results if you do two things: 1. Follow my directions closely. 2. Muster up as much hand-eye coordination as you have. Don't worry, it doesn't take too much!

More Grout Information

Would you like more information about grouts and ceramic tile? Check out the web site of the Tile Council of North America and the publications they have available. For example, one of their publications - Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation - is the bible for installing ceramic tile on just about any substrate. This booklet also contains information about different grouts.

"WOW, that's all I can say! I purchased your product last week to clean the grout on my 800 sq. ft. of tile, and it looks as clean as the day we moved in eight years ago. I must admit, I was a little skeptical when I ordered the Stain Solver, but after having used it, I know I will always have some on hand and look forward to cleaning my wood deck this spring. This is by far one of the best products I have purchased in many, many years. Thanks Tim!"

- Ed, Macomb, Michigan
Message from Tim:

Years ago while researching a column about cleaning decks, I discovered the wonders of Oxygen Bleach. It is perhaps the 'greenest' cleaner I know of as it uses oxygen ions to break apart stains, dirt and odor molecules. There are no harsh chemicals, and it works on just about anything that is water washable.

I decided to create my own special blend using ingredients made in the USA. In fact, the raw materials in the active ingredient are food-grade quality registered with the FDA. I call my product Stain Solver. I urge you to use it to help clean your ceramic tile grout. You will be amazed at the results!

Column B150

Water Hammer

Posted on by Tim Carter

Water Hammer

KABOOM! CRASH! You know the sound of your water supply lines rattling and clanging. Just moments before you were running water and turned off a valve. Or, perhaps your washing machine, dishwasher or icemaker just cycled off. Any quick closing valve coupled with fast moving water in a plumbing supply line can create the noise we call water hammer.

In reality, the loud noise is actually an explosion of energy within the piping system. Liquids can't be compressed. As water travels through pipes, it contains energy. If you stop this water quickly, the energy has to be absorbed somewhere. In most cases, the pipes vibrate from the reactive force and weight of the shock waves within the water. In extreme cases, pipes can burst, joints can develop leaks, and valves and meters can be damaged.

Pressure and Velocity

Water hammer is directly related to the velocity of water traveling through a pipe. Velocity of water travel is directly related to the pressure that is pushing the water. Low pressure systems simply do not develop water hammer problems. The low pressure - or energy - of the water just can't get the velocity high enough to create a sizable shock wave.

However, if you have high pressure you can still avoid water hammer. This can be done by slowing the velocity of the water flow towards the valve by upsizing the supply piping. If a fixture draws six gallons of water per minute through a 1/2 inch diameter pipe, the water will have to rush towards the fixture at a velocity of 8.6 feet per second to satisfy this demand.

If you upsize the pipe to 3/4 inch to feed the fixture, the same six gallon per minute flow rate can be achieved with a velocity of only 3.9 feet per second! This is a huge drop in speed. As you can see, the chances of water hammer with a 3/4 inch supply pipe are greatly reduced.

Pressure Reducing Valves

Pressure reducing valves can help to reduce water hammer in many instances. But they can also be the source of noise in certain cases. They must be sized properly. If your house piping is sized correctly - most residential houses should have 3/4 inch piping feeding all the main branches - then you should install a 1/2 inch size water pressure reducing valve.

If you install a 3/4 inch valve on a 3/4 inch line, the valve will not always function as designed. This can result in poor pressure control and excessive valve noise. ALWAYS READ the installation instructions to make sure you are putting the right valve in place.

Expansion Tanks

Water hammer used to be controlled by installing vertical risers near the offending fixtures. These are simply vertical pipes that are part of the supply piping setup. Basically they are a "chimney" pipe right next to the supply pipe. When originally installed, these pipes trap air in the riser pipe. The air works as a cushion for the shock wave created when the water flow is stopped abruptly. The problem, however, is that the darn riser pipes - over time - can become waterlogged. In other words, the air in the riser can actually be dissolved in the water. When this happens, you lose the ability to dampen the shock wave.

The better solution is to install an expansion tank. These devices look something like the propane cylinders for your barbecue grill. Inside the tank at its midpoint is a rubber bladder. The air on the one side of the bladder acts as the cushion for the water hammer shock wave. The reason this works is because you can compress air.

Quality expansion tanks will work for many years before they ever leak or develop burst bladders. Even when they fail, it is easy to replace one. They can be removed from a plumbing system as easy as you change a light bulb.

You would be surprised at how much air volume is required to absorb the water hammer shock wave. The simple 18-inch-high risers most plumbers have installed in the past just don't get it.

For example, if your piping system is sized at 3/4 inch and you have a water velocity in the pipes of five feet per second, a pressure of just 60 PSI, and a total pipe length of 50 feet, you need an air chamber that has a volume of 60 cubic inches.

Dual Solutions

You might be able to increase flow to fixtures AND solve water hammer by simply installing 3/4 inch pipe in as many locations as possible in your house. All too often, I see 1/2 inch supply piping in people's houses. The 3/4 inch pipe will reduce friction and slow velocity. Try this first before you do anything else. Make sure you install ball valves at each fixture branch for convenience.

Column B192

Ceramic Tile & Wood Subfloors

Posted on by Tim Carter

The feeling is unmistakable. Your body tells you that you are on a stiff trampoline but your eyes tell you that you are not. The wood floor you are walking across is bouncing. Has this ever happened to you? It has happened to me when I walk across the floor systems of many a new home. The floor joist systems are built to code, however they have considerable bounce to them. If you have ever lived in an older home, the feeling is quite unsettling.

Springy Floors Hurt Tile

Wood floor systems with a bounce are fine if you decide to carpet. Sheet vinyl products can also tolerate substantial movement. Hardwood flooring will also fair well on a somewhat bouncy floor. Ceramic tile, on the other hand, will suffer drastically if a wood floor system is too bouncy. Tiles will crack, grout will crumble, and floor tile will sometimes actually detach. The reason is simple. Ceramic flooring materials are rigid. As such, they require a rigid base to stay in one piece. Wood floor systems can meet the necessary rigidity requirements. However, certain guidelines must be followed.

I Beams - Height is Everything

Steel I beams have certain strength or load bearing characteristics. Wood floor joists are no different. Their strength is a function of the thickness of the joist, its height, the type of wood and the distance between supports. Many people realize some of these factors, however, not everybody recognizes that all of them come into play. The species of wood is very important. For example, a 2x10 floor joist made from southern yellow pine is significantly stronger than a similar sized joist made from spruce-pine-fir.

Subflooring is Critical

The flooring material installed on top of the floor joists is also important. If you are using plywood, this material also can flex. Thicker plywood is almost always more rigid than thinner plywood. The number of plys or layers in the sheet is also important. Many people do not realize that plywood of the same thickness can have a different number of plys. More plys is almost always stronger.

Tile floors need additional support other than a thick single piece of plywood. Three quarter inch tongue and groove plywood, believe it or not, will not suffice! An additional layer of 1/2 inch plywood or 1/2 inch cement board is usually required.

As for installing this extra material, you just don't lay it down and bang it in with a bunch of nails. It is vitally important that the seams of both materials are staggered from that of the plywood subfloor. This offset should be a minimum of two inches. Edges of the materials are most secure when screwed.

If you use cement board as an underlayment, it is necessary to spread wet thinset on the plywood subfloor! This thinset will fill any void spots that may exist between the two layers. These void spots often are caused by floor joists that are crowned differently.

Existing Floors

What do you do if you have an existing floor that is bouncy? This is a tough call. There is no miracle fix, I can assure you of that. Adding additional beams under the floor in the basement or crawl space is the easiest. This solution immediately stiffens the floor because you significantly decrease the span of the joists. If it is possible to do this, always make it your first choice.

Another solution is much more extensive and not always successful. You can install a "stress skin" on the underside of the troubled floor joists. A stress skin is a layer of plywood that is glued and screwed to the bottom of the floor joists while they are temporarily jacked up. The plywood, once the glue is dried, acts to stiffen the floor joists.

This solution must be engineered. In other words, you must hire a structural engineer to develop a plan as to how to install the 'skin'. Remember, this solution is not always worth the effort.

Wood floor joist systems will work with ceramic tile. I have used ceramic and slate extensively in my own new home. I only have one cracked floor tile in my entire house. This tile crack, I feel, occurred as a result of lumber shrinkage.

Read my "Floor Joists Materials-Span Table" article for the allowable span limits for your wood floors by two to three feet and you will be blessed with stiff wood floors. Or, use as tall a joist as you can afford.

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Floor Joists Table

Posted on by Tim Carter

Common Floor Joists Materials - Span Table

These tables state that the given floor joists will not deflect more than 1/360th of the span as long as they are spaced no greater than 16 inches on center and the load will not exceed 40 pounds per square foot (PSF) live loading plus 10 PSF dead load. Span is defined as the greatest distance along the bottom of the joist between supporting beams or columns. If there is any doubt in your mind, contact a structural engineer.

If you are planning a house or a room addition, be sure to consult with a structural engineer. Have him or her specify the actual floor joist size. In addition, ask the engineer to verify that the wood joist delivered to the jobsite is, in fact, the correct material. Look on the side of the joist for the grade and species stamp!

Common Floor Joists Materials-Span Table

Lumber Species 2x6 2x8 2x10 2x12
  .
Southern Yellow Pine #1 Grade 9'-11" 13'-1" 16'-9" 20'-4"

 
Southern Yellow Pine #2 Grade 9'-9" 12'-10" 16'-1" 18'-10"

 
West Coast Douglas Fir #1 9'-11" 13'-1" 16'-5" 19'-1"

 
West Coast Douglas Fir #2 9'-9" 12'-7" 15'-4" 17'-10"

 
Hemlock-Fir #1 Grade 9'-6" 12'-7" 16'-0" 18'-7"

 
Hemlock-Fir #2 Grade 9'-1" 12'-0" 15'-1" 17'-7"

 
Spruce/Pine/Fir Southern #1 8'-10" 11'-8" 14'-10" 17'-7"

 
Spruce/Pine/Fir Southern #2 8'-7" 11'-4" 14'-2" 16'-6"
  . . . .

 

Ceramic Tile Floor Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

Ceramic Tile Floor Installation Tips

Layout - The Key to Good Looking Work

Layout of a tile job is the key to a pro looking job. You need to be sure that you don't end up with tiny pieces at a threshold or along a wall. These always look bad. Rooms are sometimes not square. This means that if you start with a full tile along a wall, you may end up cutting tile or adding slivers of tile.

Chalk a center line each direction in the room. The lines, at the center where they intersect, must be square! Do a 3-4-5 triangle to verify for square. From the center where the two lines cross, measure three feet down one line. Then measure four feet down the other line. Using your tape measure, connect the two dots at the ends of these two lines. If you get exactly five feet the two center lines are square!

Now, take some tiles from a box and begin to lay them out with the proper spacing between them until you get to a wall(s). See what you end up with. Hopefully it will be approximately half a tile. Do the same where the tile will meet another floor. If you can start with a full tile at this location it sometimes looks much better. Remember, this other floor must be square to the tile layout! Adjust your lines until you are satisfied with your layout.

Glue - Thinset - Mastic

The adhesive that you choose depends on several things. If you use a plywood subfloor, an organic or epoxy adhesive is recommended. If you are setting your tile on cementitious board or concrete, a cement based thinset works well. The thickness of the adhesive is a function of the type of tile you are using. Tiles often have different bottom surfaces. Some are smooth, some have lines and some have lugs. If you put on too little adhesive, void spaces will be present under the tile. This can cause tiles to crack under concentrated loads. Too much adhesive will cause the grout lines to fill up with adhesive. This is a mess! The tile manufacturer will always tell you how much adhesive and which type trowel to use.

Cutting Tiles

There are several ways to cut tiles. Many glazed tiles can be scored with a tile cutter and snapped successfully. However, it is tough to do this along an edge if you are trying to just take off 1/2 inch. You can also use a diamond wet or dry saw. The wet saws, with a good blade, make smooth cuts. You can also buy a rod saw made from carborundum that fits in a standard hacksaw. This works fine but is slow going. Finally, a nipper tool will "bite" off chunks of tile for weird cuts.

Grouting

Grouting is difficult. You must work in small areas not allowing the grout you just applied to get too hard. When striking the joints use a grout sponge with rounded edges. Squeeze as much water as possible from the sponge. Too much water weakens the grout! It will crack and powder. Often you may have to rinse the sponge five or six times just to do a one foot by two foot area! Practice in a closet if you have never done this before. A poor grout job will show!