How to Fix Galvanic Corrosion

Galvanic Corrosion is an electro/chemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially to another when both metals are in electrical contact, in the presence of an electrolyte. wikipedia.com

In plumbing the process takes place when pipes, made of different metals, are joined together. Most often this is copper and galvanized steel water pipe. Water in the system, along with minerals and various chemicals contained in drinking water, provides the electrolyte bath. The most common occurrence is at water heaters where copper water pipe connects to the steel tank of the heater.

As you can see in the photo, the iron nail is being corroded by the copper wire. In galvanic corrosion the greater the difference of electro-potentials of the metals the faster corrosion takes place. In the case of copper and galvanized steel the difference is quite large, even greater than the iron nail shown. In situations where copper pipes are directly connected to steel pipes the steel corrodes quickly.

If we have a water heater, which has a steel tank with two threaded steel outlets, and copper adapters are screwed directly into those outlets, it is only a matter of time before the steel corrodes and the tank begins to leak. When the tank begins to leak there is no choice but to replace the heater.

So why does anyone connect copper pipes to a steel water heater tank, and how can we make a connection that will not cause corrosion?

People make direct connections because they don't understand galvanic corrosion and/or they don't know the proper way to connect dissimilar types of pipe. The goal is simply to keep the dissimilar metals away from each other. Teflon tape or pipe joint compound on the threads will not accomplish this! We need better isolation. In the picture below you can see that the copper adapters which were connected directly to the water heater tank have been removed and replaced by isolating nipples.

The nipples used in the tank are “dielectric nipples” made of a non-conductive allow and lined with plastic. This breaks the electrical bond between the dissimilar metals and also with the water (electrolyte) inside the pipe. From there I used a heavy brass push-on fitting to eliminate the need of soldering.

We could also use a dielectric union. They use a rubber gasket between the union faces and a plastic collar between the union nut and the copper part of the union to isolate the dissimilar metals from contact. The goal again is to keep the dissimilar metals and the electrolyte bath provided by the water inside the pipe from making contact.

We have looked at water heaters, but anywhere copper meets steel is a potential for corrosion. In older homes and buildings galvanized water mains are often replaced or repaired using copper tubing without proper isolation. This only causes already corroded pipes to corrode faster. Anywhere copper or brass meets steel dielectric nipples and/or fittings should be used for the transition.

As you can see in the picture above it is not a difficult nor expensive procedure to properly isolate your steel water heater tank from the copper water lines attached to it, and it could prevent the very costly need to replace a corroded and leaking water heater. Dielectric nipples are available in pairs for under $10 (USD) and push-on fittings are around $6 (USD) each, so for less than twenty-five bucks you can save yourself from having a corroded water heater. That replacement could run over a grand!

How to Fix a Stove - DIY

Big party at your place tonight and the stove is on the fritz? Even worse, a nice romantic dinner planned and you just can't do take-out again. Never fear, most of the parts on a standard electric range top are easy to replace.

First step, narrow down the trouble. If nothing works, not even the clock and the indicator lights, you've probably blown a fuse or kicked a breaker – but you've already checked that. Right? Right. So let's assume we have power, clock works, lights work, maybe even the oven works. 

The most common failure is for a burner to stop heating or stop heating enough. If all of your burners go out at the same time, and you still have power to the stove, there are internal problems and you need to call in the service tech. If it's just a burner, we can handle that in a jiffy. No Problem.

Most electric range tops have an arrangement of four burners, two small and two large. The burner elements themselves simply plug into a socket hidden under the range top. You can lift up the burner and pull it out, then replace it by plugging in a new burner. If another burner of the same size is working, try switching them. That will tell you if the burner is bad. If it is you can pick one up at the hardware or home improvement store and replace it.

If the burner is okay when you try it in another socket, the next likely culprit is the socket itself. Lift the range top and look underneath at the socket the burner plugs into. On most ranges this is done by lifting the front of the range top. This allows for easy cleaning beneath the burners. You have been cleaning beneath your burners haven't you? Of course you have.

Inspect the socket for cracks, charring, and broken or frayed wires and connections. As long as you are there, check all four sockets, burners, and any wiring visible. If one or more sockets show excessive wear they are easily replaced. One screw holds the socket in place and, though you may need to cut the wires going to the old socket to attach the new socket, the new socket comes with wire nuts designed for that very task.

Home improvement stores carry a wide range of the most common replacement parts. While you are there buying new sockets and/or burner elements, go ahead and pick up some new burner pans and rings to make your old stove look brand new.

If the socket is good, and the burner is good, the next logical suspect is the control switch. Again, the wonderful thing about an electric stove is that so many parts are interchangeable. You can switch the switches just like we did the burners. But first pull out the stove, or lift out the range top, and unplug it.

Electric stoves have large three-pronged plugs and use 240 volts, not the 120 volts your other kitchen appliances use. That is twice as many volts, so you can imagine it will shock you twice as bad. Respect it. But you are always careful with your electric appliances. Right? Right.

If you remove the back cover from the control panel you can see all the controls and their wiring. These switches generally have plug-in type electrical connections for easier replacement. This also makes it easier for us to test our suspect control switch.

Disconnect the wires from the suspected bad switch, noting which wire goes where, and tape them off so they can't touch anything or each other. Disconnect the wires from another switch that controls the same size burner that you know is working. Connect these wires to our prime suspect making sure you plug the right wires in all the right places.

Plug in the stove and turn on the control switch we believe to be faulty. If the control switch works with the new wires the control is good and there is a problem with the internal wiring of the stove. You will need to call in the service tech, but since you have narrowed down the problem and the service company probably charges by the hour, you have still saved yourself some money.

If the control switch still doesn't work with the new wires then the switch is bad. The faulty control switch can be replaced as easily as the faulty burner socket. You may need to visit an appliance dealer to get the right control switch for your make and model of stove, so go ahead and remove the switch and take it with you to match. Just be sure to plug those loose wires back into their original control switch.

How to Fix a Dripping Faucet - DIY

Laying in bed at three in the morning, head pounding from a long day or a long night, blissful silence filling the air, until – drip. The sound of a single drop of water falling less than a foot to crash into the bottom of a sink. The most annoying sound in the universe. Then another. And another.

After a few minutes, an eternity at three in the morning, the sonic torture could drive even a more stable person to rip the faucet from the sink and hurl it through the window. But that really wouldn't help, would it, other than the momentary pleasure brought on by wanton destruction.

Fixing a dripping faucet is a fairly simple task, though not at three in the morning, so let's just quiet it for now and I'll tell you how to fix it after you've had some sleep.

There are two small valves, appropriately called stops, underneath the sink cabinet. Turn the handles clockwise until they, well, stop. Now turn the faucet on to relieve the pressure then turn it back off. No more drip.

Now if you don't want to battle through the mass of junk stuffed under the sink cabinet, to find those little stops, or if you aren't coherent enough at three in the morning to puzzle out which way clockwise is, we have an alternative. Grab a sock or a knee-high, slide it over the dripping spout and let the rest lay in the sink. The drip will wick silently down the hosiery, and into the sink, letting you go back to sleep.

In the morning you can call a plumber or fix it yourself. It really isn't that hard. The first thing you'll need to know is what brand the faucet is. The manufacturer's name is usually marked somewhere on the main body of the faucet. 

The most common type of faucet uses a cartridge to control the flow of water; either a single cartridge that controls both hot and cold, or two separate cartridges. Some older faucets have stems with washers on the bottom that can be replaced, and some even use a ball and gaskets. First thing to do is remove the handle(s), after you have found and turned off those little stops we were talking about buried deep within the cabinet.

If the faucet has two handles, they will most likely have a Phillips-head screw in the top that holds them secure. This may be covered by a small plastic cover. If your faucet has a single lever, there will most likely be a small Allen-head set screw at the handles base. Some fancy designer handles have special ways to remove them. If you have that kind of faucet, you're on your own.

Beneath the handle(s) you'll find a nut. This nut holds the stem in place. Remove the nut and the stem will screw out, if that's the type of faucet you have, and you can replace the rubber washer, held on by another Philips-head screw, on the bottom. After you replace the washer, just put it all back together.

It is more likely you'll have a cartridge. There will be a small retaining clip that holds the cartridge in place. Remove the clip and the cartridge will slide out. Take it with you to the hardware or home improvement store to match. Remember what the name brand is, it will help narrow the search down. Slide in the new cartridge, slip in the retaining clip, and put it all back together.

If you removed the handle and there is a dome shaped packing nut, you probably have a single lever Delta faucet. You can purchase a Delta repair kit that comes with everything you'll need: a ball, gaskets, springs, even a nifty little wrench. Screw off the dome shaped packing nut, remove the ball-stem, the rubber gaskets (yes Delta is the original “Washerless Faucet ™” – it has gaskets) and the little springs under the gaskets (that are not called washers). Just put the new parts in where you took the old parts out and you're done.

Now you are ready to brave the jungle under the sink again and turn the stops back on, slowly. Just turn them on about a half turn then look for leaking water around the packing nuts, make sure the faucet will turn on and off, look for leaking water again and tighten or loosen the packing nut if needed (too tight makes the faucet hard to operate, too loose and it leaks around the stem). If it's all good, turn the stops all the way on (counterclockwise), and you're done.

Not bad work for a hungover Saturday morning, and you saved enough money to go out Saturday night. And just think of the bragging rights!

How to Fix a Toilet

If you're hearing a drip, drip, drip, from your toilet, or the tank refilling in the middle of the night, you're listening to money trickling down the drain. That money comes right out of your pocket in higher utility bills. Even a small drip, or occasionally refilling toilet can waste hundreds, even thousands of gallons of water, that you're pay for.

But it's a cheap and simple fix. All of the internal parts on an average toilet can be replaced for around $25. And it won't take thirty minutes of your time to do all the work. There are only two things in a toilet that waste water: the flapper or flush ball, and the ballcock or flush valve.

First let's see what you've got. Lift the lid off your toilet tank and have a look inside. If your tank is filled with a plastic pressure tank and hoses, instead of water, put the lid back on and call a licensed plumber. Power assist tanks can be dangerous to work on and you won't find parts at your local hardware store.

If you have a standard toilet you'll see a lever connecting the flush handle to a chain or cord that leads to a rubber flapper in the bottom of the tank. When you push the handle, the lever pulls the chain, which lifts the flapper, and releases the water from the tank, flushing the bowl. If the flapper is old, water leaks by and the tank periodically needs to refill itself.

Some brands have fancy designs for their flappers so you need to match the style when you purchase the new one. Some older toilets have a brass rod assembly and a round ball instead of the chain and flapper arrangement. But it is the same principle. The lever lifts the rod, which lifts the ball. These are just as easy to replace, simply unscrew the rod from the ball, and most hardware stores still carry them in stock.

The water supply to the tank uses either a ballcock or Fluidmaster ™ type flush valve. Both use a float that opens and closes a valve regulating the water level in the tank. A standard ballcock has a long rod with a ball-shaped float on the end. The Fluidmaster ™ type flush valve has a float attached to its side that moves up and down on a rod, turning the water on and off.

So what needs replacing? If the ballcock or flush valve is letting water through, the tank will overfill causing water to drip down the overflow. If the flapper is letting water seep through, the tank will slowly drain until the flush valve turns on, refilling the tank. But parts are inexpensive. It is best to replace both at the same time.

Once you have the parts, turn the water off using the small valve, or stop, located below the toilet tank. Next, disconnect the water supply pipe from the ballcock or flush valve by loosening the large nut just below the tank. Reach into the tank and unhook the flapper at its base and disconnect the chain from the flush lever. Hold the flapper by the chain. If it is black rubber, it will stain anything it touches. This will allow most of the water to drain from the tank.

There will still be a small amount of water left in the tank, so put a large towel on the floor below the supply pipe to catch any water while you remove the nut securing the flush valve to the tank. Now lift the flush valve out.

Install your new flapper and flush valve. Reconnect the supply pipe and turn the stop back on slowly, looking for leaks as the tank fills. Tighten nuts as necessary. If everything looks good let the tank fill. You can adjust the water level by adjusting the float. The water level should be about ¼” below the top of the overflow pipe. You should adjust the flapper so that the chain has very little slack, but is not tight enough to lift the flapper and cause water to seep through.

Though flappers are often quite specific to the manufacturer, ballcocks and Fluidmaster ™ type flush valves are almost universal. You can even replace one with the other in most cases. Given the choice I prefer the Fluidmaster ™ type flush valve. Also, if water continues to seep through the new flapper, try cleaning any deposits from the surface where the flapper or ball seats. There are also seat repair kits available for worn seats.

Now take all that money you saved fixing it yourself and treat yourself to a nice dinner with that special someone. You can tell them what a great plumber you are.