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A/C vinegar

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I've had many issues in the past with one of my bathroom sinks getting clogged over time.  Specifically just one bathroom drain line gets clogged with gray sludge which I initially thought was just normal drain stuff, however it seemed weird that I only seem to get it in large amounts on this one drain.  I realized that my A/C condensation drain line goes to this sink because there is an extra pipe coming out of the wall.  My HVAC guy recommended periodically putting vinegar into my A/C condensation drain line to reduce clogging in the lines.  However, on one of my A/C units (in my attic) the exhaust vent is kind of blocking access to easily pour vinegar into the pipe.  It's hard to tell from the pic, but it's nearly impossible to pour something into the line without spilling everywhere. So I used some leftover PVC from previous HVAC installs, and now it's much easier to get vinegar into the pipes without making a mess.

Boys Shower Part 2 - Demo Days

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 Since I have a giant hole in my shower wall, and I've already decided on a full remodel, the next step is to remove all of the old tile and backing drywall.  The best method for me seemed to be to hit the tiles with a ball-peen hammer at the joints until the tiles crack on either side.  Make a horizontal and vertical line of cracked tiles in the shape of a square that you want to pull out together.  Then use a crowbar with a mallet to get under the edge of the square and if you are lucky you can pull off a square of say 5x5 tiles. All the tile is removed!

Boys Shower Part 1 - Down the Valve Hole

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After some frustrating expiences with plumbers in the area (related to both cost and competence), I decided to take matters into my own hands and just do my own plumbing. The first thing I wanted to do is fix my hot water re-circulation pump. I first suspected the pump itself or the new check valve to be the cause of the issue. However, after multiple experiments involving turning various water valves on and off throughout the house, including draining the entire house a couple of times. The current hypothesis is that one or more of the shower valves are bad which causes water to cross over from the cold to hot side.  This led me to attempt to replace the shower valve cartridge in the boy's shower. After sitting in the same place for over 20 years being filled with hard water, the valve was pretty calcified. I wasn't able to remove the cartridge, even with a special tool designed specifically for that purpose, and in the process I created, or worsened a minor leak. At t...