What did you do today?

[BlueSkyHigh]

Anode rod break down, not dip tube. Sorry

No worries. I did a test, of sorts, to see if it was calcium or not. I added a spoon of the white stuff to a small amount of CLR and there was no reaction whatsoever. So it's either the anode material sacrificing itself or some sort of plastic.

Is there any way to determine, one way or the other, what the material truly is without spending big bucks getting it analyzed?

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Edited to delete content as repetitive.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Most Wax seals these days are really small. No problem using two most of the time.

Look up the model number being quoted and see what you can have it delivered to your door for. After you get that price, the rest is basically labor.

I did a quick check on the price of the same toilet and seat delivered. The plumber said it would take him and his apprentice about two hours to do two toilets. If my calculations are correct and they can do one toilet per hour and the total price of the install was $1,600.00 for one toilet, those plumbing company is pulling down about $1,250 per hour for the job. I know there's a lot more that goes into that sort of pricing other than just what the workers get but still I think it would be a learning experience for the wife and me.

 

[sawguy]

The pay for the apprentice should be coming out of the plumbers pocket, not yours.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Well, I tried to install a brand new Maytag dishwasher for a client. I unpacked it all and prepped it. First, I removed the cover for the electrical wires and got that set. Then I connected the elbow and the supply line and got that set. Then, lastly, I go to connect the supplied drain hose to the drain…
Epic failure. There’s only a quarter inch of exposed pipe in which to clamp the drain hose to. What the heck?? The exposed pipe is attached and integral to the drain motor, and is also used as a support! The diagram in the instruction manual that came with the dishwasher bears no resemblance to what this looks like in real life, and is maybe 1 in.² and I didn’t have a microscope with me… so I figured I would call Maytag today. They do not have a customer support line nor do they have any technical support. The only thing you can do is schedule service..

I told the client to return this to Lowe’s and buy a different brand. You don’t want to deal with a company that offers no technical support, and not even anybody you can ask a question to. That’s just BS.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Good gugga mugga! Used to be a good brand (edited).

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Sorry, I meant to say “ anode rod “ after it breaks down

One other question: My water heater is natural gas-fired. Do NG water heaters also have anode rods?

 

[SHEPLMBR]

One other question: My water heater is natural gas-fired. Do NG water heaters also have anode rods?

YES

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Moo chus grassy a$$.

Now, what's the best option for a replacement? Aluminum (probably OEM), magnesium, or some high dollar option like the powered Corro-Protect from Canada that uses a small electric current rather than a sacrificial element to keep the bad things from happening?

 

[TomFOhio]

Mitchell, it looks like it just pulled off because of no clamp. Can you put it on and put a hose clamp on it? Unless they
already took it back.

 

[Zanne]

BlueSkyHigh-- how much of the $ is for the toilet and how much is for the installation? Maybe I missed that. That seems pretty high. It takes less than 10min to install a toilet. You might want to consider chair/comfort height Toto Entrada. It has the 3" flush, tower mechanism, and comes in elongated. I got one for under $200 on a sale at Lowes. Are you unable to install toilets yourself? I've actually installed toilets before- although nowadays I have back problems and lack the hand strength so I got a toilet jack that lifts the toilet, moves it in place, you use straws or sticks on the bolts to line up the holes, and lower it down slowly. I do recommend putting the tank on before setting it in place since its easier to mess with the bolts when not against a wall. I'm not a plumber but I like the Better Than Wax seals because it allows for adjustments and pulling the toilet to mess with the floor, the flange, or snake a drain or something. After a city sewer line backup, my friend had to pull his Toto Entrada up and remove some of the vinyl plank flooring to clean underneath and sop up water. Then he clicked the planks back in and put the toilet back on using the BetterThanWax seal without having to replace a wax seal or clean up the mess from wax.

Before we had the toilet jack he went through 3 wax seals by not getting the toilet lined up properly when installing.

Today I got up and picked up some stuff off my bathroom floor, put stuff away, swept a little, and then scrubbed my bedroom wall. There was this trail of dead skin and dirt where I put my hand on the wall in the dark to feel my way around. Plus there were cat boogers. Its still grungy but looks a lot better. I couldn't reach higher up to get the dust bunnies and I need to clean lower down but was having trouble bending.

Need to find some 8mm and 13mm wrenches to assemble my tablesaw but I'm exhausted. Thyroid meds take a few days to build back up after I've missed taking them for a few days. Plus the heat is killer.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Zanne, $350 for the toilet and seat so the rest of the $1,600 was for the company men and two wax seals and a supply line replacement if necessary.

I used to be known as a person who would go where angels feared to tread but age and time have taken their toll mostly on my confidence but, I suspect, my abilities as well. More importantly, my major concern is being able to do an acceptably nice job of caulking.

My next door neighbor, who is from Guatemala, is a jack of all trades and a master of most and works for cash and beer so I will probably buy the toilets and negotiate for his assistance.

 

[sawguy]

My; have times changed. When I was doing remodeling, I charged $100 to replace a toilet. This isn't rocket science. I figured if I made $200 a day I could pay my bills and put a little away. New world!

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Mitchell, it looks like it just pulled off because of no clamp. Can you put it on and put a hose clamp on it? Unless they
already took it back.

This is how it came new. Nothing pulled off yet, since nothing was installed yet. The dishwasher comes with the brand new drain tube and a clamp, but there’s not enough pipe In which t secure the tube! There’s only ¼”, not enough pipe to secure a hose and clamp to…and no support line at Maytag!

 

[TomFOhio]

I see what your saying now. The factory screwed up in the inspection and test dept. Try this number. 1-800-344-1274
Its Maytag Customer Service.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

That is not a number where you can reach somebody to help you. It is for scheduling service. I already tried twice and they specifically told me they do not have any ability to offer any technical assistance or answer any questions whatsoever on their products.. basically it’s customer service gone to hell, combined with lousy engineering.

I told my customer to return it to Lowe’s and buy a Bosch.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

In other news, my next door neighbor will charge me $155 to install a new toilet including two wax seals.

 

[havasu]

Sorry, politics have become too polarized these days, so I deleted the political posts so people won't get pissed off and leave our little slice of heaven.

 

[Zanne]

Blueskyhigh, I completely understand. 20yrs ago I probably could have done a lot more but these days my heath and back do not cooperate.

My bathroom project keeps getting pushed further back. My friend dislocated his thumb at work.

Took Mom for a foot doctor appointment and she got her nails done, an RX for compression socks, and has to come back in 3 months.

 

[Zanne]

Ordered a 2" long 1/2" npt to fpt extension for my shower arm since the wall is so thick. Will make sure to use enough teflon tape and maybe some rectorseal/pipe dope.

Friend's thumb is still healing.

It was 100°F out today.