Whitewater Woman's Equipment Maintenance and Repair

[Ronald Zeeman]

I lost the key to my tractor once found out talking to a buddy told me one key fits them all he gave me one of his spare keys he was right.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Strip the paint with rust remover caustic rinse, very well you do not want any residual caustic, apply zinc phosphate
treatment spray on with atomizer bottle cover with damp cloth for few hours this will leave a thin layer of zinc phosphate crystals light gray colour prime with decent metal primer, topcoat with high quality paint. If the zinc phosphate is not rinsed really well the paint could peel as the crystals form due to a slight pH change I've seen the paint peel in sheets due to poor rinsing even in automotive and appliance factories. You need the damp cloth to keep the surface damp so the reaction can happen, takes a few hours. the treatment protects from future corrosion while the paint protects from it weathering. If done correctly could last for twenty years.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I'm retired my expertise is industrial painting. did not expect to give painting advice on this forum. like helping hobbyist.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Here is another rusting problem. This is a mower that attached to the tractor. It is not that old, maybe five years. And it has the big rusty part that is peeling off. But when I look more closely, it looks like all those bubbles have rust on it. So this would mean scraping off the paint before treating the rust.

Comments/advice welcome.

View attachment 126614

Like the picture trying to interpret what I see paint damaged by humidity and scratch undermining the adhesion of paint to treatment. poor post rinsing of treatment may have caused blistering.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

New Project - How to fix plumbing joint on kitchen sink.

After I did the dishes, I noticed water pooling on the floor underneath the sink. I carefully used my fingers and hands to feel along various joints, etc., and the only joint that is wet is the one circled.

I will not use the sink and will let it all dry out.

Then what? How do I undo a joint like this one? Or can I just put silicone gel over the joint and hope that stops the leak? (I recall this happens from time to time, but I have never been the one to fix it nor watched and asked. Remember, I was running my own business and working a bazillion hours per week.)

The joint circled in blue is the one that is leaking. Above it are two drains (double sink). To the right is the exhaust/airrelease pipe.
Under that is the U-joint and it goes outside.

Suggestions appreciated.

 

[Forest Cat]

Then what? How do I undo a joint like this one?

Those joints are made to be unscrewed with your bare hands. But sometimes that can be hard to do, I think it's possible to use something called tongue-and-groove slip-joint pliers. Also known as water pump pliers. You probably have one of those somewhere, most people have one. But I'm a little unsure right now if those pliers are big enough to grip around the joint. I have always used my hands and just twisted it on and off. And now it occurs to me that maybe you should first check if the joint is loose, maybe you just need to tighten it. If you do use pliers, be careful, don't apply too much pressure or you will break the plastic. Those joints usually don't need a lot of force to be unscrewed.

If you wrap a small towel or something similar tightly around it, it's easier on the hands. Just be careful so you don't pull on the pipe too much, try to twist the joint without moving the pipes back and forwards. Doing that is a great way to get more leaks.

There should be a rubber seal inside that joint, it's probably old and cracked or full of gunk. I would suggest replacing it with a new one but you can also clean it and try to use some silicone sealant on it.

 

[Forest Cat]

To the right is the exhaust/airrelease pipe.

I could be wrong, but I think that one is for a washing machine or dishwasher drain hose. There is even a hose clamp for a drain hose hanging on it. That should really be plugged with something when it's not in use, to avoid water coming out of it. If the p-trap/u-joint gets clogged, everything will pour out of that small pipe with the hose clamp hanging on it, huge mess.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

This isthe drain, no head pressure loosen the plastic nut should be rubber gasket inside worn out just tightening it may help otherwise it need to be replaced.

 

[Shevek]

That "air release pipe" might be for a dishwasher drain. The indicated part is screwed on, with tools not needed under good conditions. It does not wear out, but may have been cracked by an impact or knocked out of alignment. If you can wiggle it straighter and tighten it up, that might work. If not, you might need a pipe wrench to loosen things, but take things apart until you can see the problem. A new gasket can be made from greased string if you need one.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

That "air release pipe" might be for a dishwasher drain. The indicated part is screwed on, with tools not needed under good conditions. It does not wear out, but may have been cracked by an impact or knocked out of alignment. If you can wiggle it straighter and tighten it up, that might work. If not, you might need a pipe wrench to loosen things, but take things apart until you can see the problem. A new gasket can be made from greased string if you need one.

I agree that nipple is for dish washer two nut one below one higher up loosen both replace part cheap comes with gaskets. why do something ad hoc when a proper fix is not costly? nuts hand tight, proper tool water pump or channel lock pliers? Pipe wrench crude could do more damage. Learned this the hard way.

 

[Hypnalis]

If one gasket is gone, others may be getting old too, including the taps.
The parts are probably cheap - get a full set (pipes (looks like two sizes) + taps).

There are reasonably cheap tools for those fittings, but you should be able to improvise something. (try looking for "strap wrench").
Be careful about applying too much leverage - those plastic pipes are fit for purpose, but still fairly easy to damage with tools. FWIW you can grip them with metal tools (cloth layer first to protect the plastic), but I wouldn't if I were you.

@WhitewaterWoman
I don't like that open electrical outlet right by the sink. Those are illegal here because they're potentially quite dangerous.

 

[Forest Cat]

I don't like that open electrical outlet right by the sink. Those are illegal here because they're potentially quite dangerous.

It looks very surprised or shocked to be there.
American electrical outlets are always surprised.

 

[Forest Cat]

(try looking for "strap wrench")

Yeah that's a good idea. Those are very useful.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

It looks very surprised or shocked to be there.
American electrical outlets are always surprised.

somebody probably wanted to install a garburator

 

[Outdated]

A picture tells a thousand words. And your fingers lied to you.

The picture very clearly shows that the leak is from the bottom of the right hand basin. You can see mould around that fitting and you can see the dribble stains running down the pipe. Notice the fitting at the other basin is clean and dry.

The grate fitting in the bottom of the sink unscrews, and you need to remove that before you can undo any of the other pieces anyway. It has 2 rubber washers, one inside the sink and one underneath, they'll need to be replaced.

 

[Forest Cat]

A picture tells a thousand words. And your fingers lied to you.

The picture very clearly shows that the leak is from the bottom of the right hand basin. You can see mould around that fitting and you can see the dribble stains running down the pipe. Notice the fitting at the other basin is clean and dry.

The grate fitting in the bottom of the sink unscrews, and you need to remove that before you can undo any of the other pieces anyway. It has 2 rubber washers, one inside the sink and one underneath, they'll need to be replaced.

And with one quick post, Outdated made all the other advice posted here pointless I think you're on to something, it does look like the problem is directly under the sink on the right side. Could be that it just needs to be tightened, but the rubber seal is probably old and stiff and not good anymore.

 

[Shevek]

About half of my plans change when I get to the hardware store, and have to figure out how to use what they have. So, before I go, I see if I can figure out how to use what I have. Where I recommended greased string, there are a thousand potential substitutes, from sailor's oakum to teflon plumber's tape twisted into string.
I'm surprised you have not had a big problem with that dishwasher hole unless there's a cork already in there. If the P trap clogs, that's where the water would come out.
The gentlest wrench for those fittings would be a nylon strap type. This can be improvised with an old belt and vise-grips.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Thank you, all. I gave everyone optimistic rainbows for having faith that I can do this. I've done mechanical stuff and building stuff with wood, but never done plumbing.

The pipe to the right probably is from the dishwasher, which I had removed last week. I am one person. I don't need a dishwasher. Luckily the guy who took the dishwasher is coming again on Wednesday and I can ask him.

Outdated, I see your point and you are probably correct. The only caveat may be that this has leaked many times in the past and the stains could be from previous leaks, but probably not.

The grate fitting in the bottom of the sink unscrews, and you need to remove that before you can undo any of the other pieces anyway. It has 2 rubber washers, one inside the sink and one underneath, they'll need to be replaced.

What is the "grate fitting" in the bottom of the sink? Is it something visible in the picture? There's nothing on the top or bottom that looks to me like it unscrews. Once I get that piece of information, I will try to make sense out of the rest of the supplies and tools suggested.

Hypnalis, I see your point about the electrical outlet. I didn't even know there was an electrical outlet there until I took the picture and saw it. It might well have had the dishwasher plugged into it. Now I have to wonder where I plugged in the refrigerator.

This house was built by people with contacts in the construction industry. A lot of the building is "over built" meaning that supplies used exceeded what one would normally use. That said, there were no permits pulled and no COs issued. So the electric might well not be up to code. There isn't a kitchen as one would normally see a kitchen with built in appliances and cabinets, etc. This is just put together from stuff we had or was cheap.

And I really, really, really mean thank you to all who contributed to this thread.

 

[Outdated]

What is the "grate fitting" in the bottom of the sink?

This thing:

Shove two screwdrivers down opposing holes in the grate and turn anticlockwise - the screwdrivers will cross over each other and lever against each other. Plumbers probably have a special tool for it.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

OK. This is on the top side of the sink? Because mine does not look like that. Mine is all plastic. But I guess I can put some screwdrivers in and twist and see what happens. Now you've got me curious. Stay tuned. If you don't hear from me, I've been shrunk and down the drain.