If the lug nut thing is a cleanout so that the roto rooter man can clean
out the drain piping I would rather use heavy teflon tape as a sealer instead
of silicone because you may have to remove it in the future when the sewer
line needs to be cleaned.
Take a look upstream of the filters and see if there is any place where
copper piping meets iron piping. That is a sure location for galvanic
corrosion which will look like rust. The only way to correct it is to eliminate
the copper to iron connection. If the darkroom is the only place you are
having problems with dirty water the problem is going to be near the darkroom.
Since the municipal water piping is pressurized at 80 psi or more water
will leak out of the pipes if there is a problem with the piping. Dirt won't
be able to get into the piping because the water will be trying to keep it
out.
Jim
In a message dated 10/4/2015 10:20:09 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
michaelandpaula@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
The dirty water is a serious long-term problem and, as has been suggested
to you, likely due to the excavation going on all around you, although if
you are on city water that should not be an issue. If you have a well, dirt
is most certainly getting into your well, with how many serious pollutants.
First thing I would do is to get a "whole-house: filter and install it
where the water comes into your house. If it gets dirty quickly, the
excavation is the problem. If it does not, then the problem is coming from
your own
house. If it is coming from outside, you may have a legitimate lawsuit
against the excavating companies and/or adjacent landowners. If that is the
case, talk to a lawyer.
If you are planning to stay in your house a long time, I advise replacing
what can be replaced with the waste stack. If you are not planning to stay
there a long time, the caulk should be enough.
Good luck.
Michael
On 10/4/15 11:10 AM, Adrienne Moumin wrote:
Hi, group,
After being out of commission for several months, from photography and
life, due to being sidelined by a broken foot, I am slowly coming back to life
to tackle the piles of overwhelm that have accumulated during my
incapacitation. I have two issues in my darkroom, one brand-new and one not as
new,
that are bedevilling me. Our 1949 money pit continues to wreak havoc on my
art and my life, 10 years on...
Issue 1: The other day I had our neighborhood handyman/renovator over for
a toilet issue on the 3rd floor. He asked about the main waste stack, which
of course is in my basement darkroom - in a corner behind the sink. When I
had the darkroom built about 8 years ago, I painted everything, including
the ugly chipped-paint waste stack (original to the house), to make it all
look clean and new. Everything was (I thought) fine, until the other day
when I took my renovator down there, to discover a huge brown drip (now
dried), which began at the place where the (sic) lug nut is, and extending
down
past the point of the sink top, where I can't see how far down the drip
extends. It looks more like rust rather than anything else, but the fact that
any liquid at all came out of there is worrisome to me - since it means
total dismantling of the sink and its plumbing and all the chemistry etc.
stored below...let's just say after 10 years of incessant home repair issues,
I
have dug in my heels against the life-disruption of any more except those
which cannot be avoided. I prefer to do my art in a house that is an
eyesore, than to give up doing the things I love and have my time stolen from
me,
in service to any more of this unending nonsense.
My renovator friend tried to tighten this huge lug nut thing, to no avail.
He told me I could "fix" this by cleaning up the rusty drip if I was
bothered by it, and then running a bead of silicone caulk around where the
drip
emanated (which he said is merely screw threads so it's not a huge surprise
that something leaked). But I am nervous about this as a solution, since
it has never leaked before. He also said he could remove that whole section
of the waste stack, and replace it with newer material.
Issue 2: For about 6 months, I have noticed that replacing the water
filters, results in them getting rusty/filthy VERY quickly, even though I only
use the darkroom sporadically. The hot filter is much worse than the cold,
although I noticed the other day when I was in there with my renovator,
that the cold is also affected over the past few months of my not being able
to get in there.
This is has happened a number of times - to the point where I have taken
to buying water filters in groups of 6 and replacing them nearly every time
I use the darkroom, which is a ridiculous remedy and does not solve the
issue. It seems to have gotten worse after I was compelled to have my friend
replace some of the metal plumbing connectors which were actually corroding
since they were not meant to be wet, and leaching small chunks of metal
into the water (why the original builder of the darkroom would use such
connectors in the first place is beyond my comprehension...)
I have read that nearby excavations can cause excess rust in water coming
in to a house - and there is a TON of excavation going on all over the
neighborhood, for new construction, new roads, etc. But I'm not sure if this
is
the cause of this (rust?) building up in the filters or not.
So I thought I would ask all of you, fount (font?) of collective knowledge
and experience, if anyone may have dealt with either of these issues, and
might have some insight.
With thanks,
Adrienne
Adrienne Moumin
Handmade B&W photographs and photo collages: _http://_
(http://picturexhibit.com/) _picturexhibit.com_ (http://picturexhibit.com/)
NYC and Silver Spring, MD
212-602-1809
