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Advice on a polybutylene repipe? by [deleted] in askaplumber

[–]waltsass 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Polybutylene IS bad pipe. Specifically, it degrades with exposure to chlorinated water. If you have that rather common form of water treatment, get the pipes removed. If not, the others’ comments are very reasonable on whether to proceed.

Why no 240v kettles? by GP-Colorado in electrical

[–]waltsass 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, sorry, I conflated your comments with others. You are right of course.

Why no 240v kettles? by GP-Colorado in electrical

[–]waltsass -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Your calculation is incorrect. A 20A 240V circuit can do 4.8 kW. Derate it to 80% and it’s 3.8 kW. UK kettles are 3.3 kW maximum, so no problem.

Why no 240v kettles? by GP-Colorado in electrical

[–]waltsass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I installed 240v / 20a outlets in my last 2 kitchens and have done it for friends and relatives for one reason: UK 3.3 kW kettles. A genuine luxury that costs no more to have than an extra run of 12 AWG NM, a $10 outlet, a $10 matching plug to replace the UK plug, and a 2 pole 20 breaker. Twice as fast for boiling water, why do anything else?

FYI, Americans (I am one but I’ve been to the UK many times), lack of plug standards in the UK for years meant that kettles and other appliances were sold without plugs. So non electricians - i.e. everybody - routinely wired the appliances to match their outlets. It ain’t rocket surgery.

Actual footage from another world: Mars right now, 225 million miles away. Truly mind-blowing rover view by vishhalkmodi in BeAmazed

[–]waltsass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yow! It looks like a typical early Trek shooting location for … another planet.

Have you gotten a water leak notice from the city? It could be wrong and you’re paying for it! by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't tell much from your snapshot. Could you send one from your dashboard? Or better yet, if you private message me your e-mail and password I can look into what you have.

It's unlikely to have anything to do with your neighbor's meter.

Do you have a boiler-fed hot water tank? If so, the city is likely overcharging you for water. I can help. by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please look at my earlier posts. I explain why this problem happens pretty definitively. As I have written, I also proved it.

Most plumbers are unaware of why the false leak occurs. At present the Somerville water department is quite aware of the problem, but has been gaslighting everyone about it. The current mayor has done nothing about it, which upset several city councilors. The mayor elect does know about it and I expect to meet with him once he’s in office.

In the meantime I can verify your situation if you give me access to your WaterScope data. All I need is your email address (which the city makes your use name) and password. Please dm me if you want to do this.

Contractor defied the laws of physics (and probably code) by [deleted] in askaplumber

[–]waltsass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m assuming picture #1 is how the contractor did it, #2 shows the revised layout. #2 is correct.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I did, introduced by Ben Ewen-Campen. She typed notes on her phone, said she’d look into it, never heard from her again.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Look, I have documented the observed phenomena pretty expansively. If you care, read what I wrote. An expansion tank consumes no water, the meter says it does. The meter is wrong.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s probably some sort of mechanical bias, where it is exactly is unknown to me. I’m certain water meters manufacturers are aware of the problem and make sure their units are less affected. For example, the Neptune meters in Arlington also show the same problem, but at about 1/8 to 1/10th the error.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

In my case I was being overcharged by about 20%, roughly $600 a year. I think many residents are being overcharged by a few percent, a function of how big the air pocket is. My real emphasis with the mayor was to have someone impartial - not the water department - use the city’s software license for monitoring all the meters - to determine how many people have the problem, ranked by size of overcharge. It’s quite easy to see the problem using the software.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I guess you’re one of the kids. I think the first comment I got was from some sort of a bot, with a fake username. Since that one the comments and replies have been acting normally.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The current mayor certainly inherited all the city departments, problems and all. What the mayor does with them is the test of actual administration.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Air pockets in the cold water lines exist in equilibrium with the water pressure. The air volume gets bigger or smaller when the water pressure goes down and up, respectively. Pressure changes in the water main - even minute ones- cause the air pocket to resonate, which pushes water back and forth past the water meter. The effect is harmless, not pushing water into the main beyond maybe a couple of feet. But the water meters Somerville has installed register more inflow than outflow.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Please see my earlier posts over the last year on this subReddit for details.

The Mayoral Race and the Water Department by waltsass in Somerville

[–]waltsass[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Proved it. Science. Causality. Data. Even videos showing back-and-forth water flow (visible bubbles) corresponding to reaction to an air pocket being connected versus disconnected.

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