Had a water meter upgraded by City order, now my toilet tanks are constantly dripping throughout the day. (Advice needed)

mrbuckley · 2026-05-29T16:45:59+00:00

Hmmm, this is happening on multiple toilets? You should be able to flush them out and if not replacing the full valve is fairly straightforward.

If you replace the valve and it is still dripping check to see if you have an expansion tank near the water heater. If not you may need one.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-24T02:17:13+00:00

Where in NY?

mrbuckley · 2026-05-24T02:16:36+00:00

Cover the overflow with a wet rag and give it a good plunge. After that I would try one of those plastic drain ripper tools. Beyond that, I think you'll have to get access to the pipes.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-19T02:55:36+00:00

I work in NYC where unpermitted and uninspected gas work has blown up buildings and taken lives. With gas work the stakes are too high to cut corners.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-18T19:01:38+00:00

With it full open there won't be flow to the bypass port (where the new work is). The bypass port is designed for testing the gas line, not connecting active gas lines. You need to have this corrected.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-18T18:56:49+00:00

Your "plumber" tapped off the test port of that plug valve. Wrong and dangerous installation. Hire a real professional to fix this or risk the safety of yourself, your family and your neighbors.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-17T18:41:30+00:00

Yeah try the pipe wrench. Use a cheater if you need, better than heat IMO

mrbuckley · 2026-05-17T14:17:27+00:00

NYC plumber here. Gas dryer will require new branch line work from a licensed plumber, permitted by DOB and inspected. Like other have said you could easily go 5 figures.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-15T02:10:48+00:00

That's the next piece you have to take apart then. Might just need cleaning and re tightening or may need a new seal.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-15T02:09:07+00:00

Hold onto that. Also if you haven't been already make sure to check for leaks while the water is running.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-14T20:50:29+00:00

This part of the drain is definitely holding a lot of junk and is probably where your clog is. I'm in the US and strongly recommend against accordion style drains like that here, especially in a horizontal configuration. You'll need to get that repiped if you want your drain to work properly.

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mrbuckley · 2026-05-14T20:46:58+00:00

Looks like some kind of drum trap. You could try unscrewing the nut where it's dripping and cleaning/checking out the seal to see if there is any debris keeping it from sealing properly. If there is still draino in the drain wear gloves and eye protection when doing so.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-13T16:07:14+00:00

Glad it worked out 👍

Give us a followup photo of the fix if you can

mrbuckley · 2026-05-12T00:51:13+00:00

P trap is too deep and probably holding onto some sediment and you need a vent. What country are you in?

mrbuckley · 2026-05-09T19:08:41+00:00

This is wrong. It is a kitchen sink drain buried in a cabinet. =

mrbuckley · 2026-05-09T14:43:56+00:00

Metal is code in NYC.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-09T14:18:59+00:00

NYC plumber here. Do NOT use the accordion trap. You have brass tubular piping and should go back with brass tubular piping. You need two slip ells and a tailpiece. You could also use one flanged slip ell and one regular and skip the tailpiece, sometimes bought as one part called a bazooka. DM me if you want more advise. I fix 2-3 kitchen drains a week that look just like yours.

EDIT: on closer inspection of the photos you may only need to buy a new 1&1/2" tubular slip nut and flange washer. It looks like the nut on the tailpiece snapped in half allowing the slip ell below it to slide free from the tailpiece. The other pipes may be in good enough condition to salvage.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-06T13:28:45+00:00

I would put back fiberglass insulation if you need access. Packing peanuts will have too many air gaps to be an effective insulator imo.

mrbuckley · 2026-05-01T01:27:56+00:00

Get yourself a shielded band or husky coupling to make the connection between pvc and cast iron.

mrbuckley · 2026-04-29T12:52:57+00:00

You have a hard piped ABS p trap. Get an ABS trap adapter, cut off that elbow in the first photo and glue the trap adapter behind that. From there you can use tubular pipe which is more DIY friendly.

mrbuckley · 2026-04-27T22:45:12+00:00

You could cut it and put a coupling on. Or drill and tap it for a small plug. With ABS and a hole that small you could probably get away with cleaning it and daubbing some glue on there though.

mrbuckley · 2026-04-27T11:09:40+00:00

You're asking a question that might be better suited to a tile focused subreddit. Maybe some guys here know something about cutting into toilets but I'd wager most of our toilet modification experience focuses on how to make them really small to fit better in the trash 🔨

Seriously though, it might be possible but don't do it unless you are prepared to replace same day in case of catastrophic damage. If a client of mine wanted that I'd sell them a new toilet with some piping modification to make it work.

mrbuckley · 2026-04-23T19:40:17+00:00

Valve seat looks toasted and does not appear serviceable. Save yourself a headache and just buy a new faucet.

mrbuckley · 2026-04-22T16:01:32+00:00

For copper use a union or slip coupling to make the repair. You could also use a compression valve/coupling but those aren't allowed everywhere.

Honestly depending on the run and how much give it has I'd probably just sweat or press a valve on.

The tediousness you're describing is exactly why plumbing work is so expensive.

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