Question: On my top floor, the waste pile has a hub with 1 1\2 inch connectors and no threads. One 1\2 inch PVC slide rail, which fits tightly. Can I paste it? -Jim T.

Answer: You cannot paste PVC pipe directly to any type of metal pipe. PVC cement only forms a solvent bond with plastic and does not adhere to metal.

If your code allows, you can insert the pipe into a rubber seal that fits inside the hub and seal it in place with a sealant made specifically for this application. The plumbing parts retailer should have all the parts you need. Once again, you need to make sure that your plumbing code allows this type of insert seal. If not, you may need to cut off the hub part of the old fitting, and then use an approved band clamp to connect the two pipes.

Q: I smelled a moldy smell in my 22-year-old house. When I walked down, I found that many places were not covered by plastic. The exposed soil did smell moldy, and there seemed to be some kind of crusts on the soil. I also noticed that the plastic sheet did not climb to the wall at all. In some places, soil and tiny roots have infiltrated. The ground is drier than I feared. Can I place additional plastic on top of the current plastic to cover exposed dirt and walls without having to remove the currently installed plastic? -Jay C.

Answer: It is no problem to add extra plastic sheet to the existing plastic sheet to cover the exposed area. I recommend using a 6 mil black plastic sheet, which you can buy at any home center or hardware store. It has different widths and lengths, so just put a roll of any size you can easily handle under the house, the wider the better.

Overlap the new material with the old material by 12 to 24 inches. On the foundation wall, lay the sheet on the wall about 6 to 12 inches, and then use mastic, construction adhesive, heavy-duty sealing tape (tape cannot be fixed) or pressure-treated nail strips to seal it on the wall. Do not allow the plastic to touch the floor joists all the time, as this will create a hidden passage for termites; always keep a distance of at least 6 inches between the top of the plastic and the bottom of the joist/sill plate.

Q: I am relocating my dryer vents and the new location will pass through my floor and into the basement. My question is; in order not to make mistakes, I want to install a 3" reducer on the floor, and then connect ordinary 4" pipes on both sides of the reducer, one is connected to the dryer, and the other is discharged from the house. Does this make sense or do I need to explain further? The reducer will be located on the wall, and using a 3" reducer tube will give me more swing space when passing through the basement into the wall and then 90 degrees into the laundry room. -Kevin S.

Answer: You definitely don’t want to use a reducer between two 4" pipes. What happens at the deceleration point, the lint will be trapped there, causing potential fire and moisture problems. More importantly, the reducer will prevent When the system needs to be cleaned, a 4-inch brush will not pass completely through the pipe.

Either buy a 4" hole saw, which allows you to drill a clean hole where the pipe passes through the floor, or cut a slightly oversized hole to provide you with the required swing space, and then use a 4" decorative board to cleanly finish installation. No matter where you buy other piping materials, you can use decorative panels.

Q: Can you explain the difference between product warranty and design warranty? -Kevin M.

Answer: The design warranty provides a warranty against defects or problems in the way something was originally designed before it is actually manufactured. The product warranty is a warranty for the defects of the actual product itself.

Have questions about Paul's house repair or renovation? You can contact him via email to improve your home@ykwc.net.