I try to shoot for 4-5 posts a day here at CC, but I’m really tied up trying to figure out how to plumb a new house. I’ve never done that before, and it’s creating some interesting challenges. But that’s why I decided to do it myself, right? Never stop learning…now how do I run that vent?
But don’t let that stop you. If you have anything you want to start a conversation about, help yourself. Open forum…
Don’t like the look of that “branch drainpipe” – could be a source of trouble in the future.
I’d stick a cleanout somewhere in that run.
Yup – lint from the washing machine (along with undissolved powdered laundry detergent) will eventually plug it up.
It’s got a cleanout, at the very far left end, where it should.
Plastic waste pipes are very slippery inside; with a proper 1/4″ per foot fall, it’s good. I’ve never had to clean out a plastic drain line in one of my rentals; always an old galvanized steel pipe that was rusting inside, and catching stuff as a result.
How long is the run?
We’re required to install a C.O. every 50′, at the beginning of every run and at every 90* change of direction.
That was Illinois though, I’m still waiting on my Iowa Code book.
I agree with you on the PVC being more forgiving than Cast or Galv but you’d be very surprised at the things that I’ve run into over the years in PVC lines.
The branch in that illustration? Looks like no more than maybe 16-18 feet. It just crosses that laundry-utility room.
Since my town is still moving slowly post-hurricane, even though we barely got a scratch, I’ll get started. This is going to be mostly Ford related, but here we go:
1. Was it a stupid idea for Ford to initially drop the Taurus name in favor of the Fusion? I think so. I don’t think the Taurus name fell hard enough where such a somewhat radical redesign like the 2006 Fusion would have turned away buyers simply due to the name.
2. Why are automakers still shying away from wagons? Their manufacturing flexibility is better than ever (I believe the full size Taurus and Explorer are built on the same line). So they could do this with the 2013 Fusion quite easily. Hell, don’t even make base trim levels, just give us a fully loaded Titanium, Hybrid, and Energi choices.
…and that’s about all I’ve got for now.
I’m not a Ford expert but I believe that the Taurus name was dropped in favor of “500”, NOT the Fusion. This recalls a great era for Ford when their top of the line family sedan was named the Galaxy 500. The current Chairman at Ford recognized the value of the Taurus name and pushed that this “500” be re-christened Taurus.
Regarding Ford wagons, the Flex is essentially a Taurus station wagon. (Well the platform is shared with the Taurus.)
My personal opinion is that, while having polarizing styling, the Flex is one of Ford’s nicest cars.
One more thing: In my reply post above I should have correctly called the car “Five Hundred” not 500.
Also, we shouldn’t forget Ford built the Freestyle, (a wagon), which then was renamed Taurus X
1st gen Fusion was slightly smaller than Taurus…which was still sold for fleet use for a year or so after Fusion came out.
I heard when Alan Mullaly took over the reins at Ford, relaunching the Taurus brand was a top priority. And he was quite correct…sticking a new, arguably less-attractive nose on both Five Hundred and Freestyle and renaming both “Taurus” and “Taurus X” respectively caused sales of both to go up.
The Five Hundred/Freestyle both scored high marks in many areas. Apparently people just didn’t care ’cause the car didn’t say “Taurus” on it.
Incredibly dumb to drop the Taurus brand period. Why does Detroit do that so often??? Besides Malibu, which has come and gone and come back again, is there any American brand today that’s half as durable as Corolla, Civic, Accord, E-class?
(F-100 doesn’t count, it’s a truck.)
Suburban 1935, Corvette 1953, Impala 1958, Buick LeSabre 1959, ford Mustang 1964, chevrolet Camaro 1967, Chrysler 300 1955,
Wow! How could I forget Corvette (1954-today) and Mustang (1964-today)? These are the true greats.
Those other great brands were dropped at least once before they came back.
* Impala was dropped in 1985 and again in ’96.
* Buick LeSabre lasted from ’59 all the way to 2005, and hasn’t come back.
– Replaced by Lucerne, which is Safeway’s brand for milk.
* Camaro dropped in ’02.
* Chrysler’s 300 series dropped in 1971.
Suburban? The oldest brand of all. For a truck.
Good point re wagons. They’re still popular here in New Zealand, but that’s largely because they’re the default vehicle for sales reps – generally the Mazda 6 wagon. Families who traditionally may have bought wagons are more often buying SUVs – the Mitsi Outlander being a good example. Virtually all my family had wagons while I was growing up. Nowadays the only wagon owners left are my parents (’08 Legacy) and one Uncle (’04 Nissan Stagea). Everyone else graduated to cars once the kids left, or to SUVs as they got older and wanted a better view.
My second car, when I was 18, was a Ford Sierra wagon; I had two more wagons after that, and then moved to a job that came with company vehicles that were vans (Toyota Hiace, Mazda E2000, Mitsi L400) and then successive Mazda 6 station wagons as I’ve moved up over the last 15ish years. My role now doesn’t have a company car, and my personal car is a sedan. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve wished I had a wagon. Ever tried fitting a clothes drier in a sedan to take it in for repair? Yeah, nah. But I can understand why automakers are shying away from wagons, because I wouldn’t want another station wagon – rather my next vehicle will by an SUV, hopefully a Ford Territory. Why? Because it does everything a wagon does but has more space for the footprint and a much better view. Times they are a-changing I guess!
@Edward, No. 2:
I think there’s the Great American Anti-Wagon Conspiracy. Americans are simply hellbent on not ending up with a Wagon Queen Family Truckster. Everything about the suv-craze is about pretending to not driving a wagon. If I was a psychiatrist, I’d say they have some sort of short coming, or in other ways some sort of problem with associating themselves with anything that could even remotely be regarded as something feminine. Wagons = maternity, therefore = bad. Anything womanly = not manly. And men couldn’t touch anything womanly even with a ten foot pole, or they’d end up with cooties or something…
Think about it. 70’s station wagons, and 80’s minivans, turned into 90’s suvs. They were accepted as mens cars only when jacked up, fitted with four wheel drive, gigantuan wheels, and a decent winch. Now, the american market is so focused on manhood that not even women like to be seen in cars that could be perceived as womanly. Even lesbians prefer trucks and Outbacks before anything remotely cute. There simply is an American Anti-Wagon Conspiracy focused on compensating for a lot of people feeling short changed for something…
That’s an interesting analysis, Ingvar.
I still think there are enough people who would come down from their Canyoneeros, if someone built the right wagon. Subaru still does decently from the Outback, like you said, and that doesn’t scream testosterone to me. A fusion wagon could do well here.
Not me. I loved our family station wagons, and love my current ’06 V50. The problem is the V50 was discontinued in the US after 2011, so I don’t know what I’ll get next time. The XC60 is nice looking, but it’s a crossover and about 1500 pounds heavier than my wagon. No thanks.
Here’s my current set of wheels:
(On his afternoon tea break): I largely disagree. It was my wife that really wanted a tall Bronco II back in 1984 to replace the low Honda Civic wagon. It’s almost a given: women want to sit high! Let them explain why.
Check out the few owners of modern wagons: they’re inevitably men.
Let’s face it, the modern CUV is nothing but a station wagon that sits a bit tall, like the wagons in the forties and early fifties. The SUV fad just got us there. And the SUV thing was a fad, and women like fads, no? Well; (some) guys too.
But tall wagons/CUVs are beyond fads. Look at all the very small cars, like the Chevy Sonic/Spark, Fit, etc… all practically CUV height.
Folks have realized that the inner real estate that cars had in the forties is much better than the cramped fifties and sixties, height-wise. So we’re back to KT Keller and his hat-wear-able tall cars and “wagons”.
I think you hit the nail on the head. My mother has an XC90, and whenever I drive it I feel like I’m driving a bar stool. Too tall for me!
You have a valid point. My point is that it really doesn’t matter that those are in reality de facto station wagons, when everyone calls them anything but. It’s the scare of all things station wagony that is interesting in this discussion. Why not call the Freestyle/Taurus X the Taurus Station Wagon? Or the Taurus Country Squire perhaps? Because that’s what it really is. Call a spade a spade, and a station wagon a station wagon.
I’ll tell you why they don’t call them station wagons: because they can charge more for it not being one. Buyers can tell that a wagon is just a sedan with a roof extension, and won’t pay much of a premium for that.
But a CUV, despite sharing a platform and many other parts with a sedan, can be sold for a substantial premium. The profit margins are “taller”. And no manufacturer wants to rock that boat. BMW is a perfect example” compare prices of their 3 and 5 Series wagons against the X3 and X5. I haven’t in a while, but a few years back, the difference was not insignificant.
Do the CUVs have three row, nine-passenger seating? If not, they’re not wagons, just large hatches. Small cars like the 3 & 5 series are really hatchback territory. A bigger hatch is not a wagon.
My mom does not want an SUV of any sort. When she got her 98 V70 she loved it. And then when she had to replace it she went smaller with her 07 V50 T5. It’s her favorite car. She hates driving huge vehicles like SUVs.
> we’re back to KT Keller and his hat-wear-able tall cars and “wagons”.
As a worshipper at the altar of ’48 Buick Roadmaster, I thank my stars daily for that. We’re just out of the longer, lower, wider phase for good. I guess I just like tall, roomy cars. Too bad the seats today are atrocious, with none of the streamlined living-room feel of the 30s-40s. Having a huge
knee-bruiserconsole in the middle doesn’t help either. How is a man supposed to (try to) drape his arm around the passenger in a modern car?Ingvar, interestingly there is a similar situation with sedans in most of Europe. Sedans are only acceptable with a premium badge. Non premium mid size or compact sedans are considered pensioners’ cars or carry “Mondeo man” image and nobody younger wants anything to do with them. Those who need a bigger family car than the usual family compact hatchback are buying wagons or MPVs or lately CUVs.
I agree with Uncle Mellow; a re-route would be good if not too late.
We’ve been debating whether to build or buy with our never ending relocation. The rub is getting our house sold – 13 months on the market and no offers; I refuse to have two mortgages. A second rub on building is finding suitable property. My criteria is to be where I can urinate off the front porch at noon without being seen. That’s tough to find.
So, buy or build? That’s a $64,000 question and I’m not sure yet.
We’re not moving; this is in a lot behind our house we’ve owned for almost twenty years. We love our neighborhood and our house – not moving until they carry us out.
And even though we live close in, I have no compunction about urinating in the side or back yard; the chickens do; why not me?
One of the things I’m going to miss about the big, fenced backyard at my place. Any day now!
If you’re like me on any plumbing project, you’ll end up making at least seven runs to Menards (or Lowes) for the one fitting you forgot the last trip.
Be careful on your next Menards run Ed. They have a whole aisle full of model cars by the Christmas lights. I’ve already bought a few; it couldn’t be helped.
Menards is easy to resist until after the Holidays. Somehow I lost $50 at Farm and Fleet just walking past Toyland!
Haven’t been to F&F since Toyland opened. I love their snack aisle though!
Undoubtedly; I just grabbed lots of various fittings, but I’m already short one or two key ones…
That’s my SOP, too.
Plumbing is pretty easy, once you get the basics down. Not doing it right can cause big trouble down the road though. 1/4″ of fall per foot of run on waste pipes, 1/8″ of rise per foot of run on vents, don’t wet vent anything, and make sure to get a code book. Remember the differences between a combination and a sanitary tee, an elbow and a sweep, and if using plastic ALWAYS use primer. Good luck on your plumbing aventures, Paul, and remember the 3 rules of pluming; shit rolls downhill, don’t bite your fingernails, and payday is on Friday. Well, i guess the payday is not applicable.
Just remember the three rules of plumbing.
1. Hot’s on the left and cold’s on the right.
2. Payday’s on FRIDAY.
3. Wastewater don’t run uphill.
“1. Hot’s on the left and cold’s on the right.”
You would not believe how many (first year) Apprentice Plumbers I’ve seen mess that one up!
Even master plumbers. On one house we built years ago, the plumber ran a hot line (under a slab, so not fixable) to a distant faucet in the yard! He told us it would be handy for washing the car!
Sounds about right. You want Hot for the baby right?
I’m not without fault. Once you have that license you don’t talk about your own F—ups. You just give other people crap for F—ing up. 😀
My grandmother’s kitchen sink was backwards, cold on left and hot on right, for years and years. For some reason, one day Pops fixed it. Granny complained for a month about being used to it the old way. Pops un-fixed it to shut her up. LOL!
My Bonneville has developed a very annoying high pitched wind whistle above 30mph. Any tips on how to track it down?
The door seals are new, sounds like it might be coming from around a window…
I presume you’ve had someone else drive it while you move around the interior? That way you’ll track down which area (window?) it’s coming from and focus in on that area. If it does appear to be around a window, check the seal in the window channel (unless the door glass is frameless). If there’s a particular part of the seal where the noise seems to be coming from, temporarily stick a wide strip tape over the exterior join where the glass and frame meet (ie to smooth out the join/gap) then see if the noise changes.
I’ve had friends drive me around in my car to track down rattles. I even removed all the seats in one car (except the driver’s seat!) so I could freely move around looking for a mega-annoying rattle near the roof-mounted coat hook. That turned out to be a loose seatbelt mounting bolt at the bottom of the B-pillar, and because of all the trim on the B-pillar, the noise was going up the pillar and coming out the gap around the plastic trim at the top where the pillar and roof lining met.
Friend of mine had a Nissan Terrano Diesel 4×4 with a speed warning beeper that kicked in at 105kph. He drives like a loon, so it was beeping most of the time, and driving him nuts. There was no way to turn it off apart from disconnecting it, but he couldn’t find it – somewhere behind/underneath the dash, driver’s side.
So you can imagine the fun he had taking up to 105kph and then looking for it. Got it in the end though.
Gotta love infrastructure…that’s where I’ve been for months on my reno. Planning to route upstairs plumbing if so God forbid it leaks, we’re not tearing out walls/ceiling to fix. Also going dual-zone with the HVAC so need to get all that run, then the plumbing, before proceeding with wiring.
It’s a real-life jigsaw puzzle…hope I don’t lose a piece.
Ah yes, the “90% done, 90% to go” stage. Been there for years on our farmhouse remuddling project.
Pressure test it. On the supply side just hook the whole system up to a compressor that can give 100psi or better and you’ll find potential leaks pretty easy.
On the waste side you just have to plug the stack at the main connection or C.O. fill it with water from the vent or, if you can get one, there is a Stack Test plug that has a standard Hose connection to make the process a bunch easier.
Paul, for those who would like to contribute and are not the regular contributors and editors, what is the submission email address? I know the orginal one got hacked many moons back.
curbsideclassic(at)gmail.com or the Contact form is good too.
I’m planning to put up a Submissions button on the Menu bar, with info on how to submit. Coming asap.
As I’ve said before, I’m not too worried about the volume of content. I’ll take quality over quantity, and don’t mind waiting a few days between posts. Tom Yang’s Ferrari page waits up to 3 weeks for an update, and I don’t mind.
If you think this site/blog is dependent on regular content grist, you’re wrong. As I commented earlier (or did I?), sometimes the content gets too much to read! Don’t know about other guys, but the material here is of such high quality compared to the `car’ blogs that I usually read each article in depth *and* peruse all comments.
Sometimes it seems a privilege to be able to hold a decent conversation about topics we all love (and feel strongly about) without venturing into politics, religion, or any number of flame-baits. That privilege is all ours, on this site.
Thank you for Curbside Classic, Mr. N, Mr. Klockau, Mr. Cavanaugh, Mr. Martin, all others who I don’t mention. Feels good to be here.
THIS
Never mind wagons and SUVs and plumbing, here’s something completely different. There was a TV show made in NZ from 2005-2010 , currently being re-aired on a UK(?) satellite channel. Called “Outrageous Fortune” it includes a character names Munter who became a father in a recent episode and christened his son ” Chrysler Hemi Valliant”.
(we never learn Munters’ surname)