Plumbing Installs and Replacements in Hamilton
New fixtures and worn plumbing swapped for new, with what is worth deciding before anyone opens a box or a wall.
A new fixture goes in for one of two reasons: you want something the house does not have yet, such as a pot filler or a rain shower, or the old one has worn past another repair. Either way, much of the work sits behind it: the shutoff that feeds it, the supply connections, the drain and the pipe it ties into.
A plumber usually shuts off the water, takes out the old fixture and checks the valves and lines that will feed the new one; worn angle stops are far easier to replace while they are exposed. Once connected, the fixture runs under full pressure while every joint is checked. Before the work starts, Nixon explains what each line of the estimate covers.
What Goes In, and What to Settle First
The last column is what helps to decide before the day of the job.
More columns to the right: swipe.
| Job | What is installed or replaced | What to decide beforehand |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet | Bowl and tank, wax ring, closet bolts, supply line, often the angle stop | Rough-in distance from the wall, bowl height, round or elongated |
| Kitchen or bathroom faucet | Faucet body and supply lines; in a bathroom, often the pop-up drain | How many holes the sink has, one handle or two, spout reach |
| Sink | Basin, drain basket or pop-up, trap and supply connections | Drop-in, undermount or pedestal; who cuts the countertop |
| Garbage disposal | Disposal unit, mounting ring, discharge tube, dishwasher hookup | Motor size, an outlet under the sink, cabinet room |
| Shower or tub valve | Pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve body, trim, spout and head | Access from behind or through the tile; a trim that matches the valve’s brand |
| Water heater | Tank, relief valve and discharge pipe, an expansion tank where needed | Gas or electric and the tank size; see Water Heaters |
| Sump pump | Pump, float switch, check valve, discharge connection | Submersible or pedestal, a battery backup, where it drains outside |
| Shutoff valves | Quarter-turn ball valves at fixtures, or the main valve | Compression, soldered or push-fit; one valve now or all of them |
| Outdoor hose bib | Frost-free sillcock with a vacuum breaker | A length that puts the valve inside the heated wall |
| Dishwasher and ice-maker supply lines | Braided dishwasher line, ice-maker line, a valve for each | The delivery date; a recessed valve box behind the fridge |
| Section of old supply piping | Corroded galvanized or pinholed copper, replaced with copper or PEX | One run now or the whole house, and which walls can be opened |
A few finished installs: a pot filler over a range, a copper repipe with new shutoffs, and PEX supply lines across a shop floor. More are on Recent Work.
Repair It or Replace It?
The same leaking faucet can be a part swap or a sign the fixture is done. These four questions give a first answer; a look in person settles it.
Four Questions About the Fixture
Answer the four questions above, then press Check.
Some cases need no questions: a garbage disposal whose motor has burned out is replaced, not repaired.
Our garbage disposal quit right before we had people over. Called and the plumber came out the next morning. Turned out the motor was shot so he put in a new one in under an hour. He explained what not to put down it going forward. Didn't try to sell me anything else. Will use them again.
Choosing a Replacement Fixture
How do I know a new toilet will fit?
Measure from the finished wall to the center of the floor bolts. Twelve inches is the usual rough-in; older bathrooms sometimes have 10 or 14. An elongated bowl also needs about two more inches of room in front than a round one.
What makes one faucet last longer than another?
A solid metal body, a ceramic-disc cartridge and a maker whose cartridges are still easy to buy years from now. With hard water, pick one whose aerator and cartridge come out easily for cleaning.
Can a new shower trim go on the old valve?
Usually only if both come from the same maker. Trim kits fit their own brand’s valve body, so changing brands means opening the wall; matching the brand keeps the tile intact.
Should I buy the fixture myself?
You can. Keep the model number handy when you book, and leave the box sealed until the fit is confirmed, in case it has to go back.
Hard Water and Older Plumbing in Hamilton Houses
Groundwater in this part of southwest Ohio is hard. Scale builds up in cartridges, aerators, shower valves and water heater tanks, so fixtures here often wear out sooner than the box suggests. Pick an aerator you can unscrew and soak in vinegar.
In Hamilton’s older neighborhoods, taking out a faucet or toilet often uncovers a seized multi-turn stop or a galvanized nipple rusted thin. Those are simpler to replace while everything is apart than to leave for later. When the job is finished, the work area is swept and wiped.
Planning a new fixture or replacing a worn one?