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About Sharon McCarthy
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
I can help with most questions about residential plumbing problems including septic systems, and some questions about irrigation. I have no experience with commercial installations or codes.

Experience
I have been a sole-proprietor service plumber in two small towns north of Phoenix Arizona for 26 years.

Publications
I had a monthly column in the United Steelworkers of America, local 1033, newsletter 1978 to 1982. I wrote an article for "The Theosophist" in 1977. I've written dozens of letters to the editor in many newspapers.

Education/Credentials
High school and three years of college. My step-father, having worked 40 years in the plumbing trade in Chicago, taught me for two years. The rest has been hands-on experience.

Past/Present Clients
Many hundreds of good people in Cave Creek and Carefree Arizona

   

You are here:  Experts > Home/Garden > Home Improvement/Repair > Plumbing in the Home

SubjectDate AskedExpert

toilet empties11/24/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: We noticed a very foul odor coming from our toilet yesterday and today it is unbearable. It smells ...
  A: There could be several reasons for this happening. Definitely you are getting sewer gas up because ...
Plugged hot water heater11/24/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: I was getting very low hot water pressure. I remooved the hot water connection from the heater, and ...
  A: I've come across this problem three times in 26 years, so it's not very common. Some water heaters ...
Water heater11/24/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: My son has an electric water heater. On the cold water inlet, there is a 1/2 inch copper pipe with ...
  A: It may just be a way to drain the cold lines ahead of the heater for some reason. Not a standardly ...
Washing Machine overflows when draining11/24/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: I recently moved into a new house and got a new(er) washer; a high-capacity version that dumps a lot ...
  A: The one inch pipe you measured, is that the drain pipe the washing machine hose goes into? The ...
Air Admittance valve problem11/24/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: The kitchen sink in mobile home took two days to drain. Tried standard drain opener gel. No better. ...
  A: It's not likely that you damaged it with the snake. It is not in the path when you clear the line. ...
Toilet11/24/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: We recently put new sheetrock into our basement bathroom. We had to remove the toilet and sink. Now ...
  A: Do you mean the toilet will only FILL when the faucet is running? Like water will not enter the ...
smell in bathroom sink11/23/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: The only place we smell a very bad odor is in the bathroom sink.we have used drano and other other ...
  A: Sewer smells are the most difficult things to pinpoint because there are often a number of causes, ...
Is a maserating toilet my solution11/23/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I live in Florida and I recently purchased a home built in the early 60s. The previous owner added ...
  A: Macerating toilets are designed for basements so they do not drain down. I doubt you have the fall ...
Toilet Water Connecter Line11/23/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: When installing a new toilet at the corner in the powder room, my contractor put the water connector ...
  A: Yes, it looks like crap but it is not against the code. He is just a cut corners type of guy I ...
kitchen drain backs up to into bathtub11/23/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: When draining a sink of water down the kitchen drain the water and some food particles come up my ...
  A: I have given this a lot of thought. I sat and drew pictures, I discussed this with my husband who is ...
shower faucet11/23/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: When I turn on the faucet (Moen - pull out and turn left for hot), the water is only lukewarm. My ...
  A: The Moen fixture has a long cylindrical cartridge, old style is brass [much better], new style is ...
trap on bathroom sink11/23/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: my question is how best to set up trap for sink when new sink is 14" from the drain going into the ...
  A: I sent you an answer to your question last night, but somehow it disappeared. This has happened a ...
toilet flapper11/23/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I would like to know how often do I have to change a flapper because I've already changed it twice ...
  A: You may have a high level of chlorine in your water. This will deteriorate the rubber parts ...
Removing old bathtub caulk11/23/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I would like to remove old caulk from my bathtub but I am having a difficult time with it. What is ...
  A: I'm afraid that I don't have any magic trick. It just needs to be dug out by hand. It's doing what ...
Leak Repair11/23/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: I have a 10 year old house plumbed with PEX tubing. The main supply line from the pressure tank has ...
  A: Bill, Very wise not to tighten that anymore. It's considered a serious sin in plumbing to put male ...
removing a jacuzzi bath tub and reusing in another bathroom11/22/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: We would like to remove a corner jacuzzi bath tub and relocate it. Is this possible if the tub was ...
  A: It can be done but I don't envy you the job! The mortar bed is needed to support the tub, especially ...
Air in water system11/22/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I have been at this this house for 20 years; I have a submergible pump with a bladder tank that was ...
  A: Well systems are not my forte but air in the water is usually from cavitation. The pump impeller may ...
Draining Hot Water Heater11/22/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: We have a home (built in 2007) and I went to drain the hot water heater (gas) as recommended when we ...
  A: You had the right idea about opening a faucet in the house, the tiny opening in a faucet doesn't ...
Toilet flush valve problem11/22/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: I'm made a mess. I tried to replace my toilet flush valve got the toilet pulled apart and now I ...
  A: I have to give you credit for taking on such a project! What you need is a very large ajustable ...
slow draining toilet11/22/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: Our toilet drains slow. I can get a snake through it. I took the toilet off and found a soft scale ...
  A: You hadn't mentioned before that the water comes almost to the top of the bowl when you flush. This ...
sewer gas smell11/22/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: It seems that every time that my washing machine discharges water that soon afterward there is a ...
  A: Bob, I'm not sure what you mean when you say the pipe under the crawl space is the sewer vent. In my ...
ball type kitchen faucet11/21/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: We are trying to repair a PricePfister ball type kitchen faucet. It is leaking from inside the ...
  A: Is there actually a "ball faucet repair kit"? Made by Price Pfister? There are hundreds of faucets ...
Loose Grohe Ladylux Kitchen Faucet11/21/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: We have a fairly new (1.5 year old) Grohe Kitchen faucet that is loose from the base of the sink. ...
  A: If the whole faucet above is loose on the coutertop, the nut you need to tighten is underneath the ...
Push-button toilets11/21/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I am living in the Philippines and had two toilets installed in June of this year. They are the ...
  A: I've seen these several times here in the states. They are supposed to save water by having a "half ...
water pump pressure11/21/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: i starting losing pressure starting having problems flushing when i asked about it i was told that ...
  A: To be perfectly honest, I should have rejected your question because I have no experience with sewer ...
Ceiling leaking from bathroom into dining room11/21/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: So we bought a brand new townhome in june. Brand new, never used everything up to code, blah blah. ...
  A: If this was an overflow from a clogged toilet, you are on your own as far as the builders warranty ...
Replacing Toilet Flange11/21/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: We are trying to replace a toilet flange in the basement (concrete). We are wanting to change the ...
  A: Sounds like they used a glue on fixed flange. Not a lot you can do about that without breaking the ...
slow draining toilet11/21/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: Our toilet drains slow. I can get a snake through it. I took the toilet off and found a soft scale ...
  A: The slow draining and the scale build-up may or may not be related. The "soft-scale build-up" you ...
clogged toilet/auger question11/20/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I have a clogged toilet that I was able to clear last week with a borrowed auger. It is clogged ...
  A: Yep, we call those "white rats" in the plumbing trade. LOL you should see some of the stuff I've ...
Stuck home water valve11/20/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: To drain my water heater, I turned off both the feed valve to water heater and the main water valve ...
  A: Yes, this could be a problem. I expect you have a "gate valve". With a gate valve, the outside stem ...
leak repair11/20/2009Anthony - The Plumber
  Q: In the crawlspace of my house where the drain pipe goes out to the septic there is cast iron pipe ...
  A: Marty, You can use a cement fix, however, keep in mind that it is only temporary and the area will ...
leak repair11/20/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: In the crawlspace of my house where the drain pipe goes out to the septic there is cast iron pipe ...
  A: Hub and spigot Cast Iron has lead and oakum joints. Tarred rope called oakum is pounded into the ...
leak repair11/20/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: Sharon you helped me in the spring. Now I've got a different leak to figure out. In the crawlspace ...
  A: Mortar would most likely not stop a leak if the leak is on the bottom of the pipe. Can you tell if ...
Frozen pipes & Overflow11/20/2009Anthony - The Plumber
  Q: We moved into a new construction home 4 years ago. We live in Iowa so the winters are cold. I have ...
  A: Jodi, It might be that the p-trap is getting frozen causing the water to slow. I would check the ...
hot water at sink11/20/2009Anthony - The Plumber
  Q: We have to run water for four or five min. to get hot water at kitchen sink. Is there any way to ...
  A: Erbie, Depending upon the size of your water heater and the distance from the kitchen, you may ...
new construction shower faucet11/20/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: okay i am currently building a house and at the plumbing stage. I bought the 3 handle aquasource tub ...
  A: I haven't seen a new model three handle tub/shower fixture in years! Almost all tub/shower fixtures ...
water tank leak11/20/2009Anthony - The Plumber
  Q: I have a duron censible state water heater. There are two spots on the top of the water heater where ...
  A: Mark, You may be able to fix this if it is a leak at the threads of a nipple, otherwise, you may ...
water tank leak11/20/2009Dana Bostick
  Q: I have a duron censible state water heater. There are two spots on the top of the water heater where ...
  A: The nipples into the tank are probably starting to corrode and leak. Replacing them is a fairly ...
water tank leak11/20/2009Sharon McCarthy
  Q: I have a duron censible state water heater. There are two spots on the top of the water heater where ...
  A: This could be one of two things. First, let me tell you about the State Duron tank. It has a ...
tub/shower balance valve11/20/2009Anthony - The Plumber
  Q: I have what i believe to be a Sigma 300 series tub and shower faucet. I believe it has a balance ...
  A: Joe, Thank you Joe for the recognition. It is indeed my honor to be part of AllExperts.com I ...

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