Ask This Old House

Kevin

Today on "Ask This Old House"...

Richard

How do they get water to the top of a high-rise building in New York City? I'll show you how they do it and how to fix it when it goes wrong. And now the size and geometry of this tank and the height determines the water pressure for all the people down below. The lower you go on the building, the more water pressure it gets.

Tom

And this bowl is a great first-time lathe project, and we'll show you how to build it. Bring it in. Once I feel my cut, I'm gonna drag it over, come back. Push it in, push it over.

Kevin

Hi, there. I'm Kevin O'Connor, and welcome back to "Ask This Old House," where we love hearing from you. So if you've got questions about your house, we've got the experts to answer. Keep your letters and e-mails coming. Hey, Nathan, how you doing?

Nathan

Good, Kevin, how you doing?

Kevin

Oh, my goodness, this stuff -- I saw this post on social media that you put up.

Nathan

Check that out. I found this at a job site. Homeowner bought the house at a foreclosure.

Yep. Nathan

And he's renovating it, so he's taking all the drywall down, and it's actually just gypsum board with a thin veneer on it. I actually thought it was wood paneling the first time I saw it from afar.

Paper back. Nathan

Yep.

Kevin

You got the gypsum center, and then this front is -- I mean, it's just another layer of paper to look like wood.

Nathan

Yeah, there's not much there.

Unbelievable. Nathan

Check out this piece -- still got the instructions on the rear. Said they make three different types -- knotty pine, walnut, and bleached mahogany.

Of course they did. Nathan

You can use color-matched nails or finish nails.

Kevin

When you put it sort of board to board, do they tell you how to treat the seams?

Nathan

I think they had a color-match tape for it, 'cause you figure they had to land 16 on center, so they had to tape something.

Kevin

So I saw you post it, but I didn't see the house. What era was the house you were working in?

Nathan

House was from the '50s. And I tried to look it up online, and not a lot of information on it, but a lot of people were posting that they had it in their homes, and they were from the '50s, as well, so...

Kevin

Big push-back in the day to get knotty pine in their houses.

Nathan

It ran its course, though.

Kevin

So this stuff -- Dumpster or museum?

Probably the Dumpster. Kevin

Probably.

Well... Nathan

Save one piece?

Just in case. Nathan

Alright.

Richard

There's probably a water tower like this in your neighborhood. Do you know how they work? A water tower is generally positioned at the high point of a town, and it's filled with millions of gallons of water. The weight of water in that tank pushes down through a pipe and provides water pressure to all the houses in the local community. So how do you get enough water pressure in a place like New York City? Even if you could fit a water tower here, it would only be tall enough to provide water pressure to the bottom third of most of these buildings. So if you look around Manhattan, any apartment building over five stories has to have a water tank like that to provide water pressure to just that building and not to an entire town or region. Today's project is all about solving a problem caused by the water tank on the roof of this building right here in Midtown. Hello, Arlyn.

Arlyn

Hello, welcome to New York.

Thank you. Arlyn

Come on in.

Richard

So, how long you been here?

Arlyn

We've been here about six years. My wife and I moved in shortly after our son was born.

Richard

Condo?

Arlyn

It's a co-op.

Richard

What's the difference?

Arlyn

It's a strange New York thing. A co-op allows you to buy shares to allow you to live in your apartment.

Okay. Arlyn

In a condo, you actually own the four walls of your apartment.

Richard

So is there any advantage one over the other?

Arlyn

Yeah, buying into a co-op is cheaper.

On the front end. Arlyn

On the front end, yes.

Richard

And you can still build equity, as you can transfer.

Absolutely. Richard

Okay, cool. Well, by whatever name you call it, it's terrific.

Arlyn

Thank you very much.

Richard

You're right here in Midtown. I mean, I can look over and I can see Chrysler Building, but it seems like everywhere I look now, all I seem to see is water tanks, 'cause that's what I'm looking for.

Arlyn

They're everywhere, and they're part of my problem. New York City requires buildings like ours to clean the water tanks once a year.

Richard

And flush them right out.

Arlyn

Yeah, in the process, all this gunk flows through, and it basically lowers our water pressure

throughout the entire apartment. Richard

Okay, what do you do?

Arlyn

Well, I've learned to clean the kitchen faucet,

clean out the little aerator. Richard

Good, yeah.

Arlyn

And I managed to get one of those giant wrenches that gets me into the inlet for my washing machine, yeah.

Richard

And there's a little filter inside those washing machine hoses.

Arlyn

Exactly, but my main problem is in the shower in the master bath.

Richard

Okay, let's take a peek there.

Arlyn

So, the problem with this shower is when we renovated, they put in this fancy new unit.

Richard

Looks beautiful,

yeah. Arlyn

Thank you. But as you can see, there are no screws here, so I don't even know how to get in it. So I have to call a plumber every single time.

Okay. Arlyn

Plumbers aren't cheap. They're about $800 a pop every time I bring them in.

Richard

But I got to tell you, in New York City, it's a big deal. Just before I came here today, I had to fill out a certificate of insurance, write a letter of scope of work on letterhead, and I had to find a place to park and park the thing. It's not cheap by the time you add that up. But I get it. I get what you're saying. But I think what we could maybe do today is maybe to teach you how to take that apart carefully, okay? You up for that?

Arlyn

Absolutely.

Richard

Alright. So, let me just check around

before I do anything silly. Arlyn

Great, thanks.

Richard

Alright, careful on the step. So, look what happens. I got poking around your building, and look what I found --

the water tank. Arlyn

Pretty cool.

Richard

You been up here before?

Never. Richard

Okay. So, here's the water tank for the whole building. You look at it, it looks like a big wine cask. Looks like they have pine boards that are all held together by these hoops, and it sits at the very top of the building. And you can hear the water running. You hear it?

Arlyn

Oh, yeah.

Richard

So, at the top, it has two floats, and when it needs to, the floats bring on a pump, and the pump pushes water gradually up to the top -- you can hear it -- and it fills this tank. And now, the size and geometry of this tank and the height determines the water pressure for all the people down below. The lower you go in the building, the more water pressure it gets. So, a lot of these things sit outside, but somewhere along the line, they built this building around it. But I thought it was a cool place, right?

Arlyn

Sure,

yeah. Richard

It's also good for people to know where their water comes from. Alright, so you ready to get back to work?

Let's do it. Richard

We need to turn you into a plumber. I'll follow you. So, when they flush that tank on the roof and that sediment comes down, looking for a place to clog, you'd think it would be right here in the shower 'cause here's a hand shower, there's small holes there, or a showerhead. But it isn't the place that it happens. Actually, think about it. Before the water gets here, it has to pass through this very complicated shower valve right here with tight little passageways. So this is probably the clog point. So now, we're gonna take this apart, but I'm not gonna do it. You're gonna do it

and I'm gonna coach. Arlyn

Okay. Sounds good.

Richard

So when you look at this, it freaks you out 'cause, you know, I mean, how's it go together? Well, remember, somebody, after this was tiled, somebody had to put the plate on, put the handles on. So if they could put it on, we can figure out how to take it off, okay?

Right. Richard

Now, sometimes on these things, there's a little pry-off thing here, a little index, and underneath it might be a screwdriver slot. That doesn't look like it. So feel around it. There should be some sort of -- Do you feel something?

Arlyn

Yep, got it.

Richard

Okay, so that has an O-ring. Just try to pry it out. If you can't, I can -- Okay. Now, I'm really glad that we actually have a drop cloth so these don't drop down the drain. So, there should be two more, one on each one. You got one?

Arlyn

Got it. Yep.

Richard

Okay, so, with the covers off, now inside there, there's probably a hex head, and this is a European valve, so try that wrench right here. It's a 2.5-millimeter. And loosen it. You don't have to go all the way. And now -- now careful. Without turning the valve on, 'cause the water pressure's still on, loosen it and then just pull it straight off. Good. There's the first one. Alright, next one should be right below it. Get a good bottom into there. Get the thing in, and now loosen.

Got it. Richard

That's good. Alright. Now try pulling that one straight off. Two. Okay. Loose enough?

Arlyn

Yeah.

Richard

Okay, so give it a straight tug back. Okay, good. So there's the three handles are off, and you look at this plate, and you go, "Why isn't it falling off?" Well, it's being held on by these escutcheons right here, so let's try loosening these counterclockwise. Okay.

There you go. Richard

Okay, there's one, and try the bottom one. Okay, now, does that plate wiggle around? Does it come off?

Arlyn

Yes.

Richard

Okay, careful.

Chuckles

Richard

Alright, so there's the valve body behind the wall. So what I want you to do is to carefully take this screwdriver. Clockwise again. Yeah, ready? Until it gets all the way to the bottom, and that should shut off the hot water side.

Arlyn

Okay.

Richard

Alright, so try the cold now. Same thing. get that small screwdriver slot, turn it clockwise until it bottoms out, then give it a good little snug to make sure we hold the water back. Just snug it,

okay. Arlyn

Got it.

Richard

So now, we assume these are off, but the way to test it is you put this on the handle right here, and no pressure. We're gonna turn this on. If it doesn't hold, I'm gonna get soaked, so go ahead. Turn it lefty. Good. Thank you. I didn't need a shower. Okay, so the water is off, and it's time to take the cartridge out. So this is an adjustable -- You can take it -- an adjustable open-end wrench, also called a crescent wrench, and you see the little shoulders on there?

Arlyn

Yeah.

Richard

So, get it on there now, and now get a good bite, and now you're gonna give this way. You're gonna go counterclockwise. You might need -- good, good. Okay, now get another bite, and that wrench is great 'cause it doesn't scratch that shoulder up. Good. Now, okay, loose now. Before you pull it, there could be a little water in the valve body, so just -- I'm gonna put a rag right here. So just get ready. Pull it out. Little bit of -- Yeah, good. Now look at -- So look at this. Here's this cartridge. And you see this? This screen's right here, and look, it's starting to mass up right there. So it's not clogged yet, but it's on its way. Good,

so we'll clean that up. Arlyn

Okay.

Richard

You're getting to be a pro. And just take that brush and just clean off all the impurities that are on that fine mesh. Now what I want you to do is actually soak that cartridge in a mixture of vinegar and water. That'll help to break down the calcium that might be inside that screen. Let that sit for a couple of hours at least. Alright, now it is time to rebuild. So there's your cartridge, all cleaned up.

Okay. Richard

You just put it in. It's just the opposite of everything we did before, so...

Got it. Richard

Righty-tighty. Okay, here's your adjustable open end. Now, an important step is to turn the hot and the cold back on. See, there's your screwdriver. Alright, so both hot and cold are on. Good. So, here's our plate. There's a bottom and a top, yep. Yeah, the logo's down there, so that's the bottom. Here's your top escutcheon right there, that way.

Okay. Richard

Yep. What do you know? They both work perfectly. I had every confidence in you.

Yay. Richard

Nicely done, rookie.

Arlyn

Thanks,

Chuckling

Coach. Richard

Okay. Well, see, I have every confidence you'll be able to do this every single time, right?

Arlyn

I hope so. Thanks for coming to New York

and thanks for teaching me. Richard

It was great.

You were awesome. Arlyn

Thanks.

You are a good coach. Richard

Thank you.

Kevin

So why so much sediment? Is that normal?

Richard

Well, a big tank like that sitting on the top of the building, it sits there, and all the particulates that are in the water can settle to the bottom, and that becomes a collection point. You have another tank like this in anybody's house, which is a water heater.

Same thing happens. Kevin

Right.

Richard

Sediment goes to the bottom. Then they go to flush it, you know -- with good intention, they want to flush it, the co-op people want to flush it so it doesn't become a problem with Legionella or Giardia. But, you know, then it becomes this issue

down through the building. Kevin

Yep.

Richard

So, she could wish that they put a master filter on, but that's beyond her control. That would have to be the co-op board.

Kevin

Okay, well, good information. Thank you. Tommy, look at you -- a new tool for us, huh?

Tom

A new tool for up here -- a lathe. I think I used my first lathe when I was in high school -- probably 15, 16 years old. I made some vases and maybe a lamp or something.

Kevin

Shop class in high school.

Tom

Shop class out of high school.

Kevin

Although I've never really thought of you

as a lathe guy. Tom

I really don't consider myself a "lathe guy" by any means. I mean, let me show you a couple of things that I've made here.

Kevin

Oh, wow.

Tom

On the balustrade end of it, here's one that I turned this weekend. I've never done one like this. This is actually a dual-access turning. You can see it's like a spindle. Turned here and then tapers down at the bottom of the foot.

Kevin

So you get this offset right in here.

Tom

Yeah. That was fun for me to try that.

Kevin

And the bowls -- That's a big thing for the hobbyist to do.

Tom

Lot of bowls. Bowls are great for turning. I actually turned this -- This is a white pine beam.

Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Tom

And it's old growth, so it's really tight. And I save a lot of the old timbers that we take out of jobs, 'cause you can never know what you're gonna do with it.

Kevin

It's beautiful, and look at that. I didn't even think you could do that on a lathe.

Tom

Yeah. Oh, yeah, you can do all kinds of crazy things.

Kevin

Not a lathe guy, huh?

Tom

I don't consider myself a lathe guy by any means.

Kevin

Well, the good news is I've never worked on a lathe, so there's plenty you can teach me.

Tom

And I can teach you some basics of a lathe right now. When using a lathe, you want to think about safety. It's gonna throw a lot of wood at you, and it's gonna throw it at you quick. So I usually wear an apron or my vest like this. I keep it up so I don't get stuff all down my shirt. Now, you can wear glasses, but I like a face shield because those chips are gonna fly, and they're gonna come at you, and you don't have to worry about anything getting stuck.

Kevin

Okay.

Tom

So, look at the basic lathe. We have a motor on this end. We have a tailstock on this end. In between the two, on this end, we have a live spur or center, and on this end, we have a drive spur, and this digs into the wood and turns it so that it won't slip on the motor. And in the center right here, we have what is called a banjo that moves around like that, and this is the tool rest right here that you will guide your tool on and line it up parallel with where we want to cut.

Kevin

So, tool rest up and down, banjo in and out at any angle you want?

Exactly. Kevin

Okay.

Tom

Alright, so now the wood. I found the center on each end by going diagonal. Now, I'm not exactly center. I'm pretty close 'cause we're gonna just basically round this up. Show you how fast we can do it. I've got centering on that end, and on this end, I'm gonna drive my spur in. Still the same centers. I'll drive it in. You hold it. Now tap that in. Good. Now, this is tapered, and inside this hole, it's tapered also, so that means that the harder we push this in, it locks itself into the motor and spins around. So I just guide that, lock this down nice and firm. Now crank that into the center point here. Bring it in nice and tight. Alright, crank it down. Make sure you lock this in. And I want to make sure that I spin it freehand first to make sure I'm not hitting. Next thing I want to do is adjust my banjo right here, and I want to position it so the tail rest is right here. I don't want it to be in. I want it to be out just a little bit so when we're cutting, my tool doesn't fall off. Alright, so I got it like that, turn it quick, and I want to raise my tool rest up just to about the center right there, and now I want to bring this in and make this parallel to the wood. Just like that. Right about there. Now I'm gonna turn it on, put it in forward. Turn it on, and now I can bring the speed up. You can start to feel it to make sure that it's balanced. As I bring it up, you can start to feel any vibration. There's a little bit of movement, but that's not bad. Keep bringing it up. Now, it's important that you know that speed is your friend when turning. You want it to be faster as opposed to slower. Alright, so we got about 1523. Alright, now we're gonna turn this square into a cylinder, and we're gonna do it with a roughing gouge. The other thing is is we want to make sure that we enter the wood up high. I'm gonna bring it down. Bring it in. Once I feel my cut, I'm gonna drag it over. Come back. Bring it up, push it in, push it over. I'm moving my body with it.

Nice. Tom

Come back here a little more, bring it in, start the cut. What I'm doing is I'm bringing it down. See, I'm not cutting wood. I'm actually hitting this part of the bevel right there. So I'm bringing it down till I hit the bevel. I let it come down, grab the edge, and I slide it over. Just like that. Whatever part of that edge you're hitting, you want under the -- You want the bottom part to be on the tool rest. So if you think of the tool and it's cutting right here, you want this on the tool rest. If you're cutting here, you want this on the tool rest. If you try to cut here with this on the tool rest, this will catch, and it'll kick back at you. Alright, so you ready? Get your hand in a little closer. Up. Back to you. Grab your edge. Now walk it this way. Slide over everything. That's good. Get your edge. There you go. Ride the bevel. Pull it back, ride the bevel, push it over. Now that you've got the basics down, let's make a bowl using an oak log that I've split in half. I'm gonna screw a faceplate roughly in the center and on the inside of the bowl. This will replace the drive spur. So what we're gonna do now is we're gonna switch to a different tool, and this is actually called a bowl gouge, alright? A bowl gouge, you can see it's round steel, and this is ground. That "V" is ground out of it. So, it's much stronger, much heavier. So first I'm gonna start it slow because we want to see how out of balance it is. Okay, we're gonna move the tool rest again. We'll stop it. Bring it in.

Kevin

Starting to get a little bit of a curve,

knocking off the backside. Tom

Yep. We're gonna speed it up a little more. Now we're gonna switch to a parting tool to create a tenon on the bottom of the bowl. This will allow us to use a different attachment when it's time to turn the bowl around. Before we turn the bowl around, I want to finish the outside. Let's sand it with some 100-, 150-, and 240-grit paper.

Kevin

This is my favorite project, Tommy, 'cause the sanding is so easy.

Laughs

Tom

Then we'll rub it right in. Then I'll use a paper towel to apply the Danish oil with a walnut color.

Look at that. Tom

Mm-hmm. Now we're gonna take these jaws and mount them to the tenon, holding it tightly to the bottom of the bowl. Snug it up. Good. Alright, hold it. Snug it up again. Alright, our bowl is mounted on our lathe in reverse, and we're getting ready to hog it out. Close it. There you go. Now push. Nice. So our bowl is sanded. Now on the inside of this, we're actually gonna use a wipe-on poly, and it's gonna be clear. So the outside will have a little walnut finish. The inside will be clear, and it will celebrate that wood. After that dries, we'll apply a beeswax coating to the entire bowl. Now we need to cut the tenon off of the bottom. To do that, we're gonna put it back on the lathe. I'm gonna take a paper towel, gonna put it in the bowl with a roll of tape. Put it in there like that. Push that back on the jaws. Hold that there. And then I'll use a parting tool to cut down the tenon as small as I can, being careful that the bowl doesn't fall off and then use a chisel to knock off the rest of the piece and sand it smooth. Alright, how's it looking?

Kevin

You tell me. You're the master.

Tom

Looks pretty good. Your first bowl really came out nice there, sonny.

Richard

Well, a fine mess you boys have made here. Who's gonna clean this up?

Kevin

Well, we turned the bowl, so...

Tom

Last man in.

Jenn

This reminds me so much of pottery, when you take off the material, when you're trimming the bottom of the bowl. But I kind of want to be a lathe girl now.

Tom

Yeah?

Jenn

Yeah.

Tom

Well, he could teach you. He knows the basics.

Kevin

I could show you a couple things. Alright, well, we love to hear from you, so keep your letters and your e-mails coming, and until next time, I'm Kevin O'Connor.

I'm Rich Trethewey. Jenn

I'm Jenn Nawada.

Tom

And I'm Tom Silva.

Kevin

For "Ask This Old House."