Snap, Crackle and Pop Is for Breakfast, but Not the Bath

Question: I recently had a new water heater and shower mix faucet installed by a plumber. Now I have a popping, gurgling, spitting sound and very definite change in the shower flow: hot to burn and cold/cool to surprise!

What happened?

Gurgling in pipes usually occurs when hot water is turned on in bath, sink or shower area. Not so before.

Answer: Your telephone is the answer to this problem. Get your plumber on the phone and tell him that he shouldn’t have left you with this situation and that you expect him to correct it at no charge.

Failing there, you may try to get rid of the popping and spitting sound by turning off all the water, opening all faucets and completely draining your water system. Then close the faucets and turn the water on again.

Sometimes the cause of such noises are erroneously referred to as having air in the pipes, when most of the time, it’s the exact opposite. In all probability, when the plumber shut off the water to install the water heater and faucet, the air chambers, which reduce the pressure in the pipes and prevent noise, filled with water. Now there’s no space to cushion the pressure of the gushing water.

I can’t identify the gurgling sound, but one cause for gurgling is a drain pipe being inadequate for the amount of water being handled. If your new faucet somehow produces a greater flow of water, the drains could possibly be overtaxed.

As to the change in water temperatures, you might consult the manufacturers of the water heater and/or faucet. Perhaps one or the other is not regulated properly. A call to the service department of your gas or electric company (depending upon the heater’s power source) could produce some advice.

But before doing anything, I’d go for the plumber who did the recent installation.

Q: I have Levolor blinds placed at all of the windows of my house, and two of them have cords that have become raveled. Try as I may, I cannot unravel them, and the blinds do not hang properly at one side as a result.

Is there a secret or some way that I can rectify this situation?

A: Personnel at Levolor say the cords are under warranty and the company will stand behind them as long as the blind is in the window in which it was originally installed. They advise you to return to the place where you bought the blinds, and while you probably will have to take the blind in, the dealer can handle the replacement.

If you don’t know where the blind was bought, write and ask Levolor’s headquarters what you should do. The address is 1280 Wall Street West, Lindhurst, N.J. 07071.

Dale Baldwin will answer remodeling questions of general interest on this page. Send your questions to Home Improvement, Real Estate Department, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Baldwin cannot answer questions individually. Snapshots of successful do-it-yourself projects may be submitted but cannot be returned.