From time to time I have an issue that I seek advice on, and since I typically plan ahead, I would ask the pros here days or weeks before I actually tear something apart and fix. That gives me time to think and digest the opinions I get here, order necessary parts etc...however the downside is by the time I get around to get myself in deep trouble that original thread is already all the way down there and I think most would just pay attention to the newest threads.

That's why occasionally I would start a new thread, which really is a continuation of the original thread, so I named it "PART II" or "PART III". Is this the preferred way to do it?

Is there a way to go to an older thread, add a post to it and bump it to the top? Or is it possible to sort the threads by date/time of the last post in a thread instead of the date/time of the first post of the thread? I just thought may be that would allow others to continue discussion on a thread that may have been quiet for a week or two.

It is not a big issue, but just thought I ask because occasionally I see others start new threads on the same subject, and I think it's also because their original thread has dropped out of the top 30 or 50 threads that most pay attention to?

After reading the FAQ's I have to conclude there is not. You can find your old thread by searching by what your subject was. In the future I think you may want to 'save' a thread by putting the page in 'favorites' or 'bookmarks'.

wetordry, I can find the thread, that is not the problem.

The problem is if there is a thread say 60 threads down, and you ask a followup question, that thread stay all the way down and most readers seem to read the most recent threads, so those threads stay buried in the bottom. To ask a follow up question the best way now is to start a brand new thread, and restate the problem with the updated information. If that's the preferred way that's fine, but sometimes it's less confusing to just add one more post to the end of a thread and if it can be bumped back to the top the discussion can continue.

Yeah. If you read the FAQs it will give you a bit of a feel for why the powers that be don't want to do that. Frankly I think they're right. This seems to be one of the nicest forums ever to get a post on the net. I haven't seen any squabbling like turns up in just a few posts on other sites. Maybe it's because plumbers are such great guys or maybe it's because plumbers already have to deal with enough........___..! I prefer to believe the former. LOL Have a Goodun!

Hey Sum:

Excellent question. It would be great, if when someone adds something to a previous thread that it would bump the old thread current, or new. Excellent question. I hope the powers that be take your question into consideration.

Agree that a bump would help you notice new postings to the thread.

There are pros and cons to automatic bumping and believe me it has been considered.

Many "old" posts are extremely lengthy, and if they were "bumped to the front", might not mean anything unless the reader read every reply to see what has gone before. A fresh start with a new post clears the air and lets us start over without all the baggage. It should not be that difficult to summarize what has gone before, if that is even necessary, in a new posting.