Posted in Plumbing Tips

When it comes to plumbing maintenance, keeping an eye on your floor drains is one task you can’t neglect. Floor drains are often located in basements, garages or beneath hot water heaters, and they provide quick drainage and prevent sewer gases from entering your home. Here’s how to maintain these critical plumbing features. 1. Pour water down them regularly Floor drains actually work to keep sewer gases from seeping into your home. They contain a fill trap mechanism that holds ...

The real estate market is starting to cool off a bit now, and buyers have a bit more leverage than they did over the past couple of years when it comes to buying a house.  The single biggest investment we’re likely to make in our lifetimes. During the red-hot market, it was hard to obtain an inspection amidst the flurry of over asking offers, now it makes sense to protect your investment given the average price is still quite high in most markets. That means performing thorou...

One of the main reasons people take their dogs to the groomers is because bathing a pet can be hard on plumbing. When you bathe your dog in your bath at home, dog hair inevitably makes its way into the drain, causing clogs that prevent the proper flow of water. Luckily, there are ways to bathe your pet at home and minimize the impact on your drains. Here’s how: Brush before you wash Not only does brushing your dog’s hair regularly keep its coat looking clean and shiny, it also k...

Building a new home or replacing some of the plumbing in your existing home? It’s important to understand the differences in pipes before you attempt doing any plumbing projects. Two of the most common types of pipe used for plumbing systems are Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). While ABS and PVC share some common uses, they also have some key differences. ABS is always black and PVC is white is the easiest way to tell which piping it is. ABS ABS ...

Having problems with your toilet? Whether it’s not emptying properly, overflowing, leaking or struggling with low water levels, a toilet that won’t flush is often simple to repair. Here are some of the most common reasons why your toilet won’t flush the right way—along with some simple solutions to solve this annoying problem: It’s clogged. In many cases, a clog inside the toilet is the reason why it won’t flush properly. Toilets can only handle cer...

Are you getting ready to introduce the comfort and relaxation of a hot tub into your life? Installing a hot tub at home can be a big undertaking. While some hot tubs are “plug and play” models that don’t require much in the way of plumbing, others are a bit more complicated. Whether you’ve built a hot tub yourself or you want to enjoy the ease and convenience that comes with linking your hot tub up to your home’s plumbing, here are the steps you should take. Col...

If you own a cottage, lake house or other vacation home, you’re likely looking forward to warmer weather and relaxing summer days. First, however, you have to de-winterize your property if you’ve been away for the winter. Often, this is only a matter of reversing the actions you took to winterize the property before the cold weather seasons arrived. Here are all the steps you need to take to de-winterize your cottage correctly. Turn electrical circuits back on When it comes to w...

Noticing problems with the plumbing at your home? You may need to replace your plumbing, or you may just need a few simple fixes. Knowing when to replace plumbing is a big decision, and it starts by understanding the condition of your pipes and fixtures. Read on for some of the common signs that indicate when it’s time to call a licensed plumber for pipe replacement. When you notice discolorations in your water Whenever you turn on your water at home, you expect to see crystal-clear w...

Living with hard water is a hassle! Not only is hard water hard on your clothes, it also negatively affects your hair and makes it harder for you to clean dishes and fixtures around the house. Softening your water is the only way to get rid of hard water and the headaches that come with it. But, like most plumbing upgrades, it’ll come at a cost. Wondering whether you should invest in a water softener? Here are just five of the benefits you’ll enjoy when you have soft water in you...

If you’re a homeowner, a water leak can be a major headache. And often this occurs at night or on weekends – just what you need. The good news? There are a couple of ways you might be able to temporarily fix the leak yourself. A good patch could hold until a professional can visit your home and fix it permanently. More importantly, it could save significant property damage and inconvenience too. We’ll cover three methods: The first method is to use a gasket and hose clamp...