Posted in Plumbing Tips

With things starting to return to a more normal, many of us are starting to plan some vacation time. While we can’t help you with what to see or do, we can offer you some tips about what to remember before heading out – plumbing wise. The PipeMaster Checklist includes: 1. Main Water Shut-off Turn off your water supply to ensure you do not return home to a flood in the event of a broken, frozen pipe. Going hand in hand with this to also shut off your hot water, gas or electric&nb...

Time for a new water heater? You may be wondering about tankless vs traditional tank heaters and which one is the right one for you. Both have their advantages and disadvantages – it’s all about what’s right for you.  You probably are familiar with that big tank of hot water in your basement, it is always on to keep your tank of 30-60 gallons of water hot and ready. Tankless heaters produce hot water only when you turn on the faucet, start a cycle on the washing machin...

Hot water tanks usually last about 7-10 years. When they do, often it’s leaking that you’ll notice. This can cause flooding and a host of other issues depending on how long before the problem is discovered. Having your tank checked/serviced regularly can help minimize this from happening. Emergency situations are beyond your control, knowing what to do quickly when your tank leaks is the best way to avoid costly damages. 1. Find the leak Determine the source of the leak. Hot wate...

Toilets don’t make good table talk, even though we have all heard at least one amusing story about them. Ignore your toilet and you could end up spending money on repairs. Or worse ignore the problem and end up with a plumbing disaster. We’ve put together a guide designed to help you know when to replace a toilet, signs it’s time so to speak: Age. Toilets don’t last forever or the inner workings. While it still may do the job, older toilets do often suffer from inef...

Bathroom mold is one of those cleaning struggles we tend to keep in the dark. No matter where you live, a high moisture level in your bathroom makes mold almost impossible to get rid of, no matter how much you clean. Eliminating bathroom dampness is the key to keeping bathroom mold from growing. Here’s a top 10 tip list: Always switch on the bathroom fan. Leave it running for half an hour to an hour after you shower. If you don’t have a built-in shower fan, get a fan and do the...

Rusty water can be caused by a number of things; rusty pipes, damage to your pipes from construction, sediment in your water, a rusty water heater, a break in your water main or a problem with the water source be it municipal or private well.  Where is it coming from? To find the source, your first step is to do a small test. Run the cold water for a minute and then stop and rerun it. Do the same with the hot water. If the rust is only in the hot water, it’s likely caused by your...

Canadian winters bring cold temperatures. Having your water pipes freeze or burst is a major inconvenience. It can also be an expensive frustration for home and cottage owners, easily causing property damage that can run into the thousands to fix. It’s pretty cost-effective to insulate your water pipes, so let’s look at the benefits of doing so over the long run. Some like it hot Insulating your water pipes will help keep your hot water hot. It helps save water too as you have ...

In Canada, winter brings plummeting temperatures. As the leaves fall the countdown to the first snow begins. Frozen and bursting pipes can be a common and expensive frustration for home and cottage owners, causing property damage that can easily be in the thousands to repair and remediate. Let’s look at some easy steps to take to prevent freeze ups and protect your water systems: Frozen pipes aren’t something any homeowner wants to discover in the dead of winter. But, if you tur...

Losing water pressure in your shower can be annoying. Disruptions in the water pressure because of flushed toilets are not as bad as chronic water pressure issues that make it more difficult to rinse off soap and shampoo. Let’s look at a few different ways to fix this issue: 1. Issues with the pressure-balancing valve Some showers have pressure-balancing valves that use a single handle for controlling the water flow and the temperature. An example of this occurs when flushing toilets ...

Your water heater may be out of sight but it should not be out of mind as it plays a very important part in the plumbing of your home. A poorly functioning water heater could result in bigger electricity bills as well as water that is either too hot or ice cold. It is important to conduct annual maintenance to ensure that your unit is clean (hard water build-up is damaging to your water heater) and is set to the right temperature. You’ll save more than money, but also prolong the life o...