Plumbing Guides & Resources
Expert advice, maintenance tips, and troubleshooting guides to help you understand and care for your home's plumbing system.
DIY Tips
How to Unclog a Drain
The safest and most effective way to unclog a drain yourself is to use a plunger or a basic drain snake. Avoid chemical drain cleaners, as they can corrode your pipes and push the blockage deeper.
When to Call a Plumber vs DIY
You can handle minor clogs, faucet drips, and toilet flapper replacements yourself. However, you should immediately call a plumber for hidden leaks, mainline sewer backups, gas line issues, or major appliance installations.
How to Fix a Running Toilet
A running toilet is almost always caused by a worn-out rubber flapper, an improper chain length, or a faulty fill valve. You can fix most of these issues yourself in under 20 minutes with inexpensive parts from the hardware store.
Water Heaters
When to Replace Your Water Heater
You should replace your water heater if it is over 10-12 years old, making rumbling noises, producing rusty water, or leaking from the tank. Waiting too long can result in a tank burst and severe water damage.
Water Heater Maintenance Tips
To maintain your water heater, you should flush the tank annually to remove sediment, check the anode rod every three years, and test the temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valve every six months. This prevents corrosion and improves efficiency.
Emergency
How to Find Your Main Water Shutoff Valve
Your main water shutoff valve is typically located where the water line enters your home—often in the basement, garage, or on an exterior wall facing the street. Turning this valve clockwise will shut off all water to your house instantly.
What to Do When a Pipe Bursts
If a pipe bursts, immediately locate your main water shutoff valve and turn it completely off to stop the flow. Then, turn off the electricity to the affected area, open faucets to drain the remaining water, and call an emergency plumber.
Sewer & Main
Sewer Line Problems: Warning Signs
Early signs of a sewer line problem include multiple drains clogging simultaneously, gurgling toilets, foul sewage odors in your yard, and lush green patches on your lawn. Catching these early can prevent a catastrophic backup into your home.
What Causes Sewer Smell in Your House
Sewer smells in your home are most commonly caused by dried-out P-traps in unused drains, a blocked roof vent, a broken toilet wax ring, or a cracked sewer pipe. Pouring water down rarely used drains is the easiest first step to fix it.
Education
Understanding Your Home's Plumbing System
Your home's plumbing consists of two completely separate subsystems: one brings pressurized freshwater in (the supply system), and the other relies on gravity to take wastewater out (the drainage system). Vent pipes allow air into the system so water flows smoothly.
How to Read Your Water Meter
To check for leaks, make sure no water is running in your house, then look at your water meter. If the low-flow indicator (usually a small red triangle or star) is moving, you have an active leak somewhere in your plumbing system.
Chemical Drain Cleaners: Why Plumbers Say No
Plumbers strongly advise against chemical drain cleaners because they rely on intense heat and caustic acids that warp PVC pipes, corrode old metal pipes, and damage the environment, often without even fully clearing the clog.
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