When drainage problems are noted at several or all fixtures in the house, the obstruction is most likely a clogged sewer, rather than at individual fixtures. Blockage in a sewer line may be caused by collected waste or foreign matter at some point in the underground pipe or by surrounding tree roots that have taken over. Roots will enter fine cracks in certain pipe materials and continue to grow inside the pipe until they form an almost solid mass. This can take place at a single point, or along a great length of an older pipe. (more…)

With gate valves and globe plumbing valves, the most common problem is leakage around the stem. To repair, first shut off the water at another valve between the leaking unit and the water source, or at the main house intake. With an adjustable or open-end wrench, loosen the packing nut. Hold a bucket beneath the valve to catch the water remaining in the line, then remove the packing nut. Remove the old packing and wrap new packing around the stem, then replace the packing nut.

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The drip of a leaky faucet is a close cousin to the ancient water torture, causing daytime aggravation and nighttime insomnia. More than that, it is water—and your money—going down the drain. Your water bill doesn’t distinguish between what you use for drinking, cooking, washing, laundering, and the like and that which trickles away without serving you in any way. A leaking faucet can also stain a sink or lavatory and eventually wear away the finish of the fixture, too. If is best to go about leaky faucet repair as soon as the problem arises. (more…)

If the toilets in your home are more than 25 years old, they probably use about seven gallons of water per flush. That’s a tremendous waste of water and, if you live in an area with high water rates, a tremendous waste of money. Low flush toilets can make a big difference in your water bill and for the planet. If your toilets were installed within the last 10 years or so, they are probably one of the ”water-conserving” varieties that uses only three and a half gallons per flush. That can cut in half your water use per flush, quite an improvement over the old seven-gallon flush.

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Freezing pipes are a common problem, the severity of which can vary widely. When one of my pipes froze a couple years back, I heard it go, and suffered no more than a bit of water on the basement floor. A homeowner around the corner from me wasn’t quite so fortunate. He was gone when his pipes burst, and the house was so badly damaged that he decided to rebuild it nearly from scratch.

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