Tom Grote, who lives in Ivoryton, CT, has an unpleasant experience when he starts a fire in his fireplace. It's not a smoking issue, it's a sewer smell. Read what he sent me: "I live in a two-story colonial with a bathroom and fireplace on the first floor. Every time I have a fire in the Read More »
Norman Zarr, who lives in glorious Asheville, NC home of the Biltmore Estate and the Grove Park Inn, has water dripping from his T and P valve on his water heater. Here's what he told me: "I get water dripping from my pressure/temperature overflow valve on my water heater. What are the possible causes? I have Read More »
Robert J Herman did some major remodeling to his house in Keyport, NY, ten years ago, but a rookie, or brain-damaged plumber, was on the job. Read what Robert has to say: "About ten years ago, we had an addition done on our house and a lot of work. When they put the vent pipes in for Read More »
Donna Bunai has a few complaints about the water pressure inside her shower. She lives in Shirley, New York. "I have a problem with the water coming out of my shower. It used to be perfect, no problems. We had all new plumbing done about a year a go. Now the water comes out normal but then Read More »
Kathleen, who loves to have clean grout in Peoria, AZ, asked a common question about sealing grout. "Thanks for the info on cleaning the grout. After it is clean can I paint some protector sealer on the grout? A tile man did once when I was in my other house and it kept my kitchen safe Read More »
Tim Carter demonstrates in less than a minute how to connect pex piping. Tim's a master plumber so you can trust him! CLICK HERE to read my recent column on connecting pex pipe. Tim shared this video in his November 7, 2014 Weekend Warrior Newsletter
Connect PEX Pipe - So Very Easy and Fast DEAR TIM: I've got a major bathroom remodel I'm jumping into and luckily I'm allowed to do the plumbing work myself where I live as long as it meets code. My inspector says I can use pex pipe and it seems too good to be true. Read More »
Does your garbage disposal smell like a rat died in it? You know, that foul odor? Let’s talk about why it happens. The odor is from rotting food that’s coating the side walls and bottom of the disposer. Many people don’t use a disposer the right way. Let’s go over that first. When you operate Read More »
Margaret Warren has a mess down in Alvin, TX. "We had travertine mixed blocks laid as kitchen backsplash. The installer didn't know to seal the tile, so now we have the crevices and pits filled with grout. How would you recommend removing the unwanted grout. It's two days old and we've been working to remove." Ouch! Read More »
Okay, so let's see if you know how to calculate what the payback period is on the EcoDrain product. Don't attempt to do this if you're not versed in semi-complex math problems!!!! Here are the figures I want you to use. Modern shower heads reduce flow to 2.5 gallons per minute. Let's assume three 10-minute Read More »