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There’s nothing worse than getting ready to start a plumbing project only to realize that you can’t turn off the water supply. Plumbing valves have a way of freezing up over time, and that can make it difficult to do even the simplest repairs. In this post, we’ll explore the best ways to unfreeze stuck valves. The Traditional Grease-and-Wrench Approach The traditional grease-and-wrench approach to opening a stuck shut off valve is basically a matter of trial and error. Start by turning off the main water shut off valve to the house. Then, spray down the stuck valve with penetrating […]
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Replacing your sink is a step-by-step process. In today’s post, we’ll discuss the method for installing a kitchen sink drain. This process should be relatively easy for anyone with DIY plumbing skills. If you’ve never done your own plumbing before, we recommend starting with a project that’s a little more basic, like replacing the faucet or inner parts of your toilet. To get started, you should understand the anatomy of your kitchen drain. It consists of: Sink basket Tail piece (the long straight part that comes out of your sink) P-trap (the curvy part that hooks up to the tail […]
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Dishwashers have many moving parts. If your dishwasher stops filling with water, there are many little things that could potentially be going wrong to cause the problem. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through some of the basic problems your dishwasher could be experiencing. Check The Water Supply and Power Before you start replacing parts, it’s a good idea to confirm that your dishwasher has power and water. You can check that the water is turned at the local valve under your sink. Check that the valve is open. Remember: righty-tighty, lefty-loosy. Next, use a multi-meter to check that the […]
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There’s something disquieting about a gurgling drain. You know something’s wrong, but it’s difficult to say exactly what. A gurgling drain can mean a lot of things, but specifically it means that there’s air inside of your drain pipe. This could be due to a leak, a blockage or even an improper installation. When your sink gurgles, you should try to fix it as soon as possible. Leaving it alone could lead to more costly repairs in the future. Was Your Sink Just Installed? If your sink was just installed, it’s very likely that it was simply installed improperly. Either […]
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You’ve wondered the answer to this before: which one is better, hand-washing or dishwashing? Better for the dishes? For the environment? Which one works better? Which one costs less? Which takes less time? The answers could surprise you. Which one is greener? It seems that the majority of people who wash their dishes by hand leave a steady, semi-hard stream of water running throughout the process. Doing dishes this way can waste up to 5 gallons per minute. Compared to Energy Star dishwasher models, which can use as little as 3 gallons per load, this is an incredible statistic. Put […]
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It’s little wonder that you’ve been dreaming about an island sink for years. Kitchen islands are among the most coveted of kitchen features, and a sink can make your island just that much more desirable. Plumbing an island sink isn’t much more complicated than plumbing a standard sink, with just one exception. The drainage for an island sink must be installed in a special configuration, or a special vent called an “air admittance valve” must be installed on the drainage pipe. This step-by-step tutorial will walk you through the process of installing the plumbing for an island sink using an […]
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So, your garbage disposal is leaking and you don’t want to call the plumber. Of all the things that can leak in your house, the garbage disposal definitely isn’t the worst. Many people who enjoy tackling DIY projects can fix this problem without too much effort or purchasing a bunch of specialized tools. We’ve posted this tutorial to help you solve this problem in your own home. FYI: garbage disposals connect to the sink and pipes in various places and leaks can occur at all connections, so we’ve divided this post into separate tutorials to help you with different types […]
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So, you’ve finally got that refrigerator with ice maker that you’ve always wanted. What’s the problem? There’s no water line that runs to the refrigerator! Don’t worry. Running a water line is something that many homeowners are capable of doing themselves, without spending money on a professional. Here’s how. Materials: Pipe tee (either copper or PVC) and the materials for attaching the tee made of that material Short pipe (4 inches) Stop valve Flexible tubing (length variable) Drill with appropriate bits Wrench Cable clamps Step-By-Step: Locate the cold water line that’s closest to your refrigerator. This may or may not […]
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Refrigerators that dispense water and produce ice are probably among of the greatest appliances invented during the 20th century. It’s such a fantastic luxury to get cold water, ice cubes and deli meat all from the same location. That’s why it’s such a downer when ice production slows down or the water dispenser takes 10 minutes to fill a cup. If you refrigerator’s ice maker or water dispenser has been letting you down recently, these tips can help you fix the problem without calling an expert. What To Do If Your Water Line Is Slow Check your owner’s manual to find out if your water […]
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You may have heard that the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest plumbing day of the year–and it’s true that there is a spike of plumbing problems that occurs on Black Friday. Knowing what those plumbing problems are and where they come from will help you avoid plumbing issues in your home this coming Thanksgiving. Common Thanksgiving Day Plumbing Issues You can expect two parts of the house to exhibit plumbing problems on Thanksgiving day: the kitchen and the bathroom. The reasons behind this are probably obvious. With all those turkey scraps, potato peels and starchy foods disappearing down the […]
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