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When Old Man Winter is knocking at your door, and the north wind is biting at your nose, it is clearly NOT the time you want to have to figure out how to winterize your home’s plumbing. Frozen pipes can cause not only inconvenience, but actual damage as the ice forming inside them can cause leaks and breaks. Here’s a quick look at how to winterize your home’s plumbing to prevent these problems for a lower-stress winter. Steps to Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing Start with an assessment. Generally speaking, you should be concerned about pipes found in crawl spaces, exterior […]
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If you’re like most homeowners, you want to be able to perform minor household repairs and maintenance tasks for the sake of convenience as well as to save a little money, but it’s important to be aware of common mistakes in order to achieve these goals. Let’s take a look at four of the common pitfalls homeowners encounter concerning DIY plumbing projects. Using Too Much Drain Cleaner Homeowners are often too quick to reach for over-the-counter drain cleaner products, but too much exposure to the caustic chemicals these products contain can cause erosion on the insides of your pipes. Purchasing […]
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Is your bathroom starting to look a little dated? It’s an easy fix. Most of the things in a bathroom that we find antiquated are really fixtures. Unless you want to rip out the tile and replace the tub, updating a bathroom could be as simple as purchasing some new handles, faucets and shower heads. Here’s how to get started. Make a List of Your Current Fixtures When you change out your fixtures, it’s best to change them all out. After all, you don’t want a bunch of mismatched drawer pulls. Begin by making a list of all the fixtures […]
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Water heaters don’t last forever, so if yours bursts, you may panic and not know what to do. But before you call us at Terry’s Plumbing, there are some essential steps you need to do to avoid further damage and flooding to your home. Turn It Off If you have an electric water heater, can safely turn it OFF at your electrical box by finding the circuit breaker marked “Water Heater.”. If you have a gas water heater, locate the thermostat and turn it from the ON position to the OFF position. Shut Off the Water Your next step will […]
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You turn on your sink but it’s barely a trickle. Your shower doesn’t even feel like it’s trying. What’s going on? Low water pressure is nearly always a problem that has to be addressed, but the scale of that problem can vary. Here are a few things you should to do troubleshoot the problem. Where is the Water Pressure Issue Located? Is the water pressure problem in your entire house? Is it in a single room? Or is it just in a single faucet? Finding out where the water pressure is low is the first step towards troubleshooting the problem. […]
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Many homeowners don’t pay much attention to their household plumbing until something goes drastically wrong — and when that happens, it’s often an expensive fix in more ways than one. Not only is a major plumbing crisis expensive to have repaired, your home may be unlivable until everything is back in working order. If you don’t have accommodating relatives or friends nearby, you may be on the hook for a motel room until your plumbing is up and running again. Fortunately, proactive strategies exist that make it possible for homeowners to circumvent many plumbing dilemmas. You probably already know that […]
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Pools are great in the summertime. There are few things better than sitting around by the pool with a group of friends on a hot summer day. The one thing that does make it better is if you’re not the one responsible for maintaining the pool. There’s an old saying about boats. “Don’t buy a boat, find a friend who has one.” The same can also be said for pools – depending on how much you use them. Pools are a great asset to any home. As long as they are maintained. So, what are some costs associated with owning […]
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There are few things more irritating than a clogged drain. It can lead to unclean sinks or showers, potential odor issues and unnecessary costs if you need a plumber to unclog it. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent drain clogs and minimize those issues. With some easy proactive steps, you can greatly reduce the risk of clogs in your kitchen and bathroom drains. Below are a few tips to consider: Rinse your drains regularly. Perhaps the easiest step you can take is to simply clean your drains on a regular basis. That’s especially true of your kitchen […]
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Summer downpours cause basement flooding. Depending on your situation, even just a little bit of rain can cause a huge mess. In climates like Pittsburgh’s, it’s pretty important to consider waterproofing your basement – whether it’s finished or not. Because you want to spend more time outside, and less time inside with the shop-vac. Find the Leak First The easiest way to find the leak is to cover the walls in your basement with plastic. Once it rains, see where the plastic gets wet and then patch the area. This is just the first step in waterproofing your basement. Once […]
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If you’re the outdoorsy type, summer is awesome. Warm weather. Maybe a summer vacation. Playing outside with your kids, or calling off work to spend the day at the pool. All in all, people love summer. There’s nothing like it – especially after a long Pittsburgh winter! However, one thing that can derail a perfect summer day is plumbing issues. Here are a few common plumbing issues we see come up each summer, as well as some tips to make sure you’re being proactive about them. Sprinkler Issues Not everyone has sprinklers, but those who do have probably run into […]
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