Advanced Toilet Technology


Like other things, the world of toilets is changing rapidly. While many homes still feature standard toilets that simply hold water and flush human waste down the pipes, toilets of the future are currently being developed. Some newly invented toilets feature mind-blowing innovations that could transform the world of bathrooms forever. Toilets that Turn Urine and Feces Into Other Things Climate change is a common concern among people in modern society, and as a result, sustainability is an important feature of many modern appliances and plumbing fixtures. Toilets are no exception. While many modern homes feature low-flow toilets that use […]

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What is a Tankless Water Heater?


Tankless water heaters are one of the latest inventions to become popular in modern homes. There are many benefits to these appliances. At Terry’s Plumbing, we’ve started seeing more of these heaters in homes around Pittsburgh. Knowing the advantages, disadvantages and the details of the way these appliances function can help you decide whether or not tankless water heaters are for you. All About Water Heaters (With and Without Tanks) To understand tankless water heaters, it helps to know how a traditional water heater works. A traditional water heater is a large tank designed to hold between 30 and 50 […]

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Are Your Pipes Ready For Winter?


Your home’s pipes go through a lot in the winter. With the temperatures outside dropping below freezing on a regular basis, preparing your home’s plumbing for the coming season can help prevent water leaks, burst pipes and other problems. The following tips will help you prepare your pipes for this coming winter. Insulate Your Pipes Pipe insulation helps to shield your pipes from extreme low temperatures, and also helps your home operate more efficiently. Pipe insulation comes in self-adhesive tubes that can easily be cut down to the right size and attached to the pipes in your home. If you’re […]

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Avoid a Thanksgiving Day Plumbing Disaster


The rumors are true: the day after thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for plumbers. At Terry’s Plumbing, we spend the day after Thanksgiving unclogging drains in households all across Pittsburgh. Why Do So Many Plumbing Problems Occur at Thanksgiving? Too many people using the facilities. Often homeowners don’t realize their drains are slow until extra people start using the bathrooms, showers and sinks. House guests don’t realize there’s no garbage disposal. Sometimes house guests trying to help with cleanup make problems by putting food down the drain without realizing there’s no garbage disposal. People overload […]

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Do Your Bathroom Drains Smell?


Smelly bathroom drains make life unpleasant for everyone, so fixing this problem will no doubt be a priority for you. Unfortunately, smells in bathrooms can come from a variety of sources, so finding the cause of your smell may be a challenge. Starting with the simplest fix and working your way up to more challenging solutions may be the best way to combat this problem. Check the P Traps Look under your bathroom sink. The pipe that runs from your sink drain into the floor or wall should be curved in an S shape. This curve is called the P […]

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What is a Pittsburgh Potty? Understanding A City Classic


In terms of your plumbing, what’s the weirdest thing you can put in a basement? A shower head in the middle of the ceiling? A bathtub right next to the washer and dryer? How about a toilet, standing in the middle of the room, with no walls around it? You probably know somebody who has one of these, or maybe you have one yourself. Here in Pittsburgh, this feature is known as the Pittsburgh potty. A Pittsburgh Classic The story is that steelworkers coming home from a long day in the mill would need a place to freshen up before […]

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Choosing the Right Kitchen Sink


Your kitchen sink is the most basic of fixtures. Picking one should be easy, right? Wrong! Until you’ve remodeled a kitchen, you have no idea how hard it can be to choose a proper kitchen sink. Sinks come in a range of colors, sizes and shapes, each of them with their own advantages and disadvantages. At Terry’s Plumbing, we take kitchen sinks very seriously, and we love helping our customers choose the right kitchen sinks for their needs Basin Quantities and Size One of the first choices that homeowners have to make when selecting a kitchen sink is whether or […]

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Halloween Havoc! Maintaining Your Garbage Disposal and Pipes This Halloween


Halloween is a time of year when many people experience plumbing problems. Sometime late in October, plumbers start to get phone calls from distraught homeowners who claim that their garbage disposals are backed up or their pipes are clogged. Why? It’s all because of the pumpkins. Carving pumpkins is a fun family activity that can spell disaster for your pipes at home. The issue occurs when homeowners try to dispose of their pumpkin seeds in the garbage disposal. Pumpkin guts may feel soft and mushy when they’re fresh from the squash, but once they’re left to dry in your pipes, […]

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Is It Time to Replace Your Toilet?


Your toilet is like a good friend in your bathroom, isn’t it? Or is it an enemy of your household? Some toilets just don’t work very well. Leaks, scratches, wasted water and poor functionality can all make using the toilet a far less pleasant experience. Fortunately, new toilets don’t cost that much, and installation is relatively easy. If your toilet has any of the problems listed below, then it may be time to get a new toilet. Your Toilet is More Than 25 Years Old In the 1950’s, toilets used 7 gallons of water for each flush. That’s a lot […]

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How to Repair a Noisy Shower


A noisy shower can be caused by a host of problems. At Terry’s Plumbing, we’ve seen it all and we know how frustrating it can be for homeowners who have to deal with noisy pipes and faucets. In this post, we’ll explore some of the main reasons that people experience noisy pipes in their showers. Scale Buildup One of the most common reasons that people experience noisy pipes in their showers is due to a buildup of scale on the shower head. Over time, scale that builds up on the faucet fixture can cause the holes in the shower to […]

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