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The gutters on your home have one purpose only: to provide a path for excess water to drain. When the gutter system fails and water overflows the downspout gutter, the results can cause hundreds or thousands of dollars in water damage to the roof, walls and foundation of your home. In many cases an overflowing downspout gutter is something that a homeowner can easily fix without seeking professional help. Knowing how to fix your gutters without a handyman will save you money on repairs while also giving you the feeling of a job well done. Diagnose the Problem An overflowing […]
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It’s the eternal debate between newlyweds and roommates: which direction should the toilet paper hang? Does the loose end drape over the top or hang from the bottom? Which one is better? Until just recently, it seemed like this giant question in the sky would be forever unanswered and left to opinion. Today, new evidence suggests that there actually is a right and wrong way to hang your toilet paper on the roll. Seth Wheeler’s 1891 Patent Toilet paper has been in use for centuries, but not always in a form that our modern society would recognize. According to Wikipedia, toilet […]
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Legionnaires’ disease is a form of acute pneumonia that affects people who inhale Legionnaires’-causing bacteria. In 2011 and 2012, Legionnaires’ disease was responsible for 6 deaths and illness in 16 others at the VA hospital in Pittsburgh. In an attempt to control the spread of Legionnaires’, the VA began treating its water supply with heavy doses of chlorine in 2013. High Chlorine Content Has Led to Extensive Damage It’s been reported that the use of chlorine in the water has shortened the lifespan of the VA’s pipes by years, and has resulted in pitting, rusting and leaking in the hospital […]
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You’ve all seen the local news segment on KDKA, where reporter Marty Griffin addresses social justice issues in the Pittsburgh area. This week’s posting is dedicated to the 5 best Get Marty segments and we’ve included a very special episode at end of this blog post! 1. Garth Brooks Fan Battling Cancer Angie Kervelis is a woman with stage 4 cancer who had plans to go see Garth Brooks in concert. When she was told that her next round of chemotherapy would coincide with the upcoming concert, she called Ticketmaster repeatedly seeking a refund, but to no avail. When […]
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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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Summer is coming! You’re going to want to take some cool showers when the weather heats up, especially if you don’t like running the A/C on all day long. If you’re having an issue getting cold water in your shower, fixing that problem is going to become critical to your happiness when the weather gets warm. The Solution Is to Replace the Cartridge The most likely cause of your problem is a defective pressure balancing spool, which is a part of the cartridge inside your shower faucet. To fix the problem, you’ll need to replace the cartridge. Replacing the Cartridge is […]
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At Terry’s Plumbing, we like beautiful things. We also like plumbing fixtures, and award winning stuff, and we like anything that is environmentally friendly. So when we heard about this beautiful, environmentally friendly, award winning plumbing fixture, we got really excited. For this month’s post, we’re showcasing this brilliant faucet, called the Swirl, that’s been making a splash on various websites online. It’s all about water conservation You’ve surely heard that water conservation is of critical importance for environmentally concerned citizens, and will probably become more important in the coming years. After all, water is the linchpin of human existence, and […]
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You’re lying in bed, it’s 12:30 at night. The witching hour. You’re about to drift off to sleep when suddenly you hear it: the toilet flushes in the empty bathroom down the hall. Is it a ghost flushing your toilet? The most likely answer is no. Unless your house was built over a pet cemetery, you probably have a common leak. Ghost Flushing 101 To understand why your toilet flushes when no one has pushed the lever, you must first understand the way a toilet works. When you push the lever to flush your toilet, the water in the toilet tank […]
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There are a variety of factors that could cause your sump pump to run continuously, but regardless of the reason, a sump pump that runs without stop will burn out more quickly than a sump pump that runs intermittently. In other words, fixing a continuously sump pump is critical. In the majority of cases, the problem originates with the sump pump float switch, and can be fixed by the homeowner. Sump Pump Float Switch Issues The sump pump float switch is a mechanical float that controls the power to the sump pump. When the float is tilted upward, the switch […]
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So, your washing machine isn’t draining. Don’t panic! There are many reasons that you could be having this problem, and many washing machine repairs can be made personally by homeowners. These steps will walk you through the process of determining the problem and fixing the machine. Drain the Water Your first step will be to drain the water out of the washing machine. This will also present you with an opportunity to check the first possible source of the problem: the drainage hose. Unplug the machine and pull it away from the wall. At this point, you should inspect the […]
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