Home Repair & Maintenance

Installing PVC sink drains on a kitchen sink is an easy process and requires very few tools. The PVC pipes, trap, and other pieces are easy to assemble because they simply slide into place and...

When you cut PVC pipe in half, be careful of the type of saw you use. Exercise extreme caution and always wear eye protection. According to Hammer Zone, lower the blade on a miter saw slowly into...

Small strands of hair can build up to cause a massive drain clog. A clog can occur at any point in the drain pipe. It may form in the tail pipe connected to the sink or in the p-trap that connects...

You can calculate the weight of water contained in plumbing with a few simple formulas to estimate the volume of a pipe. Due to differences in pipe fittings, the answer obtained will be slightly...

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) first gained notice in the late 19th century, according to the book "PVC Pipe, Design and Installation," but it wasn't until much later that the use of PVC materials...

Flexible gas line is often used when plumbing natural gas to a dryer, range or other appliance that is moved during or after installation. As opposed to rigid black steel gas pipe, flexible line...

PEX pipe with metal insert fittings and stainless steel clamp bands is one alternative to copper and CPVC for interior hot and cold plumbing installed in trunk and branch fashion. According to the...

A wooden work desk makes a great place for getting homework or leftover work done in your home or shop. Most wooden desks do not come with predrilled holes for a cord or any other item you want to...

While your wood burning stove can be a romantic focal point on a winter's Eve, it also performs a vital function in heating your living area. Proper installation of the stove is critical to both...

With high energy costs even for minimal winter heating, most people with summer homes in Northern states do a complete winterizing process come fall. This prevents burst water pipes, both...

Whenever a job requires making a connection between two threaded ends of a pipe, the possibility of leaking exists. It doesn't matter what kind of pipe it is; from plastic to steel gas line,...

PVC cement or glue, as it is otherwise known, is a substance that is used for fixing leaking pipes and other things. It is relatively inexpensive while also being friendly to the environment. It...

All furnaces fueled by natural gas, oil, or propane must be vented to the outside of the building. If a furnace is not vented, deadly carbon monoxide gas will escape into the building. As carbon...

Plumbing fittings -- whether copper, PVC or threaded -- come in many shapes and sizes. Purchase fitting sizes from 3/4 inch to 4 inches, and fitting shapes, such as tees, couplers, elbows and...

Plumbing stub outs are used to extend pipe installed below slabs or inside walls out of the structure and into the room so that you can return later and connect the rest of your plumbing to the...

When using PVC for plumbing connections, you are going to run across slip joints. A slip joint allows a raw end of pipe to slide into the threaded end of a fitting. The ends are connected and...

PVC plumbing is much easier to work with than the old metal pipes that required soldering to install. Changing the plastic or PVC pipes under a sink is great project for most home owners that...

Soldering copper pipes has become much easier over the years with places like Home Depot and others selling inexpensive mapp & propane hand gases with regulators all under $60.00. With the...

With all the new inventions on the market there is one repair method that I will recommend over all others to repair copper pipes that will last a long period of time until you properly cut the...

Control valves are used in many types of processes, both industrial and domestic, to either turn a flow on or off or regulate flow at some proportional setting between on and off, with either...

Deep well pumps spend their useful service life submerged under a hundred feet of water or more, pushing it to the surface for the needs non-municipal water users. They are constructed with the...

When a high efficiency furnace or air conditioning unit runs, water is produced due to condensation of water vapor. This condensate needs a place to drain off so a mess is not created around the...

Pneumatic cylinders are easy to make in the home workshop. They can be made in a variety of sizes for different household tasks. Homemade devices, especially plastic, should never be connected to...

Modern home plumbing can vary depending on the age of the house and the owner's usage patterns. For example old houses can have tinier pipes with accrued blockages over the years that can make...

I'm writing this article because I have read, seen and heard of all the ways someone should not cut copper pipe. By reading this article you will cut copper pipe like a professional plumber.

An InSinkErator becomes clogged when too much food has been put in the unit at one time. The food disposal also becomes clogged when there is not water running through the drain while it is...

How would you like to save time and money on your next leaky sink project? Gluing your own PVC pipes can be easy and affordable. This project is intended to get rid of those leaky pipes under your...

The condensate drain on your air conditioning unit should be cleaned out once every six to 12 months in order to prevent clogging. Because there is constant moisture in the condensate pipe and...

Tree roots are often the cause of damaged underground sewer pipes. When repairing sewer pipes, finding the exact location to patch can be tricky. Use a sewer inspection camera to help, or hire a...

Plastic pipe comes in many forms including PVC, ABS, and Polyethylene. PVC is rigid and is mainly used as pressurized water lines and electrical conduit. ABS pipe is used for compressed air lines...

When working with any piping system, you'll need accurate measurements to ensure everything fits properly. If your measurements are off, you'll end up wasting pipe, wasting time, and, most of all,...

The pop-up drain is referred to as a "trip lever" drain, meaning the water in the sink is steered by a entirely separate mechanism. Unlike other drains, the pop-up drain is not closed manually. ...

Particularly in older homes (and sometimes in newer construction), you may need to move around existing gas pipes to remodel rooms. Some homeowners shy away from doing this type of work...

A common problem in homes is a clogged sink or one that will not drain. Usually, the clog is in the waste trap, or P trap, so named because the pipe is shaped like a letter P. This pipe keeps...

When installing a toilet flange on a tiled floor, the main concern should be that the flange sits at the proper height above the floor. Depending on the thickness of the tile, the flange may not...

Most water supply lines in homes are copper pipe, joined with soldered fittings. If you're repairing existing lines, or repairing new lines you've just tested, there's likely to be water in the...

Grease traps are sometimes referred to as interceptors. Most municipalities requir grease traps be installed in restaurants, school kitchens and commercial cooking establishments. Typically,...

A lot of homes in the U.S. get their water from wells, and many of those wells are considered to be shallow (less than 25 feet deep). Homes with shallow wells can have problems producing adequate...

Sooty, dirty and grimy fireplace stove pipes are fire hazards. If left alone, deposits in the chimney stove pipe can become overheated to the point that they ignite. After only a few moments, the...

Under the sink drain assemblies have changed dramatically since 1999. They have gone from hard metal piping to more flexible plastic pipe. The pipe is easier to put together because of its...

There is no need to call a plumber to replace a sink basket. The task can be accomplished by anyone, even someone with no experience in home repairs. You can purchase a new sink strainer,...

Having a functioning shutoff valve for you bathroom sink is a crucial part of home maintenance. But because it is not used very often, it can become stuck or rusted over time. Don't wait to...

Your house's guttering system and downspouts consist of the first line of protection against water seeping back into your home's foundation. Without a proper drainage system, water from your...

Sealing a gas pipe can be done in a safe and inexpensive manner. When dealing with gas, always keep the area well-ventilated. The materials for sealing a gas pipe are usually easy to find at a...

Hydronic heating systems all send hot water under pressure through pipes to heat houses, buildings or apartment complexes. Where the hot water flows to heat a particular room or building, this...

Cleaning gutters is a difficult and time-consuming task for most home owners. Since it typically requires climbing on a ladder, it can also be dangerous. Fortunately, there are ways you can clean...

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plumbing is becoming an increasingly popular material in both residential and commercial construction due to its many benefits and ease of use. For the average...

Installing an exterior foundation wall drain is a very effective method in keeping water out of your basement. It is challenging to install and quite expensive but usually very effective.

Electrical conduit safely routes wiring from a power source to an outlet or device. Not only does it provide safety during a construction or remodeling project, but it is also a requirement for...

Whether you're replacing your old water heater or installing one in a new house, you will need to do some plumbing. For the sake of clarity, the steps below will assume the use of CPVC pipe. CPVC...