Have you heard the old saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know”? It’s an axiom homeowners should always keep in mind when thinking about the mechanical and structural systems hidden behind the ...

Q. Hey, Tim, I had the opportunity to tour a house under construction. All the plumbing drain lines were in, but I also saw all sorts of other extra pipes that connected to the drain pipes and ...

I recently had a plumbing emergency in my own home. The main drain pipe under the basement floor got clogged with toilet paper. The culprit is a newer low-flush toilet in a basement bathroom. I’ve ...

The white pipe sticking up out of the roof is a plumbing vent. The rubber boot at the base of the plumbing vent is part of the flashing kit for this vent, and the boot has dried out and split. Here's ...

Q: My washing machine is in the basement in a room directly beneath the kitchen. When water drains from the washer, it’s going into a hole in the basement floor. The sump pump kicks on, but the water ...

I recently helped out a homeowner in Pittsburgh. His wife had decided it was time to tear out an outdated platform bathtub. She wanted to replace it with a new, sleek soaking tub shaped like an ...

We Canadians deal with extreme winter challenges each year, and one of the most annoying (and mysterious) happens when rooftop plumbing vent pipes get plugged with frost. This is called “ice capping” ...