Fall is finally here in Middle Tennessee, and the yards are full of leaves. Most homeowners take care of them by running a lawnmower over them to mulch the yard, or by raking and bagging them for collection by the city. (An even better use is to start your own compost pile – but I […]
When most of us think about fire safety, plumbing doesn’t come to mind. Fires cause some of the most devastating damage to homes and family belongings. It is worth taking the time to prevent them. After all, nearly all things related to plumbing involve water, which puts out fire, at least in my mind. Below […]
Local Nashville area water utilities regulate the water pressure that comes to Middle Tennessee. Unfortunately, they have to have enough pressure in the lines to get water to the very last house on the line, or up to the tallest building in the area. Sometimes that means water pressure that is too high in your […]
You may have heard your grandmother or grandfather tell you to rinse your hair in rainwater to get it really soft. Why? How does this work? It’s because rainwater is actually very soft water, while water that comes through our pipes or wells in some cases, is usually quite hard. So what does that mean? […]
Homeowners are always looking for ways to protect their home, which is often their biggest investment. Being proactive when it comes to potential water damage from leaks makes sense. With so many appliances in your home, the threat of flooding is always present. It is especially a risk when you are away from home at work […]
Last month, I told you what to do if your garbage disposal completely stopped working. But what if it is working, but is draining very slowly? The problem is a clog in the pipes. How to Repair a Slow Draining Disposal First of all, do not pour toxic drain cleaner chemicals into a garbage disposal. […]
We love our garbage disposals. They help eliminate smelly garbage, make it easy to scrape our plates before cleaning, and keep our pipes from getting clogged with food. Garbage disposals can stop working at the most inopportune time, such as Thanksgiving dinner, when you have a multitude of house guests and a plumber is not […]
If you have small children or toddlers in your home, you will have this problem at least once in your life: your child flushes a toy car or your car keys down the toilet. Even if you don’t have children, you might accidentally drop something into the toilet and flush it. With our busy lives, […]
No doubt about it, the weather is certainly crazy. Luckily, Middle Tennessee has been spared most of the really bad weather such as flooding, tornados, or extreme ice, but can anyone remember the flood of May 1, 2010? Or the tornadoes of April 15-16, 1998? When the Water Supply is Disrupted: Disaster When disasters strike, […]
Have you walked by your bathroom and heard the toilet running, even though it was flushed hours ago? Has your water bill been higher than normal for no obvious reason? Sometimes just jiggling the toilet handle will take care of the problem, but who wants to have to worry about that all of the time? […]