Grant from Bowen Island BC has a problem of air in his hot water line first thing in the morning and anytime after the system has been sitting still for a while. There are really only two sources of air to cause this problem.Since Grant is on a well, it is possible that the check valves that pre...
Joan from Windsor, Ontario has one of those large square floor drains with a heavy metal grate over it that are so common Ontario eastward. There are under slab pipes that come in and out of this collection box. The concept was designed as a drainage system for an empty storage space called...
In this TV show we took a look at how product changes has taken sink plumbing from an art to a simple DIY task.The original steel pipes were cut and threaded to exact lengths with just no room for error. This required not only skill, but large cutters and threaders. When we moved to copper pi...
Chris from Welland, Ontario has problems with his leaching field plugging up. He has cleaned out the roots, but how can he keep them from growing back.The problem is that anything that would kill the roots will at the same time kill the bacteria that is necessary for the septic tank to work. Th...
Almost every part of ordinary sink faucets can be purchased as replacement parts today. Of course you can buy the washers, even the "seats" that the washers push against and then grinders to "dress" the seats. But now you can even buy the handles themselves, as well as new "Hot" and "Cold" ...
When your garden hose is in trouble, you can either fix it or recycle it. Patch couplings as well as quick coupling adapters are readily available. Magic Wrap is a rubber tape that effectively seals holes permanently in hoses. Just remember to not use it like a tape, but to stretch it twic...
One of the little known problems of working with copper plumbing is that the copper pipe should never touch a piece of galvanized metal, be it a pipe strap or a passing heating duct. There is an electrolytic reaction between the two metals, especially in the presence of heat, that will eat holes...
When pipes go from a cottage down through the crawl space and into the ground, they risk freezing. Simply wrapping them in insulation will not protect them, especially if the wind manages to blow though the fiberglass.Dig down about a foot where the pipes go into the ground. Remove the insulati...
Here is one of those little tools that is so useful; a replacement wheel for a small pipe cutter. Many people don't realize that you don't have to replace the whole pipe cutter when the wheel is damaged, you can buy the wheels on their own.Tip: take the whole tool to the store to be sure to get ...
Typical of many older homes, two of our listners have large metal grates in the floor of the basement, covering a drain collection box. This box tends to stay wet, grow strange things and smell bad. That was acceptable when the basement was no more than a storage space, but when it is conve...
