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Found 10 results for the keyword ‘Trap’

  • Finding enough water for the Butchart Gardens

    Many of you have certainly heard of the beautiful Butchart Gardens in Victoria B.C. As you can imagine, when I visit a place like that I want to see more than just the flowers. So, David Clarke gave me a tour of the hidden side of the gardens: where their water comes from. What may surprise yo...
  • A new Pivoting "P" trap for under the sink.

    Don't you just hate trying to line up all the PVC pieces in a sink drain? Wouldn't it be so nice if there was just a little bit of flexibility someplace in the drain line? After all, we did finally elminate the rigid speedways to get those great flexible ones that don't collapse.Well the compan...
  • Dealing with insect invasions: Cluster Flys, Lady Bugs & Boxelder Beetles

      A viewer on my HGTV program asked: "Does the type of siding make a difference in attracting Cluster flies?" I always wanted to learn more about those flies that cluster on the side of houses (usually in the country) and mass in the windows in the early spring and late summer. They are larger ...
  • Wash Down low flow dual flush toilets use water differently!

    Low flow toilets: do they work? do they not work? This is an ongoing very interesting debate. This history of the evolution was first written in 2001.  For the latest updates on this story and current data on toilets that do work, click here. The average Canadian household uses between 7 hundred...
  • Venting the plumbing in an island sink

    Putting a sink in an island in the middle of the kitchen presents some plumbing challenges.  Generally the venting for a sink goes upward in the wall while the drain water flows downward towards the floor – but in an island, going up is not an option.  To have a large sink that drains properly y...
  • What is wrong with my gurgling double sink? The Vent Valve

    David writes that he recently installed a double sink but it gurgles and backs up. It is 10 feet away from the plumbing stack and goes through a garbarator. What did he do wrong?     When you attach a large double sink on a long horizontal run, the drain pipe will tend to fill up with water ...
  • Stopping flies and gasses from coming out of my basement floor drain with Dranjer!

    I have had several letters recently about bad smells and even flies coming up out of basement floor drains and sump pump pits. One viewer was quoted hundreds of dollars to break up the entire basement and replace all the sewer lines. The real problem is usually that the trap under the floor has ...
  • Investigation Techniques

    THE ALMOND MYSTERY Updated-- 20 almonds soaked in water overnight are good for my wife’s and my health.  But when there are only 14 almonds in the bowl in the morning I was getting accused of old age distraction.  Next day 20 in the bowl, next day 20 in the bowl – I guess it was my distractive ...
  • What temperature should a house be when you are gone for the winter?

    Jim from London, Ontario is wondering what temperature he should leave his thermostat while he migrates south for the winter. The short answer is 55 degrees F, or about 12 degrees C. That should keep the pipes from freezing, keep the humidity under control, keep the furniture from going through ...
  • Vent Stack Ice Capping or Evaporation : I GET SEWER ODOURS INSIDE THE HOUSE OCCASIONALLY IN THE WINTER.

      This is one of those problems that are not dealt with seriously enough by the building officials in really cold regions.  I have opened a blog space at the bottom of this article for you to add in your case history so we can demonstrate that this is a large and continuing problem.  Take a look...