Plumbing Advice

Some people have a good grasp of plumbing, especially when they grew up with a father or a grandfather who was pretty handy around the house. If you were the kid who wore your Dad’s tool belt as he repaired a clogged garbage disposal or a leaky faucet, you may have a good understanding of how indoor plumbing works. On the other hand, perhaps you grew up in apartments. Whenever your single mom had a problem with the plumbing, the apartment manager would dispatch a handyman or a professional plumber to fix the issue. Or, perhaps your parents were very busy people with demanding careers. Your father was traveling all the time and your mom was always at the office, so you were cared for by your grandmother or a babysitter. In other words, your father didn’t have time to do work around the house so he called a professional

If you live in an older home in Kansas City, the lifespan of your home’s plumbing system may be in the back of your mind, or even at the top of your mind. If your sewer is 40-years-old or older, it may be a matter of time before it needs to be replaced. Perhaps your home was recently built in an older neighborhood. If that’s the case, your home’s plumbing may not be connected to a new pipe. Instead, it may be connected to an older pipe with traditional methods and connections. Homeowners understand the gravity of clogs in existing sewer lines, especially old sewer pipes; but many homeowners do not know about trenchless pipe replacement and relining, allowing for a new sewer line without digging! We’ve found that a lot of people are afraid of having to replace their sewer – for some homeowners, it’s their biggest fear! This

In many situations, renters and homeowners have different mentalities when it comes to home maintenance. When something breaks down or stops working, usually the first thing a renter does is put in a call to their landlord. Renters may not think twice about what they put down the garbage disposal or the toilet because they automatically think their landlord will foot the bill when a problem arises. Homeowners, on the other hand, know that if anything were to go wrong, they have no one to rely on but themselves. So, homeowners do their best to take care of their property so they can minimize all home-related costs. From their roof to their HVAC system, to their carpeting, and their indoor plumbing system, most homeowners are actively looking for ways to take care of their property and reduce repair and replacement costs. Are You a Landlord? Real estate can be a

Whether you’re a business owner or a manager, there’s one thing you know for sure: You can’t afford to have plumbing “problems.” After all, time is money! When it comes to DIY practices for preventing toilet clogs, clogged drains, and leaky faucets at home, you’re probably pretty good at maintaining your plumbing, but when it comes to controlling how employees, customers, and visitors take care of the plumbing in your building – not so easy and is part of why commercial plumbing can be so important. Whether you’re running a small business, a retail store, or an office building, you need the plumbing to work smoothly. If you’ve been at it a while, you already know that plumbing problems are inevitable. Aside from mentioning “proper plumbing maintenance” in an employee meeting, there’s not much you can do about what people flush down the toilet, but that doesn’t mean the situation

Most people enjoy the beauty and splendor of big, mature trees, especially when they provide a lot of shade during the hot summer months. As a child, or when you were a young adult and you rented your first house, you probably didn’t put much thought into the trees surrounding your home. Back then, the trees were probably ornamental in your eyes, plus they provided some nice shade. Once you’re a homeowner, your views about trees can shift dramatically. Suddenly, you’ll be concerned about how close trees are located to sewer lines and whether thirsty tree roots are going to wreak havoc on your plumbing system and cost you thousands of dollars in repairs. Sewer lines are a magnet for thirsty tree roots. After all, the pipes provide an ample supply of water and oxygen that the roots need to thrive. Once a root discovers a leaky pipe underground, the

Most of our posts are written for homeowners who actually live in their homes, but this post is geared towards homeowners who rent or lease out one or more homes. It’s valuable for renters too! When you’re a homeowner who is living in your home, you’re fairly cost-conscious. You know that if there’s a leak in the roof, you have to call a roofer and take care of it. You have to make sure that the lawn looks good year-round so the neighbors don’t complain, and you have to replace the garbage disposal or dishwasher when they outlive their lifespan and breakdown for good. There’s no landlord or property manager to call when something needs to be maintained or repaired – it’s all on you. With the cost of repairs always in the back of your mind, you’re mindful about your property (inside and out), and you do whatever you

If you will be entertaining over the holidays the last thing you want is for a plumbing disaster to strike, and we all know that emergencies always happen at the worst times – like when we have a house full of guests! Whether the issue is a toy car clogging the toilet, turkey grease solidifying in the kitchen drain, silverware jamming the garbage disposal, or a broken water heater on Christmas Eve, plumbers are the superheroes over the holidays, that’s for sure! Many households see an increase in activity between November 23rd and January 1st, which places additional stress on the water heater, dishwasher, showers, bathtubs, toilets, kitchen sink drain, garbage disposal, and even the washing machine, which means household plumbing is put the ultimate test. While you can put in an emergency call to a plumber over the holidays, you’d prefer not to have to place a call on

The last thing you need during the mad holiday rush is to have something go wrong with your plumbing, right? Unfortunately, if you don’t prepare your plumbing for the winter, you could end up paying a big price, and you don’t need any added expenses during a time that your budget is already stretched to the limit. There’s no such thing as a “good time” for a plumbing emergency. Emergencies often occur when our minds are on something else, like preparing for out-of-town guests over Thanksgiving and Christmas. While you’re stocking the fridge for your annual holiday dinner or the linen closet with new sheets and towels for your in-laws, don’t forget that the colder weather means more than holiday travel, it means temperature shifts that can cause your plumbing to fail at the worst of times – when you have a house full of guests! Here are some of

Are you buying a new home? When we say “new,” we’re not necessarily talking about a brand new home, but new to you. If you put an offer in on a house, you’re going to order a home inspection and depending on where you live, possibly a termite inspection. But, what about the plumbing, have you put much thought into that? Home buyers need to know all of what they’re getting into or they may end up in hot water. Let’s say you found your dream home. It’s been a rental for the last 20 years, but you don’t mind. The owners recently re-painted the whole house from the inside out, and they installed new carpets. You’re ready to make an offer and seal the deal, assuming the inspection goes well. The general contractor who moonlights as a home inspector, or the inspection service recommended by the real estate agent,

If you live in a rural area, or if you have an older home, you may think that having a garbage disposal is like having a dishwasher; it’s a luxury more than a necessity. Or, if you’re like most people, you feel that garbage disposals are a “must have” component to a modern kitchen to grind food and dispose of food waste, food scraps and other smaller pieces of food particles down the kitchen sink – we sure feel that way! Just like a refrigerator or a clothes dryer, garbage disposals don’t last forever; all appliances have a life expectancy. However, garbage disposal units, like our bodies and like any other household appliance, automobile, or piece of furniture, can last longer and avoid a call to the plumber for garbage disposal repair or replacement if they have proper garbage disposal maintenance, and they aren’t abused. So, how long should a