Plumbing Tips from Mike Wilson
Quick Tips for Homeowners
Nothing beats asking a certified master plumber like Mike Wilson to visit your home to see what’s going wrong.
However, we also know that every homeowner can benefit from a few tips on what they can do themselves to keep their pipes flowing.
Plumbing Topics We Talk About
On this blog, you can find topics from Mike Wilson about:
- Plumbing Emergencies
- Plumbing Preparedness
- Garbage Disposals
- Water Heaters
Browse Our Plumbing Articles
What is the Difference Between a Shower Base and a Shower Pan?
Did the bottom of your shower crack? Looking for a solution? Chances are you’ve researched what you need to fix it and found two different terms for the shower floor. You most likely saw information related to shower bases and shower pans or you found information...
How to Find Your Main Water Valve
Is there a plumbing leak or burst pipe in your home? If so, the first thing you’ll need to do is cut off the water supply using your main water valve. Doing so will help reduce property damage and allow you to investigate the issue further. The amount of property...
How to Test Water Pressure at Home
Get the Best Pressure Possible Are you going crazy or is your water stream really waning? If each shower seems a little weaker or every dish is harder to rinse – you might be dealing with weak water pressure. Alternatively, banging pipes, leaky taps and a constantly...
Why is My Garbage Disposal Leaking?
Tracking Down the Source of Your Garbage Disposal Leakage Imagine opening your cabinet to find a puddle of stinky stale water growing in the bottom of it. Your usually reliable garbage disposal seems to have kicked the bucket. If you want to save your disposal, it’s...
Why is My Tap Water Cloudy?
Top Reasons Why Your Water Could Be Cloudy You’re parched, you grab a crystal clear glass from the cabinet and turn on your faucet. As you fill your glass you notice something is off. Your water is cloudy and it looks almost like a glass of milk if you squint hard...
Your Guide to Using a Plunger
Learn How to Easily Unclog Your Toilet A Must-Have Guide to the Most Essential Home Plumbing Tool Do you have a plunger tucked in the corner beside your toilet? Or maybe hidden in the closet somewhere? It’s often the only and best tool you have on hand for unclogging...
Benefits of Installing a Water Softener
The Benefits of Installing a Water Softener Hard water can make it difficult to fully clean yourself, rack up a plumbing repairs bill and ruin your dishes and clothes. Over time, it can stop up your plumbing, build up scale and scum in your shower and create a layer...
What is a Toilet or Closet Flange?
How Your Toilet Stays Connected to Your Drain and Floor Your toilet flange, also known as a closet flange, is an essential pipe fitting located where your toilet and floor meet. This ring shaped fitting is used to connect your drain pipe to the inside of your toilet....
Items to Avoid Flushing Down Your Toilet
How to Steer Clear of Toilet Clogs and Sewage Backups There are times when inconvenience outweighs intelligence. It can be tempting to flush away items that otherwise might take more time or effort to dispose of properly. Don’t fall into toilet temptation. Flushing...
Pros and Cons of Installing a Bidet in Your Bathroom
Decide if a Bidet is Right for Your Home The United States is starting to join many other regions of the world in using a bidet. A bidet is a plumbing appliance that sprays a stream of water to help you clean yourself after using the restroom. It’s been commonly used...
Top Things You Should Never Dump Down Your Kitchen Drain
How to Keep Your Kitchen Drain Working Correctly No one likes a stuffed and stinky trash can. It’s so tempting to just send all of your food scraps straight down the drain, especially if you have a garbage disposal. However, your disposal isn’t invincible. Just...
When Was The Toilet Invented?
What is now as simple as pulling a lever was once a very involved process. Taking out a full pot of waste or using communal city privies was the reality for many people for hundreds of years. Even the invention of the first flushing toilet did very little to change...
How Long Do Copper Pipes Last?
Nothing lasts forever, including copper pipes. When your plumbing equipment is installed it’s shiny and sturdy. But decades later they’re corroded and crusty. If you’re lucky, your copper pipes might last 70 to 80 years but some will need removal much sooner than...
Why Does My Hot Water Run Out So Fast?
You step into your warm shower and start your daily routine. You lather your hair with shampoo but then something goes wrong. The hot water stops flowing and you're stuck with cold water to rinse your hair. Gritting your teeth through the frigid shower, you try to...
How Do Hot Water Heaters Work?
Hot water heaters are one of the many fixtures in your home that you can use every day without fully knowing how it works. The core functions of water heaters are easy to understand but with lots of pieces and multiple types, it can be hard to remember the details....
5 Questions to Ask Your New Plumber
Finding a plumber you can trust to get the job done right can be a tough process. Any time you’re hiring someone new to work on important parts of your home there can be a lot of uncertainty. To really do your due diligence and cover all of your bases before hiring...
Can Water Heaters Explode?
Water heaters come in all shapes and sizes. You could have one with a tank or one without a tank. Your home or apartment probably has its own tank but some renters might have a shared water heater with their neighbors. Your water heater is more than likely tucked away...
Are Flushable Wipes Actually Flushable?
When you’re walking the aisles of your grocery store searching for your favorite toilet paper brand, you might notice the variety of wipes stocked on the same aisle. Many of those brands advertise their wipes as flushable, promising they’ll eventually break down in...
Turning Your Outdoor Faucet Back on for Spring
Spring is finally here and it’s time to start taking advantage of the warm weather. You’ll need your water hose back on before you can wash your car, give your dog a bath or water your garden. Hopefully you took all the precautions to winterize your pipes and turned...
6 Signs That You Have A Leaking Pipe
Water can cause a lot of damage to your home or business. If there’s a leak in your pipes, it can cost you hundreds in repairs depending on how long it goes unnoticed. It is crucial to catch and repair a water leak in your pipes before too much deterioration to your...