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
Small Bathroom Shower Remodeling Ideas
Every home seems to have that one bathroom that’s smaller than the rest, and some situations, it may be the only bathroom. Most likely, your shower or tub takes up most of your small bathroom, leaving a cramped feel in the overall space. Remodeling your shower or...
What to Do in an Emergency Plumbing Situation
We’re all familiar with the cartoon scenes where a pipe bursts in the bathroom causing water to flow down the stairs carrying a frantic cartoon character with it. Although most plumbing problems can be avoided with regular maintenance and checkups, accidents happen....
How to Celebrate National Plumbers Day in Midlothian, VA
Some national holidays are more well known than others. Everyone in America knows about the Fourth of July, Christmas, and Memorial Day (plus Midlothian and Richmond residents seem to be celebrating Pollen Everywhere Day all the time this year). But have you heard...
Highest Water Level in James River Since 2010
For residents of Richmond and Chesterfield, the winter has been particularly wet. Although last Monday, February 25th, was a dry day for the Greater Richmond area, water buildup from previous storms caused the James River to rise. The river reached 16.2 feet at the...
Thermostatic vs. Pressure Balancing Shower Valves
In a previous post about the different types of shower valves, we gave a brief overview of what each type is and what it does. In this article, we will dive into the pros and cons between two specific types of valves. Each perform a similar task completely...
Mike’s 2019 Homeowner Plumbing Guide
Whether you are a new to owning a home or have done so for years, here is a collection of our top homeowner plumbing tips that can help you stay on top of your home maintenance in 2019. You can bookmark this post to come back to all of our residential plumbing tips as...
Pouring Grease Down the Drain with Hot Water is Okay (and 3 Other Myths)
"Pouring grease down the drain is always a bad idea regardless of if you pour hot water along with it or not." Between cooking your Thanksgiving turkey, bacon-wrapped asparagus, casseroles and other yummy dishes, the holidays give you a lot of grease to dispose...
How to Prepare Your Plumbing for Winter
In the winter, your plumbing is a disaster waiting to happen. When it gets cold enough, the water freezes and may burst, causing a massive homeowner disaster. But, if you take the necessary precautions as winter approaches, you can prevent the major threats. Chilly...
Five Tips to Prepare Your Plumbing for a Hurricane
Preparing your home for a hurricane can be quite overwhelming. Everyone knows to buy food, water, and batteries but there’s a lot more that goes into hurricane preparation that isn’t necessarily common knowledge—especially when it comes to your home’s plumbing. The...
Why A Professional Plumber Should Replace Your Water Heater
Even when it’s hot outside, no one is happy when their water heater stops working. This means no warm showers, and especially as fall approaches, this is something you don’t want to happen. If your water is showing signs it needs to be replaced, it’s crucial that you...
Warning Signs of Sewer Line Backups
First of all, why is a sewer backup so serious? The reason you should call a plumber immediately if you suspect a backup in your main sewer line is because contaminated water may endanger your family and cause expensive repairs. Why sewer backups happen As the...
Is Plumbing A Good Career?
With college tuition rising and most students going into thousands of dollars of debt just to get a degree that doesn’t land a well-paying, relevant career afterwards, many people are wondering whether going to a four-year university is even worth it. Many young...
What Are the Risks of Hiring an Unlicensed Plumber?
Your toilet is draining slowing or you can’t figure out how to remove a stuck angle valve, so you decide to quickly hire someone who knows a bit about plumbing but doesn’t have a license because they’re available and cheap. You think, “What’s the worst thing that...
New Improvements to Tools Your Plumber Should Know
During recent years, innovations in plumbing have brought about not only better methods, but also more effective tools. In this blog, we’ll dive into plumbing improvements that can make your life easier and safer as a homeowner. One of the biggest changes in the...
How Recent Plumbing Innovations Can Make Your Life Easier
As technology advances, so do innovations in the plumbing industry. From water conservation and better insulated water heaters to touchless toilets and faucets, these changes can make every homeowner’s life easier and end up saving you money. Modern toilets and...
When to Call a Professional Plumber vs. DIY Projects
Although “do-it-yourself” projects are all the craze now and can sometimes be effective, there are some jobs that should only be handled by a professional plumber. In the plumbing world, DIY projects gone wrong can lead to leaks, frozen pipes, flooded homes, and...
Water Heaters: Do’s and Don’ts You Need to Know
As a few more cold winter months approach, having a water heater that works properly is crucial to keeping you comfortable until warmer weather rolls around. Making sure your water heater is regularly drained, working efficiently, and up-to-date with new water heater...
How to Winterize Your Irrigation System to Avoid a Homeowner’s Nightmare
As temperatures finally drop, it’s crucial to winterize your irrigation system to avoid the damage frozen pipes can cause. Any remaining water in your irrigation system can freeze and potentially crack even polyethylene pipes. To prevent this from happening, it’s...
Failing to Prep Crawl Spaces for Winter can Cause a Flood
Already missing those summerlike autumn days? We are too. Although it seemed like it might never get colder in the Greater Richmond area, temperatures are finally dropping. With the changing weather comes potential complications in plumbing systems. Unfortunately, our...
How to Fix an Outside Spigot Leak
Even though the spigot leak is outside, it’s crucial to fix because it can eventually waste a ton of water and damage the foundation of your house. Whether the spigot is leaking when the water is turned on or off, fixing the problem turns out to be pretty simple....