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Orangeburg Pipe

Orangeburg Pipe

Orangeburg pipe is found in the yards of thousands of homes. It is a pipe that costs home owners thousands of dollars to replace. Often times the owner is unaware they have it until their mainline backs up. Then comes the plumber. He opens the line by cabling or rodding the sewer. Now he drops [...]

3 Must Have Plumbing Tools

3 Must Have Plumbing Tools

While some plumbing projects are beyond the skill set of the average homeowner, many are easy and could save you hundreds of dollars. Terry Madeley /Foter Thousands of articles and even complete books are written to help the “do-it-yourself-er”. But lets face it, if you don’t have the proper tools, all the instruction in the [...]

Repair a Leaking Kitchen Strainer

Repair a Leaking Kitchen Strainer

Installing a replacement basket strainer in your kitchen sink is a very simple plumbing task. Here’s the basic steps. After removing your drain assembly and old strainer from the sink, clean up the sink hole. Now prepare the new strainer by applying a bead of plumbers putty to flange of the strainer.  Next, insert the [...]

Replace a Drum Trap

Replace a Drum Trap

Years ago bathtubs used drum or bucket traps made from lead. The one pictured below was made in the early 1900′s. At the left side of the image you can see a lead pipe that vents the trap. The pipe in the foreground is the traps outlet. On the bottom is the brass clean out [...]

Improve Your Plumbing Skills

Improve Your Plumbing Skills

spierzchala /Foter My bookshelf is full plumbing books. They include code books, parts manuals, classroom books and catalogs. I am always referring to them for information to help me succeed in the plumbing trade. As a home owner, I encourage you to build up your home improvement library. I’ve selected a few from Amazon to [...]

Removing A Broken Pipe Using A Nipple Extractor

Removing A Broken Pipe Using A Nipple Extractor

Working on old galvanized water lines can lead to unexpected problems. Having the proper tools can make your water line repair easy. When fixing pin hole leaks in pipes, it’s best to remove as much pipe as possible. This picture shows a project I recently tackled. The water leak is under the concrete floor . [...]