The gas company is supposed to come by and paint your meter. My experience is they won't come out unless your meter is leaking and might not even paint it then. So DIY like I did by loosening the rust with steel wool, masking everything with painter's tape and newspaper and then putting a couple coats of Rust-Oleum Winter Gray on! This is also a good color for electric meters and electric supply boxes. #plumbing #electric

It's not like a blender. I often find construction debris in units subject to recent renovation. Just found six plastic candy wrappers in another. Things can rattle around in the lower chamber too. A whole carrot or a bunch of ice usually clears it out. Most clogs are caused by not running the water for 15 seconds after the grinding is done. Although it's best not to ever put too much in them: especially vegetable peelings. #plumbing

Could there be anything scarier than the toilet leaking through the floor! This gasket from Fluidmaster allows for a tight seal beyond the height that extra large wax seals can reach. Click on image for link. #plumbing

Just installed a new diswasher for a neighbor. It has a loop on the discharge tube, on the side of the dishwasher, which prevents backflow from the disposer into the dishwasher...which would be really bad. However it does not prevent crud from the disposer, or sink, getting into the discharge tube and making it smell. Therefore, a high loop in the cabinet is still required, unless you have an air gap (that thing on top of the sink that gurgles when your dishwasher is runni

Note the PVC cover on this closed cell foam pipe insulation. I see many an uncovered piece of foam around the low pressure line (cold line) next to the compressor-condenser unit that has been worn away by sun, water and feet! Just saw this on a new house and said: "That'll work!" No sense trying to cool the whole outdoors AND get your house down to a livable temperature when it's 105 in the DMV! #HVAC #plumbing #popular #insulation

Whenever you move into a new place I recommend you replace the dryer vent pipe. It is supposed to be cleaned every six months but people rarely do. I often find the pipes kinked which increases the risk of fire and dramatically reduces dryer efficiency. Also the shiny Mylar pipes are actually flammable so replace with solid or flex metal and use this elbow to prevent kinks. I just paid $99 for an unnecessary service call. The 10 year old dryer was quitting after a few min

I have seen these installed above washer/dryers where they can't be reached for maintenance. They can last for 20 years. Imagine how inefficient they would get by that time if calcium deposits weren't removed. A water softening system is also an option. Look for another post on that under this plumbing tag. #plumbing

Replace your old toilet innards with this new dual-flush water saver system for siphon toilets in less than an hour—the hard part is getting the old stuff out! This is a second generation dual flush that just has one handle: down for heavy, up for light, and is fully adjustable for bowl height, and both flush strengths. Click on image for link. #plumbing #popular

Give up on those ugly, plastic dryer vents, that clog easily and rats can chew through (Yes it happened to me... rats died in bathroom wall and maggots poured under the molding... 100's of them!) Click on image for link. Here's another armored choice for kitchens and fan vents...keep the birds out! Armored Vent Cover #plumbing #HVAC #ventilation #exterior

Although a water heater tank is basically an overgrown Thermos bottle, we inspectors see common installation issues that can significantly reduce safety. Obviously, safety features won't be tested unless there is a failure in the system. Because the water heater is working fine right now doesn't mean it will behave when you most need it to. Common safety issues include lack of or poorly installed expansion tanks (see expansion tank post elsewhere in plumbing tags) and strang

This replacement shuts off a foot inside your house and therefore won't freeze unless it's freezing inside your house! These are particularly easy to replace in unfinished basements, but finished basements need them more because more damage can be done! Click on image for product link. Well, it's just in the single digits and this hose bib leaked into an icicle until the water froze inside the supply pipe. The pipe may now be fractured and when it thaws could cause a flood

Spend about $10 (during installation) and extend the life of your water heater by preventing galvanic corrosion. Volta invented the battery (dry cell) by putting an acid paste between two different metals. So when you join copper and steal pipes together and run water through them you will get a bit of electric current that deteriorates the pipes and takes calcium salts out of solution. Galvani is the guy who connected Volta's battery to frogs' legs and made them twitch. Th

Never thought I'd have a career where I walk around jiggling toilets! Hence the ever present Purell wipes! There are two parts we really want to be well attached. The tank connects to the bowl which connects to the toilet flange on the floor. If the tank is loose it will leak water. I often push them back and water squirts out. The tank is attached with gaskets and brass bolts. The problem is, if you tighten them too much you will crack the porcelain. Usually the gasket

You may want to consider this upgrade. My wife says it's more than OK for her birthday present! Just installed this Pelican system after a trip to the mountains which had us bathing in soft water. This is a permanent media system that doesn't use salt. Will make your water heater and dishwasher last longer. Saves on detergent, soap and shampoo. Prevents calcium deposits in pipes, valves and shower heads. My wife's soft skin is even softer. Nice! Click on pic for link to

This in 19 years of scalings. This is the right way to do it! Because The gas must take a RIGHT turn so the sediment just doesn't shoot over the top. These must be present at gas log sets too. This is the wrong way because scalings can just jump over drip leg. #plumbing

We all have disposer stories. My mom would fill the sink with vegetable peelings every Thanksgiving and then try to grind them all down at once..."Clogged!" "Sad!" My stupidest disposer moment was when I put a whole two week old pork roast down the drain. Took $40 of drain cleaner and 24 hours to remediate that early morning fiasco. We had a French visitor who was fascinated by the concept of disposers. Really, how hard is it to just throw debris in the trash? Yet this

Most of us are more worried about waistline expansion than that of our water. Have I said before that home inspection is a lot like medicine? You are going to have different valid opinions, much is based on the condition of the particular patient and accepted practice will change over time, especially with new procedures. There are some hard facts that won't change: in this instance, however. 1) Water expands when heated; and, 2) Water is heavy. These expansion tanks hav

The most costly damage I've seen in homes has come from plumbing leaks, sump overflows and water heaters bursting. It is good to check your sump pump's function regularly and replace your water heater no less than every 15 years. Yet, there's nothing like being there when the problem happens. This device lets you "be there" whether you're there or not! Click on image for link. This is a battery back-up system. It has its own pump. If the power goes off, which often is c

Thumb gum or electricians' putty is used to fill any openings that you don't want permanently sealed, because you eventually will have to have the AC unit replaced, or redo the hose bib or plug a hole for a fitting in your furance. Plus it's the adult version of PLAY DOH and therefore very satisfying to use! Click on image for link. #plumbing #caulking #popular

Just saw a sewage ejector system with no alarms! Who wants to walk downstairs into sewage? This device keeps you, and your nose, covered! Click on image for options. #plumbing