How to Unclog Drains in Minutes - Save Hundreds of Dollars I’ve been a master plumber for over four decades in addition to building and remodeling homes. I was attracted to plumbing because it’s a fascinating three-dimensional puzzle of interconnected drain, waste, and vent pipes. Most are invisible behind the walls and ceilings in your […]
Plumbing Drains and Vents Tutorial Yesterday we had a plumbing emergency in my own home. The main drain pipe under the basement floor got clogged with toilet paper. The culprit is a newer low-flush toilet in a basement bathroom. I’ve been a master plumber since 1981 and I used my flexible drain-cleaning snake to clear […]
DIY PEX Water Lines - You Can Do It Are you finding it difficult to get people to work on your home within your budget? Each day visitors to my website share horror stories about out-of-control prices being charged by workers. Inflation is raging and the economic law of supply vs. demand is in play. […]
Sources of Sewer Gas - It's Easy to Find the Leaks Two months ago I received a desperation text from a young woman who’s the cantor at my church. All of a sudden she was smelling noxious sewer gas in her condominium. She had moved in just two months before and for weeks and weeks […]
Plumbing Riser vs Stack - They're the Same Thing A plumbing riser is a vertical pipe. You can compare it to a smoke stack which is usually a huge round tube made from steel or masonry. Plumbing risers can carry wastewater or air. Air is transported through a riser down from the roof. Where Can […]
What is a Riser in Plumbing - It's a Vertical Pipe A riser is a vertical pipe in a plumbing installation. Plumbers also call them stacks. Think about a smoke stack and how it's a vertical tube. Do You Need a Riser Diagram? You may want to know about a riser in plumbing because you […]
Plumbing Plans for Permit - I Can Draw Them for You Just about every city and town I know of requires plumbing plans for a permit. The only two that come to mind that do not are Bar Harbor, Maine, and Thornton, New Hampshire. The plumbing plans are often called riser diagrams or isometric drawings. […]
A Riser Diagram for Plumbing, Water or Gas Lines A riser diagram is a handy tool that allows you to see what size pipes you must install for a drain, waste, and vent (DWV) system in commercial or residential plumbing. I've been a master plumber since 1981 and have drawn hundreds and hundreds of riser […]
Fixture Unit Calculations - They Must Be Correct! Your building department may require you to provide fixture unit calculations to obtain a plumbing permit. These are very important as the calculations show to the department that the drain pipes you plan to use are sized properly. Because of the physical laws on Earth and how […]
Plumbing Fixture Schedule - Seems Easy But It's Not Some government entities require you to supply a plumbing fixture schedule to obtain a plumbing permit. These tables identify all the plumbing fixtures in a job. That's the easy part. You also need to list the drain fixture units and the water-supply fixture units. That's the […]
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