Theresa Jordan lives up in a suburb of Chicago, Arlington Heights, IL. But she's got a very big problem with backflow valves in her sewer line that are now creating backups in her home. She can tell the story much better than I can. Here it is: "Where I live, we have combined storm and sanitary […]
DEAR TIM: My husband and I are doing a bathroom remodel. The biggest change is the bathtub. The builder put in a smallish tub and I’m now going with a luxurious soaking tub. Our house is on a slab. Are the tub drain holes, the one at the bottom and the one higher up the […]
Ade lives in cold and snowy Chicago, IL. All of a sudden his plumbing fixtures stopped working correctly. Here's his story: "I had a leak around my plumbing vent repaired last year and the roofer put a cap (see picture) on the vent. I started having problems with my 2nd floor toilet and later with both […]
Dylan, who hales from Southampton, England in the UK, has an issue with grout in his toilet. "I have a clump of grout in my toilet bend which a dumbhead tiler poured down my toilet last night and it's set. What is the best way to remove it? I have a grout remover and was thinking […]
Kate Knight, who lives in Brentwood NH eighty miles south southeast of my house, has a problem with her new shower valve. Let her describe it: "Recently we had a new valve put in our shower which is bigger than our last one coupled with a water saver shower head. We also moved our toilet […]
Old Man Winter and his girlfriend Mother Nature can wreak havoc with your home's plumbing pipes if you don't protect them from freezing. Most people only have this happen to them once if their house turns into Niagara or Victoria Falls once the pipes thaw out and they're not home to stop the damage. I […]
Mystery Sewer Gas Smell Lynne K. has a colonial home in North Easton, MA. She's at her wits end about a sewer gas smell in the home. Let her give you a full report: "I bought my home, a colonial, in Dec. 2008. It was built in 2003. Before I moved in, I smelled a rotten […]
Cliff C McDonald Sr., who lives in Jacksonville, Alabama, had a great question. It's right to the point: "Can you catch a disease from raw sewage running on top of the ground?" Cliff, you bet you can. If you follow the international news after any huge natural disaster like a typhoon, hurricane, earthquake, etc. you'll […]
Donna Hirsch wrote to me about her bathroom faucet handles. You'll love this: "Hi Tim, I have a minor problem in my bathroom with my sink faucets. Take a look at the pics. The handles on my hot and cold water used to be straight out at 90 degree angles (now the faucet runs at […]
Sewer Smell When Using Fireplace Tom Grote, who lives in Ivoryton, CT, has an unpleasant experience when he starts a fire in his fireplace. It's not a smoking issue, it's a sewer smell. Read what he sent me: "I live in a two-story colonial with a bathroom and fireplace on the first floor. Every time I […]
Subscribe to the FREE Ask the Builder newsletter to receive professional advice for your home. Complete the form below and each week you'll get:
Unsubscribe at any time. We respect your email privacy.