Knowledge base
Plumbing articles
Reference material on how plumbing systems work and fail, written to be useful whether or not you end up calling anyone.
Diagnostics
- No hot water: working out what failedGas and electric heaters fail in different ways, and the pattern of symptoms points at the cause. What to check, what it means, and where to stop.7 min read · Updated
- Why a toilet runs, and how to make it stopA running toilet is one of three faults: the flapper, the fill valve, or the water level. How to tell which in under a minute, and what each fix involves.6 min read · Updated
- Tracing a sewer smell to its sourceSewer gas enters a building at a small number of predictable points. A systematic way to eliminate each one, starting with the causes that cost nothing to fix.6 min read · Updated
- Using your water meter to find and size a leakThe meter is the only tool that proves a leak exists before anyone opens a wall. How to run the test, read the result, and narrow it to one side of the house.5 min read · Updated
Systems and materials
- Drain clearing methods comparedPlungers, augers, drum machines, hydro-jetting and chemicals each solve a different problem. What each reaches, what it cannot do, and where it does damage.5 min read · Updated
- Pipe materials in Humboldt homes, and how to identify themClay, cast iron, galvanized, copper, ABS and PEX all appear in local housing. What era each belongs to, how each fails, and how to tell which you have.5 min read · Updated
- Tree roots in sewer laterals: why redwood country is differentHow roots find and enter a sewer line, why the local mix of old clay pipe and thirsty trees makes it routine here, and what actually stops it for good.6 min read · Updated
- Water pressure: normal ranges and what changes themWhat household water pressure should read, how to measure it with a cheap gauge, and what high, low, or fluctuating pressure says about the system.6 min read · Updated
Maintenance
- The twice-yearly crawl space check for coastal homesMost local homes route their plumbing through a damp crawl space where leaks hide. A half-hour routine, and how to tell a leak from ordinary coastal damp.6 min read · Updated
- Shut-off valves: finding yours before you need themWhere the water and gas shut-offs are in a typical local home, how each one works, and why finding them on a calm day matters on the North Coast.7 min read · Updated
- Water heater maintenance that actually extends its lifeThree tasks decide how long a tank heater lasts: the annual flush, the anode rod, and the relief valve test. What each does and how often each is due.7 min read · Updated
- What can and cannot go down a drainMost blockages are built gradually at the sink. What grease, wipes, and grounds actually do inside a pipe, and the habits that prevent the buildup.6 min read · Updated
Looking for why these problems are so common in this county specifically? Read common plumbing problems in Humboldt County. For shorter answers, try the frequently asked questions.
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