Can You Pour Grease Down the Drain With Hot Water?
No. Hot water and dish soap only carry grease a short way before it cools, hardens and sticks to the inside of the pipe, where it catches food and builds into a clog. Let grease cool, pour it into a can or sealable container and put it in the trash, or take used cooking oil […]
Where Is the Main Water Shut-Off Valve in a DFW Home?
In most Dallas-Fort Worth homes, the main water shut-off valve is outside, near a hose faucet and close to the house. If you have a sprinkler system, also check near the irrigation valves by the property line. The valve inside the water meter box is the backup, and some cities ask you to call them […]
Why Does My Toilet Keep Clogging?
A toilet that keeps clogging usually has one of three problems: what is being flushed, a toilet that cannot push enough water, or a blockage past the toilet in the vent or the main sewer line. If other drains in the house are slow or gurgle too, the problem is the line, not the toilet. […]
How Much Does It Cost to Replace the Water Line From the Meter to the House?
Replacing the water line from the meter to the house usually costs $2,000 to $5,000, or about $50 to $200 per foot when the line is dug up and replaced. In Dallas-Fort Worth, that bill is the homeowner’s. The city owns the meter and the pipe on the street side. Everything past the meter belongs […]
What Is a Backwater Valve and Do You Need One?
A backwater valve is a one-way device fitted to the main sewer line, usually near the cleanout. A hinged flap rests open so waste flows out normally. If the city sewer backs up and water starts moving toward your house, floats lift the flap and seal the pipe, so sewage from the public main cannot […]
Tree Roots in Your Sewer Line: What Kills Them and What Fixes It
Tree roots get into a sewer line through a crack or a loose joint that was already there. The pipe is the wettest thing in the soil, and roots find it. Chemicals kill the roots inside the pipe but not the tree and not the crack, which is why they grow back to the same […]
Cast Iron Plumbing: How to Tell If You Have It and What to Do
Cast iron plumbing is the dark grey drain and sewer pipe installed in most American homes built before roughly 1980. It does not rust from the outside in. It corrodes from the inside, along the bottom of the pipe, until the wall thins into a trough and the pipe loses its structure. The important part […]
How Much Does a Plumber Cost? Real Prices in DFW
Plumbers charge $75 to $150 per hour nationally for standard residential work, and $100 to $200 per hour for a master plumber. But most DFW companies, including ours, do not bill by the hour at all. They quote a flat price per job. That difference is why a repair that takes twenty minutes can still […]
S-Trap vs P-Trap: How to Tell Which One Is Under Your Sink
Look at the pipe under your sink. If it curves down, back up, and then drops straight down through the floor, that is an S-trap, and current plumbing code prohibits it. If it curves down, back up, and then runs sideways into the wall, that is a P-trap, and it is the only shape approved […]
Leaky Outdoor Faucet? Where It Drips Tells You How to Fix It
A leaky outdoor faucet is diagnosed by where the water comes out. Dripping from the spout with the handle closed means a worn stem washer. Water seeping around the handle when it is running means a loose packing nut, which is usually a one-minute fix. Water from the plastic cap on top means a failed […]