This is a blog post that discusses the pros and cons of installing a natural draft water heater. Other types of water heaters will be discussed soon.
Read More
This is a start-to-finish overview of a water heater replacement, recorded at Neil's home.
Read More
Nine recently confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease in Hopkins, MN reminded me of an old blog post that I thought would make for a timely re-blog.
Read More
Sediment traps help prevent sediment in the gas piping from getting into the gas valve or burner area and fouling things up.
Read More
The first thing to know about these faucets is that there is no need for an exterior vacuum breaker.
Read More
On April 16th, new energy efficiency standards from the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) go into effect for water heaters.
Read More
I blogged about how saddle valves are illegal products in Minnesota nearly five years ago, and it's time for an update on that topic with some more information.
Read More
Today I'm going to share some home inspection tips and tricks that homeowners can use to identify plumbing problems. You'll want to use a good flashlight for your plumbing inspection, as a lot of this work involves looking underneath sinks and tub drains.
Read More
this particular issue seems to completely befuddle folks... majority of the comments were questions from readers who were trying to troubleshoot their own leaking TPR valves
Read More
If you're buying an old house, beware of old galvanized steel water pipes. These pipes build up with sediment on the inside, making the inside diameter of the pipe smaller and smaller over time, eventually to the point where water flow is unusable. These pipes also corrode at the joints, which can lead to leaks.
Read More
Winterizing the outside faucets in the fall seems like a simple thing to do, and it seems like it should be straightforward and easy, but there are a few tricks you need to know to make sure all the water is out.
Read More
Discharging a sump pump into the city's sanitary sewer system is a big 'no-no'. While this might seem like an easier and more attractive option than running a discharge tube from the sump pump to the exterior, it's illegal in most cities here in Minnesota when the home is connected to the city sewer.
Read More
Many older houses in Minneapolis and Saint Paul have an old style of plumbing trap called a drum trap, which is no longer allowed in Minnesota except in special circumstances. The main problem with drum traps is that they're not self-scouring.
Read More
The newest version of the Minnesota State Plumbing Code, which was published electronically on November 13, 2012, now requires a safety device to be installed on bath tubs to help reduce the potential for serious injury at bath tubs. Here's the exact text, which comes from section 4715.1240 of the Minnesota State Plumbing Code:
Read More
Along with all of the cold weather we've been having comes a bunch of non-functional plumbing vents all over Minnesota. The problem is that plumbing vents can get completely blocked shut with frost when it's cold outside for a long period of time.
Read More
Plumbing vents prevent traps from being siphoned. The common, improper analogy is to talk about dumping a soda bottle upside down. This analogy doesn't hold water because the top side of every plumbing fixture is wide open.
Read More
Just because they sell it doesn't mean it's legal. I often hear homeowners say "If these things aren't allowed in Minnesota, why'd the guy at the store sell it to me?"
Read More
As a home inspector, I tend to take shut-off valves for granted and assume everyone knows what they are, how they work, and what can go wrong with them.
Read More