There's another ingenious invention that exists in nearly every kitchen and bathroom across the United States - the P Trap. If you look under the sink, and sometimes around the side rear of a toilet, you'll see a bending pipe that looks kind of like the letter P or...

Do you have GFCIs in your home? If it was built after 1975, chances are pretty good that you do, since that was the year they were added to the National Electric Code. These little devices can be lifesavers - in fact, since 1971, they've helped to reduce...

To continue our series on water heaters, we'd like to shift your attention to a relatively radical water heating solution - the tankless water heater. For years, homeowners have grown accustomed to the idea of having a big tank stored somewhere out of sight in their...

In our next two blog posts, we'd like to cover the topic of your home's water heater. It's a critical piece of equipment found in everyone's home, so it makes sense to put a little thought into it. In this post, we'll talk about some simple, cheap tasks that can help...

Have you ever heard of a vapor barrier? These are typically membranes or coatings that are designed to control the amount of moisture that is transferred through the walls of a home. In milder climates, simple materials like painted wallboard and plaster wall coating...

Clay roofing has been fairly popular for a very long time. Of course, like any design style, it goes in and out of trend. It can be found in most states, but it's most often identified by the distinctly southwestern style found in rounded clay tiles. If you're in need...

All over the United States, but especially in southern states, houses have been built according to the motto: "bigger is better". But is it? In recent years, first-time home buyers and new construction have been trending smaller than ever, and we're not just talking...

Throughout the past few years, small businesses, corporations, and even individual homeowners have pledged to "go green" with the goal of improving their impact on the environment. While this is a commendable goal, to be sure, going "green" in certain aspects may not...

Our second post in a mini series about taking care of your home's drains (and by extension, the entire plumbing system) will deal with how to care for clogged drains properly. No matter how well you care for your home's plumbing system and drains, (even refusing to...

For the next two blog posts, we're going to turn our attention to the many gateways into your plumbing system - the drains that are part of your sinks, tubs, showers, and more. For our first post in this mini series, we want to encourage you to take good care of your...