At Watters, we get lots of questions about sump pumps — especially in the spring when our Wisconsin winter snow finally starts to thaw out and flood risks are higher. Sump pumps are nifty devices that all too often go unnoticed in your basement until it either doesn’t work (yikes!) or it’s time to replace…
Living in Wisconsin means we deal with our fair share of rain and snow. While we’re lucky to live in an area where we experience all four of the beautiful seasons, all that precipitation doesn’t come without some problems. Heavy rains, snow, and ice that melts at a fast pace when the temperatures warm up…
In short, hot water does freeze sooner than cold water under a wide range of circumstances. It is not impossible, and has been seen to occur in a number of experiments. However, despite claims often made by one source or another, there is no well-agreed explanation for how this phenomenon occurs. Different mechanisms have been…
At rough-in time, It is important to run pipes with enough volume and pressure so that many fixtures can be used at the same time. Another nice item that is plumbing code in many areas now, is the pressure balanced tub and shower valves. A single handle valve that balances the hot and cold water…
Several things could happen. First check the shower head volume if shower’s are too quick. A new shower head puts out about 2.5 gallons a minute. Some older heads put out 5 gallons a minute. Working with the shower head would double shower length in this case. In some cases, the dip tube on the…
Plumbing codes call for a gap between potable water and a drain. This usually looks like the distance between the faucet and the top of the sink or bathtub (one inch or more). Without the “gap”, waste water could siphon back into the drinking supply. This “does” happen in situations where a city main is…
If you look on your roof, you will see pipes sticking out of the roof approx. 12″ high. For every pipe that goes down, one needs to go up. The obvious reason we have vents is that sewer gases need to be vented outside of the dwelling. Not so obvious is what happens if they…
There are two things to check. First, check that the stopper at the bottom is in good condition. If in doubt, change it, which is easily done. Also check that the chain from the float to the stopper is not hanging down in the drain under the stopper. If all those are okay, check that…
The water on the toilet tank is actually condensation, caused by cold water chilling the tank, which in turn draws moisture from the warm bathroom air. To stop this, you can purchase a tempering valve that allows you to mix a small amount of warm water with that going into the toilet tank. Or there…
Water rushing through the pipe and out the faucet moves with speed and force. When you shut off the faucet, the water flow is brought to an abrupt halt and that energy has to go somewhere. The result is the ‘pounding’ noise you hear. Products are available on the market to eliminate this problem.