Plumbing Guides
Fixtures & Appliances
Disposals, faucets, toilets, washing machines, and the resets and swaps a homeowner can handle.
Fixtures & Appliances How do I unjam and reset a garbage disposal? Turn the switch off. If the disposal hums but does not spin, it is jammed: put the quarter-inch hex wrench in the socket on the bottom and work it back and forth until… Fixtures & Appliances Toilet keeps running? How to adjust or replace the fill valve A running toilet is either a flapper that is letting water leak into the bowl or a fill valve that is not shutting off. Lift the lid and look: water spilling into the… Fixtures & Appliances Low water pressure at one faucet? Clean the aerator first Low pressure at a single faucet is almost always inside that faucet: a screen at the tip clogged with scale, sand, or bits of an old pipe. Unscrew the aerator, soak it… Fixtures & Appliances Shower dripping or hard to turn? Replacing the shower valve cartridge The cartridge is the replaceable core inside the shower valve, and hard water scale is why yours is dripping or stiff. Identify the brand from the trim, shut off the… Fixtures & Appliances Outdoor hose bib leaking? How to fix a dripping spigot A hose bib that drips from the handle stem needs the packing nut snugged or repacked. One that drips from the spout with the handle closed needs a new washer. A drip… Fixtures & Appliances Toilet buying guide: flush power, height, and rough-in Measure the rough-in first, then decide on height and bowl shape, then pick a model with a strong flush rating at 1.28 gallons per flush. Skirted one-piece toilets are… Fixtures & Appliances Choosing a garbage disposal: horsepower, noise, and septic For most households a three-quarter or one horsepower continuous-feed disposal with stainless grind components is the right size; a half horsepower unit is for light use… Fixtures & Appliances Touchless and pull-down kitchen faucets: what breaks and what to buy On pull-down faucets the hose, the weight, and the docking magnet fail first. On touchless faucets add batteries, the sensor, and the solenoid valve. Hard water scales… Fixtures & Appliances Smart leak detectors and automatic shutoff valves compared Point sensors are cheap pucks that alert you when water touches them; they catch a leak at that spot and nothing else. A whole-home automatic shutoff valve watches flow… Fixtures & Appliances Do I need a whole-house water pressure regulator? Screw a gauge onto a hose bib and read it. Household plumbing and appliances are designed for roughly 40 to 80 psi; if you read higher than that, or the pressure swings…