When you drain your kitchen sink of dirty dishwater, flush your toilet, or take a shower, you are making good use of your plumbing.

You may never think about how your plumbing works until the day that it does not work. As long as everything drains and flushes properly, your plumbing is probably the last thing on your mind.

Yet if you’ve ever had a curiosity for how things work, our modern day plumbing is definitely a thing to marvel. Imagine where we would be without it.

Your plumbing includes all of the pipes and necessary fixtures that are needed to remove wastewater from your home. Your home’s plumbing will include pipes, joints and valves. Your pipes can be made from a variety of materials, including copper and PVC. Joints are the areas where two pieces of pipe are connected, such as at a bend. Valves are used to control the flow of water – for instance, if you have a leak under your kitchen sink, you can use the valve to shut the water off for repairs.

The water in your plumbing system operates on pressure. A water main runs into your home, providing water to all the necessary places. If the water main ever breaks, you will lose pressure and, therefore, water to your home.

Gravity plays a key part in your plumbing system. Draining and flushing rely on gravity to ensure that the water flows where it needs to go. Water naturally flows to the lowest level, so gravity keeps the water flowing down the drain, down the toilet, and down the pipes.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the plumbing of your home, you can help prevent problems. Keep your drains flowing freely by making sure you never put anything down the drain that is not supposed to be there. If your drains stop draining, the flow of water pulled by gravity has hit an obstacle. This means you have a clog and should make immediate repairs.

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Are you in the middle of a construction project? Are you improving your small business, or building a new commercial location from the ground up? Chances are you are overwhelmed with the guidelines, rules and regulations that you have to follow before you are ready to open up for business.

When it comes to public restrooms, there are specific guidelines in place that are designed to make it possible for each toilet to be safe and accessible to those that need them. Understanding the guidelines can help you determine if a public facility may not be adhering to the regulations.

• Must be at least 60 inches wide

• Length must be appropriate for wheelchair users to be able to approach the toilet from any angle

• Seat heights must be 17″ to 19″ from the floor

• Lever controls and flusher must be mounted on the side with the most floor space and must be at least 44″ from the floor

• Lever controls must be able to be used by one hand and cannot require excessive force to operate

• Faucets have to be automated or require no more than 5lbs of pressure to operate

• Countertops cannot exceed 34″ tall

• There must be at least 17″ of floor space between the toilet and the rear wall

• Floor space in front of the toilet must be 30″ wide and 48″ deep

While commercial projects have set guidelines, home projects are given a little more flexibility. However, that doesn’t mean that adhering to commercial guidelines won’t make it easier for your loved one at home. Even the simplest of changes, such as raising the seat height to 19”, will give your loved one more of a sense of security. If they can function on their own, without daily help from you or a caregiver, it will ultimately give them more confidence.

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The next time you are standing under the water streaming from your shower, take a closer look. Have you ever wondered how showerheads came into existence? After all, people have been bathing in tubs and basins for centuries. When did someone decide that having a fresh flow of water pouring down was a good idea?

While it may seem like baths are easier, and therefore have been more prevalent throughout time, the fact is that people have been taking showers for just about as long as they have been using baths and basins.

Showering can be traced back to just about any point in history. If you’ve ever walked into a waterfall, and enjoyed the cool cascading flow of water, you’ve taken part in the first shower. Waterfalls were often used to bathe, and can be linked back to many civilizations throughout time. Ancient Greeks, for example, were known to have servants stand above them and pour water down over their body.

While these are examples of a primitive form of showering, the first shower similar to the one you know today can be traced back to 1810. It was called the English Regency Shower and it consisted of a bathtub with a water tank. The tank was mounted above the tub and as the water poured down, it was pumped back to the tank in a continuous cycle until the bather was finished.

As bathers continued to enjoy the refreshing feeling of a shower, they became more sophisticated in their design. The actual showerhead was created in 1889 by a JL Motts company, and began offering a bather the convenience of refining the stream of water to where they wanted it.

Today, you can find any number of showerheads for sale. You can choose a showerhead to provide a multitude of comforts. For instance, you can buy a showerhead that features several settings, such as pulsating, massaging and misting. You can find rain showerheads that are designed to feel like you are standing in the rain. You can even buy showerheads that emit steam as you are bathing. The selection of showerheads is wide and you are sure to find at least one that provides you with the showering experience you want.

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If you have done any type of home repair, you probably have at least a basic familiarity with the strange cylindrical tubes that dominate one aisle at every home improvement store.  This strange substance (with it’s even stranger delivery system) comes in a wide variety of types and colors with an even wider list of uses.

Caulk is one of those strange words that can function as both a noun and a verb.  You buy caulk at the store when you need to caulk something.  Makes sense right?  While caulk the noun refers to the putty like substance emitted from those strange narrow tubes, the verb refers to the action of sealing a gap using caulk.  With such a broad definition, you can imagine that the uses of caulk are limited only by your creativity.

The most basic uses of caulk involve sealing gaps within a building.  These gaps could be the gap between the wall and the edge of your shower or the gap between your window and the wall.  This sealing action is useful along the edges of counters to provide a watertight barrier or along molding to provide a smooth finish.  Caulk can also come in handy for patching up minor holes or dents, or as a seal on larger patch up jobs.

With hundreds of types of caulk in dozens of colors, it’s easy to find just the right caulk for the job; you just need to know which caulk is the right caulk for the job.

Acrylic latex caulk is used primarily as a sealant around windows and doors.  This type of caulk is easy to paint and offers easy application and cleanup.

Butyl rubber caulk is the strongest caulk available and is typically used for seals in concrete and brick.

Silicon caulk is a good all purpose caulk, providing an excellent seal on a wide variety of non-porous surfaces.

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But are they the best thing to use every day? Will they flush smoothly ever time? And what will happen to your plumbing once you’ve flushed multiple wipes over the course of a few days?

Flushable wipes are a consumer’s dream come true and every plumber’s nightmare. While clogs can develop from any number of items, plumbers will now tell you one of the most common causes of a clog is flushable wipes.

Flushable wipes are quite similar to baby wipes. Just like a baby wipe, these flushable wipes are used to keep your nether regions clean. But unlike toilet paper, these flushable wipes simply do not disintegrate as they move through your plumbing system. While one or two may move through the pipes, when you send multiple wipes down over time, the clogging begins.

Consumer Reports did a test on flushable wipes and found that after 30 minutes of simulated swirling (just like a toilet bowl) the wipe was still intact. (You can watch the video here.) The wipe showed no signs of even beginning to break down.

If you are a fan of flushable wipes, it may be time to rethink your actions. For the sake of your plumbing, either dispose of flushable wipes in the trashcan or stop using them. It only takes a few wipes to get hung up in your pipes for a major disaster to happen. No matter what the packaging says, flushable wipes are not flushable.

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And because the medicine cabinet is used for storage, those prescriptions range from things you took last week, to things you took several years ago. It is not uncommon for people to keep old prescriptions – not because they have plans of taking the expired medication, but because they forget about the meds or they just do not know what to do with them.

The official government policy for disposing of old prescription medications involves either flushing them or throwing them in the trash. In most cases, you should take your old meds, mix them with other garbage (cat litter, coffee grounds, etc.) in a Ziploc bag before tossing them.

You can also leave them in their original container, tape them with duct tape, place them in another empty container, and throw them away. Flushing should only be used in instances where the chance for someone abusing your old drugs is high, i.e. Percocet and OcyContin.

Some states discourage the flushing of any prescription medications because these medications can contaminate water sources. Scientists have found various levels of pharmaceuticals in natural water sources.

If you are not comfortable flushing your old medications, some states have “take back” organizations. These places provide you with a safe place to “take back” your old prescription medications for safe disposal by authorities. In instances where your medications are not expired or opened, there may be a charitable organization where you can donate your old medications. Finally, if you have empty prescription bottles to dispose of, consider talking to local shelters and veterinarian offices. Many of these places have a use for empty bottles.

Disposing of your old prescription drugs and their containers is important. Be responsible and do it the right way. Not only will you be helping the planet, you could also be saving a life by preventing someone from abusing your old medications.

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Your home’s plumbing is essential to your quality of life. With backed-up plumbing, you face potential contaminations, high repair bills, and a loss of the simpler things, like taking a bath. The key to keeping your plumbing operating at its best is to understand it. Knowledge is your best weapon against future plumbing problems. The following information will help educate you on the ins and outs of your plumbing.

Your plumbing is not just a single system. It actually consists of two systems – the incoming freshwater and the outgoing wastewater. In other words, you have one system for clean water that comes into your home. You also have another system for the dirty water (baths, toilets, sinks) that leaves your home.

The two systems DO NOT overlap. If your clean water mixes with your dirty water, you run the risk of contamination. This can be a threat to your health. All plumbing systems must have two separate sub-systems for fresh and wastewater.

Plumbing follows simple laws of nature. Gravity and water’s natural desire to level itself are two laws of nature that make your plumbing function. A key fact about plumbing is the importance of gravity. No matter how high your water pressure is, your plumbing depends on gravity for proper drainage.

Water heaters should be set at an average temperature. The preferred temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping your water heater set at this temperature will provide you with sufficiently hot water and save you money.

Grease and hair cause the most clogs. Now you know what to avoid in order to keep your sinks draining with ease.

If you really want to understand your plumbing, first-hand is best. Crawl under your home or explore the basement and take a good look at your pipes. Learn where water mains exist, and how water enters and leaves your home. And learn to watch for potential problems along the way.

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1. Is there a way to shut off all the water to my house or to my property?

Yes, there is a way to shut off all water to either your house or your property.  If you discover water leaking all over the house at midnight, you can shut off the water supply to the building at the main shut off valve.  If the issue is in the property, there is a primary shut off valve that will cut the supply of water to the house and the yard.

2. Where is the main shut off valve?

The main shut off valve is typically located where the water first enters the building.  Go outside and look for a meter (the water meter).  There should be a knob beside it and a pipe leading into the house.  This knob is the shut off valve for the residence.  The shut off valve for the property should be located in a utility box at ground level near the street.

3. Which way do I turn it?

Rightie tightie, lefty loosey.  To turn off the water simply turn the knob right (clockwise).

4. What do I do if it is stuck?

Do not force the knob.  Too much pressure can cause it to break, leaving you with even greater problems.  If you can’t get the knob to move with moderate pressure, contact a local plumber to handle it for you.

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Have you ever turned on the water to fill your tub and wondered about the history of your faucet?

The faucet has an interesting history that traces back to ancient times. As early as 1700 B.C., plumbing and faucets were being used to control the water to fountains and private homes. The Romans utilized plumbing and faucets to run water to 11 public baths, 856 private baths, and 1,352 cisterns and fountains.

Faucets started out with two handles for hot and cold water. If you were running a bath, you turned on the hot water faucet and the cold-water faucet. However, in 1937, Al Moen burned his hands in the hot water and decided to design a single-handled faucet. His first design was rejected and between 1940 and 1945, he finally succeeded in designing a functioning, single-handled faucet. Finally, people would be able to adjust the temperature of one stream of water until they found their desired temperature.

Many others continued to improve upon the design of the faucet. In 1945, Landis Perry came up with the design for a ball valve for faucets. The Delta single-handle faucet was the first faucet to utilize the ball valve. Wolvering Brass also added to the functionality of faucets by designing ceramic discs for water control. The discs last longer than rubber and provide better control.

As time marched on, more and more improvements were made to faucets. Some of these improvements include filters to reduce contaminants, spray hoses that can be pulled out from the sink, electronic faucets, and faucets designed for the handicapped. Electronic faucets are becoming the norm in public bathrooms because users do not have to touch the handles to turn the water on. They simply hold their hands in front of a sensor and the water turns on, making these faucets more hygienic than traditional faucets.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the world of faucets.

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When you find yourself standing in two inches of water in your bathroom, your first reaction might be to panic. After all, water is pouring out from under the sink and you have no idea how to turn it off. Your mind will race, trying to decide what to do. You may even try plugging the leak with something, even your own hands, in hopes that it will slow down enough for someone to help you.

Water emergencies happen all of the time and they happen when you least expect it. It is essential for any homeowner to know how to find and shut off the water main for their home. By being prepared for an emergency, you will not have to worry when the water starts running. You will already know exactly what to do.

First, locate the water main. This will be outside of your home, close to the street, under an access hatch. If you have trouble finding the main, contact your utility provider for assistance. Once you have located the main, familiarize yourself with the shut-off valve inside. Take a practice run and turn it off, checking your faucets to ensure that you shut the water off completely. You can also look for a shut-off valve where the water main enters your home. Sometimes, it is faster to reach this valve and turn it off then trying to fumble your way out to the street.

Finally, take the time to familiarize yourself with the shut-off valves inside your home. These will be located under sinks, near the hot water heater, and beside the toilet. These are useful for shutting of the water to a particular area instead of the entire house. For instance, if you break a knob on your kitchen sink, you can shut the water off to the sink while you make repairs. The rest of your home will still have running water.

Knowing where the shut-off valves for your home are located is the best way to prepare for water emergencies. The next time your bathroom floods, you will not be left unprepared.

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