Plumbing Guides
Plain-language answers from the licensed plumbers at Ethical Plumbing: what is going on, what to do right now, and when to call.
- October 16, 2026 Home Plumbing Maintenance Checklist A season-by-season checklist for Upstate homes, from finding your shutoff to getting hose bibs and crawl spaces ready for a freeze.
- October 28, 2026 Water Heater Maintenance: Flushing, Anodes and More A little yearly maintenance can add years to a water heater. Flushing, the relief valve test, the anode rod, temperature, and tankless…
- October 16, 2026 Water Pressure Regulators: Too High or Too Low? What a pressure regulator does, how to test your water pressure with a $10 gauge, and what high or low pressure is…
- October 16, 2026 Water Heater Expansion Tanks: Do You Need One? Why many Upstate homes need an expansion tank, how to tell if yours has failed, and what happens to your water heater…
- October 30, 2026 Toilet Keeps Running? How to Stop It A running toilet is usually a worn flapper, a chain or a fill valve set too high. How to find which one,…
- October 16, 2026 Brown or Rusty Water: What It Means Brown water can be a short-lived problem in the street or a sign your water heater or pipes are rusting. How to…
- October 16, 2026 High Water Bill? How to Find a Hidden Leak A water bill that jumps for no reason usually means a leak you cannot see. Two ten-minute checks tell you, and the…
- October 16, 2026 Tree Roots in Your Sewer Line Roots are the most common cause of repeat sewer backups in older Upstate neighborhoods. How they get in, the signs, and what…
- October 30, 2026 Multiple Drains Backing Up? It Is Probably the Main Line When several drains back up at once, the clog is in the main sewer line. The signs, what to do right now,…
- October 16, 2026 Why Do My Drains Keep Clogging? One clog is bad luck. The same drain clogging again and again has a cause, and plunging or drain cleaner does not…
- October 30, 2026 No Hot Water? What to Check First The safe checks for electric, gas and tankless water heaters, what each symptom points to, and when it is time to call…
- October 16, 2026 Why Is My Water Heater Leaking? Where the water is coming from tells you what is wrong. How to shut the heater off safely, the common causes, and…