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As a homeowner myself, one of the things I try to do whenever I can, is save money! Peterborough is implementing a water metering program that will eventually see a water meter in each and every home. Once the program is in full swing, and we all begin paying for the water that passes through the meter, it's important to remember that we will be paying for each and every DROP that slips through! So don't put off those repairs any longer! Get that leaky toilet fixed, check the outside tap to make sure it closes, and don't be afraid…

Plenty of people will take a "previously enjoyed" automobile to their trusted mechanic before making the final decision to buy. For a small fee, most mechanics will inform the propective buyer about the vehicle in question, generally in the form of "things to be aware of". In some cases maybe even a definitive "yes" or "no". That being said, a home purchase these days generally undergoes the same type of once-over by the home inspection process. While the home inspectors perform a tremendously beneficial role, they shouldn't be expected to see the things that require special equipment, or even say,…

Poly-b or polybutylene water piping: it's gray (or a shade of blue) it's plastic it's going to leak - period If you have it and it hasn't leaked yet, you're very lucky. If you have it and it hasn't leaked yet, it will. If you have it, and it has leaked, it will leak again. If you have it and you haven't had it replaced, you should. I can't stress strongly enough that you should call a plumber (hopefully Hanwell Plumbing & Heating) and get an estimate and a date to have it replaced! Your valuables will still be valuable if you do! Don't come…

If you live in Peterborough, you are aware that with very heavy rain, some parts of Peterborough seem to be susceptible to flooding. The "Great Flood of 2004" is a perfect example. I lost my basement in that flood along with scores of fellow residents in town. With this latest storm and in some cases, power failures, many more people had flooding in their basements. So what do you do? Some may choose to actually move to an area that hasn't flooded. The problem is, there seems to be no magic formula for determining what areas are "flood resistant". Indeed, I…

Last month I had several calls that had a similar "flavour" to them. In two cases, there were relatively new toilets with different problems, but both flush related. Also in both cases the toilets were "green" with a dual flush and cost effective. Also in both cases, service parts were not readily available. One of the toilets was so generic that it had to be replaced. In the second case, a toll free number was provided and the toilets owner was on the phone for over 45 minutes (and given several different numbers to call) before getting a human that…

If you live in the country, chances are you get your water from a well. You have a pump that either sucks the water into your home or one that pushes it in. If the pump is in the house, it's drawing it up from the well and you'll hear it when it's running. The water distribution system in your house will have a pressure tank connected to it and it's basically used to store a quantity of water that you'll use when flushing toilets or showering etc. As the name implies, the water is under pressure due to an…

The name can be misleading: a non-freeze hydrant will freeze just as easily as a standard exterior hose tap. Many times this elaborate device is not given the chance to perform properly. I think it's called a "non-freeze hydrant" because it sounds better than "designed to self-drain from the inside to the outside hydrant". And really that's all they are about. They only avoid freezing if there's no water in them. A standard exterior hose tap has a washer that closes against a smooth surface (called the seat) that is exposed to the outside temperatures and wind chill, where the…