Houston homeowners know that paying for the essentials costs more every year. Skyrocketing food costs, the constant fear of higher gasoline prices, and the increase in utility service expenses put tremendous pressure on us all. While it may not sound like it, making your home more environmentally friendly could help you save an impressive amount…

We like to associate the winter season with an array of pleasing smells, especially around the holidays, when the aromas of cinnamon, roasted chestnuts, and gingerbread cookies should fill the house with a sense of comfort.  Now, imagine that warm, inviting scent being replaced by the odor of raw sewage!  Nick’s Plumbing knows that offensive…

A sewer line belly, or a “sag” or “bellying” in plumbing terminology, refers to a low point or a dip in an underground sewer or drainage pipe. This dip forms a sort of U-shaped curve in the pipe, disrupting the otherwise smooth flow of wastewater and debris. Sewer line bellies can be problematic because they…

Your plumbing system has an expiration date.  Where that date falls largely depends on when your home was built, whether the plumbing has ever been upgraded, and how well –or poorly—the system was maintained.  What is Your Plumbing Made Of?  Today, many older Houston homes, like those in our Montrose and Heights neighborhoods—that still have…

As a blog writer for a plumbing company, I get many requests for content about “do-it-yourself” plumbing options. There are several tasks that the homeowner can do to maintain their plumbing system, and a handy homeowner is probably well-versed in adjusting a running toilet or fixing a drippy faucet by changing out the cartridge.  In…

We’ve said it many times over the years, but nobody pays attention to their water heater—until it causes a problem. Of course, this is completely the opposite of how we should treat our water heaters, as they require regular maintenance and inspections to ensure they’re working to their full potential. For more than 100 years,…

Dealing with broken or burst water pipes in your home can be a stressful and challenging experience, but there are several steps you can take to minimize the damage and get the problem fixed as quickly as possible. How to Deal with Broken Pipes  Turn off the Water Supply. First, you should turn off the…

Water damage. Just two words. Only four syllables.  As short as it is, few phrases strike complete fear into a homeowner’s heart as “water damage.” It’s not so much those two words themselves as the words surround them in a sentence like “I’m sorry to tell you this, but there is extensive water damage in…

Water heater corrosion can be a nasty problem. And if you found some rust on your water heater, you're probably wondering if that means you'll need to replace it soon.  Many things can cause corrosion on a water heater, which doesn't mean you did anything wrong. However, a small amount of rust or corrosion can…