When I started plumbing, I underestimated how much a good drain cleaning machine would matter. My handheld snake handled the easy jobs, but the first time I rolled a 75-foot sectional cable through a tree root mass in a 4-inch clay tile, I understood why professional plumbers invest in serious equipment. The right machine turns … Read more
I lost a $1,400 sewer clearing job last year because I showed up without a camera. The homeowner wanted proof before approving a $3,800 pipe replacement, and I had nothing to show her. I went home that night and bought my first inspection camera. After 14 months of running that camera on over 200 jobs, … Read more
If your T&P relief valve keeps dripping or you hear pipes banging every time the water heater kicks on, you are likely dealing with thermal expansion. A water heater expansion tank solves that problem by absorbing the extra volume created when cold water heats up. In a closed plumbing system, that pressure has nowhere to … Read more
If you have a sprinkler or irrigation system tied to a municipal (potable) water supply, you almost certainly need a backflow preventer. Without one, fertilizers, pesticides, and standing irrigation water can siphon or pressurize back into the clean water you drink, brush your teeth, and bathe with. Our team tested and compared the best backflow … Read more
Our team has spent the last three months testing, comparing, and breaking down the best floor scrubbers for commercial use in . We pushed eight different machines through 50,000 square feet of warehouse, retail, and concrete floors, measured noise with a decibel meter, and timed every fill, drain, and recharge cycle. What you are about … Read more
Cleaning windows used to be the chore I avoided for months at a time, and the second I stepped on a ladder, my dog acted like the world was ending. After three months of testing 8 different window cleaning robots in my own two-story home and a friend’s high-rise apartment, I found the ones actually … Read more
After testing 10 of the top-rated steam cleaners in our homes for the past 60 days, I can tell you one thing: not all steam cleaners are built the same. We scrubbed grout with a Dupray Neat, mopped up pet messes with the Bissell Little Green, and stripped crayon off tile with the PurSteam. The … Read more
I came home from a two-week vacation last summer to find my patio tomatoes completely wilted. My neighbor, who runs a similar garden, had hers thriving because she used self-watering planters. That was the moment I decided to test every self-watering planter I could get my hands on for patio use. After six months of … Read more
If you burn wood in a fireplace or wood stove, the chimney behind it is collecting creosote every single time you light a match. After a season of weekend fires, that thin layer of soot hardens into a flammable crust that can ignite at 1,000 degrees. I have seen friends pay $400 to a professional … Read more
After 90 days of testing eight different RV toilets across our fleet of campers and motorhomes, I can tell you that the right toilet makes or breaks life on the road. Our team put each model through 50+ flush cycles, evaluated installation ease, and tracked water usage in real-world boondocking conditions. We also compared them … Read more