I recently had a plumbing emergency in my own home. The main drain pipe under the basement floor got clogged with toilet paper. The culprit is a newer low-flush toilet in a basement bathroom. I’ve ...

With all puns possibly intended, most folks know the sinking feeling of a clogged drain. These inconveniences typically come at the worst time, when the sink is full of food, toothpaste or worse items ...

You can use a regular plunger to unclog your shower and sink drains. After removing the drain cover, run a bit of water to cover the bottom of the plunger cup. Then, move the plunger up and down (like ...

RUTH COLEMAN, a schoolteacher in Somerset, Pa., came home to find her basement flooded. The whole house was tied into the floor drain, so when it was clogged, nothing in the house worked. She called ...

We asked two professional plumbers if dish soap was safe to use for clogged drains. Here's what they had to say.

Editor’s note: In light of recent rains, we are reprinting a timely column originally published June 6, 2009. We have a 1973 two-story house with a basement that we’ve owned for about two years. The ...

For homeowners with basements, nothing is as frustrating and costly as unexpected flooding. A clogged outdoor drain can turn a routine rainstorm into a financial nightmare, leaving behind soaked ...

Q: My washing machine is in the basement in a room directly beneath the kitchen. When water drains from the washer, it’s going into a hole in the basement floor. The sump pump kicks on, but the water ...