Know your own plumbing.

Plain guides to the parts of a house most people only learn about when they fail. Written with a Red Seal plumber, for homes on the coast.

How your home's drains workTraps, vents, the stack, the cleanout and the line to the street: a plain guide to the pipes that take water out of your house, and where each one clogs.

Sewer scope before buying a houseA home inspection does not look inside the sewer line. A camera inspection does, and it takes about an hour. What it finds and how to use the result.

Drain tile and sump before the rainsThe fall rains test every perimeter drain and sump pump on the coast. A twenty-minute check in September, and the signs that yours needs cleaning.

Frozen pipesFew houses on the coast are built for a hard freeze. What to do before a cold snap, how to thaw a pipe safely, and what to do if one bursts.

Poly-B and home insuranceGrey Poly-B pipe was put in thousands of BC homes from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s. How to tell if you have it, what insurers ask, and your options.

• Drain problems by symptom
• The price guide
• Skip the drain cleaner
• Strata and commercial
• About Unclog.it