Stories from under the floorboards.
Editorial index for the Phend journal — how-tos, neighborhood stories, and the occasional repair post-mortem from our crew in Mesa, Gilbert, and across the East Valley.
Why Does My Toilet Keep Clogging?
Why does my toilet keep clogging? If you’ve ever wondered if your toilet is possessed or just want to know why it keeps clogging, here’s why and what you can do about it.
Copper versus PEX Pipes [Video]
Is PEX Pipe Better Than Copper Pipe? You may have heard lots of hardware-store hype on this topic but the question isn’t whether one type of pipe is better than the other, it’s a question of which is better for a given application. The most common...
Low Versus High Pressure Shower Heads
In our complicated modern lives, bathrooms have become the inner sanctum of our home sanctuary. We want our showers to be perfect and when they aren’t we need to fix that right away. Do you need a new shower head to make it perfect? Or are you looking to...
Hose Bib Repair: Fixing A Leaky Hose Bib
So if you know what a hose bib is, you are already way ahead of the game. Most of us just call it “that tap outside that house that I attach the hose to or get water from”. Not graceful at all, so when you need help fixing a leaky hose bib it helps to …
Connecting A Natural Gas Grill To Stub-Out
Summertime gets us in the mood for home grilled food and pool parties, so we have some tips to get your summer fired up by connecting your natural gas grill to your home’s stub-out.
How To Check Your Home’s Plumbing
Homeownership is rewarding in so many ways, but dealing with plumbing issues isn’t one of those ways. If you know how to check your home’s plumbing you will be one step ahead of any problems that would otherwise ruin the harmony and pleasure of our...
Our Plumbing Tips for Homeowners
Owning your own home comes with so many benefits and while your plumbing system isn’t glamorous and seems quite boring, it is actually one of the most important parts of your home. Believe it or not, your plumbing is one of the primary home features that...
How to Get Hair Out of a Bathtub Drain
Yeah, it might be a little gross to think about, but when you’ve got a slow drain in your bath or shower, you might think “hair clog” first. It is the most common cause of slow or clogged bathtub drains so you absolutely want to know how to get that hair...
How Long Does It Take For Hot Water To Come Back
Is there anything more frustrating than running out of hot water in the middle of a task that requires hot water? When your water supply suddenly turns cold, you need to know one vital thing: how long does it take for hot water to come back? We’ve got some...
Touch Versus Touchless Faucets: What You Need to Know
The little luxuries can be the most impactful. Take the case of the humble kitchen faucet. Now that we are accustomed to the excellent faucet designs that make it a cinch to fill our pots and wash our dishes and fruit, we have moved on to helpful...
Got a plumbing question we should answer?
Email the crew or call us — if it is a question your neighbors are asking, we will write it up.