Archive by Author
How to wind up your extension cord without getting a knot
Written by Mike Johnson.
I was out plumbing on a service call a while back when I watched a home owner struggle to get the knots out of his extension cord. About 20 minutes later he watched me pull out my own cord for some drilling and said “How the heck do you wind these up without getting it […]
Continue Reading
How to connect a natural gas grill to your home gas system using a Burnaby Gas Plug Box
Written by Mike Johnson.
Hi folks, Mike here again with a quick tutorial per a customer request. Hey! Spring is here!……..even if the weather isn’t exactly cooperating. One of the questions I get asked most often when it comes to plumbing gas are these fancy new gas grills with the quick disconnect hoses from Weber grill company. It seems like […]
Continue Reading
(Plumbing Break) – How to give yourself a raise and change your life
Written by Mike Johnson.
Forget craigslist and newspapers, call my friend Marcie If you turn on the news it’s easy to get the impression great jobs are in short supply. That’s not true. The best careers are often times found through a special agency. The key to finding the right agency is to know the right person who can […]
Continue Reading
Josh Kerslake and a T-Bone steak
Written by Mike Johnson.
Many years ago I was a bartender. One time, on a busy Friday night I ended up washing dishes in back. We were short handed. Washing dishes in a restaurant is pretty hectic. The water is boiling hot, dishes are flying everywhere, and the staff is literally running to get the customers food delivered to […]
Continue Reading
Special Request: Drain question from Dave
Written by Mike Johnson.
Dave from Watertown called about a problem with sewer gas coming from a drain. During the phone call he explained the problem and we determined the drain didn’t have a vent the proper distance from the trap. The drain line is 2″. Hello Dave! Per Wisconsin state code the vent for this fixture […]
Continue Reading
Customer Question: Replacing a bathtub with a shower
Written by Mike Johnson.
This following question came from a customer in Oconomowoc. Plumbing Question “Mike, we want to remodel our master bathroom. The bathroom has an old bathtub and a separate shower. My husband and I were wondering if we could tear out the bathtub and the shower and put the shower where the bathtub was. We figured since the […]
Continue Reading
What’s wrong with this drain?
Written by Mike Johnson.
I’m not sure what to think about this photo. It was sent to me from a customer in Waukesha on a trip up north Wisconsin to the town of Fountain. It’s not a root, it’s a plant. The home is located on a farm and It looks to me like a seed had fallen off during […]
Continue Reading
Plumbing Code: Water heater relief valve
Written by Mike Johnson.
In this tutorial you will learn about the codes and regulations concerning the water heater relief valve safety device. If you don’t want to read the code skip to the bottom for a summary. A typical water heater has a safety device known as a relief valve and is sometimes known as a temperature and […]
Continue Reading
Oconomowoc Plumber takes a bow!
Written by Mike Johnson.
As a plumber I’ve been surrounded by some of the top architects and designers in the country. I will take a bow to this home owner though. When the subject of a Kohler Farm sink model K-12700 came up I assumed it would be business as usual, just put it in like I’ve always done […]
Continue Reading
Cheap water valve causes $7,000 in damage
Written by Mike Johnson.
I was plumbing in Oconomowoc and received a phone call to repair a water leak. Some years back the previous home owner had called a plumber to install a new valve for the Laundry water supply. The replacement part that was used was a cheap Chinese made valve. Over the years I’ve had the chance […]
Continue Reading
