Plumbing & Heating Blog

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At Fred Smith Plumbing, troubleshooting and access to our experienced supervisors is always free. In that spirit, we've put together this collection of tips and advice. Think of it as "Everything you always wanted to know about plumbing but were afraid to ask." We'll be adding new content regularly, so be sure to check back often. If you have a specific question for us in the meantime, ask away!

Updating Plumbing Valves in Old Buildings for Easy Repairs

Not unlike older homes, older buildings can be charming on the outside but hide outdated plumbing systems on the inside. Over the years, crud and corrosion build up in galvanized piping and valves, causing parts to malfunction. Depending on the nature of the problem, it ...

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Weekly Fire Pump Inspections & Tests: Prepare for Disaster, Comply with the Law

Having a fire in your building would be bad enough – but imagine having a fire and the sprinkler system didn’t work, or there was no water in the fire hoses? That’s one reason why fire pumps in NYC residential high-rise buildings must be inspected ...

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Steam Banging

A knocking sound in your apartment is probably irritating all on its own, but being unable to identify its source makes things even more frustrating. I went to a pre-war building on the Upper East Side to determine the cause of such knocking inside two ...

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Odor From Plumbing Fixtures

New Yorkers probably have more experience with odors than the average person. And while identifying those smells can prove difficult at times, it’s important to pinpoint them in certain instances, like in this scenario: There was a bad odor resonating from a kitchen waste-line within ...

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DID YOU KNOW...

When you call Fred Smith Plumbing you get an expert on the phone who can solve your problem fast. Most days, that expert will probaby be owner Philip Kraus.

"The only source of
knowledge is experience."

- Albert Einstein