Why this matters
People read our pages when water is on the floor or a decision costs thousands of dollars. That is a reason to be careful, not quick. This page explains how the content is made so you can judge how much to rely on it.
What we write
- Service guides explain a type of plumbing problem: what is probably happening, how urgent it is, what you can safely check, what a plumber will do and what affects the cost.
- Town pages explain what is specific about plumbing in one community: the age and type of its housing, its climate, and the local authorities and rules that apply.
Where facts come from
We use primary sources wherever they exist:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey for housing age, type and ownership.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information climate normals for freeze and precipitation data.
- U.S. EPA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry for drinking water, lead service line and building code information.
- The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for contractor registration rules.
- Municipal codes, sewer authorities and water utilities for local rules, linked on each town page.
Each page lists its sources and the date they were checked. Competitor websites are never used as a source of facts.
How pages are checked
Before a page is published it goes through a review that checks, among other things:
- That every statistic has a source and a date.
- That the page contains no claims we can’t back up, such as response times, ratings, or “best” rankings.
- That safety advice is cautious: we don’t give step-by-step instructions for gas or electrical work.
- That town pages are genuinely about that town. Pages that could describe anywhere are rejected.
- That local rules are linked to the authority that sets them.
Pages that don’t pass are not published. If a published page is edited, it goes back through the same review.
Updates and corrections
Every page shows when it was last reviewed. Data-driven facts are refreshed when new Census or NOAA releases come out, and local rules are rechecked periodically. If you spot an error or an out-of-date rule, tell us through our contact page; we will correct it and update the review date.
What we will never publish
- No fake reviews, ratings, testimonials or awards.
- No claims to be a plumbing contractor, or to have our own plumbers, offices or trucks.
- No guaranteed arrival times or prices.
- No invented local facts, such as rules or programs we haven’t confirmed with an official source.
Commercial relationships
We are paid when calls are connected to plumbing businesses. Writers don’t change a recommendation to generate more calls; several of our guides tell you when you don’t need a plumber at all. See our advertising disclosure and how calls work.