Live in a home long enough and you'll eventually have to deal with clogged sinks, dripping faucets, plugged-up toilets and leaky pipes. There's simply no way to avoid it: plumbing problems happen.

The first time you empty the P-trap on your bathroom sink, you’re likely to gag. A few times more, and you get tougher. It’s a lot like getting used to changing baby diapers. The P-trap is that curved ...