Plumbing Picks — Product Guides from a Licensed Plumber
I’m Isaac Daniels, a Georgia journeyman plumber. I work under sinks, behind toilets and inside walls, and I write up the kinds of parts I install on real jobs, so you can pick the right one the first time and know when a job needs a plumber.
What’s That Leak Costing You?
A leaking toilet can waste about 200 gallons a day, by EPA WaterSense’s estimate. What that costs you depends on your local water and sewer rate — enter your rate and leak type in our free calculator to see your number (assumptions and math shown, no signup).
→ Try the free Leak Cost Calculator · Read the 2026 Home Water Waste & Cost Report
The Numbers Behind the Advice
Water and sewer rates vary a lot from city to city, so one national average doesn’t tell you much. I built a 31-city comparison of what a household water leak costs, priced at each city’s 2025 water and sewer charges (MWRA Advisory Board rate survey) and normalized to the same household use. EPA WaterSense puts the average household’s leaks at more than 9,300 gallons a year. At 9,300 gallons, that costs $65.91 a year in Las Vegas and $389.56 in San Francisco. Identical water, identical waste; only the local rate changes.
The dataset is free to download, carries no affiliate links, and shows its math. If you’d rather know how the product picks here get made, that’s written up in how we pick.
Plumbing Product Guides
- Best Sewage Ejector Pump
- Best Water Filter Pitchers
- Best Toilets for Your Home
- Best Bathroom Faucets
- Best Water Heaters for Your Home
- Best Tankless Water Heaters
- Best Kitchen Faucets
- Drain Cleaners and When to Use Them
- Best PEX Crimp & Cinch Tools
- Best Garbage Disposals for Home Use
- Best Sump Pumps to Keep Your Basement Dry
- Best Water Softeners for Hard Water
- Best Toilet Augers for Stubborn Clogs
- Best Pipe Cutters for Copper, PEX & PVC
- Best Plumbing Torches for Soldering Copper
- Toilet Flapper Replacements
- Shower Drain Hair Catchers
- Toilet Fill Valve Replacements
- Best Push-to-Connect Fittings — No Soldering Required
- Best Water Pressure Gauges for Homeowners
- Washing Machine Hoses
- Best Pipe Repair Clamps — Emergency Fix for Leaking Pipes
- Faucet Aerators
- Best Hose Bibb Quick Connect Attachments
- Thread Seal Tape for Plumbing
Browse by Category
- Toilet Repairs
- Faucets & Fixtures
- Pipe Repairs
- Drain Solutions
- Water Quality & Pressure
- Plumbing Supplies
- Pro & Prosumer Tools — or the trade index
About Plumbing Picks
Plumbing Picks helps homeowners pick the right plumbing parts and understand common repairs. Guides start with the short answer, then explain the sizes, connections and limits that decide whether a part will fit your home, using the maker’s own specifications and public code and safety sources. The site is owned by Isaac Daniels, a Georgia journeyman plumber, and it does not sell plumbing services.
Start here
New to a repair? Start with when to DIY and when to call a plumber, learn how to shut off your water main, then use the categories above to find the guide for your problem.