My friend’s Philadelphia row home basement flooded. How should he handle the cleanup so mold and mildew don’t become a problem?

Dry it fast, within 24 to 48 hours if you can. Pull up wet carpet and padding, run fans and a dehumidifier, and cut out drywall that soaked up water. Mold starts in damp building materials, not in the air, so removing what got wet matters more than spraying anything. Photograph everything before you throw it out for the insurance file.

We bought a 1928 house and found tree roots blocking up to 75% of the sewer line. One company quoted $7-8k for pipe bursting, another suggested cutting the roots and lining the pipe. Which is right?

Both are legitimate fixes and the choice depends on the pipe’s condition. Pipe bursting replaces the line entirely, which makes sense if the old pipe has bellied or collapsed sections. Lining leaves the old pipe in place and works only if it is still structurally sound. A camera inspection shows which one applies to your line. Do not approve either one without seeing the footage.

What happens if we need to go into the street? Does the city replace that portion of the pipe? Will the city bill me for that portion?

In Philadelphia the property owner owns the service line from the house to the main, including the part under the street. The city generally does not replace that portion for you. Work in the street usually needs permits and sometimes the street opened, which adds cost. Get the scope and the permit responsibility in writing before work starts.

We have a toilet in the basement. Everything we do, wash clothes, take a shower or use toilets upstairs, all the drainage comes to the toilet in the basement and overflows the toilet. What to do?

That pattern means the main drain line is blocked, not the toilet itself. Stop using water upstairs right away so you stop adding to the backup. Call for a main-line check. The fix usually involves a cleanout and a camera look at the line, especially on blocks with century-old clay laterals.

A pipe burst after a freeze and I have an oil heat system feeding radiators. Should I turn off the oil boiler until morning?

If water is spraying and you cannot control it, shut the main water valve first. If the burst is on the heating loop and water is dropping, the boiler can overheat, so shutting it down is usually the safe move. If you are unsure which pipe burst, shut both the water and the boiler off and call. Do not touch anything electrical that got wet.

Tiny holes started forming one after another along a single vertical tube of my radiator after the pipes froze. What could cause that?

Freezing water expands and stresses the thinnest metal first, so pinholes appear along the weakest tube. Once a radiator starts perforating like that, the section is failing and patching rarely holds for long. Plan on replacing the radiator section rather than sealing each hole as it appears.

I want to shut the water off to a vacant house for the winter without paying someone to do it. What is the best way to make sure no water comes into the house?

Shut the main valve inside the house, open the lowest faucets to drain the lines, and pour RV antifreeze into traps and toilet bowls. The outside shutoff at the curb usually belongs to the water utility, so check with them before touching it. On blocks with vacant homes, this is exactly how pipes survive the winter, and skipping it is how they burst.

Water seems to be slowly seeping out from the bottom of our water heater, with what seems like it might be rust. Is she a goner?

Yes, that usually means the tank is done. Rust at the base means the steel tank wall itself has corroded through, and no repair fixes that. Shut off the water feed to the heater and the gas or breaker, then plan for a replacement. Check the serial number for the unit’s age and any remaining warranty.

I have a very old, rusted, leaking gas water heater. Can it be repaired, or does the whole unit need replacing?

Replacement is the right call when the tank body is rusted and leaking. Valves and fittings can be replaced, but a corroded tank cannot be repaired safely. Have a plumber confirm the leak is from the tank and not a fitting before you buy anything.

My basement leaks badly during big rains. What actually fixes that?

The fix depends on where the water enters. Water seeping through foundation cracks or the wall-floor joint is a waterproofing problem. Water rising through the floor drain is a sewer or groundwater problem. A working sump pump with battery backup handles most storm water. Get someone to find the entry point first, because sealing the wrong thing wastes money.