Faucet replacement is a very easy task that anyone can do. It is one of those household repairs that don’t really need any professional assistance. Here are the basics that you should know about faucet replacement.

Being Prepared And Choosing Your Faucet

Before you go off with the replacement proper procedures, you should be ready and have with you the faucet unit that you want to use to replace your old one. You can drop by your local hardware store and pick out a faucet that you want. Having it on hand before removing the old one would make things easier and faster for you.

With the numerous modern designs now at the market, you have a variety of faucet designs that you can choose from. For your bathtubs and sinks, you can get single or double handled faucet. Generally, faucets have a standard size regarding their hook-ups, depending on their use. For kitchen faucets, you can usually find units with an 8 inch hookup. Bathroom vanity faucets usually come in 4 inches, while bathtubs come in 8 inches.

Faucet Measurements

In able to know which kind of faucet to get from the store, first you have to do some measurements. Have your tape measure in hand for this task. If you will be using a double handled faucet, what you need to do is take the measurement from the handles’ center to center, thus, this is your faucet’s size. If you will be using a single-handled faucet, you would have to measure starting from the the distance in between your water hook-up lines placed on your faucet’s bottom.

As soon as you know the style and size of your faucet, then you’re already to take out the old one and install your new unit.

Tools That You Need

Basically, you do not need a lot of tools for this task. All you need to have are wrenches so that you can hold the shut-off valve and take out the supply line that is going to your faucet. Also, you would need to have channel lock pliers or a basin wrench. You’ll be using this take out the large nuts, which attaches the faucet to your sink. It would be better if you use a basin wrench, due to its special design that is intended for working in tight spaces, just like where your faucet is mounted to your sink.

Steps To A New Faucet

First, you should turn off all water supply that is linked to your faucet. Then, you should remove the supply lines coming from both sides of your faucet. After that you should remove the large retainer nuts that are holding your faucet to the sink. When you are done with this, remove the old faucet from the sink. Try to clean up your sink and where the old unit was installed.

Once you are done cleaning up, get your new unit and place it in the holes. You can ask someone to help you with this, so that keeping it centered while installing the retainer nuts below would be easier. When you get the faucet in place and retaining nuts tightly screwed, then you can now get your water supply lines hooked up again. Turn on your water supply and do some tests for leaks and other defects.

If you have some leaks, try reinstalling it again and make sure that you tightly place each part where they should be. Also, if you want you can use plumbers putty or thread tape to prevent leaks or dripping on the joints, specifically in between the faucet and sink, or the supply line and the faucet.

A lot of people consider the furnace as one of their home’s most important equipments, which is very much true most especially during cold winter months, when getting some heat intake is very important. Additionally this is the very reason why knowing how to fix your furnace incase some troubleshooting problems arise can be very invaluable.

On And Off Problems

If your furnace keeps on turning on and off, this is usually just a simple problem with the unit’s heat anticipator. To start repairing, simply locate your thermostat and open it. When you open the box, you will see inside a small disk that is located in the middle. Take a good look at the disc. You will see that it has a number of calibration notches.

Take a closer look and you will find the word "LONGER” on it. Then, try to find a small handle that touches a wire. Once you locate that small handle, turn it towards the word "LONGER”.

After completing the steps, turn on your furnace and let it run for a few hours. If it works alright, then you’re done. However, if the furnace is still turning on and off, just repeat the steps given above. Continue doing so until the problem stops.

Shut Down Problems

This problem is also an easy one, which is similar to the first problem. All you have to do is remove your unit’s thermostat cover, then follow the said steps in the first problem. But, in this case, what you have to do is turn the clockwise to "SHORTER”, instead of moving it toward "LONGER”. This should fix your problem. If it doesn’t just repeat the steps until you get it working.

No Heat Generation If your unit is not generating heat, then the problem is most probably the pilot light. Try to checking out your pilot light and see if it is turned on or if it is out. If you found it to be out, then you would have to relight it. In case you do not know how to relight it, simply consult your unit’s manual or contact your manufacturer. This is a relatively easy task that you can do by simply following some simple instructions.

No Air

If your unit is running but doesn’t blow any air, then here is how you repair it. First, you should turn off the power of your unit. Also, you should turn off the gas from the gas valve which is serving your furnace. Then, remove the door of your furnace cabinet so you can have access to your blower.

When you already have full access, check out the number that is stamped on the belt of your furnace. Then, go to your local shop and get an exact replacement of the belt.

Once you’ve got the replacement belt, then go back to your furnace cabinet and install the new belt. Generally, you can just slip it on your motor’s smaller pulley then put it on your motor’s blower pulley. Try rotating the blower pulley using your hand, while you hold the belt in place. Be careful from having your fingers caught though.

If you get this right, you should be able to get the belt right in place. If it looks a little too tight, then you may need to adjust the motor mount so there can be more slack in the fixture. After adjusting, try to retighten the tension again, once you have the belt in the right place.

It would be better to check your manufacturer’s specifications regarding the proper tension needed for your unit. Generally, your belt should deflect at least about an inch whenever you press it down.

Paint is considered to be the clothes of your house. Although paint problems may look ugly and major, you can actually be saved from the obligation of calling a professional painter and spending huge amounts of money on them. You yourself can be your very own Picasso in doing paint retouches of your house.

Break Down

All kinds of paint, whatever brand it may be, can only last for a specified number of years on your wall, before the break down process starts showing. When you are experiencing paint break down, it basically means that the first or primary layer on the surface is weakening.

This problem is commonly experienced in old houses that have several paint layers. When the break down process starts, paint will start cracking and peeling from your wall or your wood surface. Because of this, your wood or drywall will be exposed.

To fix this, try scraping or pressure washing your surface. After that, fill any holes using putty if it is wood or spackle if it is a wall surface. After filling in, get a sand paper and fine sand the surface.

When you’re done, wipe of the dust and let it completely dry. Basically, when you pressure wash or when it is raining, 24 hours should be allotted for the surface to dry. Once you’re sure that it is dry, and then you can start painting.

Moisture Build-Up

Another cause of paint cracking is moisture build-up, leak or excessive condensation.

Most probably, you can find mildew and mold along with this problem. This kind of problem is often experienced in the bathroom. However, it can also occur in other parts of the house because of leaky roofs and close outdoor shrubs. Your paint can sag down due to the moisture. But in this case, you won’t see any chipping debris.

If moisture build-up is the cause of your pain cracking, then you would have to do another remedy. Since you will be targeting on the mildew, and if it is an interior surface that you are fixing then you can make use of a solution that consists of three parts water and one part bleach. If it is an exterior surface, you can wash it off using an exterior solution intended for pressure washers.

Both of these can be bought at your local shop. You can also try renting a pressure washer from some stores that provide services like these during the weekend.

Fading Color

The last most experienced paint problem would be fading color. This is usually experienced with surfaces on the exteriors of the house. However, it can also occur indoors when specific colors were used for the walls. Basically, paint color fades when it exposed too much to the sun.

To avoid this kind of problem, most people would try no to use bright and bold colors such as deep red. If you have an affinity for deep colors, but don’t like the fading ones, then try to look for hues which have a ruddy or golden tone with them.

You can try consulting a paint associate about this. Try to find out how much red oxide or yellow oxide colorant was mixed for the specific color that you want. Basically, if the paint associate says that each colorant has about 1 ounce or so in the tint base to create the color, then you have spotted a color that can resist fading for a very good period of time.

If you are seeing some cracks on your walls, there is no need to panic. This can have no significance at all. However, there are some that can signify that you are experiencing a big structural defect. If this is the case, then you would have to do the appropriate action for the case. This is why proper evaluation should be done.

Noticing The Problem

Most often, cracked foundation walls are given attention when a property is being sold in the market. Even though the owner would insist that the cracked wall has been like that "forever”, the buyer has a tendency to become concerned about the situation.

Whether you are a buyer, seller, or some one who is simply concerned about their wall, here are some important points on evaluating your wall if it needs repair or not.

Causes And Factors Of Wall Cracking

Foundation walls that are built using concrete blocks are much predisposed to having cracks than solid concrete walls. This is especially true if an 8-inch block was used for the block wall.

Of course, foundation walls should support a building’s the vertical weight. Plus, if its around a full basement, it should be able to resist lateral or inward pressure from the soil outside that are against the wall. If water saturates the backfill or soil, then the inward pressure could easily overload your block wall, which can result into cracks.

Additionally, roots of large and moderate sized trees that are near your foundation wall can also cause you major wall problems. Most of the time, roots grow toward your walls due to the water accumulation along it.

Seeing The Signs

Horizontal cracks on mortar joints are usually caused by too much inward pressure against its block foundation. If you see a horizontal crack that is about high as half of the wall, then this can be one sign of too much lateral pressure from the soil. Sometimes, you may also find some step cracks or short and small horizontal and vertical cracks near the end of a wall. This too is a variation of soil pressure cracks.

When To Be Alarmed

Usually, block foundation walls can remain cracked for about a number of years without any noticeable cracking additions or inward bulging. But, the moment you get a horizontal crack, your wall’s structural integrity is very much reduced. Additionally, if the soil backfill is saturated, especially during rainy days, the number of cracks could increase or, worse comes to worst; your wall foundation can collapse.

Solution Choices

Problems like these are possible to be permanently repaired. In fact, there are methods in which you do not need to have a complete replacement, provided that the inward movement doesn’t exceed one inch in relation to the bottom of the wall. You can usually find the maximum inward deflection where the horizontal crack is and near its mid-height.

One method you can do is bracing your wall with reinforced block piers or steel post-braces. However, if you are concerned with the cost, you may want to go for steel post-braces since they are less expensive than the other. However, if it is the overall look you are after, then you may want to use piers since they can give a better finished appearance.

Plumbing problems are considered to be one of the major problems that each household can experience at least once in a lifetime. Although most would opt to call a professional plumber to do the dirty work for them, most plumbing repairs are actually minor ones that even you can do without having to pay a plumber some notable amount of cash.

Be Vigilant

One way to fix major plumbing problems is by prevention. Keeping a sharp eye for sluggish or slow drains is the key. It is way much easier to fix and unclog a slow drain than opening one that has wholly stopped from functioning.

If your drain is slow, you can fix this by simply pouring scalding water down the pipe. Do this to loosen any grease buildup. Additionally, you should clean the drain screen or stopper. This should do the trick.

However, if it doesn’t, then try to locate the problem by checking out other household drains. Do this to know whether the clog is present in only one fixture. If it turns out that other drains are clogged, then you may have a problem with your main drain pipe.

Sinking In

Fighting a sink clog automatically means getting a bathroom plunger. In picking a plunger, make sure it has a large enough suction cup that can completely cover up the drain. It should also be able to create an airtight seal around the surrounding sink.

Next, you should fill the fixture to completely cover the plunger’s suction cup. Do this by using water or coating the cup’s rim with petroleum jelly. You should create a vacuum by trying to seal off other outlets, like overflow drain in sinks. Then, push out any trapped air underneath the cup. After this, do 15 to 20 forceful up-and-down pumping blows to jerk loose the clog. It may take you three to five times of this cycle to do the trick.

Snake It Out If using the plunger doesn’t work, then you would have to resort to another technique. In this remedy, you would need to have a plumbing snake. You can get one at your local hardware. These can work their way through your drain pipes and physically push out the clogs.

Plumbing snakes are considered to be one of the most dependable tools for fixing drainage problems. All you have to do is push the snake in until you hit the clog. Once you hit the clog, hook it up by twisting your snake’s handle. After hooking it up, push your snake back and forth until you feel that the obstruction has broken up. Then, flush out the pipe using cold water. Main Drain Cleanup

If you detect that more than one of your draining fixtures is clogged up, then your main drain line may be the problem. Thus, you have to clean it up. You can start off by locating the clean-out plugs of the large drain pipes. You can find these in your crawlspace or basement.

Main drain lines can also be found in your garage or somewhere outside, along the foundations of your house. You can see that each plug has a cap on it that has a square fitting on the top. Use a wrench to remove the cap.

Make sure that you have a bucket with you to catch some dripping water. Also, be sure that nobody will use the facilities while you the main drain line is open, or else some serious problem can come your way. Once you have everything in place, use a plumbing snake to break up any obstructions in the main line by running the snake in all directions of the pipe.

Leaking pipes, no matter how big or small it is can create extreme changes on your water bills, negative changes to be specific. However, fixing minor leaks is actually easy and is something that you can manage to do without calling a plumber. Here are some ways on how you can repair pipe leaks by yourself.

Fixing Leaks Through Tape

This is considered to be the easiest and cheapest way that anyone can do to fix small pipe leaks. All the material you would need is an electrical or duct tape. The basic principle here is that you should cover the leak using the tape. To effectively stop the leak, you should start wrapping the tape before the leak itself on your water pipe. Wrap in a diagonal manner around the pipe until you have covered the entire leaking area and a small portion extending before and after it.

Fixing Leaks By Epoxy

This method is best used if your leaking problem is situated at pipe fittings and joints. You can get epoxy from your local hardware store. First off, you should cut off the water supply. Then you need to drain all the water from the pipes. Water purging can be done by letting the faucet run, until no more water comes out.

After purging the water, dry out the pipes and clean it using steel wool. Make sure that the pipes are dry and clean, since applying epoxy on a wet pipe can give unpleasant results. If you are sure, then apply the epoxy and let it dry. Refer to the epoxy’s packaging on how long you should let it stand to dry up. Avoid using the pipe line if the epoxy is still wet.

Fix Leaks Through A Pipe Clamp

You can use pipe clamp to fix your leaks. However, you should buy a clamp that has the right size to fit your leaking pipe. Once you have purchased a clamp, clean out your pipe. Be careful in cleaning it, and make sure that you do this well. Wrap your pipe in a rubber pad which should be placed over the area where the leak is.

When you have the pad in place, put the pipe clamp over it and screw the clamp securely. If you have somewhat moderate leaks, you can also use this method to stop them.

Fixing Leaks Through Hose Clamps

Using a host clamp is kind of similar to using a pipe clamp. However, this is to be only used on smaller leaks. You can start by wrapping the pipe with a rubber pad. Once the pad is placed over the leaking area, put one or two hose clamps over it and tighten the pad by securely screwing it.

Fixing Leaks Through C-Clamps and Blocks

If your pipe is of a small size, then you can make use of a small sized c-clamp to patch it. Start by placing a rubber pad directly on top of the leak. After that, put a small wooden strip or block on top of it. Get the c-clamp and place it over the fixture to hold everything on place. You use the blocks as protection for the pipe from the pressure given by the c-clamp.

Fixing Leaks Using Tin Can Clamps

Here, what you would need is a tin can. Start off by cutting the ends off the can and cutting it up one side. Get the half of the can and bend its ends so that they are flat and could meet. This is like a homemade pipe clamp.

Get a rubber pad and place it over your leak. Above the rubber pad, place your homemade clamp. A c-clamp and wooden blocks can also be used to tighten the fixture.

Squeaking doors can be a really irritating problem. Although many would consider it to be a major problem, it isn’t! In fact, it’s a minor house problem that even you yourself can fix, and here’s how to.

Stop, Look And Listen

First, you should know where that squeaking sound is coming from. You can do this by stopping, looking and listening carefully. You should perform the "swing test” first before you go off buying a whole new door.

Start off by making sure that your surroundings is quiet. Then, you should stand on the side of the door in which you remember that the squeak was loudest. When you’re in position already, swing the door in a gentle manner, covering its complete arc. Do this action repeatedly and try to vary the speed while doing so.

While swinging the door, you should take note of some factors. Try to note exactly where the squeak comes from. Then try to note when it is loudest. See whether it is loudest when you swing the door fast or slow. Then lastly, find out why exactly the squeak is happening. Finding out why is a very crucial factor, since this dictates what remedy you should use.

Two General Remedies

Once you’ve determined where the squeaks are, you can do two general remedies. First, tighten all the screws in the hinges. Then, get a flat-headed screwdriver. Carefully tap its blade in between the hinge body and the hinge-pin head to separate them.

After doing this, get a 3-in-1 sewing machine oil and squeeze in a few drops of it into the small space between the pin-head and the hinge body. If you don’t have sewing-machine oil, you can also use a WD-40, and spray some into the same space.

By applying some lubricant in the space, you enable the lubricant to seep in into the remaining length of the pin, which is inside the hinge body. Thus, you give the best lubrication coverage that you can give for the hinge.

Doing this would generally resolve your squeaking problems-if you were accurate on determining the source, that is. However, if you pinpointed the wrong source, then most probably your squeak would still be there.

All Hope Is Not Lost

If you pinpointed the wrong source of the squeak, don’t worry then! By this point in time, you have determined that the hinges are not the problem. Then, most probably it’s a wood on wood kind of squeak problem.

To solve this kind of squeak, you would have to do the squeak test again. After which, you have to release the bind, since the problem may be the hinge binding on the wood. While performing the swing test, heed on how the door’s hinge-side settles into the door-jamb. Also, take note of how it makes a final contact with your door-stop.

This is when stop, look and listen wouldn’t be enough, since you would have to make use of touch. If you feel that it has springy feel, when the door is approximately in the closed position, odds are very good that it is hinge-bound. This can be the cause of the squeak since the door is forced to rub with the jamb material. To repair this kind of problem, you need to remove your door by removing the screws on the hinges’ jamb side and leaving the hinges intact with the door itself. Then, you need to chisel out some hinge recesses towards the direction of the hinge barrel. Then, reinstall the door and perform the swing test again.

If this doesn’t solve your problem, try chiseling out more recess. It can be a trial and error process. However, it can be fixed.