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10 Do It Yourself Home Maintenance And Repair Tips
by Raul Poole of Clarion Home Inspections The following article is about 10 very common maintenance or repair problems that are encountered by a residential home owner. I would venture to say that even if you’re just a little bit handy, all ten items can be handled by the average homeowner and will save thousands of dollars. 1. Main water valve location and identification 2. Repair doors that stick 3. Tub and shower caulking 4. Washing machine hose leaks 5. Concrete front step crack problems 6. Hot water heater problems 7. Gutter and downspout water control 8. Cloths dryer vent duct cleaning 9. Water flood alarm for 10 dollars 10. Door bell replacement, made easy MAIN WATER VALVE Main water valve location and identification - One of the most important things to know about your house is where to shut off the water when there is a water problem. Every member of the household should know where the main valve is and how to shut it off in case of an emergency. Another important point is that the valve should turn easily so that even a very young person could turn the water off. It is also recommended that a tag be put on the main valve so that it is easily recognized as such. Many times people know where the valve is located but, when a water problem develops, they don’t remember which valve is the main valve. The tag will identify the valve and could save thousands of dollars by keeping water damage to a minimum. REPAIR DOORS THAT STICK Repair doors that stick and/or rub - Doors that rub against the door frame often cause the door to stick. Many interior doors and door frames swell with humidity and start to rub and stick. This is different from a door that is completely out of square due to a structural problem. Most rubbing and sticking problems come from one of two causes: One - The hinges are loose and need to be tightened to pull the door back into the proper position. Two - The door and frame swell in the summer and close perfectly in the winter. A simple door sticking situation is repaired as follows: (1) Check the hinges to make sure they are tight and supporting the door properly. If the hinges are loose most likely the hinges are the reason why the door is rubbing and sticking. If this is the case, tighten the screws. If the screws won’t tighten, try an old time carpenter’s trick to tighten loose screws. First, support the door and take off the loose hinge screws. Next insert toothpicks into the screw hole or holes with a dab of glue. Allow 20 minutes for the glue to dry and then reinsert the screws. You’ll be amazed at how tight the toothpicks have made the screws. (2) If the hinges are tight but the door is rubbing, the door needs to be trimmed. An inexpensive tool can be bought to do the job. The tool is called a block planer hand rasp. The cost is probably under $10 and can be purchased in Lowe’s, or Home Depot, or a local hardware store. It looks like a small hand held flat cheese grater. This quick repair is done with the door in place. There is no need to remove the door. Mark the door with a pencil where the door is rubbing the frame. Now that the spot is marked, you can proceed to plane the area on the side of the door that is sticking until the door closes properly. This type of repair usually only takes a few minutes and very little material has to be removed from the area that sticks. If you have to remove a lot of material to make the door close, it would probably be better to have a professional carpenter evaluate the door problem. TUB AND SHOWER CAULKING Caulking around tub and shower - One job every home owner should learn to do is to caulk around the tub and shower. It’s a job that has to be done every couple of years and it’s a job that is a must to avoid water damage. Whether you are caulking a tub or shower the hardest part of the whole job is cleaning out the old caulk. For the purpose of this article, the following steps are a good guide as to how to caulk that tub or shower and have it look like a professional job. (1) Remove the old caulk with a scrapper or razor blade and then clean the area with any good household cleaner. It is very important to have the caulking area squeaky clean. The caulk won’t adhere to a dirty surface. (2) Now wipe down the squeaky clean area with denatured alcohol before applying the new caulk. The alcohol does a good job of removing any soap or chemical residue allowing the caulk to really adhere to the surface and seal it. (3) The type of caulk used is important. It should be “a water clean up caulk.” Look for caulk that reads Water Clean-up for Bathrooms. There are 2 types and either will do the job: the squeeze tube caulk or the caulk that has to be used with a three dollar sealant application gun. (4) The secret of having the job look like a professional installation is in the way excess caulk is removed. After the caulk is applied and it is still wet, use a small wet sponge to wipe down the caulk. Rinse the sponge frequently in a bucket of warm water. The sponge will push the caulk into any small cracks and spaces and the finish bead will look great. (5) Let the caulk dry for 24 hours before using the tub or shower and then call all your friends to come over and see the great job you did. Be sure to take pictures! WASHING MACHINE HOSES Leaks from washing machine hoses - One of the leading causes of residential water damage is the failure of a washing machine rubber hose. Typically a standard rubber hose has a life expectance of 3 to 5 years. However, there are some very good upgrade hoses that will minimize or eliminate any water damage caused by worn rubber hoses. The installation of the hose is easy and the job could be done in just a few minutes. The most common replacement hose which is much safer than the rubber hose is the stainless steel braided hose. This type of hose can be purchased at any large hardware store and is stronger and safer than a rubber hose against a sudden hose rupture. Another hose that is very reliable is the Floodchek hose which comes with a 20 year guarantee. The braided hoses are about $30 and the Floodchek hose costs about $50. The upgrade of washing machine hoses is well worth the effort to avoid water problems and have peace of mind. More information about the Floodchek washing machine hose can be found on the Internet. CONCRETE FRONT STEP CRACK PROBLEMS Crack problems in concrete front steps - Concrete and stone steps are notorious for cracking where the handrail is mounted into the step. It appears as if the hole where the hand rail is mounted into the steps is not filled with concrete to the top of the step. This allows water to get into the hole. When the cold weather arrives, the water freezes in the hole and the step cracks. Additional water then gets into that crack, the water freezes, and the entire corner of the step breaks off. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Clarion Home Inspections March 5, 2011 |
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