It is so tempting to keep the professional contractors hire money and do the home repair yourself. However, that might be a problem because every time you do it, it always goes wrong! Home self-repair might seem intimidating especially after several times of failure. Performing home repair, yourself does not require a lot of specialized skills and know-how or so many expenses.
Has your approach to DIY gone wrong? Then we have the perfect solutions for you. Gender is not an issue of whether male or female we are going to help you make things work for you. Here are some tips you can consider using when doing home repair.
The toilets
Water flowing out your toilet will damage your bathroom floor, but it will also cost you money for the utility bill. To know whether you have a toilet leak, add red coloring to the water tank. Leave it for some time then come back to check, if it has the water is pinkish then you leak.
This means that you need a new flapper. To change the flapper, the first thing to do is to cut the toilet’s water supply. In order to do this, you need to turn the valve behind the toilet. Remove the lid and flush to empty the tank. Then, use a towel to clean out the excess water left inside the tank. Remove the flush chain off the lever, then slide the old flapper off the overflow tube the slide in the new flapper connect back the string and turn the water supply back on!
Faucets
What mainly causes faucets to leak is worn out washers. The washers in the faucet are made of rubber hence wear out very quickly. To replace them, first, turn off the main water supply, then unscrew the leaky handle that controls the flow of water. Remove the old washer and put it with the new one.
Washing machine and dryer
It is important to check your washing machine’s water supply regularly for leaks. If the supply is made of plastic, you can replace them every three months. If it is made of metal and you notice that the ends are turning color or becoming rusty, then replace them immediately or seek professional stove repair.
Furthermore, review the snugness of the drain lines by using a pair of pliers. You should not be able to make the chain tighter if the line is well stretched. Plastic lines should be replaced at least every three years.
When it comes to your dryer, it is significant to ensure that you frequently clean your lint screen to avoid fires. Not only will a clean lint screen prevent lights, but it will also increase the life of the heating element. Physically remove the lint from the filter between each load of laundry. Also, be sure to remove fabric softener residue by washing the screen with warm water and dish detergent once per week.
Water Heater
If there is anything so discouraging, it is receiving cold water from your shower and not the intended hot water. Just like other appliances, water heaters need maintenance to improve lifespan and workability.
Water has sediment suspended in it, and as the water sits in your water heater, these suspensions will often settle to the floor of the tank, causing damage to the floor of your water heater. It is good that at the least once in a year, drain all the water from your water heater and then clean thoroughly the inside surface of its level.
In order to drain your water heater, the first thing is to turn off the power supply together with the water supply. For water heaters that use gas, first, turn the thermostat setting into the pilot state.
After that, connect the water hose to the drain fitting at the bottom of the tank and put the other end in position, for instance, your driveway, where the draining hot water will not cause damage. A garden hose is a direct fit to the drain fitting. Then turn on all the hot water faucets in your home and then open the drain valve on the water heater. Turn on the water supply while the drain valve is still open so as to remove any built-up sediment on the floor of the tank. Then close the drain valve, refill the tank, and turn the power back on.
Plumbing
To ensure that there is free water flow through your pipe, please note the following.
Collected fats and oils are the primary cause of clogs, so never pour fats or other oils down your drains. This also includes nonsolid oils at normal temperature. If you spill oils or fats down the drain by accident, you are advised to pour boiling water down your drain along with a healthy serving of dishwashing liquid. The soap will eliminate or emulsify the fat or oil and move it on down the pipe, preventing a blockage.
- Get a hair filter for the bathtub drain. If fats and oils are the primary sources of clogs in the kitchen, hair is the primary culprit in the bathroom. If you have a filter, ensure that you remove all the hair gathered from it following each shower. This will help lower the amount of hair that finds its way through the screen and into your plumbing.
- Skip the Drano. Though the acids it contains can help unclog a drain, they also cause significant damage to your pipe, including early leaking. This can lead to expensive repairs later on. If your bathtub or toilet is wholly blocked, use a small drain snake – which you can buy at any hardware store near you, to pull the offending blockage to the surface. If your kitchen sink is clogged, try some plunging first before trying to snake the drain. If you cannot remove the clog using a drain snake, call a professional.
A multimeter in home repair can be used to check the voltage of an electric appliance so as to regulate it. To measure the resistance of a part of an appliance, you would need to set the range on your multimeter to the standard resistance of that appliance part. After that, place the probes on either side of the device as you did for the continuity test.
The multimeter would show a reading that would indicate the high or low amount in ohms. So to know the standard level of resistance of the part you are testing, you can ask the manufacturer’s troubleshooting manual of the appliance.
Keeping your home maintained will save you a lot of money and time. It will also increase the lifespan of many appliances and reduce the rate of any damage that might be caused. Your home appliances will also be more efficient and much faster. You will be able to use them for a long time. Doing home repair has so many advantages that cannot be exhausted. It is important to learn, in case of an emergency or any accidents that might occur that need repairs fast.
Contribution: John@housetechlab.com
