Every home repairer / do-it-yourselfer has to learn that many of the repairs around the home is preventable if proper maintenance is performed in a timely manner. An example is cleaning out the rain gutters on their home during and just after the Autumn leaves have fallen.
Why is the proper maintenance of rain gutters so important? Clean gutters keep the rain water from seeping in under the shingles at the edge of the roof. Also, if the home is in the snow area of the country then it keeps ice from building up and backing up under the roof shingles and eaves.
It is a good practice for a home owner / home repairer to have a seasonal maintenance schedule written down to follow during the year. It must have a four month built in look ahead. During the summer months you will prepare for Autumn and the early part of Winter. During the Winter months when it isn't easy to be outside, do your Spring and Summer preparation of the tools and equipment that you will need. Once you get into the practice of this, it will save you countless hours and money from having to do unnecessary repairs.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Linen Room Repairs
In very old homes things wear out or just plain disappear. What?! Disappear?! Yes, old dryer vent steel sheet tubing in a damp crawl space or basement will rust out. This causes the warm moist dryer air to escape and spread lint all over the crawl space or basement, which just creates more problems. (Mold, mildew, bacteria growth)
Now to fix this, you need to replace the vent tubing. You should replace it using aluminum vent tubing if possible. Most current building codes will not allow vinyl tubing since it is a fire hazard. Whatever tubing you do use, make sure it meets building code standards. Now I know many will opt for the flexible aluminum tubing and stretch it as far as it goes. This isn't a good practice. You need to use the stiff aluminum tubing by sliding the sections together and taping the joints with foil tape. Foil tape is used for sealing A/C ducts and dryer vent tubing.
Once all the sections are taped you need to hang the tubing up by using pipe strapping and 1” roofing nails nailed to the floor joists. Or nailed to the wall studs and roof joists if being vented through the roof and not out an exterior wall.
The flexible aluminum tubing is used to fasten the dryer to the stiff tubing. It is highly recommended to use a recessed dryer vent box behind your dryer. This box keeps the flexible tubing from becoming kinked when the dryer is pushed back against the wall. If the flexible tubing is kinked, lint will build up and create a fire hazard behind the dryer. When connecting the flexible tubing to the stiff tubing, just slide the flexible tubing ends over the stiff tubing and fasten with 4” hose clamps.
As always, be safe. The dryer should be disconnected from it's power source and the gas turned off if it is a gas dryer. When everything is repaired and securely fastened then you may plug it back into the power source and turn on the gas (if a gas dryer).
Now to fix this, you need to replace the vent tubing. You should replace it using aluminum vent tubing if possible. Most current building codes will not allow vinyl tubing since it is a fire hazard. Whatever tubing you do use, make sure it meets building code standards. Now I know many will opt for the flexible aluminum tubing and stretch it as far as it goes. This isn't a good practice. You need to use the stiff aluminum tubing by sliding the sections together and taping the joints with foil tape. Foil tape is used for sealing A/C ducts and dryer vent tubing.
Once all the sections are taped you need to hang the tubing up by using pipe strapping and 1” roofing nails nailed to the floor joists. Or nailed to the wall studs and roof joists if being vented through the roof and not out an exterior wall.
The flexible aluminum tubing is used to fasten the dryer to the stiff tubing. It is highly recommended to use a recessed dryer vent box behind your dryer. This box keeps the flexible tubing from becoming kinked when the dryer is pushed back against the wall. If the flexible tubing is kinked, lint will build up and create a fire hazard behind the dryer. When connecting the flexible tubing to the stiff tubing, just slide the flexible tubing ends over the stiff tubing and fasten with 4” hose clamps.
As always, be safe. The dryer should be disconnected from it's power source and the gas turned off if it is a gas dryer. When everything is repaired and securely fastened then you may plug it back into the power source and turn on the gas (if a gas dryer).
Monday, July 20, 2009
Concrete Cracks
The author of this blog is a 30 year concrete producing veteran. There isn't much about concrete that he doesn't know. So here is a news flash for the less educated, CONCRETE CRACKS. Yes, concrete will crack often within 24 hours after it is poured, placed, and finished. Concrete cracks are usually controlled by manually putting joints in by using a hand jointer, sawing, or putting in control joints. This allows the concrete to crack without leaving the unsightly erratic jagged cracks that most home owners despise.
Now concrete is the best building material known to mankind. Many driveways in the world are made of concrete. If the driveways were properly installed they would have been cured and sealed. Sealing the surface of the concrete helps keep moisture from entering the capillaries and expanding during freeze-thaw periods in the northern climates. Thus keeping the concrete from spalling. It may become necessary over time to re-seal the concrete to keep it protected from climatic conditions. You can find these products at most home improvement stores.
Now should cracks appear in your driveway or sidewalk, you can repair them by filling them with crack filler. Be careful though, some crack fillers are asphalt based. Try to use a silicone based product for concrete driveways. It doesn't cause unsightly black marks, and it will keep it's shape when the concrete expands and contracts. I suggest using some sand to fill the crack within a half inch of the top of the crack, so you can save on the amount of filler that you need. Sand should be cheaper than the crack filler itself. Plus, some crack fillers can be colored, so if you are fortunate to have a colored concrete driveway, you can match the color.
Now concrete is the best building material known to mankind. Many driveways in the world are made of concrete. If the driveways were properly installed they would have been cured and sealed. Sealing the surface of the concrete helps keep moisture from entering the capillaries and expanding during freeze-thaw periods in the northern climates. Thus keeping the concrete from spalling. It may become necessary over time to re-seal the concrete to keep it protected from climatic conditions. You can find these products at most home improvement stores.
Now should cracks appear in your driveway or sidewalk, you can repair them by filling them with crack filler. Be careful though, some crack fillers are asphalt based. Try to use a silicone based product for concrete driveways. It doesn't cause unsightly black marks, and it will keep it's shape when the concrete expands and contracts. I suggest using some sand to fill the crack within a half inch of the top of the crack, so you can save on the amount of filler that you need. Sand should be cheaper than the crack filler itself. Plus, some crack fillers can be colored, so if you are fortunate to have a colored concrete driveway, you can match the color.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Broken Light Bulbs #*@%*@#$$$
Everyone that has kids knows that sooner or later something is going to get broken around the house. Kids will be kids...how many times have you heard that saying? I have 3 sons and a daughter, all tall and athletic, and if I haven't told them a million times not to throw the football, basketball, baseball, or softball around inside the house, then it's been a million and one times.
On one such occasion, my rambunctious youngsters were tossing a basketball inside the living room, and sure as I am writing this, they knock a lamp over with it. Bang, zap, pow, smoked, the light bulb is shattered in the lamp. Nothing is left but the base that you screw into the socket.
After I get done doing my fatherly duty of yelling and disciplining the culprits I don my home repair hat to replace the bulb. As with any home repair safety is the first priority. I unplug the lamp and take it to my work bench. I lay the lamp on it's side after removing the lamp shade and lamp shade bracket. I take a needle nosed pliers and expand it inside the light bulb base. The two needle nose jaws stay in place with enough pressure being applied that the light bulb base will turn when you turn the pliers counter clockwise unscrewing the base from the socket.
Another method is to use a rubber coated handle screwdriver. Force the handle inside the light bulb base and begin to turn it counter clockwise. The rubber handle will grip the base sides and it should unscrew it. However, I am not particularly fond of this method. I don't like marring up my screwdriver handle if the filament tower in the light bulb base is still intact. You will end up breaking it by shoving the handle into the base, thus gouging your handle. You can break the filament tower in the middle of the base first, or avoid it all together and use the needle nosed pliers method.
Now to complete the job screw a new light bulb into the lamp socket, replace the lamp shade bracket, and the lamp shade. Take the lamp back to the living room, plug the lamp back in, and look sternly at any youngster sitting there. The home repair is complete.
On one such occasion, my rambunctious youngsters were tossing a basketball inside the living room, and sure as I am writing this, they knock a lamp over with it. Bang, zap, pow, smoked, the light bulb is shattered in the lamp. Nothing is left but the base that you screw into the socket.
After I get done doing my fatherly duty of yelling and disciplining the culprits I don my home repair hat to replace the bulb. As with any home repair safety is the first priority. I unplug the lamp and take it to my work bench. I lay the lamp on it's side after removing the lamp shade and lamp shade bracket. I take a needle nosed pliers and expand it inside the light bulb base. The two needle nose jaws stay in place with enough pressure being applied that the light bulb base will turn when you turn the pliers counter clockwise unscrewing the base from the socket.
Another method is to use a rubber coated handle screwdriver. Force the handle inside the light bulb base and begin to turn it counter clockwise. The rubber handle will grip the base sides and it should unscrew it. However, I am not particularly fond of this method. I don't like marring up my screwdriver handle if the filament tower in the light bulb base is still intact. You will end up breaking it by shoving the handle into the base, thus gouging your handle. You can break the filament tower in the middle of the base first, or avoid it all together and use the needle nosed pliers method.
Now to complete the job screw a new light bulb into the lamp socket, replace the lamp shade bracket, and the lamp shade. Take the lamp back to the living room, plug the lamp back in, and look sternly at any youngster sitting there. The home repair is complete.
Friday, June 26, 2009
WELCOME TO ONLINE HOME REPAIRS
It's a pleasure to start this blog on home repairs. Every man and woman that owns or rents a home should know how to perform simple repairs around the house. The little frustrations caused by a leaky faucet or a squeaky stairs, can be easily fixed with a little know how.
I started doing home repairs when I was a young Boy Scout earning my Home Repairs Merit Badge. I enjoyed using the tools my father let me use and accomplishing the tasks to make our home a better place to live.
From fixing ceramic tiles in the bathroom to repairing linoleum tiles in the kitchen you can save a lot of money doing the minor repairs yourself. Isn't saving money by do-it-selfers the reason why such stores as Home Depot and Lowe's thrive on our adventures in home repairs, and for the real adventurous home remodeling? Of course the professional builders and home repairers use these stores too, but you don't need to take a back seat to them on your quest and adventure of taking care of your own home.
The articles in this blog will give you the ability to do some of the repairs that most homes will need over the years. So come by and visit this blog often and you will learn of some of my adventures and misadventures in doing home repairs.
I started doing home repairs when I was a young Boy Scout earning my Home Repairs Merit Badge. I enjoyed using the tools my father let me use and accomplishing the tasks to make our home a better place to live.
From fixing ceramic tiles in the bathroom to repairing linoleum tiles in the kitchen you can save a lot of money doing the minor repairs yourself. Isn't saving money by do-it-selfers the reason why such stores as Home Depot and Lowe's thrive on our adventures in home repairs, and for the real adventurous home remodeling? Of course the professional builders and home repairers use these stores too, but you don't need to take a back seat to them on your quest and adventure of taking care of your own home.
The articles in this blog will give you the ability to do some of the repairs that most homes will need over the years. So come by and visit this blog often and you will learn of some of my adventures and misadventures in doing home repairs.
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