When you purchase a home, in the back of your mind you hope that the new home never turns into the old money pit. After all, homes require a lot of work not only to maintain, but also to enhance by implementing home improvement projects. However, not every homeowner possesses a deft hand and extensive knowledge of intricate home improvement skills.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an expert to master the five do it yourself skills for beginners.
Unclogging Toilets that Overflow
This job really stinks, literally. Whenever one of your toilets overflows, the urge is to make an emergency call to a plumber. However, unclogging overflowing toilets doesn’t require an engineering degree. In fact, you stop the overflow immediately by turning the water tap located behind or on the side of the toilet. You might have to turn off the main water supply, if you can’t locate the toilet water tap.
Now comes the unclogging part. Whenever you flush a toilet, a float drops in the tank due to rapidly decreasing water pressure. The float attaches to an easy to see valve that opens right after the float descends in the tank. After the full flush, the float climbs back to its spot near the lid of the tank. Trapped valves and floats represent the most common reasons toilet overflow. Pull the lid off the toilet tank and dislodge either one or both of the stuck objects. Of course, clogged drains also cause toilets to overflow. Multiple strong plunge thrusts should get the job done.
When Screw Heads Go Bad
Do it yourself beginners often use the incorrect size screwdriver to remove screws. You might have tried use a Phillips screwdriver to remove screws that required the use of a flathead screwdriver. The result is a screw head that has lost its indentation where you secure the screwdriver. Trying to remove worn screw heads creates immense frustration, but worse, it weakens whatever you try to stabilize. Some of ways to remove stripped screws include pulling the screws out with the claw of a hammer or a pair of adjustable pliers. You can also drill a small hole into the screw head by using a power drill. A power drill comes in handy when you need to extricate a screw, without concern for damaging the shaft of the screw. Sometimes, you need to replace stripped screws by properly screwing in new screws at nearby spots on a piece of wood or metal.
How to Remove a Broken Light Bulb
The job appears simple, that is, until you try to unscrew a broken light bulb from its secured fixture. Whether someone screwed the light bulb in too tightly or the edges of the bulb’s base have smoothed over, you need to be careful not to cut your hand during the removal of the light bulb.
The solution to this common home improvement dilemma involves buying the largest potato you can find at the nearest grocer. Slice the potato in half and firmly grip the base of one of the potato halves. Gently push the potato half through the jagged edges of the light bulb and onto the light fixture base. The jagged edges of the light bulb should easily push through the potato half. Then, twist the potato half and slowly turn the light bulb until it loosens from the fixture.
Rust Never Sleeps
Homeowners find rusted nuts and bolts to be as common as dust collecting in the corners of every room. Unlike dust, rusted nuts and bolts require some ingenuity to remove. Try applying a thin coat of a lubricant, such as light grade oil, to the rusted sections of the nut or bolt. Let the rusted nut or bolt sit for about two hours, before giving a hard twist another chance. If elbow grease doesn’t do the job, buy an affordable breaker bar to get the job done. A firmly applied breaker bar provides you with the leverage required to remove the most stubborn rusted nuts and bolts.
Eliminate Irritating Leaking Taps
The dripping and dropping causes a restless night of sleep. You wake up from your tumultuous slumber eager to find the cause of the water tap leak. Lack of sleep aside, a leaky tap costs you money on your monthly water bill. First, turn off the water in your home and run the tap until water stops dripping. Remove the lid from the tap and pull out the screw. Then, remove the cartridge that attaches to the tap casing. Take the cartridge to the nearest plumbing shop to find a washer the matches the size of the tap. When you return home, remove the degraded tap washer and replace it with the new one.
Your restless nights in bed should end.
