This is for the DIY'ers. Below
you will find a collection of repair tips that I have used
over the years to make my job easier. These
tips could also save you on a repair bill. If you
have a good repair tip or shortcut send it to us for
evaluation and possible posting. Check back
often, we have big plans for this section.
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Get "Into The Groove"
This is one of my favorites. Have you ever
poured paint from a gallon can and tried to put the
lid back on securely? Paint usually sits in
the groove that the lid goes in which doesn't allow
it to seal properly and leads to spills or dried up
paint. Try this: Grab a hammer and a
nail and put several holes in the groove where the
lid goes. when paint gets in the groove it
will drip back down into the can, and when you put
the lid on it will push any excess through the holes
as well.
"Roll On" If you are
painting a large room use a 5-gallon bucket for your
paint and
purchase a paint grid from your favorite home
improvement store. This grid fits inside the
bucket with hooks that hang over the edge to hold it
in place. It will save time and paint by
allowing excess paint to drip back into the bucket.
Why waste your time painting a pan? Smaller
grids are available as well for 1-gallon buckets and
small rollers. When you're finished, wash it
with warm soapy water to use another day.
"Don't Stop" If you have to stop in
the middle of a paint job, make sure you finish the
wall from edge to edge that you are working on.
Latex paint dries quickly and you will end up with
lap marks that are hard to hide when you start up
again.
Take the "Subway" Being a
contractor I eat out for lunch more often than I
should, but while in the middle of a paint job
Subway comes in handy. Keep the bag they put
your sandwich in (make sure you remove the crumbs).
It works great as a cover for your 9" roller when
you have to stop for awhile and don't want to clean
it out. Leave the roller cover on the roller
and slide the bag over it wrapping it tight around
the end. Do not reuse. Throw it away
when you are ready to start again because paint
inside the plastic will dry and flake off sticking
to your roller cover.
"The Hole Truth" When spackling nail
holes for touch-up painting take some spackle or
joint compound and mix a little of the existing
paint in it. When you fill in the nail holes
they will dry the color of the paint and you may not
have to use a brush after all. Don't go crazy
with the spackle; just use enough to do the job.
"The Pond" If you have a clogged
kitchen or bath drain DON'T use a plunger.
More often than not the clog is in the "trap"
underneath. (It looks like a "J"). If
you use a plunger you may push the clog further into
the drain which will require a plumbers snake to
unclog it. If you have a pond in the sink
scoop it out and put it in a bucket to pour out when
you are done. Place a container under the trap
and loosen the nuts to the trap with a wrench if
they are metal and by hand if they are plastic.
Remove the trap and clean out the debris and then
reinstall. If it is a bath drain and the clog
isn't in the trap look for hair and other "gunk"
which may have wrapped around the pop-up stopper in
the drain. you can remove the stopper rod by
unscrewing the nut that is on the back of the
straight drain pipe coming from the sink. If
you still can't find the clog call The Maintenance
Shop!
"Gimme Some Skin!" One of the most
frequent calls I get is from
clogged drains connected to a garbage disposal, and
the most common reason is potato peels. As
inviting as it seems, don't put the skins down the
disposal. put them in a bag and throw them
away. If you get a clog, you will have to undo
the drain plumbing under the sink to remove it.
If you have a double sink then more than likely the
clog is going to be where the drain pipe coming from
the disposal meets the pipe from the other sink.
The opening in the pipe at this location is small
and items can get lodged there easily. If you
would rather someone else do this for you,
contact us.
"Shockinated" This is a word my son
and my biggest helper, Jacob,
came up with while helping me on electrical
projects. To avoid getting "shockinated" or
his other word, "electronicuted" make sure you shut
off the power source before you start any project.
"Let There Be Light" Have you tried
to change a burned light bulb and the bulb breaks
leaving the base of the bulb stuck in the fixture?
If you haven't, lucky you! Don't cuss if it
happens, there are a few tricks you can do to remove
the bulb and keep it from happening again.
First and foremost make sure you have turned off the
breaker to the fixture. Take a pair
of needle nose pliers and grab the threaded end if
you can and start twisting in a counter-clockwise
direction. you can also cut a potato in half
and push the potato onto the remaining portion of
the bulb and twist it out. To keep it from
happening again you can either coat the threads of
the new bulb with a light coat of Vaseline or you
can use brass based bulbs instead of the aluminum
ones. The brass won't stick to the aluminum
socket.
"We Be Chillin" (or not) In the
summer, ceiling fans are very effective at lowering
the apparent temperature by making use of
evaporation. When you are hot, you perspire, perhaps
only a small amount. This is the body's way of
cooling off - Evaporation of the perspiration pulls
heat away from your body. Circulation of the air
rapidly increases evaporation. The more evaporation,
the cooler the apparent temperature. This means the
thermostat on the A/C can be set higher - saving you
money. In the winter put the fan on low and
set the switch to upward air flow. Heat rises
and gets trapped at the ceiling. the fan used
in this fashion will force the heat back down to the
floor which can save on your heating costs. If
you would like a ceiling fan installed
contact us.
"Roundup Them Weeds" If you have
difficult weeds in your yard that you just can't
seem to send to weed heaven try this: put on
some latex gloves and then a pair of cotton gloves.
Spray some roundup in your hand and grab the weed
spreading the roundup over as much of it as you can.
You can cover any area you don't want the roundup to
transfer by covering it with plastic. This
process works great for morning glory that has grown
up through the middle of a bush or other plant.
"Sprinkles" While waiting
for a sprinkler blowout, why not turn off the water
to your city or pump sprinkler system? On a
city system closing the main water supply and
opening the drain could save you from a broken
backflow or vacuum breaker if there is a quick
freeze before your blowout. On most city
systems these can be identified by looking for two
valves three to four feet in the ground. Make
sure you turn off the main first in a clockwise
direction; if you open the drain first you will
create a flood. Be sure to
contact us If you have any questions.
"The Key To The Situation" When you
purchase a home have the locks re-keyed or replaced.
Even though you are given keys at closing you cannot
guarantee they are the ONLY keys to your house.
Many illegal entries to homes occur by previous
occupants or their friends. If you purchase a
new home that was construction keyed by your
contractor (very common in the treasure valley) make
sure you use your key in ALL the locks to your home.
This will disable the construction key. I have
found the door most commonly missed by homeowners
trying their new keys is the man-door from the
exterior to the garage. It would be in your
best interest to have all of these new locks
re-keyed as well. If you have questions
regarding home security or the locks in your home
write or give us a call.
"We've Got It Covered" I asked my
flooring sales rep for some tips on protecting a
flooring investment and I received an unusual
response. Make sure you "read between the
lines" on this one!
Tip # 1: Everyone should own at least 12 cats and
never let them out of the house. Cats are job
security.
Tip # 2: Every household should only let their
kids drink red kool-aid. Kool-aid is job security.
Tip # 3: If you see a water leak in your kitchen or
bathroom. . . don’t tell anyone. Water leaks are
job security.
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