DIY Tips 101

[DarkSkies]

For the handyman, contractor, landlord, or aspiring real estate owner.

Eventually if you own property you'e gojng to be faced with choices - do I do it myself, or hire a contractor? I say do what your skill set allows you to do, hire a contractor for the rest (but if you screw it up, and make double work for the contractor, expect him to charge you double, that's only fair) :D

Anyone whos got some tips, let's hear them.

[DarkSkies]

Radiators - hot water

Bleed regularly, at the beginning of the season, air in the lines will decrease your effficiency.

To that end:

Do be careful with the bleed screw, use the correct screwdriver. I have to replace a couple ends because of a lady who used the wrong size screwdriver every time, and now the screw heads are worn. A little patience goes a long way.

This is for people with rentals, or moving into a house that hans't been cleaned in a long time. I recently started working on apartments that weren't maintained for many years. the radiators had so much dirt in them you couldn't see through the fins. I took the covers off. These are old style hot water radiator "cabinets" we're talking about here, but the same could apply for the newer baseboards.

I took one of those pancake protable compressors. I think max psi is around 100. I have a spray head that shoots a concentrated stream of air. I set that up on the line and blew the crap and dirt out of all the fins, and put the covers back on.

I have no idea how much the efficienvy changed as a %, but there was a noticable difference in the heat in the apt.

[DarkSkies]

Caulking for efficency-

Do you want to save the most money on your heating $$ going down the toilet? Insulate well, and replace old doors and windows. It's easy for me to do doors and windows, but some people don't have the dough for the labor.

So if you can't afford that, caulk is your friend. :D Take some painter's caulk, and caulk all the molding gaps around your door and window molding, and on top of and underneathe the windowsills. Caulk all baseboard moldings where there is a significant gap. If you don't know how to use caulk, learn by practice. Nothing screams "hack" to me more than a sloppy caulk job that looks like a peanut butter sammich. :rolleyes:

I like a cup of hot water and a wet rag to smooth the caulk, some guys use spit and their finger, some guys are so good they run their finger once, and it's perfect.

However you do it, get it done, dollars are pouring out of the gaps in your building envelope. Even if you're on a low budget, it's in your power to save yourself some $$.

[DarkSkies]

Compact fluorescent CF bulbs - http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

The new CF bulbs are way diffewrent than the older ones, the light is a lot whiter. It take a few seconds to brighten up, but be patient. You can save up to $30 month on an average house. Those little savings add up, more if you're the landlord paying for the common area lighting that tenants always forget to turn off. (and if you have that problem, get a light timer, sometimes you have to take control and treat tenants like kids, cause some don't care.)

[DarkSkies]

The first tile floor I did in an apartment I followed everything by the book, took 4 hours to rip up tjhe old linoleum, because I was worried about the "flex" and followed the exact instructions I was told. Waaaaay too much time and effort. :kooky:

Now, if the linoleum, vinyl squares, etc can't be ripped up easily I concnetrate on eliminating all the flex in the floor befor ethe start of the job. I obsessively walk back and forth on the floor, jump up and down, mark all squeaks, figure out where the joists are, and set out to eliminate that flex. Sometimes 10 screws will do the job in well placed spots, sometimes you need 40. The key is if the subfloor has been subjected to floods over the years, nd if it has lost any of its strength.

If so, then you need to shore up key areas, or rip up the floor in spots and sister 2x4s to the joists. PITA, but a necessary step if its bad enough.

In most cases this isn't needed, so I eliminate the squeaks, and lay hardibacker right over the immovable top surface, as long as it's level and solid.

Set up with the hardi screws where indicated on the templates, make sure no screw heads are sticking up, lay my underlayment patch on the seams. You can do this in the morning and be cutting and fitting your tile in the afternoon. It may not be what the books say, but I've never had a cracked tile on an install, or had one crack in the years afterward.

We're talking about middle class houses and rentals here, anything high end you would rip up the floor if needed.

Git er done, progress not perfection. :D

[DarkSkies]

Radiators - steam - vent at least once a year, or when you do work on or open the system.

Had a meeting tonight, and the guy said his office was cold, he had a ceramic heater in the front. 9 radiators on the first floor, and he's cold. I explained about venting and some other stuff. He said he would get around to it. I knew he never woulld, so a half hour later I had all the cold radiators vented until they were piping hot. He couldn't believe the difference, and we unplugged the ceramic heater.

Be careful when doing this, it's not something you can take the pressure vent off and go do something else. Ya gotta listen to when the steam is coming, plug it up when the whole radiator is hot. Take too much time, the rediator not leveled right, and you'll be faced with scalding hot water under pressure coming out. Do it right, and your heating will be more efficient, and save some $$ along the way.

[mick2360]

Great tips, Dark. Think I'll take a look at the fins tomorrow!

[DarkSkies]

Mick, you only need to vent them if it seems they aren't universally hot, or hear a knocking on the pipes. There were a few in the front of the run that I needed to vent. The way I do it is figure out where the first radiator is situated on the beginning run from the furnace, and start there. Many times you can skip the hot ones. There are also issues if the radiator is near the end of the run, and especially long or oversized radiators.

My girlfriend had 2, one going form her son's room to her Dad's room, same pipe, at the end of that run. It took me forever to figure out that combo wasn't workiing. I swapped out the radiator on the end for one half that size, and now it works better.

They sell different size steam vents, for the most part you can use the cheaper universal ones. The next time you're in the big box store, look at the chart they display along the rack there. You can also fine tune things by putting in the vents they recommmend, but in reality you mostly want to concentrate on the beginning and the end of the run with the different vents. And there is a variable vent that can be manipulated with a screwdriver. I would only use this in certain areas where you are having problems, or maybe the room is poorly insulated to begin with.

Above all, watch when screwing and unscrewing not to strip the threads. I use teflon tape on all old fittings. This is good to remember when you hear the hot steam coming like a steam train and need to screw that sucker in quick! :viking:

[DarkSkies]

As long as we're talking about plumbing-

Water heaters - drain once a year for longer life

[captnemo]

Don't buy cheap duct tape. It's not worth it in the long run. Look for brands that are 10-12mm thick.

[voyager35]

Get rid of slotted screws when putting things back together, unless you are restoring an antique piece of furniture where original screws are needed. Phillips head screws are a beautiful invention. :)

[plugcrazy]

To prevent wood from cracking when putting in screws be sure to drill a smaller hole first.

[captnemo]

When putting in a new bathtub, let it fill with water before you caulk the sides. This will alleviate gaps.

[blitzhunter]

capt - Getting a new tub this spring thanks for the tip.:HappyWave:

[OneMoreCast]

Water Supply Valves

No one ever does this but it takes 10 seconds to do and saves time and money in the long run.

Once a month, turn all your water supplies off and on at the valve (under the cabinets and behind the toilet) It loosens up any sediment in the stems, keeping them workable when you really do need to shut the water off. Every time I replace a toilet or a vanity for a quick bathroom makeover I have to deal with 'frozen' supply valves which havent been checked in years. Changing them is an extra expense which may open up a can of worms. Also, do yourself a favor and get the new 1/4 turn shutoffs to eliminate this problem in the future.

[OneMoreCast]

As long as we're talking about plumbing-

Water heaters - drain once a year for longer life


Absolutely, and the popping you hear coming from them is sediment on the heating fins expanding. The more popping the more you should be planning to replace it.

[DarkSkies]

The colder it gets, the more caulk can save you $$. Whenever I rehab a place or apt, I caulk all the molding transitions to the floor (gap areas), all the window molding areas, and door frame molding areas, all sides including top, with a thin line of caulk. I smooth it out with a cup of hot water to dip my finger in.

This works even better in older places where efficiencies can be gained. It takes some extra time but can save on your heating by making the building "envelope" tighter.

Last night I helped someone who was complaining her radiators weren't hot enough. She was right, I had to change a few vent valves. Also, there was a strong draft of extremely cold air coming from the bottom of the hot water radiator, as there was a gap between the floor and the lip of the radiator housing.

She didn't understand the significance until I told her to put her hand where the draft was coming from. I caulked the areas with cheap painter's caulk. You can also stuff tightly bunched newspaper pages or paper towels in any gap that's too wide, and then carefully caulk over it. Big gaps require insulation pieces.

When done, I noticed a world of difference as I bled the system and more of the heat was reflected into the room. :thumbsup:

[rockhopper]

How to fix a dent in hardwood flooring - last week I dropped a hammer on my wood floor. The head of the hammer made a big dent in the living room. I broke up an ice cube and made it a little bigger than the dent. I placed it over the dent and let it melt into the wood. The wood swelled back to original size in about a half hour. I don't know if it works for old dents, maybe they have to be fresh. But I am glad it worked for me.

[DarkSkies]

^ Good tip about fixing small dents in hardwood, rockhopper, thanks. :HappyWave:
Have also read somewhere about putting an iron a short distance above the moistened wood and letting the steam and moist heat help to raise it too.

[DarkSkies]

How to free rusted nuts......

I don't like to use WD-40 as it's not the best penetrating agent out there.

I use something called "Fabulous Blaster" available in Pep Boys, HD, or the largest Wal Marts. It has the same petroleum distillates that WD-40 has, but is thicker in viscosity and has surfactant chemicals as well. This combo proves far superior to WD-40 and as a result I now carry a spray can with me whenever I have to do any plumbing repairs.







** Tip - sometimes if you are working on removing worn or rusted nuts and the SAE size is not grabbing, the next logical smaller size won't fit....when that happens, try Metric....will often solve your problem and get the job done.....:learn:


If that doesn't work, I break out the B tank torch, heats up to 1000 degrees.

[robmedina]

As long as we're talking about plumbing-

Water heaters - drain once a year for longer life Does all the females in my house running down the hot water count?

[dogfish]

^^ rob if you have more than one female besides your wife in your house you getter have an 80 gallon water heater at least.

[robmedina]

^^ rob if you have more than one female besides your wife in your house you getter have an 80 gallon water heater at least.I have 3 females and a 100 gallon but they still run it down. I need a 300 gallon!

[captnemo]

^ Or you need to use one of those water limiters on the shower head. Most people hate that, though.

[captnemo]

Saving yourself thousands of $$ in future damage-
Don't know if this has already been mentioned. When installing a toilet in a 2nd floor bathroom, installing a new water cutoff valve at the wall is only another 15 mins to 1/2 hour of labor. If the valve is old it should be replaced. It will save you thousands in the long run by preventing leak from a faulty valve if you go away on vacation.