Top 10 Skills You Need To Fix Common Household Problems (steps 8-10))

Here is a continuation of my blog from the last two days on skills every home owner needs to fix common household problems

8. Stem a flood — and save your wiring

As a safety measure, you should know where your main water and electrical shutoffs are. The water shutoff will be near where the water enters the house. Look for a metal wheel or a flat handle like a paddle. Or check outside for a mini manhole cover — the shutoff may be there. The main electrical switch will be in or near the main box. On an old fuse system, it may be a big lever or a handle that pulls out a whole block. On a modern breaker box it will be an isolated switch near the top of the box. Flip it to keep the circuits (and you) from getting fried.

9. Paint a double-hung window

Forget the blue tape for this job. Your No. 1 tool is a 1½- to 2-inch sash brush. Its angled bristles come to a point, giving you a fine line. Raise the bottom sash and lower the top sash so they've almost switched places.

1. Paint the exposed parts of the top sash, now on the bottom, including the muntins.
2. Carry a thin line of paint onto the glass to seal the glazing.
3. Nearly close the window and paint the rest of the top sash.
4. Paint the entire bottom sash, without getting paint between the sash and the stops (the pieces of wood in front that hold them in place).
5. Paint the casing, sill and apron. Before the paint dries, move the sash up and down. "If you can't see a clear crack between the sash and the stop because of wet paint," says Tom Silva, "then you just glued the window shut."

10. Stop an overflowing toilet

A toilet works by gravity: The water in the tank — just enough to fill the bowl — drops down and pushes waste through the drain. The float drops, opening a valve that lets in water to refill the bowl and the tank simultaneously. The valve closes when the float rises far enough to shut off the water.
If the water from the tank can't leave the bowl fast enough, the refill will spill over. To stop the refill action, take off the top of the tank, grab the float and pull it up to close the valve. That should give you time to reach down and shut off the water, or at least wait for some of the water in the bowl to drain.

Top 10 Skills You Need To Fix Common Household Problems (steps 4-7)

On the heels of President Obamas State Of The Union address it seems like we all are going to have to fend for ourselves for a while. It's up to us to save money here is a continuation of my real estate blog from yesterday on skills every home owner needs to fix common household problems

4. Remove a stripped screw

A hand screwdriver appropriate for the screw and a double dose of elbow grease to fix this unfortunate bit of handiwork. Gently hammer the screwdriver into the head. Then use as much downward force as you can while you slowly back out the screw.

5. Hardwire a light fixture

Anything powered by electricity requires that the current make a full circuit to and from the main box. All the wiring in a house has two lines: one that brings in the electricity (the hot wire) and one that carries it back (the neutral wire). Connect hot wires to each other and neutrals to each other. And make sure you don't become the conduit in between.  The hot is usually black and the neutral white. But if yours look different, use a circuit tester. With the electricity on, touch one node of the tester to the wire and the other to something metal that is not touching you. If the light goes on, that's your hot wire.
Turn off the electricity and connect the black ("hot") wire to the black wire or the brass screw on your fixture and the white (neutral) to white wire or silver screw. If your fixture has two like-colored wires, the grooved one always goes to the neutral connection. Be sure to connect the copper grounding wire from the cable to the green grounding screw in the junction box, then to the grounding wire coming from the fixture, if there is one. View Image Below

 

 

 

 

6. Know which breaker to turn off

When you finally get around to putting in that dimmer switch, you won't want to be stumped by a poorly labeled breaker box. Ditch the pencil and paper chart — you're not changing your wiring any time soon. Instead, write directly on the metal next to each switch with a fine permanent marker. Have a friend plug lamps into all the sockets in a room and tell you via cellphone which ones go dark when you flip a switch. Be specific ("sofa and window walls only" or "kitchen minus fridge") when you jot it down.

7. Use a fire extinguisher

Work fast — the typical extinguisher has as little as eight seconds of life, so know in advance how yours works. Make sure to stow it near an exit so you can back out as you fight the flames. Then remember the acronym "PASS": 1) Pull the pin. 2) Aim the nozzle at the base of the flames. 3) Squeeze the trigger. 4) Sweep the spray from side to side. Don't assume the fire is out just because the flames are gone. Call 911 and wait for the fire department to give you the high sign.


Steps 8-10 tomorrow