This is a sponsored guest post.
Your house needs to stay in order and be free from any water leakage or hose failure. It’s for this reason that we regularly hire a plumber to help us keep any plumbing projects in check. A lot of us may be willing to handle such tasks ourselves, but we lack the appropriate skills and proper plumbing equipment for installation or repair purposes. This article will discuss some of the basic easy plumbing jobs and the tips that one can follow to easily handle them.
First, you need to have the right tools such as a screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, a plunger, pliers, utility knife, caulking gun, and a plumbing tape. With such tools ready, you will be in a position to handle some of the most basic plumbing jobs like the following:
- Replacing toilet fill valves
Faulty or old fill valves normally cause water leakage which in turn leads to wastage of water in your home. Fix the problem by replacing that faulty toilet fill valve. The process doesn’t take a lot of time. Before you begin, ensure that you have the following tools: a pair of scissors, channel-locking pliers, sponge, a new toilet fill valve, towels, and a bucket.
- Begin by removing the lid from your toilet tank
- Proceed by shutting off the water by turning the shut-off valve clockwise.
- Now drain as much water as you can out of the toilet tank by gently holding the toilet’s flush lever down. Do this until the tank is empty.
- In case water still remains in the tank, remove it using a towel or a sponge. You can also use a shop-vac for the suction process.
- Disconnect the water supply hose or tube that connects the fill valve to the water supply.
- Beneath your water tank, loosen up the lock-nut that holds the tank to the fill valve.
- Now, remove the faulty or old fill valve.
- Take a new fill valve and put it on the same way how the old one came off.
- Reattach the new toilet fill valve and adjust float to a correct height in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction.
- Proceed and attach the new refill tube to overflow pipe.
- Then reattach the water supply hose or tube to the tank.
- Finish up by turning on the water and test the new fill valve (check out for any leaks)
- Repairing a Leaky Faucet
Leaky faucets are common in kitchen and bathrooms and are quite annoying due to the dripping sounds they make. Moreover, they waste water and harm your water bill. When repairing a leaky faucet, ensure that you have the following tools: penetrating oil such as CRC or WD-40, Phillips and/ or a flat head screwdriver, Adjustable wrench preferably a C wrench, and replacement washers and o-rings.
- Start by turning off your water supply.
- Proceed and remove any decorative parts of the handle knobs; use a flat-head screwdriver.
- Below each knob is a screw that mounts the handle to the stem. Unscrew it then remove the handle using your flat head. If you experience difficulty unscrewing it, you can use the penetrating oil.
- Use the wrench to loosen up the packing nut. After doing this, you should see the stem and remove it as well.
- After removing the stem, inspect the o-ring together with the washer inside the valve seat; inspect and see if it’s the reason for the leak. Completely remove the washer and instead put a replacement inside the seat.
- Reassemble all the parts and then gently turn the knob to test the running water.
- Replacing a ceiling fan
Thinking about replacing your ceiling fan? No problem. Ensure that you have the following tools for a ceiling fan installation: a voltage tester, ladder, wire cutters, wire caps, a buddy and a new fan. Visit Crompton.co.in for some great advice on ceiling fans.
- Turn the power off; ensure your safety when working by switching off power. Remember that you will be handling electric wires. Go further and use a voltage tester to further confirm there is zero power running through the ceiling fan.
- Proceed and remove the old fan; use your screwdriver for this process and a buddy which will assist you in holding up the faulty fan while working. Start by removing the fan’s light fixture, then the fan blades and finally the base.
- Install the ceiling bracket. With screws that come with your new fan, secure them into the holes located on the electric box. Proceed and bring the wires from the ceiling directly through the center hole.
- Prepare the fan; gently install the fan’s canopy and download assembly while making sure that you bring the wires all the way through. Use your wire cutter to shorten and cut the wires at this point.
- Attach the canopy and wires; at this stage, bring up the assembled fan base up to the ceiling and carefully hook it into the ceiling bracket. Go on and connect your wires once the fan is secure. Then, connect the ground wires from the fan, ceiling and ceiling bracket. Next, connect the wires for the remote control (i.e. blue to blue and yellow to black). Finish up by connecting the neutral wires (white to white wires) and the hot wires (that is black to yellow).
- Attach the fan’s blade; take your fan’s blade and gently screw them into the canopy.
- Add the switch housing; using screws put your housing into place. Ensure the wire plug correctly goes from the upper to the lower switching housing.
- Add a cover plate and turn on the power; start by putting the glass cover over the housing kit and ensure that it clicks into place. Finish up the process by turning on the power and see if the fan works properly.
- Replace caulk around tubs, sinks, and showers
In 6 easy steps, you can completely remove the old caulk and replace it with fresh caulk.
- The first step involves softening the caulk by applying caulk remover.
- Proceed and slice through the softened caulk using your utility knife together with a fresh blade.
- For thicker caulk, you probably need to pull the material from the joint with the use of a pair of needle nose pliers.
- Rake up the remaining chunks of caulk completely from the joint with the help of a sharp putty knife.
- Ensure that you clean the surface and remove mildew with the use of a non-ammoniated bath cleaner (will also help to remove soap scum).
- Finish up by applying a bead of tile and tub caulk that contains a fungicide.
- How to clear and unclog your Kitchen sink
If you have a smelly kitchen sink, simply pour a cup of white vinegar down the drain and let it stand for approximately 30 minutes. Proceed and rinse it with hot water. In the event that your kitchen sink is clogged, wrap a heating pad around the drain trap till the metal becomes red hot; this will allow the grease to melt and make it possible for it to be flushed away with running hot water.
