Do it Yourself Tips

Beat The Texas Heat:

Outside home repair project? 105 degree temperature? Solution: Buy a 21-inch fan ($70) to blow 105 degree air at you.

But wait! There’s more!

Next, buy a six nozzle mister kit for around $17 (try Lowe’s).
Wrap the mister tubing in concentric circles around the front of the fan cage.
Secure the mister nozzles with wire or plastic tie cuffs. Attach a water hose to the mister. Turn the fan on; turn the water on.
Now you have refreshing, cool, moist air hitting you! It makes a big difference… it makes the intolerable (working outside in 105 degree weather) tolerable.
Go one step further: The mister nozzles clog very easily, reducing their effectiveness. So buy a filter device that can be attached to the garden hose (highly recommended).

Double your pleasure… use TWO mister fans!!!

Running Commode:

Got a commode that runs… the tank comes on periodically to refill itself?
Try doing more than just jiggling the handle:

Check the float chain; it may be catching under the commode flapper to prevent a good seal. If so, shorten the chain.
Check flapper alignment…. It may be skewed to the right or left, preventing a good seal.
Check the flapper tank seat to see if it is smooth… free of any gunk build up that prevents a good seal.
Buy a new flapper and install it. Pay attention to how the old flapper is mounted.as you remove it. Install the new one in the same manner as the old one.

Want to test for a slow tank leak? Put food coloring in the tank. If the water in the commode bowl turns to the color you put in the tank, you have a slow leak
Solution: follow the above steps.

Replacing a Faulty Commode Float:

Most people think in order to replace a faulty commode float, they have to completely remove the float. This means that you have to make sure that you get All of the water out of the tank, disconnect the water supply line, and remove the entire float unit.

Not true! In reality all you have to do is turn off the water supply , flush the commode and reach into the tank to dislodge the float from the base.

How? Read the directions on the replacement box. It is easy to do but not easy to explain. The trick is simply knowing this shortcut technique is available and that the directions are on the box.

i.e. when all else fails read the directions…but only when all else fails.

Rotted Wood:

Quite often rotted wood is very localized. Rather than having to remove an entire board or door trim, this rot can be gouged out and filled with “General Purpose Putty”…much the way a dentist treats a cavity. While the name of the product is “General Purpose Putty” on the label, in reality it is BONDO!

You could use “spackeling” for this purpose, but it is not as durable and long-lasting as Bondo, and takes a long time to dry and harden. Bondo/General Purpose Putty will harden enough to sand in fifteen minutes; spackeling will take the better part of the day!

Sand the repair work, prime and paint!

Gutter Nails Stick Out An Inch or Two:

If you hammer them in they will only comeback out in a short period of time.
Solution: Pull the gutter nails out and replace them with gutter screws. They will not pull out, and they provide a lot more support for the gutter.

Doors that Don’t Latch or Lock:

Quite often this is caused by foundations shifts. To solve this problem, mark a pencil on the door trim where the deadbolt or door latch touches the door trim. Notice the center of the door strike plate is centered on the door latch or up or down, about 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch. Using a wood chisel, cut out the strike plate hoe to accommodate the new location of the strike plate. Typically this will sol

Painting Tip:

When painting, especially with fast drying latex paints, don’t lay the brush down to go and do something else. Place it in a bucket with water in it. This helps prevent that brush from becoming hard as a rock, and it saves your brush for future use.

Paint Brush Hard AS A Rock:

Soak it in “brush wash cleaner: or lacquer thinner for a day or two. Clean it thoroughly in paint thinner. Wrap in paper and let dry.

P.S. Don’t buy cheap brushes. They don’t perform well, don’t last long, and they leave bristles on what is being painted. I recommend “Purdy” brushes, found at Home Depot.

Beat The Texas Heat:

Outside home repair project? 105 degree temperature? Solution: Buy a 21-inch fan ($70) to blow 105 degree air at you.

But wait! There’s more!

Next, buy a six nozzle mister kit for around $17 (try Lowe’s).

Wrap the mister tubing in concentric circles around the front of the fan cage.

Secure the mister nozzles with wire or plastic tie cuffs. Attach a water hose to the mister. Turn the fan on; turn the water on.

Now you have refreshing, cool, moist air hitting you! It makes a big difference… it makes the intolerable (working outside in 105 degree weather) tolerable.

Go one step further: The mister nozzles clog very easily, reducing their effectiveness. So buy a filter device that can be attached to the garden hose (highly recommended).

Double your pleasure… use TWO mister fans!!!

Running Commode:

Got a commode that runs… the tank comes on periodically to refill itself? Try doing more than just jiggling the handle:

Check the float chain; it may be catching under the commode flapper to prevent a good seal. If so, shorten the chain.

Check flapper alignment…. It may be skewed to the right or left, preventing a good seal.

Check the flapper tank seat to see if it is smooth… free of any gunk build up that prevents a good seal.

Buy a new flapper and install it. Pay attention to how the old flapper is mounted.as you remove it. Install the new one in the same manner as the old one.

Want to test for a slow tank leak? Put food coloring in the tank. If the water in the commode bowl turns to the color you put in the tank, you have a slow leak Solution: follow the above steps.

Replacing a Faulty Commode Float:

Most people think in order to replace a faulty commode float, they have to completely remove the float. This means that you have to make sure that you get All of the water out of the tank, disconnect the water supply line, and remove the entire float unit.

Not true! In reality all you have to do is turn off the water supply , flush the commode and reach into the tank to dislodge the float from the base.

How? Read the directions on the replacement box. It is easy to do but not easy to explain. The trick is simply knowing this shortcut technique is available and that the directions are on the box.

i.e. when all else fails read the directions…but only when all else fails.

Rotted Wood:

You could use “spackeling” for this purpose, but it is not as durable and long-lasting as Bondo, and takes a long time to dry and harden. Bondo/General Purpose Putty will harden enough to sand in fifteen minutes; spackeling will take the better part of the day!

Sand the repair work, prime and paint!

Gutter Nails Stick Out An Inch or Two:

If you hammer them in they will only comeback out in a short period of time. Solution: Pull the gutter nails out and replace them with gutter screws. They will not pull out, and they provide a lot more support for the gutter.

Doors that Don’t Latch or Lock:

Painting Tip:

When painting, especially with fast drying latex paints, don’t lay the brush down to go and do something else. Place it in a bucket with water in it. This helps prevent that brush from becoming hard as a rock, and it saves your brush for future use.

Paint Brush Hard AS A Rock:

Soak it in “brush wash cleaner: or lacquer thinner for a day or two. Clean it thoroughly in paint thinner. Wrap in paper and let dry.

P.S. Don’t buy cheap brushes. They don’t perform well, don’t last long, and they leave bristles on what is being painted. I recommend “Purdy” brushes, found at Home Depot.

Got a commode that runs… the tank comes on periodically to refill itself?
Try doing more than just jiggling the handle:

Want to test for a slow tank leak? Put food coloring in the tank. If the water in the commode bowl turns to the color you put in the tank, you have a slow leak
Solution: follow the above steps.

If you hammer them in they will only comeback out in a short period of time.
Solution: Pull the gutter nails out and replace them with gutter screws. They will not pull out, and they provide a lot more support for the gutter.