General house repair or maintenance projects are very common for DIY fixers. With the help of the internet and a variety of do-it-yourself kits and tools, even an ordinary person can take on and successfully complete such projects. Not all house repairs, however, can be done by a novice. There will always come a time that a professional should be called to do the job. But for simple and common repairs, you don’t need specialized training and schooling to deal with them.
Here are some of the most common and normal maintenance projects that a do-it-yourselfer can handle:
- Over time and with repeated turning and twisting, your doorknobs can definitely loosen until they don’t function anymore. In most cases, the retaining screw attaching the doorknob to the spindle requires tightening because of being loosened. It is also very common for back doors and front doors to be sticky. Should this happen, you just need to squirt a little amount of graphite into the latch cylinder and the keyhole. Oil isn’t recommended because it is likely to make the lock gummy.
- If you’ve got storm doors in your home, the sweeps at the bottom of the door will likely fall off or wear out over time. To repair this, the old sweep must be removed. Typically, such sweeps are positioned using screws. You can buy new sweeps in home improvement stores. When fitting the new sweep on your door, it may be necessary to cut or trim the new sweep.
- Even if you keep a regular maintenance of your home, there is always a possibility of it having downspout and gutter problems. Normally, what causes the splits in the downspout seams as well as leaks in the gutter are the ice dams. For the leaks, you can simply patch the gutter with a caulk. On the other hand, you will need to hire a professional to replace the downspout splits.
- Sump pump problems are also inevitable in every home. The most common problem you may face with your sump pump is when it suddenly stops functioning during a rainstorm. The reason for this is that it gets filled with rain water. The main purpose of a sump pump is to eject water from the pit and into the sewer. If you were to do it on your own, you could only ballcock on the pump or raise the float arm so that it would start clearing the water from the pit. If you want to fix it permanently, you would need a professional to do it. Experts on air conditioning repairtypically are experienced plumbers also that you can call to do repair your sump pump.
- Another common problem for homeowners is a clogged drain. There are a couple of ways you may unclog your drains. If it is the first time to have this problem, you can simply use commercial drain cleaners, which you simply have to pour into the drain and let the chemicals dissolve the clog. You may also opt for plungers that make use of water pressure and air to clear the drain.
- After years of use, toilets are likely to overflow because of being clogged and having the outlet valve open. What you can do is to first stop the water flow by taking out the toilet tank lid. Look for the outlet valve, which is an opening at the bottom of the tank. You will then find the tank ball above the valve. You should push the ball right into that opening to make sure the flow of the water will stop.
- Garbage disposers are also very likely to jam once a stringy food or a utensil gets stuck. You will know it’s happening when you start to hear the disposer buzzing instead of grinding. You must first shut off the power of your disposer. Then down the disposer chamber, try to find what’s causing the jam. Never use your hand to get the obstruction, instead use a pair of pliers. If this doesn’t work, then eliminate all the debris using a wooden spoon and then stick into it a wooden broom handle. Put as much pressure as you can to turn the rotor. You can then use your pliers to remove the blockage.
- Normally once a year, the pilot light of your water heater will go out. When this happens, you will need to relight it. There could be several reasons for this, such as a draft on the basement floor, basement flooding, or because your water heater is old already. Most of the water heaters around come with relighting instructions. They are often printed on the front part of the heater itself. If you can’t find these instructions on your water heater, then you have to call a professional to have the unit relit.
Featured images:
- License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/?CTT=97
Cedric Loiselle is a highly talented writer providing quality articles for a wide range of niches including business and finance, as well as home improvement and real estate. If you are looking for the best services in air conditioning repair New Orleans has, you can get valuable information from his articles.