Get free updates:

Posts tagged as:

diy

How to Seal Brick and Mortar

by mike on August 22, 2010 · 0 comments

After moving into our first house, which had an all brick exterior, I was surprised to learn that wind-driven rain can cause problems with water intrusion through a brick wall. While proper flashing and weep holes should keep this from creating problems, those details are rarely done right.

Read the full article >>>

How to Find Your Septic Tank

by mike on April 20, 2010 · 0 comments

We’re having some landscaping done this spring, so we decided that now would be a good time to have our septic tank pumped out. We’ve been in the house for just under four years, and we’re not sure whether or not the previous residents ever had it done so we’re probably overdue.

Read the full article >>>

As a quick followup to my previous article about making your hot water last longer, I wanted to share some interesting numbers related to water heater safety that I found in the owner’s manual that came with our new water heater…

Read the full article >>>

How to Make Your Hot Water Last Longer

by mike on February 21, 2010 · 1 comment

Perhaps this should be filed under “Duh!” but… I finally got around to going under the house and adjusting the thermostat on our new water heater. We’ve been noticing that our hot water isn’t lasting nearly as long as it did with our old water heater even though it has the same sized tank.

Read the full article >>>

How to Hide an Electrical Utility Panel

by mike on February 13, 2010 · 0 comments

Do you have a utility panel that you’d like to hide? If so, then read on… When we renovated our house a couple of years ago, we converted our old laundry room into a powder room. In doing so, we needed to hide both an electrical panel and an alarm box. Here’s how we did it…

Read the full article >>>

How to Clean Out Your Dryer Vent

by mike on December 13, 2009 · 0 comments

How often do you clean out your dryer vent? For most people, the answer is “not often enough.” Unfortunately, if you let lint build up in the duct, you increase the risk of fire. Fortunately, cleaning it out is easy.

Read the full article >>>

How to Unclog a Toilet

by mike on December 9, 2009 · 1 comment

With four boys in the house, we experience our fair share of clogged toilets. I’ve thus become something of an expert when it comes to unclogging a toilet. Having just tackled another “job” the other night, I thought I’d write up a few tips while things are still fresh in my mind.

Read the full article >>>

How to Fix a Leaky Delta Faucet

by mike on November 29, 2009 · 0 comments

I wrote previously about repairing a leaky Delta shower head, so I thought I’d follow that up with one of this weekend’s projects… Fixing the leaky faucet in our powder room sink. Once again, I’ve created a pictorial walkthrough.

Read the full article >>>

Hot Water Heater Tripping a Circuit Breaker?

by mike on September 20, 2009 · 0 comments

A few weeks ago, I jumped in the shower and was greeted with cold water. I was late, so I showered as quickly as possible, dried off, and got dressed. We have an electric water heater, so I stopped to check our electric panel before rushing out the door. Sure enough, the water heater had tripped the circuit breaker.

Read the full article >>>

How to Fix a Broken Retainer

by mike on September 13, 2009 · 1 comment

The other day when I got out of bed, I removed my retainer and slipped it in the pocket of my sweat pants. Not smart, I know, but it is what it is. Unfortunately, I later left my sweats on the floor, and someone (probably me) stepped on them, thus breaking my retainer. Never one to take the easy way out, I fixed it myself.

Read the full article >>>