by admin on February 11, 2012
SOLVING COMMON PROBLEMS AROUND THE HOME II
Let’s solve a couple more issues month, you know, the ones that REALLY bug you but not enough to make you actually DO anything about it…
INSUFFICIENT HOT WATER:
This can have several causes, all of them easy to fix. Often, the tank just isn’t turned up high enough. If it’s gas, just turn the control knob on front of the tank to “hot”. 120 degrees is usually hot enough but they WILL go a LOT higher. If you have small children in the home, be careful.
If you have an electric water heater, one of the elements (probably the lower one) is bad. This one does most of the work so is most prone to fail. The part is about $15 and very EZ to install but you need a special wrench to do it. If the existing one is badly rusted, it may not come out which means you need a new water heater.
In rare cases the water heater is hooked up backwards with the hot water coming OUT of the cold INLET pipe ! This turns a 40 gal. tank into a 10 gal. one ! Just switch the pipes on top of the tank, problem solved…
In case you’re wondering, your tank probably IS the correct size for the home however a normal size tank (40 gals.) will NOT fill a “garden” tub. In this case, just turn the temp. up 20mins. before you want to bathe and it should be ok.
Of course, if you live in an older home without lowflow shower heads, the hot water in the tank won’t last as long as in a newer home with these type heads.
FLOOR SQUEAKS
Usually this is caused by loose plywood. Just pull up the carpet and put some SCREWS into the plywood around the squeak. Have a professional restretch your carpet. In my home (built in 1994) I discovered the truss UNDER the plywood had a loose “gusset”. I had to pull up the plywood (which is VERY hard to do because it’s glued down with VERY strong glue), renail the gusset to the floor truss and then put the plywood and carpet back down.
If you have wood floors or tile upstairs, you may want to make your repair from the 1st floor by going thru the ceiling…
by admin on December 12, 2011
Easily Solved Common Problems Around the Home
People tell us all the time about little things around their home that bug them usually implying they’re “too much hassle” to fix. Perish the thought I say !
Water hammer (pipes banging in the wall when you turn a faucet off): usually caused by air in the system having dissipated.
To Fix: turn off water to house, open all your faucets (inside and out) and let water drain out of system. Close faucets and turn water back on. Problem is solved in most cases as this reintroduces the “lost” air creating a needed “cushion” in the pipes. If this doesn’t work, you can properly strap the loose pipes in the wall (hard) or have a plumber install a “shock arrestor” in the system, usually at the water heater (easy). Feeling cheap? Install a “Mini-Restor” yourself under any sink or on top of water heater
A/C is too loud. Usually occurs then the furnace is in a closet and the return air grill is directly under the closet door. This can be especially noisy if floor is a hard surface.
To fix: simply line the return air space under the furnace with sound absorbing material such as foam or duct board. I’ve even seen people use an old rug. To make it even quieter, install duct board “baffles” in there as well. An a/c man may be needed for this because if an amateur does it, the airflow may be impeded which is BAD. If neither of these actions work, an a/c can usually run a return air DUCT to your ceiling. This is not cheap but WILL solve your noise problem
Sudden drop in water pressure: Usually occurs when you have a prv (pressure reducing valve) at your meter, often buried next to your shutoff valve. The symptom occurs when more than 2 fixtures are on (like when you’re in the shower and someone flushes a toilet or turns on the dishwasher). SOMETIMES you can just turn the pressure up at the prv with a screwdriver but if this doesn’t work, you’ll need to replace the valve. Do not go over 80 psi ! I’d recommend only a plumber do this though you can save money by digging all around the old one to give him easier access (instead of paying HIM $95/hr. to do it).
We’ll cover more issues like this next month…
