Home Plumbing Projects You Can Do by Yourself
Turn Off Your House 's Water Supply Everything You'll Need: Your hands What It'll Price: $0 Everything You Could SaveN/A Much Time It'll Require: 5 minutes The way to Do ItIf this sounds to you, that's because it is. As it's a prerequisite for many of the projects on this list, it essential you know how to get it done. Every contemporary home has a principal water shut-off valve on the home. The location of the valve depends on where the water line enters the house: Basement: In houses with cellar foundations, the water line enters via floor or a basement walls. The valve should be near the entrance point. Crawlspace: through the street-facing side, the water usually enters In houses built over crawlspaces. If you can't find the valve at the crawlspace, it could possibly be in the first above-ground entry point inside the house. Slab: In houses the valve is in a utility room or attached garage. In warm regions such as Louisiana, the valve may be located in the attic. Exterior: If you may 't locate your valve in the basement, crawlspace, garage, or space, check your yard. In hot climates, the surface close to the road sometimes breaks. Your valve should have an flow manage. If the water is around, this handle will be parallel to the pipe. Turn off the water by rotating the handle 90 degrees, so it's perpendicular to the tube. Reverse to turn the water back on.
Caulk a Tub
What You'll Need: A tube of caulk, plastic razor, mineral spirits, fine-threaded rag, painter's tape, Magic Eraser or comparable cleaning pad, scissors What It'll Price: $5 to greater than $30, depending on how big the job and which supplies you need to Purchase new Everything You Can SaveUpwards of $100, based on the job's size Long It Require: 60 to 90 minutes The way to Do It: This task is easier than replacing a drain flange. It the first real bathroom repair project I handled, long before I had an ounce of self-confidence in my DIY plumbing abilities. I guarantee you can do it all you need is some patience and a steady hand. Here to do it, adapted from This Old House: Buy silicone or acrylic latex caulk. The former is more difficult to use, but lasts more; the latter is much a lot easier to work with, but shorter-lived. Use a plastic razor (not a regular razor blade) to cut off the old caulk. Eliminate lingering balls using a sterile pad or Magic Eraser, then finish the job using a nice rag soaked in mineral oil. Follow the instructions on your caulking tube. You need the suggestion to cut on in a 45-degree angle. Lay down the tape on either side of the joint of painter . Use a rag to smooth the freshly caulk in a single fluid movement. Wipe away excess caulk as you proceed, taking care to leave behind a application. Without disturbing the caulk Gently remove the tape of the painter . Repeat the procedure that is smoothing. Wait for the caulk to cure completely before using the tub -- ideally,
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Replace Faucet Fixtures
Everything You'll Need: Your new faucet meeting, plumber's putty or silicone, a basin wrench (optional), mineral spirits, hex wrench (probably contained from the faucet assembly) What It'll Cost: $30 to $40 for an easy chrome faucet; upwards of $400 for a high-end model (per Home Depot) Everything You Could Save: $60 to more than $500 (per HomeAdvisor) Long It'll Require: 60 How to Do It: Replacing a faucet isn't as tough as it seems. This explainer presumes you're not substituting the entire sink the actual faucet meeting. It's adapted from the how-to of this Lowe : Close to the cold and hot valves under the sink. If the sink has no valves, switch off the key valve of your house . Open any water in the lines to drain. Unscrew the water lines manually or using a basin wrench. Disconnect the lift rod (the piece that opens and closes the drain). Remove the nuts. Manually unscrew the plastic slip nut onto the P-trap (the bend at the drain ) and disconnect the drain flange. Sink mounting holes and use mineral spirits or rust remover to wash the drain around. If not already done, install a gasket at the bottom of the faucet that is new. Insert the new faucet. Tighten the nuts. If not already done, set up the faucet handles and twist using a hex wrench (usually supplied ). Screw in the drain nut and fit tightly with the bottom gasket (push or twist in). Apply twist within the drain body and plumber 's putty to the drain flange. Ensure the pivot hole of the flange faces backward. Further tighten the nuts and gasket. Install and test the drain rod assembly. Reconnect the supply lines and run the faucet. Check for retighten and leaks in the assembly or reinstall as necessary. Your faucet should come with installation instructions. (How comprehensive they'll be is another matter.) Refer to the latter, where these directions conflict with those provided by the producer. Caution: Faucets come in all shapes and sizes. When possible, have your old faucet meeting handy when you look for your faucet. Buying the replacement will save you time and aggravation.
Replace or Reseal a Tub Drain
What You'll Need: A brand new drain stopper and flange (optional), a brand new drain shoe gasket (optional), mineral spirits, plumber's putty or silicone, a drain removal tool, an adjustable wrench (optional), a flathead screwdriver (optional) What It'll Price: $15 to $20 for a basic stopper and flange assembly (a Grainger Industrial Supply -- including stopper) What You Could Save$200 or more (a HomeWyse) Long It'll Require: 30 How to Do It: This how-to covers only the drain flange (basket) and stopper. It doesn't address the drain shoe, nor the piping which connects your sewer line and your drain. Replacing these things may necessitate moving your bathtub, putting a hole through your bathroom wall, or tearing your shower tile. I've accommodated these measures from PlumbingSupply.com's tutorial on replacing and removing a drain flange. Unscrew your drain stopper and set aside (if not replacement ). Add your drain removal instrument (drain essential or smart dumbbell) to the drain and rotate counterclockwise until the drain flange pops out. In case the removal tools don't work, use a hair dryer to warm the drain flange and soften the plumber's putty or silicone holding the flange and foundation set up. Try again after a couple of minutes. Wash the drain hole and surrounding areas. Pat dry, then allow to air dry. Check the shoe gasket. If the rubber is worn out or it doesn't seem to be sealing tightly against the shoe no more, use a flathead screwdriver to pop it out. If justified replace the gasket. Press it firmly against the twist. Apply plumber's putty in a ring on the underside of the new drain flange -- enough to form a complete seal with the bathtub. Place the flange and screw in the threads of the drain shoe . Hand-tighten for the first few rotations, then utilize a drain removal tool to tighten (clockwise) until there's only a bit slack left. Use an adjustable wrench to your last quarter-turn. Don't overtighten -- this may squeeze the gasket out of place or crack the bathtub. Use mineral spirits to remove plumber 's putty from around the drain. Add replacement stopper or the present , if necessary. Caution: make certain to apply a liberal amount of saline or plumber's putty . Inadequate coverage means flows, which could wreak havoc on your bathroom floors -- not forgetting that the walls and ceilings below. My dining room ceilings and walls lasted hundreds of dollars in completely preventable water damage because the previous owner (or a contractor he hired) skimped on plumber's putty in the upstairs bathtub.
