Gr8 Free Articles » Home Repair

Repairing A Water Damaged Floor

Adrian — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:05:16 +0000

Part of owning a hardwood floor involves undertaking the necessary upkeep of it as it comes into contact with water and becomes damaged. In fact the damage may not even come from water lying on it but from the high humidity level in the house that causes the floor to warp.

If there is some obvious floor water damage the very first step you should take is to identify where the water has come from. If you simply go ahead and try to repair your floor without worrying about the water source you might no sooner have the damage repaired when there is a re-occurrence of the water presence and you are back at square one.

Once the water source is located and whatever necessary repairs have been made you can turn your attention to the floor itself. If the hardwood floor water damage is only minor you may be able to perform the repairs yourself. You may be faced with floorboards that are cracked and swollen as a result of the water that has been able to be absorbed into the wood.

The first step of the restoration process involves drying out the wood itself. This process won’t be able to begin until the surrounding air is dry and this might mean the introduction of a dehumidifier. Start the drying process with an overhead fan and perhaps also open the windows and doors to try to get as much air flow in as possible. Running a dehumidifier will help remove any moisture from the room which will include the swollen floorboards too.

When the drying process is complete you should expect to see that the swollen floorboards have shrunk back into their normal size and any raised areas should have settled back into place. If the floorboards have become cracked it will be necessary to do some basic restoration such as sanding the boards back and filling any cracks with a wood sealant.

Our aim is to return the damaged area back to a state where any differences will have been removed.

All About Diverter Shower Valves

Adrian — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 04:54:07 +0000

Normally, bathers adjust the water temperature before they go in the shower. This is often done with the aid of a shower valve. However, if you also happen to have a tub in the shower, the use of a shower diverter valve is highly recommended. This kind of valve will help divert the water from the shower to the tub spout or vice versa as necessary. Most shower diverters feature a lever which is designed to effectively control the valve. When the lever is lifted, the incoming water will be directed to the showerhead. Meanwhile, if the lever is lowered or pulled down, water will come out on the tub’s faucet. The shower diverter valve is an important bathroom component that allows users to conveniently divert the flow of water. Without it, a separate water control would be needed for the tub’s faucet.

The lever of the diverter is the most visible part of the valve. It can be a separate fixture or it can also be incorporated into the shower control or faucet. When the handle is turned on, water will naturally come out depending on the position of the lever. The diverter can either block the line going through the shower head or the line to the tub’s faucet. If the valve blocks the lower faucet, the water will be forced to go up the pipe and will come out in the shower. This amazing and functional fixture will certainly offer users with many functional uses.

Shower diverters are sold in a wide assortment of styles, and size. Therefore, it is vital that you choose the right type of diverter that will fit perfectly on your existing plumbing connections. Apart from water diversion, the diverter can also be used to switch water flow between two types of shower heads.

As with other bathroom fixtures, diverter shower valves are not immune to wearing and corrosion. The life span of the diverter varies immensely depending on their use and the type of water that passes through it. One of the classic signs that your diverter needs to be replaced is low water pressure. Another is when it starts to malfunction. Be sure to replace the worn-out or damagee diverter as soon as possible to avoid inflicting more harm to your piping lines.

Home Plumbing: Tips From An Atlanta Plumbing Expert

Adrian — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:17:26 +0000

Nothing can be more frustrating than to flush your toilet only to have it swirl around and not flush due to the pipes being clogged. Well this article will present to you some useful plumbing tips for your bathroom and kitchen plumbing.

As an on going preventative maintenance tip it is very helpful to run hot water down the drains in your bathtub, sinks and shower drains. This simple tip will keep these drains free flowing and prevent future buildups of hair and debris. Any time you realize you have a leaky faucet it is best to repair it immediately before it leads to bigger problems. Most leaky faucets are easy to repair and the cost of a repair kit for the small parts is inexpensive.

Always use strainers in your tub and shower drains to catch any hair and soap remains which are major causes of clogged pipes. Keep a small trash can next to your toilet to dispose of items such as diapers, sanitary napkins and any tissue items other than toilet paper. These items should never be placed in your toilet because they do not dissolve completely and will clog your lines.

Clean your shower head by removing it and flushing it out regularly. Some water contains mineral deposits that build up over time and decrease the flow of water. If your shower head already has buildup you can buy a commercial cleaner or soak the head in vinegar overnight to dissolve the mineral buildup.

Cleaning the aerator on your faucets is a good way to keep the water flowing freely in your sinks. Unscrew the aerator carefully and clean it with a small brush saturated with vinegar or simply soak it vinegar for a couple of hours to remove any sediment that has built up.

When it comes to the kitchen sink there are some major “do nots.” Never pour grease or other liquids that congeal down the drain. Over time these items will lead to improper flow. Remember it is a garbage disposal not a garbage can. Also never place items such as egg shells, meat or poultry bones or hard to grind vegetable wastes in it. Do run cold water down the drain both before and after using your garbage disposal, this will ensure that all waste has been properly flushed out of the lines. To eliminate odors emanating from your garbage disposal one method is to pour a cup of bleach down the drain followed by cold running water – do this weekly as preventative maintenance.

Another tip is to grind ice cubes mixed with either ground lemon or orange rinds, this will give your disposal drain a fresh scent and eliminate unwanted odors. These are just a few tips that can help keep the plumber away or at least cut down on the frequency that you may need one. If you have a serious plumbing issue then by all means call in a professional, however preventative measures can and will save save you money and time. If you do find yourself in a situation where you absolutely need a pro, be sure to check out sites like Atlanta Plumbing, where you can find independent unbiased reviews of local plumbing companies.

Plumbing Help From Atlanta Plumbers

Adrian — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:07:56 +0000

A leaking bathroom sink drain is perhaps one of the most common plumbing concerns that you’ll encounter. Most Atlanta plumbers like myself will tell you that we come across these types of simple issues on a daily basis. If not addressed immediately, this can escalate to a much bigger problem. Putting a bucket under the sink may offer a temporary solution but it can’t solve anything. In fact, this may just worsen the problem since the items stored below the sink are likely to be damaged due to constant contact with water. Additionally, you will also have to deal with mold and mildew formation. And if you continue to ignore the problem, chances are, it will cause further damage to the drain, resulting in more costly repairs. On that note, it is best that you address a leaking drain problem right away. Besides, repairing it is a fairly simple and straight-forward task. With the use of a few tools and a little know-how, you can accomplish the job in no time.

To help you do that, here is a detailed guide on how to repair leaks on a sink drain.

Step one: Collect and gather all the necessary materials.

The materials that you will most likely need include the wrench, plumber’s putty, flashlight, and rubber washers. Make sure to have these materials ready before you commence with the actual repair.

Step two: Close the main water supply.

It is important that you shut off the main water line when doing any types of plumbing repairs. But since you will only be dealing with the sink drain, you can just close the valve found under the sink. After turning it off, open the hot and cold water line to drain out the pipe of excess water.

Step three: Inspect the water joints connected to the drain.

More often than not, sink drains tend to leak around the joints. Water usually builds up around the leaking joints. Hence , you might need to crawl under the sink to take a closer look. Use the flashlight, to help you easily find the leak. After which, try to tighten the joint by hand, and then use the wrench to firmly secure it. However, make sure not to over-tighten the joint to avoid causing more damage. If this doesn’t fix the problem, you probably need to replace the washers.

If you have done everything but the problem still persists, put some plumber’s putty around the leaking area to make a temporary seal and then call a professional plumber to correct the problem.

The Virtues Of The Gutter Scoop

Adrian — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:41:54 +0000

The first time I cleaned my gutters I thought I could just scoop out all of the debris with my hands. I did not think that it would be that hard or that I needed a fancy tool to get the job done. I should have bought a Lowes or Home Depot gutter scoop for less than five dollars. It would have saved me hours of time. My time is definitely worth more than five bucks. When I tried to use my hands, I would only get small handfuls. The leaves and debris were wet and so every time I tried to grab a handful most of it would slide out of my hand through my fingers. In addition, it was hard to scrape the bottom and sides of the gutters clean with my hands. I was afraid of getting cut or getting caught on something so it was hard to press very hard and really scrape any area clean.

If you want easy gutter cleaning then it is worth it to buy the scoop. Scoops can hold much more than your hands because they usually have high sides and are six to eight inches long. That is approximately seventy-two square inches of debris that you can pick up with each scoop. In addition, you can use the plastic tool to scrape along the bottom and sides of the gutters. There is no risk of damaging your gutters and you get the gutters to the point where all they will need to be spotless is some water run through them with a hose. If you leave too much debris in the gutters before you run the hose, then you run the risk of clogging your downspouts when you run the water through.

Gutter scoops definitely make the job of cleaning your gutters easier and you can find these tools for less than five dollars. The price is certainly right.

Home Plumbing: Tips From An Atlanta Plumbing Expert

Blood Stains On Your Carpet

Adrian — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:14:48 +0000

In most cases you can remove blood stains from your carpet quite easily. If you are on time and if you are doing the right things then there is a very large chance that you will remove the stain completely. It is important that you act fast because the longer the blood stain lays on your carpet the more difficult it will become to remove it. This article will outline a short guide on how to remove blood stains from your carpet.

What most people do wrong if they are trying to remove blood stains is that they use hot water. In most cases hot water is indeed a good way to remove stains but this is not so with blood. If you use hot water with blood it will coagulate and if it does the stain will become permanent. There is not a simple way to remove those kind of stains.

So what should you do? Your main aids are cold water and paper towels. Put some cold water on the stain and blot it with the towels. You should repeat this process until you see no blood on the towels. You can try to remove the rest of the stain with your vacuum cleaner but there is a chance that you will not succeed with that. If that is so, you need to take other actions.

Mix some club soda instead of cold water and put this again on the stain. Now try to remove the rest of the blood stains by blotting with paper towels. If you succeed in removing the stain then you should first add water to the soda and blot the soda from your carpet. Then leave a paper towel on the wet spot and put something heavy on top of it to make it dry.

The things you should not do is use hot water and rub with a paper towel. Always blot the stain and never rub it because that will only make the stain worse. If you don’t want to remove the stain yourself than you can always ask a professional.

Visit Smelly Brain for more articles about removing stains.