A home is a very expensive investment so you need to take proper care of it. You can do simple home repairs with little to no experience thus saving on money. Although you will be tempted to call the experts, you should try the simpler fixes yourself.
Here are some of the simple repairs that you can do around the house to save money:
Unclogging a Toilet Drain
Before you call in experts that offer professional plumbing services to unclog your toilet, you should try to use the plunger. However, you have to get the right tools for the job – a toilet plunger for the toilet and a sink plunger for your kitchen sink. Make sure that the toilet bowl has enough water to submerge the plunger’s head.
Give the plunger some downward thrusts to clear minor clogs. At this point, the water should start flowing freely. If it does not, you should consider using a toilet auger, which costs a bit more than a plunger but does the job of unblocking tough clogs.
Clearing the Garbage Disposal
The garbage disposal unit is a scary thing that emits bad noises. However, when your garbage disposal blocks, you need to clear up the clog. To prevent any accidents, you should first turn off the power to the unit. Once you disable it, you should try to adjust the flywheel using an Allen wrench.
Although you will not see the flywheel, messing with it will help to remove any jammed food. You can also use a dowel made out of wood to remove clogs from the top of the garbage disposal unit. As soon as you remove the clog, you should reconnect the power and run some water through the unit to see whether the unit is still clogged.
Loosening a Stuck Window
If you do not open a window for a long time, it can get stuck because of dirt. Although this problem is not hard to solve, it will require some hard work on your part. If you are concerned about messing with the paint, you should use a blunt putty knife to pry the edges open.
However, if removing the paint is not an issue, you can use a pizza cutter to wiggle the window open. As soon as it starts moving again, you should clean the window thoroughly to get rid of the gunk.
Fixing a Broken Toilet Lever
This is quite easy to fix. If pressing on the lever does not work, you should open the toilet tank and reattach the chain. However, if the handle is corroded, it can break and will need to be replaced. All you need for this job is an adjustable wrench and some toilet parts.
Fixing a Leaky Pipe
The most common leaks in pipes occur under the bathroom and kitchen sink. A loose compression nut or a worn-out washer can be the cause of the leakage. Before you fix these issues, you should turn off the water supply to your sink. If you do not know where the shut-off valve is, you have to follow the pipes from your sink.
Once you turn the water off, you should place a bucket beneath the sink then remove the compression nuts. While down there, you should also clean the P-trap, which gets dirty. As soon as you replace the washer, you should replace everything and turn the water back on to see whether the leak has stopped.
Conclusion
The above repairs are easy and you can do them by yourself. However, you should not be afraid to seek help when you think that you are in over your head. Looking for more projects to do yourself? Try these three projects to keep your home cool.
