Home Projects & Repair

A lot can go wrong with a toilet, and toilets are probably the last thing in your house that you want to deal with.  In this article we will discuss the various different places where your toilet can leak or run and give you some new vocabulary words so that you can solve the problem.

1.  Leaks around the base of the toilet.  

  Leaks around the base of the toilet on the floor are generally due to a bad seal of the wax ring on the closet ring.  The wax ring is a wax ring that seals the toilet to the closet ring.  The closet ring is the part of the piping that coming out of the floor that the toilet sits on.  A leak hear is not pleasant, especially since the leaking water is going to be dirty.

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Help! My ballcock is leaking!

Toilets can leak for a variety of reasons and nothing can be more annoying than a toilet that runs forever.  The first step to solving any problem is to determine what the problem really is.  In this case, your toilet is running, and it runs forever!  This much is obvious, but we need to know specifically what it is that is leaking.

In order to find out what the problem is we need to take off the top cover of the toilet’s tank.  Once removed we can start investigating.  

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Tools:

• Ratchet Wrench Set

Cost

• None, unless you must call someone

Perhaps the most common problems with trash compactors are all due to the fact that trash finds itself into the small crevices inside of the trash compactor

If your trash compactor won’t close completely, it is most likely due to trash behind the trash can. Most times you can simply pull out the drawer, and take the trash that has fallen out and put it back into the trash can. This should allow the drawer to close completely.

However, the trash may have found itself along the rails of the drawer, and into an area that is not easily accessible. In order to get this trash out will require more work. The first step is to remove the trash can drawer. This can be accomplished simply by pulling the drawer out as far as it will go, then lifting slightly while pulling. It acts just like any other drawer in your kitchen.

The next step is to actually remove the trash compactor out from under the counter, or wherever it is located. Now that the drawer is removed it is much easily. You may at this time wish to vacumn out where you removed the drawer as there is likely to be a lot of trash that has fallen there. Generally the trash compactor can be pulled out by lifting it slightly and pulling.

Once the unit has been pulled out from under the counter, you will want to unplug the unit. Once unplugged you will then need to take the cover off of the back. Now is the time to use your ratchet wrench, and with the correct bit remove the cover. You should be able to see where the tracks go along the side. Remove any trash that you find back here and replace the cover.

While you have the unit out, take your time to thoroughly clean it. There are a lot of moving parts inside of it, giving trash a lot of opportunities to go where it isn’t supposed to.

Replace the unit in the same manner that you removed it, remembering to plug it back it

Ever wonder how to change a door knob?

Tools:

• Flathead Screwdriver
• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• Replacement Door Knob

Cost

• ~$20+ depending on the quality of the door knob and locking features.

Changing a door knob is not nearly as complicated as it seems. In general there are three different types of door knobs. There are dummy door knobs which are simply used to open and close a closet and have no latching mechanism. There are simple knobs which have a latch but do not lock, or have a simple push button type lock on one side. Then there are knobs that use a key lock on the outside and a push button type lock on the inside.

Before you go off and buy a new door knob there are two things that you will want to measure. First get a measurement of the thickness of the door. Then get the diameter of the hole in the door for the door knob. If there is already a fixture, removing it is detailed in the next paragraph. If you are going to repair a knob with a latch then you will also want to measure the distance between the middle of the hole to the edge of the door. When purchasing a new knob make sure that the latch length is correct. Now days most knobs are adjustable in about every direction.

Removing an old door knob is quite simple. However, there are many variations of door knobs, and it may require a little trial and error to get it out. In general door knobs have a removable knob on both ends, a cover plate hiding the functional insides of the latching mechanism, and the latching mechanism itself. Some knobs will have the cover plate and knob in one peice. You can easily tell the difference, the combined ones will have screws showing on the inside, while the seperate ones will not show any visible screws.

The first step in removing the old knob is to remove the knob and cover plate. If you see screws, then take them out. If not, then look for a metal tab on the shaft of the door knob. Pushing in on this tab with a flat head screwdriver and pulling on the know should remove the knob. Then look for a seperate tab holding the cover plate on, pushing this in as well and gently prying the cover plate from the door should also result in its removal. Once the inside knob and cover plate have been removed there should be a couple screws holding the other side in. Simply remove those screws and pull the other side off. If you have the combined setup, once the outside screws are removed you can remove both knobs by simply pulling them out.

The latching mechanism can be removed by simply using an old screwdriver and using it as a lever to push it out towards the edge of the door.

Once the old knob is removed the new one is easily installed by following these steps in reverse order. Be careful not to lock yourself in a room by closing the door with only the latching mechanism installed. If you do, then you will have to manipulate the latch with a screwdriver or your fingers. Also, be sure to install the knob so that all of the screws are on the inside of the room. It makes no sense to have the screws on the outside of a locked door, as the lock can be simply removed. Follow the instructions for the new knob in order to adjust the knob for door thickness and latch length.