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Tub Faucets

Like sink faucets, tub faucets can be compression style or washerless. To take apart any style tub faucet, pry off the cap, unscrew the handle, and remove the escutcheon. In a compression faucet, you'll see the stem and packing nut. You may need to use a deep-socket wrench to grip and loosen a recessed packing nut. To repair a washerless tub faucet, remove the stop tube and draw out the retainer clip to get at the cartridge.

Happy Easter

Pipes Making Noise?

Noisy Pipes

Pipe noises range from loud hammering sounds to high-pitched squeaks. The causes may be loose pipes, water logged air chambers, or water pressure that's too high. Anchoring exposed pipes is a simple solution; other remedies such as anchoring pipes concealed inside walls, floors or ceilings, may call for a professional.

Banging

Pipes are usually anchored with pipe straps every 6 to 8 feet for horizontal runs, 8 to 10 feet for vertical.

• If your pipes bang when you turn on the water, you may need to add straps, cushion the pipes with a rubber blanket, or both.
• When you anchor a pipe-especially a plastic one-leave room for expansion.
• Don't use galvanized straps on copper pipes.

Squeaking

Only hot water pipes squeak. As the pipe expands, it moves in its strap, and friction causes the squeak.

• Solution: Cushion it as you would a banging pipe.

Water Hammer

This noise occurs when you turn off the water at a faucet or an appliance quickly. The water flowing through the pipes slams to a stop, causing a hammering noise.
Check for:

• Loose Pipes

Remedy:

• Anchor the pipes.

Check for:

• Faulty air chambers. These lengths of pipe, installed behind fixtures and appliances, hold air that cushions the shock when flowing water is shut off. They can get filled with water and lose their effectiveness.

Remedy:

• To restore air to the chambers, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve. Open all the faucets to drain the system. Close the faucets and turn the water on again. The air chambers should fill with air.

Check for:

• Water pressure that's above 80 psi (pounds per square inch).

Remedy:

• To lower the pressure, install a pressure-reducing valve (you can call in a plumber to do the work if this is a job you don't want to do yourself).

IT'S OFFICAL

We are pleased to announce that Hanydman Gene is NOW Handyman Gene LLC.  Congradulations Gene, good job!!

Window insulation. Save energy by covering your windows

No matter how new your windows are, you can be losing heat through your windows during those long cold winters. Hanging heavy drapes in the winter, using two or more layers of curtains with your drapes will insulate your windows keeping the heat inside where it belongs!

A more drastic window insulation can be achieved by covering the inside of your window with clear polythene. If your window frame will allow it you need to fix the polythene to the window frame leaving approximately 2 cm gap between the glass and the polythene. Double-sided sticky tape is ideal for this job. This is not the most attractive of solutions but it does work.

In the past I have seen kits that do this. The kit contained special polythene that would shrink when heated with a hair dryer. Once fixed in place you would heat the plastic sheet with your hair dryer and it would smooth out and almost have the appearance of glass. Alas I have not seen these kits for years.

Brighten up your room with stylish and elegant window coverings blinds you can get online.

Cure for squeaky bed springs

If your bed springs are a bit squeaky - you can fix this fast by spraying cooking oil over the springs. All you have to do is flip over the springs and if there is a thin covering there you can rip it off or you can spray right through it. Great fix for that bed that is really not worn out just yet!