100 things every homeowner must know: how to save money, solve problems, and improve your home PDF
Preview 100 things every homeowner must know: how to save money, solve problems, and improve your home
Table of contents Preface 1 Understand your plumbing system 2 Understand your heating system 3 Understand your water heater 4 Push a button, save $100 5 Make appliances last 6 Keep your water softener healthy 7 Save water 8 Prevent burst pipes 9 Dry up a wet basement 10 Save on home insurance 11 Make your carpet last 12 Improve your insulation 13 Cut heating costs 14 Clean your air conditioner 15 Cut cooling costs 16 Protect your electronics 17 Understand your electrical system 18 Eliminate ants 19 Get rid of mice 20 Defeat termites 21 Protect against pet damage 22 Don’t kill your lawn mower Bonus section: Our favorite storage tips 23 Guard against carbon monoxide 24 Radon kills 25 Test for lead paint 26 Stop mold and mildew 27 Prevent home fires 28 Replace smoke alarms 29 Be ready for fire 30 Clean your dryer vent 31 Keep crooks out 32 Burglar-proof your garage 33 Hide your valuables 34 Be ready for blackouts 35 Can you count on your sump pump? 36 Find your shutoff valves 37 Work safely 38 Stay safe in a storm 39 Be prepared for roof damage Bonus section: Best home hints 40 Remodel without regrets 41 Cut remodeling costs 42 Decorate smart 43 Choose the best flooring 44 Choose the best faucet 45 Move furniture the smart way 46 Hang pictures straight and level 47 Hang a heavy mirror 48 Pick a paint color you’ll love 49 Pick the best paint for the job 50 Prep for a neater paint job 51 Paint like a pro 52 Roll paint right 53 Spray paint perfectly 54 Hire the best roofer 55 Hire the best painting contractor 56 Find your property lines Bonus section: Greatest goofs 57 Master your drill 58 Drive screws like a pro 59 Master the jigsaw 60 Measure accurately 61 Master the hammer 62 Find a stud 63 Be ready for anything 64 Finish wood flawlessly 65 Caulk like a pro 66 Install wire shelving 67 Connect coax cable right 68 Replace a light fixture 69 Make home chores easier 70 Wash windows like a pro 71 Clean faster, clean better 72 Make yard chores easier 73 Grow a great lawn 74 Mow smarter 75 Sharpen a mower blade 76 Win against weeds 77 Plant a tree 78 Prune like a pro Bonus section: Best problem solvers 79 Fix a toilet 80 Unplug a toilet 81 Stop leaks under the sink 82 Unclog a sink 83 Fix an outdoor faucet 84 Clean a clogged faucet 85 Fix a loose towel bar—forever! 86 Tune up your cabinets 87 Renew grungy grout 88 Fix a door 89 Tune up closet doors 90 Patch walls perfectly 91 Fix furniture fast 92 Repair concrete 93 Fix appliances yourself—and save 94 Fix your furnace 95 Lube it right 96 Warm up a cold room 97 Cool a hot room 98 Cure condensation 99 Defeat odors 100 Quiet your home Bonus section: Incredibly easy fixes Quiz The first thing every homeowner must know When you have questions, The Family Handyman has answers Since 1951, The Family Handyman has been dishing out the best do-it-yourself home advice available. Our recipe is simple: Go straight to the pros for real-world, field-tested expertise. And then explain the projects so that anyone can be successful. Our team of more than 1,000 Field Editors includes home experts of every kind, from contractors and real estate agents to architects and engineers. And our readers—more than 4 million across North America—are constantly sharing their tips and experiences with fellow homeowners. This book contains some of that expertise. But there’s a whole lot more… The Family Handyman Magazine Get North America’s top home improvement magazine at The Home Depot, Lowe’s and other retailers. Or subscribe and save at FamilyHandyman.com. FamilyHandyman.com Get instant access to thousands of home improvement projects, step- by-step repairs, storage solutions and more! The Family Handyman for iPad® Get every issue of The Family Handyman as it’s published, plus extra tips, articles and videos. Find it at the App Store. The Family Handyman Newsletters Get ideas, tips, projects and repairs delivered to your in-box every week —FREE! Sign up at FamilyHandyman.com. The Family Handyman Books Get expert tips and step-by-step instructions for repairs, improvement projects, organizing and more. Shop at FamilyHandyman.com. Tip Genius App More than 300 FREE tips for storage and organizing, simple repairs, easy improvements and more! Download it at FamilyHandyman.com/diy-tip-genius. No. 1 Understand your plumbing system Basic knowledge for better decisions When it comes to home repairs and improvements, you’re in charge. But when the plumber seems to be speaking a foreign language, it’s tough to make a smart call. So take five minutes to get acquainted with your system. The basics are simpler than you might think. The DWV system The drain, waste and vent system carries waste out of your house and into the city sewer lines. Sounds simple enough. But for plumbers, it’s trickier than the supply system. There are more code requirements to follow, and more know-how is needed to make it work well. The most important DWV rule is this: Every drain must have a trap, and every trap must have a vent. Traps, those U-shaped pipes you see under sinks, hold wastewater, which prevents nasty sewer gas from flowing up into your home. Vents are simply pipes that lead outside through the roof. Without a vent, water flowing through a trap creates a vacuum and siphons the trap dry. By allowing air into the system, vents act as a vacuum breaker. Drain, waste and vent system Drain and waste lines (shown in blue) must include traps, which keep sewer gas from entering your home. Vents (shown in yellow) break the siphon effect of flowing waste to keep water in the traps. The water supply system Your water supply system taps into the city water main, runs through a meter that measures your water usage and then branches throughout your home. The branch lines in your home may be any of the types shown below. Older homes are sometimes museums of pipe history, including several types of pipe.
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