Plumbing Lessons One and Two

Well, now I know the difference between dirty water, and REALLY dirty water.

Lesson #1: What a whiz!
Every now and again I do an absent-minded load of laundry. I'll accidently leave something in the laundry tub so it overflows on the rinse cycle and get water all over the floor. I curse, then clean up the mess. No big deal.

A few days ago, I woke up to find a water spill in the basement from a different source: The pipe from the laundry tub drain had slipped off. Maybe the plastic washers wore out. At least it wasn't my fault.



I fixed it that night after work and did two loads of laundry before bed.

First, I grabbed my spare plumbing parts (I have a small stash leftover from other jobs), pipe wrenches, teflon tape and my Ladies Tool Kit from the garage.

Plumbing is easy. You just have to look at it like a puzzle and see how things connect. You can cut pipes to fit, but you need the right size washers and such.

DO: When plumbing, it's important to do a "dry fit." Just loosely connect the pieces at first. You have to assemble things in a certain order and you want to make sure it all fits before tightening nuts or especially soddering.
My project was just a matter of connecting plastic drain pipes. When putting everything back together, I used new washers and slip nuts because I found the old ones were stretched or cracked.
DON'T: If you twist the plastic slip nut (or a toilet seat bolt, etc.) too hard, you can crack it and cause damage. Sometimes you can just twist them with you hand.



DO: Just get over the fact that the water is dirty. No matter where you're plumbing -- the kitchen sink, laundry room or bathroom) chances are you'll see or touch something disgusting or get splashed with dirty water (anything that goes down the drain, you don't wanna see again). That's the worst part. Just be careful.
DON'T:Dump a bucket of dirty water down the sink you just disconnected. Oops.

When I fit the pipes together, I wrapped teflon tape around the threads of the nuts. It helps create a good seal.

When I'm done with a plumbing job, I like to put newspapers under the pipes to 1) catch any drips; 2) help me discover if I have drips (the newspaper will either be wet or wrinkled if the water dried); and 3) let me know where the drips are coming from. (Please support your local newspapers.)



I did two loads of laundry and did not have any problems that night. I felt pretty good about it all.

Lesson #2: Not my duty!
A few days later, and another wet spot basement, coming from the sewer drain. It was just a little bit of water, with what looked to be dirt. But it drained back down quickly.

I thought it could be another laundry room issue. So I kept an eye on the drain when I did a load of wash. A little water gurgled out. Then someone flushed the toilet upstairs, and what happened next was really gross. That's REALLY dirty water. Now, you know the difference.



There was no time to investigate whether I could tool around and fix this. I called a local plumbing and sewer company, (who I chose based on a positive comment on the Internet). The plumber, Mitch, showed up an hour later. He sent coils with cutters on them down to the drain to clean the sewer lines of tree roots or other debris. The sewer opened. He was done with the work in less than an hour.

I was happy to find out the charge was only $125 considering the emergency nature of the task.

Mitch said we should be getting the sewer lines cleaned every two years as part of our general maintenance. That came as a surprise. I've lived at the house six years and never had it done, nor do I ever remember that ever happening at myparents' house growing up. Mitch also said there are things you shouldn't flush, such as cotton-based products, dental floss and even those "flushable" toilet cleaner heads. Toilet paper and waste, that's it.

I usually hesitate to call in the pros, but it was worth it, and I'm happy with the level of service.

Sometimes plumbing is a do-it-yourself job, and sometimes you should call the professionals. Sometimes you gotta go with #1 and sometimes you gotta go #2.

Top shelf

Checking an item off the mental to-do list doesn't always have to turn into a major project.

I have imagined building shelf on shallow alcove of my dining room area. I've drawn dimensional diagrams and thought about how I'd see it standing and sitting. I've pondered the type of wood I would use and whether this shelf would just get full of clutter anyway.

At her cottage, my grandma-in-law has a bunch of lumber that her late husband bought when he had intended to put up some shelves near the dining area there. He became unable to do it, so the boards got shoved under beds.

Grandma wanted someplace to stack her cookbooks and Dick Francis mysteries. She wanted two simple shelves. It gave me great pleasure to hang them.

I used twelve screws and needed three tools. It took me about an hour. But I stayed for the whole weekend. It's a cottage on the lake.

The next day, I realized I'd need to add bookends, so I used a handsaw to cut four from a 2-by-8-inch slat and nailed them in place. After I left, Grandma stained them, and e-mailed to say how happy she was.

The point is, she has shelves, and I got something done, even if it isn't for my own house.

I have visions of many things: New paint for the living room, pegboard for the garage, a privacy fence panel. I have an old pie cabinet that I picked up in the trash two years ago, sitting in my garage, just waiting for a bit of finish.

These shelves aren't perfect. They're simple and functional, and they remind me that it's better to do something than think about getting it all done to perfection.

Removing a stripped screw

I recently learned the trick to removing a stripped screw. I had a stripped screw on the half wall by my kitchen, which the old homeowners had used as a hook for the phone. I didn't need it there.

Use a hacksaw to create a slot.

Then use a regular blade screwdriver.

That was easy.

Hand of a Woman

Thought I'd vacuum my car today, but I had another job coming. I don't know much about automotive mechanics, so here's the quick and dirty version:

I walked out to the driveway to see my car had leaked anti-freeze all over the driveway. Gallons. Turns out, I had a broken radiator drain cock. (See, I told you it was dirty.)

My aforementioned, knowledgeable Dad (who taught me everything I know about tools) and brother Bill (who helped me with the mortar project last week) came to my rescue again. We took out the radiator, pulled out the broken drain plug, replaced it with a new one, poured in some anti-freeze and bingo-bango, the car works again. The part only cost $5, and the anti-freeze was on sale.

Bonus: We spread some of the mortar powder on the driveway to soak up the spilled fluids.

I took this picture, which I call Hand of a Woman. I try to be independent. I don't always call my dad to help when any little thing goes wrong, but it is so nice that he is there. And I have the sweetest brothers, too.

Garage, Part 1: Mortar

The cornerstone of a good garage is a good cornerstone. And I had trouble in that department.

The cinderblock at the back corner of my garage became loose to the point where I could pull it out with my hands. I could see this was a do-it-yourself job. But I did not do it myself. I called in my dad and brother Bill. Dad brought the knowledge and a box of tools. Bill brought the laughs.

Before mixing mortar, we prepared the surface. Crumbling bits of the old mortar were chiseled from the loose brick and the rest of the wall nearby. Then the area was cleaned with a wire brush and sprayed with the hose.

We mixed a small batch of Quickrete mortar from an 80-pound bag ($4.47 from Home Depot). The product bag (and my dad) suggest adding a little water at a time, letting the powder absorb the liquid. Fold the mixture until you don’t see any more dry powder. Then plop the mud until you have a good consistency. It shouldn’t be crumbly (too dry), but be careful not to add too much water; it will make the mortar weak.

“When you think it’s too dry, it’s probably ready,” my dad advised. He also at one point told me I needed to add “a shot glass” more water -- as if that’s the only unit of measurement I know.
We spread a layer of mortar on the bottom of the surface before sliding the brick in place using metal dowels, which were later removed. Then we grabbed trowels and mortar boards and spent a good deal of time shoving mortar into cracks. It was about as glamorous as it sounds.
My neglected garage needed a lot of patching. We went through 120 pounds of mortar that day, mixing small batches at a time so the mortar wouldn’t dry out in the sun.
The final step is to take a tool called a rake to scoop the excess mortar along the joint to form a nice curve. After the mortar is dry, rub a wire brush over it to remove any loose pieces. Then you’re ready to paint. Which I’ll do. Soon.

The Miracle Mallet

Since receiving my Ladies Tool Kit as a hand-me-down gift nine years ago, I have found it to be indispensable. The slim case fits easily under the kitchen sink; there's no need to run to the garage or basement looking for needle-nose pliers or a screwdriver. I'll write more about this handy tool set later. But needless to say, it can't solve all my woes.

On a camping trip last summer, I had to pitch my tent on rock hard soil. Normally, I find a rock and use that to pound in the stakes -- the way the cavemen did it. But the ground was having none of that. I tried the 16-ounce hammer from my ever-present Ladies Tool set, and even that didn't do the trick. I was not a happy camper.

Out of desperation, I dug around the trunk of my Cadillac. I don't know what I was hoping to find ... a tire iron, maybe? I pulled out a dead blow rubber mallet. The very tool I needed, at the precise time I needed it. This was a used car I bought five months prior, and I'd never seen this mallet before it ended up in my hand that day.

I called it a miracle mallet because it saved the day. When I packed up camp, I rolled the mallet in with the tent so I shall never have the same problem again. Here's to small miracles.

Bonding experience

My mother-in-law's undies were falling out of her drawers!

I helped her fix the problem.

Pam, my mother-in-law, told me about her 30-year-old dresser that was falling apart. She'd glued it several times, but nothing seemed to work. I asked if she had tried Gorilla Glue, and the answer was no. She had turned to duct tape as a last resort.

Armed with two bar clamps and Gorilla Glue, I made a house call. First, we unraveled the duct tape.

Using a razor blade, I chipped off layers of dried glue and broken particle board from inside the grooves. We dry fit the warped pieces together. It took some hammering.

Talk about super glue -- Gorilla Glue ($4.99 for two ounces) works wonders! You have to dampen one end of what you're gluing and then spread a thin (thin!) line of glue where you need it. I used a toothpick to spread the glue inside the grooves. The glue expands and becomes white when it cures.

To hold the drawer together while the glue set, I used 36-inch bar clamps, which I bought for $13 each. I put a piece of scrap wood between the clamp and the drawer facing so the wood wouldn't be damaged from the pressure.
In 30 minutes, the glue was dry, and the drawer was ready to go back in the dresser.

I had used the same method to fix my kitchen utensils drawer. I know how annoying it can be to pull open a drawer and have it fall apart, so I was happy to help Pam fix hers.

You could say it was a bonding experience for us as well.

Welcome

If there's one thing I like more than finishing a project, it's starting one. I'm not afraid to take something apart and troubleshoot it, as long as I think I can get it back together. I've had successes:

• I replaced the rollers in my 25-year-old, hand-me-down dryer.
• I installed a new bathroom sink.
• I doubled the counterspace in my tiny kitchen by building a microwave shelf, and it's still hanging.
• I replaced broken ceramic tiles on the steps leading to the kitchen (so what if it was two years after I first bought the tile saw).

I haven't had any failures (just projects I haven't completed yet).

This is where you'll find me, tooling around with home repairs.