Pro Handyman Blog

You typically don’t have to replace a water heater stand when the water heater leaks. Although to look at the stand it might seem that you have to. When a water heater leaks slowly, a homeowner is less likely to notice it and so it leaks for a long time which saturates the drywall on top of the stand. There is a lot of lumber under the stand to support the weight of the water heater.

So when would you actually need to construct a stand? I can think of a few instances such as if you are adding a water heater, or converting from electric to gas, or maybe even if the old stand was damaged enough that it needs to be rebuilt. But I wouldn’t use wood studs and drywall again…I would buy a metal stand and assemble it, rather than build one from scratch.

You can buy a metal water heater stand from any home center and they typically cost between $40.00-80.00. They come with instructions, but basically, just follow the diagrams and it is held together with bolts and nuts. It is solid when assembled, and it sure beats measuring, cutting and fastening wood studs and drywall.

A kitchen faucet sprayer is a nice convenience, but it can lead to some small leaks after a while. There are different styles of sprayers, from side mounted to a pull-out spout, but they all have similar functions.

You may notice a water stain under the sink. This is something to check quickly. You may find a leak under the sink where the hose attaches to the handle, or it may be where the sprayer attaches to the hose. If you pull out the hose and turn the water on, you may find the leak where the sprayer connects to the hose. Simply try tightening the handle to the hose as this part tends to get twisted and becomes loose, which causes the leak. The water will run down the hose and fall onto the cabinet floor, which can cause damage. If the leak isn’t at the handle, go under the sink and check the connection there.

The fitting under the sink will either be a threaded connection or will use a mechanical clip feature. The connection under the faucet is more difficult, not only because it is under the sink, but because it usually isn’t a straightforward tightening job. You may end up adding some Teflon tape to the fitting, or you may and up buying a new sprayer hose assembly and installing it.

If you are installing a new base cabinet, you certainly want to make sure the top of the cabinet is level. This way the countertop is level and things won’t roll off of it. I have seen cabinets so out-of-level that the drawers all slide open on their own. Wow, maybe next time try a level.

If you have never installed a vanity cabinet before, it is not difficult. Leveling the cabinet takes away the imperfections of the flooring and the walls. Some cabinets come with open backs, so that the plumbing will enter the cabinet with no modifications to the cabinet. On other cabinets, you will need to cut openings so that the drain piping and water supply lines and valves can enter the cabinet.

Once you are able to push the cabinet to the wall, use a level and see how far out-of-level the cabinet is. Take a reading front-to-back, and side-to-side. Use shims under the cabinet to get the top level in both directions. This will take some time, since when you adjust the side of the cabinet, it may throw off the reading of the front of the cabinet. Make small adjustments and then take a final reading to make sure the surface is level in all directions. Once you are happy with the readings, use cabinet screws and secure the cabinet to the wall studs.

We have all been faced with burned out light bulbs in tall ceilings. Most of us will use a ladder and climb on up, wondering whether to stand on the top step to reach the bulb (don’t do it). Folks, don’t grab the ladder, grab a pole instead.

Homebuyers love wide open spaces and tall ceilings. Unfortunately, light bulbs and smoke detectors go there too. So here is a little tip if you haven’t already done it. You can buy a small suction cup that screws onto the end of a typical pole handle that will allow you to reach the burned out bulb and replace it. You can use a broom handle or even a specialty painter’s telescoping pole for this, as the threads are the same. The cup will screw right on to the end of the pole. The cup has a string attached to the underside of it so that you can release the cup from the bulb once you have reinstalled the new one. It is a matter of sticking the cup to the bottom of the bulbs and turning the pole to remove it. After you replace the new bulb, just pull the string to remove the cup from the bulb. This works great for larger, flatter flood light bulbs.

There a several different mechanisms that are designed for different bulbs. You can buy a mechanism that expands over the bulbs and removes it. These are for standard incandescent bulbs, and grab the sides of the bulb, rather than just the bottom.

Changing flooring surfaces requires an attractive and long lasting solution. In this case, ceramic tile leading up to laminate flooring can be transitioned with various methods. A “T” shaped strip will bridge the gap between the flooring surfaces.

When you are installing flooring, you have to plan on things like this. Have the transition strip on hand so you can determine how large of a gap to leave between the flooring. For this transition strip, a metal channel gets secured in the gap between the two surfaces. Measure the distance of the gap and cut the channel to fit. You can use a hacksaw for this. The channel has evenly spaced holes along the bottom of it. You will secure it to the sub floor with screws or nails. This is usually hammered down into the sub floor to secure it. If you are installing over a concrete slab, use concrete nails or screws. Just be careful swinging a hammer around the edge of ceramic tile…it chips awfully easily.

Once you have the channel secured, the “T” snaps down into it. The leg of the “T” secures into the channel and the top of the strip extends over the two surfaces, which bridges the gap. In addition to the channel, you can use construction adhesive to help keep the ends from lifting.

A misting system works great…when it actually works. These systems need light maintenance due mainly to the water. The water leaves deposits which gradually restrict the tiny orifices in the nozzles until you get a constant drip from the nozzle…without the cooling mist. What you will see is just a puddle of water below the nozzle.

Fortunately, the misting system nozzles can be cleaned out rather easily. You will need to turn the water off to the system and unscrew the misting nozzles. Just the nozzle tip will come off and that is all you need. While you have the tip off, turn the water back on and blow out any debris that may sitting in the line, then turn it back off.

Take the nozzle tips and try soaking them in warm vinegar. You can also try a cleaning solution such as CLR, but read the label first. Vinegar is cheap and most people already have some in their homes. Let them soak for 15 minutes or so and then grab a small brush. Something along the lines of an old toothbrush will work nicely. The deposits should be loosened up by the vinegar and a good brushing will help to remove the build-up. Work the brush inside the tip and outside. Rinse it out and blow air through it. You should be able to hear a slight hissing. When it hisses, you are done. Replace the tip and turn the water back on to test it.

Measurements are important. As a handyman, we measure things every day and they have to be accurate. You can buy digital measurement devices, but for old school tape measures, you have to follow a few simple rules to get accuracy.

Tape measures come in a variety of lengths. You can place the tongue of the tape measure over the edge of the surface you are measuring and stretch it out to get the distance. And then it happens. Either intentionally or not, the tongue lifts off of the surface and the spring tension inside the tape measure draws the tape back into the housing at about 900 miles per hour. This is when the tongue slams against the housing. Repetitive slamming can cause the tongue to become loose and add distance to your measurements. The tongue is usually riveted onto the end of the tape and it doesn’t take much for it to become loose. Kids love to play with these and let the tongue of the tape measure slam into the housing.

So, when you are measuring for accuracy, use the same tape measure. In this way, the measurements will be consistent…even if they are not exact, they will be consistent. You would not have the right distances if you used two separate tape measures on the same project as they would take different measurements of the same surface. If you are measuring a small distance and the tongue is loose, instead of using the tongue as the starting point, slide over and use the 1” mark as the starting point using your fingers to hold it in the starting position.

Ceramic tile can be finished is several ways. If you are, for example, you are installing ceramic tile for a shower surround, you typically have the option of using bullnose, or round over tiles at the perimeter. This gives a nice finished look along the perimeter of the tile. If you are using a tile that doesn’t have that finished option, you will have to create your own finished look with grout.

When you have unfinished tiles along an edge, they can be unsightly. By using grout, you can create a line from the top edge of the tile, down to the surface of the wall at a 45-degree angle.

Measure the distance from the wall’s surface to the top edge of the tile. Take that distance and make a mark from the tile edge along the wall’s surface. Run a piece of painter’s tape at this distance along the perimeter of the tile’s edge so that the tape runs parallel to the tile. You will be left with a gap from the tile to the tape.

Mix up some grout and push it into the space next to the tiles vertical edge. Use a float and, holding it at a 45-degree angle, push the grout into the triangular space to create the edge. Wait until the grout starts to set up and then slowly pull the tape in one continuous piece. You will be left with a perfect grout line that covers the unfinished tile edge.

If you have sliding shower doors that bang into the jamb when you close them, you may check to see if the door bumpers are still in place.

It is unusual that the bumpers would break or fall off, but it does happen.. The door bumpers are located in the vertical tracks along each edge of the shower. They are held on to the vertical track by a screw. This screw often goes through the bumper and into the wall. So when you remove the screw to replace the bumper, you may encounter some bite to the screw as you remove it from a wall stud or anchor.

Getting a replacement bumper will likely be the most challenging aspect of this project. You can try a home center, but getting the exact part for the shower door enclosure you have might take you to a specialty company. Realize though, that you don’t need an exact replacement, the purpose of the bumper is to provide a cushion so that the glass door doesn’t slam against the wall. Even if you find something reasonably close, you could always modify it to fit, if necessary.

If a home center doesn’t have what you are looking for, you can try a glass shop. Many glass contractors install custom shower surrounds, and may have the right parts for your shower door.

A swamp cooler, aka evaporative cooler, really doesn’t have many parts by comparison, but the parts they do have are important. One of the things that keeps the swamp cooler running is the pump. The pump moves water over the filter media to keep it wet. Over time sediment builds up in the base of the cooler, the water will wash debris from the filter media, and evaporation leaves behind deposits which can clog the pump. The pump screen plays a vital role in stopping the debris from reaching the inlet of the pump. Do you need a pump screen? Absolutely.

The pump screen is simply a plastic basket that the pump sits inside. It has many small openings to allow water in but blocks debris from entering. Occasionally, you might have to clean the debris from the openings in the basket.

You will have to remove the screws that hold the pump in place at the bottom of the cooler and then place the basket below it. On some models, depending where the hose connects from the pump to the spider, you may have to feed the hose through a hole in the basket. The basket usually has a knockout for this reason, but if not you can use a utility knife to make your own hole.