Teach A Man To Fix

(Post 48 in a series for DIY beginners)

I want to tackle the leak with the most dire consequences first in this series on water leaks, because it is the easiest to deal with. The hoses that feed your washing machine are constantly under pressure because the taps that feed them are always on – the washing machine itself decides when the water feeding into the washer should be on or off.

Washing machine supply lines

Close up of washing machine hoses - notice how the ends are very similar to garden hose ends. If you are practicing being aware of details, then you might have noticed that the hot water side - tap with the red ring - feeds the hose that is discolored - hot water is hard on stuff!

The one that feeds the hot water has a bit of a tougher job, because rubber tends to break down a bit when exposed to heat. The bad thing about this situation is that if these hoses develop a weak spot and burst, the water just keeps on coming. The tap that feeds it is always on full blast!

Yikes!

If you aren’t home to shut it off right away, you’ve got big problems. Some people turn them off when not in use; most of us do not. If we are in the “do not” group, there are some easy preventative steps we can take – just check the hoses once in a while (do a visual check, and squeeze the hoses to see if there are any soft spots in them), and if you have any doubts about their suitability for continued service, by all means, replace them. Or, you could just replace them once every few years no matter what they look like. They aren’t that expensive, especially compared to a disaster cleanup bill. They attach just like a garden hose, and, as with a garden hose, you need to make sure the round rubber washer is inside the end before you install it. You’ll probably need a pair of pliers to get the old ones off, but don’t be tempted to use them to over tighten the fittings when installing the new ones. Just spin them on by hand until they seem tight, and then use the pliers to go only another half a turn or so. You’ll know if you got it right as soon as you turn the taps back on!

Water pump pliers - or "slip joint pliers." Because of their design, they can open to a lot of different sizes, and you can get a really tight grip. That is one well used and ugly old pair of pliers!

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 47 in a series for DIY beginners)

The absolutely wrong time to be looking for your main water shutoff, is, of course, when a water pipe or connection has failed. It might have frozen, or it might be a connection that was poor from day one and just couldn’t hang on any longer. But we don’t care about the “why’s” when the basement is filling with water, do we?

So let’s be prepared ahead of time, and find that shutoff right now.

Unfortunately, there’s no standard location, so we have to use our powers of deduction to find it. It’s usually close to an outside wall, because that’s where the main water supply line comes in. That water line runs underground through the yard and is usually attached to a “Main” line that runs either under the front street or the back alley, so that narrows it down a bit more – it’s not likely to be coming through a side wall.

What you are looking for is a valve of some type, which is a fancy way of saying “tap.” They often look like your average outside garden hose tap, but not always. It might be a ‘ball valve”, which has a straight handle on it that only turns ninety degrees. When you position the handle in line with the valve body, it’s “On,” and at a right angle to the valve is “Off.” Be careful not to get this mixed up with your gas line, because they can use a similar looking valve. If it’s attached to a rigid black pipe that you can trace to the control valve on your hot water tank, or to the furnace, then it’s a gas line.

2 kinds of ball valves in the corner of a basement - one larger main valve, and a shutoff for a smaller feed line

Example of a gas valve - notice that it's installed in a black metal pipe, not a copper or plastic line. That isn't to say that water lines can't be made of metal - they can be, but the pipe will be galvanized - it will have more of a dull grey-ish silver color.

Another clue is condensation. The water coming into the house is usually pretty cool, so the pipe should have some moisture on it if it is a water line. If the valve is attached to a grey plastic pipe, as is the case with newer installations, you know for sure that it’s water.

I’ve seen water shutoffs in corners, above removable ceiling tile, and behind square pieces of plywood that have been painted and screwed on to a wall. In general, if it’s a valve of some type on a water line that is off by itself somewhere, that might be it. Now you gotta test it, because it might just be an outside water shutoff, not the main shutoff.

You do that by turning it off. That’s clockwise, because you are threading the movable part into the valve to shut off water flow. If it’s a ball valve, turn the handle so that it’s at a 90 degree angle to the main part of the valve. Now go to a sink and turn on the tap. If the water drizzles out and then quits, you’ve got it! Try hot and cold just to be sure.

One thing that is a bit frustrating about main water shutoff valves is that they almost always leak a bit. Any water has some minerals in it, and if a shutoff doesn’t get operated for years on end, the finely machined seating surfaces and/or rubber seating washers inside of the valve get built up with mineral deposits and corroded. As a result the valve mating surfaces no longer match up perfectly. This will not prevent you from shutting off the main water flow, but doing repairs on copper pipes may require soldering, and when there is a little trickle of water running through them, that gets a bit tricky. (Details on those kinds of repairs are a subject for a future post.)

If you live in an area where winter temperatures fall below freezing, you also need to shut off the supply to your outside water faucets. The process of locating the outside water shutoffs is about the same as finding your main – try to figure out where a logical location would be, based on where the taps are installed on the outside of the house. Once you find them, (there might be one for each line), shut them off, and then turn the outside tap “On.” That will drain out any water that might freeze, expand, and split the body of the tap itself, or the line that goes to it. Don’t forget this step!

There is a “frost free” water valve that does not need to be shutoff in the winter. So, no worries, right? Wrong! Here’s why: these faucets have a long pipe that goes back into the insulated part of the house. Even though the tap handle is outside, the actual valve seat, and any water, is inside. Cool idea! You shut it off, and all the water that is in the freezing zone drains out. But this won’t work if the water can’t drain out. Why would that happen? Well, let’s say that you left a hose attached to the tap, and the hose is still full of water. That will keeping the tap from draining out properly. So, if you forget to remove any valves, splitters, timers, or hoses from the frost free faucet, it can become very un frost free. Frozen and burst water lines are a very messy business!

So now you know how to get ready for winter, and you’re ready for any water leak emergency. Over the next few posts, we’ll address two very common household water leaks that are easy to prevent, fairly easy to trace the source of, and might even be easy to repair!

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 46 in a series for DIY beginners)

There are  just a few basic things that the average home owner needs to know about painting. You can go to your paint supplier and learn all about oil and latex bases for paints, Satin and Eggshell finishes, what paint to use where, and the appropriate cleaners and thinners, but it ain’t gonna do you an ounce of  good if you don’t remember these three main rules:

1. Always use a proper primer, or one of the new paints that include a priming agent, for any new surfaces, and that includes new drywall and drywall patches – even the smallest ones.

2. Properly prepare the surface. If it’s a fairly clean painted wall, a good scrub with a degreaser like TSP will do the trick. (Tri – Sodium Phosphate – Sounds like something out of a mad scientist’s lab, but you can get it at the hardware store.) The very best thing to do though, is to give the whole area a light sanding with a medium grit sandpaper, (200 – ish), in a proper flat holder, or in the form of a foam sanding block, and then dust it off.

3. Use lots of paint on your brush or roller. Didja hear me? Use lots of paint! Not so much that it runs down the handle and up your sleeve, or runs down the wall, but you really need to make sure you are using enough paint so that it flows on smoothly. If you are trying to stretch the paint out, and the brush seems to be dragging and not gliding along nicely, you are just making life hard for yourself. The painting is no fun, and the paint isn’t flowing into all the tiny little crevasses and bumps in the material. It might look good to you now, but when it dries you will clearly see the error of your ways.

Anyone doing a renovation is going to spend time consulting with the paint store and will learn many details, but if you always apply these three very basic principles, you will have a far better chance of success. Expensive paint and rollers can never make up for poor preparation and bad technique.

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 45 in a series for DIY beginners)

(Drywall repair basics, Part 3. You really should read Part 1 and Part 2 first!)

Okay, let’s talk about the fist sized hole – oops! I mean “the larger hole.”  I don’t want you to think  I’m accusing you of anything … As with the medium sized hole, they key is stabilization – you don’t want the patch to move or vibrate when a nearby door slams shut.  With a bigger patch we need to go one step further than just taping the edges.

For this job, you’ll also need a drill with a #2 Philips driver bit for drywall screws; a sanding pole, or at least one of those 3 1/2 inch by 9 1/2 inch hand sanders; a taping knife, which is a like a big rectangular putty knife; possibly a drywall saw. I say “possibly” because I get by with a utility knife most of the time – it’s a bit more work, but it makes a cleaner cut, and less mess. If you want to get  fancy, you can get a high speed rotary cutting tool that goes through drywall like butter. The drawback is that it spits out a lot of dust! If you want to spend some more money and get really fancy, you can get one of those newer oscillating cutters that are made by companies like Dremel, Bosch, and Fein.  A very cool all around reno tool, actually.

First thing you need to do is cut the hole out to a size and shape that will be easy to copy with a new piece of drywall. That’s usually square. (Note: please read to the end of this section before doing this one – there are a few cautions to be aware of.) Now comes the key ingredient, the “backing.” That is just a strip of wood that will go inside of the wall to hold the new patch in place. It can be a scrap piece of plywood for smaller holes, or even 1 inch by 2 inch strips of wood for larger patches. The backing has to be cut so that it is a couple of inches longer than the hole, but will still fit through the hole.

Get your drill ready with a drywall screw driver bit of the correct size. (Are you still calling it a “star” screwdriver? From now on it’s “Phillips” , OK? And for this, the size is #2). Center the backing in the hole and run a screw through the drywall and into the end of your backing strip that is inside the wall. You are going to need to pull the backing toward you to hold it in place, and if you can get your fingers behind it that’s great. If not, you can drive a screw into the middle of the strip to make a little handle that will do the trick nicely.

To get a stable installation, I like to use several screws at each end, not too close together, and not too close to the edge of the drywall, so that it doesn’t break apart. Here is another dry walling main principle – drive the screws in so that they just dimple the surface of the paper. You need to accomplish two things here. One is to fasten the drywall securely, of course, but without breaking through the paper. If that happens, the drywall crumbles, and you’ve lost all of your holding power. The other thing that you need to accomplish is having the screw driven in far enough so that it is in a bit of a depression that can be filled with drywall mud later. You can actually buy a specialized bit for your drill called drywall screw setter, or a “dimpler,” that drives the screw in the perfect amount and then releases it!

A couple of pieces of discarded trim used for backing

That’s the hard part. Now you just need to cut your patch, screw it onto the backing,  and proceed with the same steps we took for the medium sized patch – apply mud to fill the seams, then tape and mud over that and let it dry, then feather out the next two coats.

Clean up the patch by using a sharp utility knife to slice off the ragged edges, then tape and mud, prime and paint, and it's like it never happened!

Please remember that these are just the basics that will serve you well for the occasional patch job. As mentioned earlier, there are other kinds of drywall tape and drywall mud out there, power tools for cutting drywall, and different opinions on the perfect and most efficient way of dry walling. As mentioned previously on this blog, one of the best learning tools to use is your local building supply store and their staff. Always take the time to look around at the different products and ask questions when you’re there.

Here are a few other important basics to remember:

- Always sand with a sanding block of some sort so that the result will be flat. A great tool that has appeared on the market relatively recently is a little sander made of a dense foam. They have a coarse side for quickly taking down the lumps that you forgot to scrape off, and a finer side for finish sanding.

- Larger patches will require more than one strip of backing, of course, as shown in this example. You might even need to have a strip on all four sides of the patch. If the hole is large enough that you decide to trim the drywall back to the wall studs, then you can just screw the two side backing strips right to the side of the studs – if there are no wires in the way.

- Cutting drywall is really simple. Using a utility knife, just score along the line you’ve measured and marked out, and cut through the paper. Then you can hit the drywall from the opposite side, and the gypsum will just crack apart. Fold the drywall back along the cut and slice the paper on the other side, and that’s it! You can use the utility knife to clean up and fine tune the edges. You’ll need to do one cut at a time, though. You can’t mark out a rectangle for a patch and cut it out this way, but if you don’t want to cut a three or four inch strip off of a whole sheet just for one small square patch, you can get yourself a specially designed drywall saw. This is one of those rare cases where “specially designed” doesn’t mean expensive.

- Here’s a caution about cutting: when you are squaring off a damaged area in preparation for a patch, do not just score four lines and punch in the drywall to break it. That will just rip the paper backing and large chunks of gypsum off of the inside of the wall. The score and break method only works on one cut line at a time. Use a drywall saw for the whole job, or use a utility knife to keep scoring until you’ve cut all the way through on three sides. The fourth side is now free, and you can score it and knock it in to break it.

- Here’s another caution: When cutting out damage with a saw or knife be very careful. Set your utility knife blade so that it will cut about a half inch, and only about a half inch. Can you think of what might be in the wall? Electrical wires, plastic water pipes, phone and cable wires, etc.  … If the damaged area is big enough, though, you should be able to see inside, or at least feel around with your fingers to find anything that might not take well to sharp cutting tools.

- If you are working on an outside wall, you’ll find insulation and plastic vapor barrier. Before closing up the patch, you should make sure the insulation is in place, and any vapor barrier damage is sealed up with tape that’s made just for that – commonly a red roll, brand name “Tuck Tape.”

So, these last three posts pretty much cover all the drywall basics. As far as basics go, there is nothing else to learn! Professionals might use slightly different tools or materials and they definitely perfect their mudding technique, but If you’ve grasped the main ideas here, you are going to be pretty comfortable with drywall repairs. Congratulations, and happy patching!

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 44 in a series for DIY beginners)

(Drywall repair basics – Part 2. Also see Part 1 and Part 3!)

For any hole that is bigger than a nail or screw hole, you have two concerns. The first is hiding the patch, of course, but the second is stabilizing the edges of the patch so that they won’t crack. That’s where drywall paper or tape comes in.

So, for a 1/2 inch to a about a one inch hole, maximum, (in my opinion), you need to clean up the edges by using a utility knife to cut off any ragged bits of paper sticking out, and fill the hole and surrounding area with drywall mud. Then wet a strip of drywall tape, place it over the hole, and scrape another coat of mud over top of that. You need to make sure the tape is saturated and you need to make sure it is flat with no bubbles under it. If it looks flat, but isn’t wet enough, it will bubble when it dries.

The other option is to use a length of the drywall mesh tape. It has a self adhesive back to it, which is convenient and not as messy as dealing with paper tape, because you won’t need that first coat of mud under it to keep it in place. Cautions: it needs a thick, (1/4 inch or so) coat of mud over it to make sure it is “glued” in place and covered, and if you sand it too deep, it will fray.

The next part is a bit tricky: You now have a piece of tape on the surface of the drywall that sticks out a few thousandths of an inch. Doesn’t sound like much, but when the light hits it from certain angles it will look like Mount Everest! So how do you hide that? Easy. You fool the eye with your second and third coats. If you can get one of those really wide drywall taping knives, or at least a 6 inch drywall knife, it will make the job a lot easier.

Drywall taping knife

Definitely not to scale! Also, the knife would be leaning back, at an angle to the wall, but this gives you the general idea of how a coat of mud, sloped away from the high point, can help hide the drywall tape.

What you are going to do is scrape a thin layer of mud over the patch with the knife at an angle that is less than 30 degrees or so to the wall – you’ll have to get the feel of this one for yourself. The proper angle will allow the front edge of the blade to flex a tiny bit so that the center rides over the  patch, but the outer edges stay flat on the rest of the wall. The effect is that you’ve now “feathered” out the edges of this coat of mud with such a gradual slope that you’ll hardly notice the patch. Whoops! Hardly notice? Let’s apply one or two more coats, after sanding or scraping away any excess, of course and feather it out even more to make it so that we don’t notice it at all. You can do that if you have a few sizes of drywall knives, and use a bigger one each time. Some people that are very comfortable with this just use a 14 inch drywall knife for the whole job, on all but the smallest patches. It has enough flex, and enough length to ride over the patch and feather it out all the way around in one or two quick coats! Don’t forget to prime and paint it!

I’ve got great news for you! If you’ve got a good handle on the idea of feathering out a patch, then you also know the main idea behind any drywall installation. Great drywall seams, whether they are flat, where two pieces join, or inside or outside corners, all depend on a smooth, feathered application of drywall mud, usually in three coats.

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 43 in a series for DIY beginners)

(Drywall repair basics – Part 1 of 3)

I think you’re gonna love this next series of three posts on drywall repair. The basics are super easy, and the results look great! Your most important tool – and the most difficult one for some people – is going to be patience. It’s going to be very tempting to paint the patch before it’s actually ready for a final coat. If you don’t want a lumpy looking wall as an eternal monument to your lack of self discipline, don’t do it!

We’re going to go through this in three steps, from teeny little nail pokes to gaping, fist sized knockout holes. Not that I’m implying that they were made by your fist. That’s just an example …

A few basic tools that you’ll need: a good utility knife; a sanding block and sandpaper with a grit number of anywhere from 120 to 150, or a foam sander; two drywall knives, ( four inch and six inch); and some kind of easy to sand, non shrinking drywall compound. Pay attention to this one! Some of the powders that you mix up seem like a very economical choice but when they dry they’re almost as hard as concrete, which makes it very hard to sand smooth. I really prefer the premixed /non-shrinking/non-cracking type for patching.

Some basic drywall supplies

Let’s start with the small nail hole. Before you do anything with the drywall repair compound, (hereinafter called “mud”), you need to make sure that there are no paper edges sticking out around the damaged area. You might think that they’ll just sand off after the first application of mud dries, but they won’t. A really easy way to fix this is to push the end of the handle of your putty knife firmly against the hole and give it a twist. That will make a nice little dimple, and it pushes the edges in.

Step 1: If there are any ragged paper edges, trim them off with a utility knife.

Step 2: Using a tool handle, push in and twist

Step 3: Nice dimpled hole ready for filler!

Now, you just mix up the compound so that it is smooth and creamy, scoop up a blob, (a “dollop,” to you cooks), and scrape it into the hole with the putty knife – I like to use a four inch putty knife for this size of hole. Scrape it into the hole, holding the knife at a bit of an angle to the wall and applying a bit of pressure, and then scrape off the excess. Then wait, probably overnight. Let it dry, give it a light sand, and apply another coat, as many times as you need to to get it perfectly smooth. A note on the second and third coats – these coats are much thinner layers, so they won’t take quite as long to dry.

You can run your fingers over the patch after you’ve sanded it to see how even it feels, but there’s an even better way to make sure it’s flat.  This is a neat trick: get a trouble light or a lamp with the shade removed, and hold it close to the wall so that any irregularities will be lit from the side. If it looks good – and I don’t mean just “good enough,” – then give it a little swipe of primer paint, and then your final color. Ta- da! Done!

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 42 in a series for DIY beginners)

(Part 1 here)

Basically, stud finders don’t know what a 2 x4 wall stud is. They just measure the density of the material under their sensing surface. But before they start measuring, they need to know the density of  just a plain old half inch of drywall with nothing solid behind it. Just hold the stud finder against the wall and, depending on the model, either hold the “On” button, or just wait for about a second. If a green light goes on, or you hear a little beep, that’s the stud finder saying, “ Oh! So that’s the density of a half inch of drywall! I’ll call that “Zero percent” Got it! Any density higher than that and I’ll start beeping.” Now you can start sliding the stud finder horizontally along the wall to find the stud. As soon as a higher density is sensed, (wood behind the drywall), then you get a signal – a steady red or green light or a steady beep, or maybe a solid vertical line on a display, or even a red laser line projected on to the wall.

Most stud finders even give you some kind of signal that you are getting closer to the edge of the stud. Depending on the model, it could be an intermittent beep, or a series of lights. The more lights that are turned on, the closer you are to the stud. As soon as the signal indicates that the finder has done it’s job and found a stud, make a light pencil mark on the wall at the indicating mark, usually the center of the stud finder. Keep sliding the stud finder along until the signal turns off – that marks the other edge of the stud.

Here are a couple of styles of stud finders:

Calibrated and ready

Edge of stud found!

Calibrated and close to stud edge

Edge found!

Here are some things that might cause a bit of frustration:

1. If the stud finder just keeps on wailing and screeching, then you might be trying to calibrate it right at the location of a wall stud. In the initial calibration mode, it knows that it’s looking for the approximate density of a normal sheet of drywall. Anything outside of that range will make the stud finder have a hissy fit. Move it over a bit and try again. Or, move it up or down and try again – I can’t count the number of times I’ve discovered a short piece of 2 x 4 installed horizontally between the studs as a cross brace inside of the wall.

2. If there is anything of a higher density behind the wall, you’ll get weird signals from your stud finder, as if it’s saying, “Okay, I’m getting closer to something … closer … oops! It’s gone. Hmm, guess that wasn’t a stud!” There might be a pipe or a wire that runs just behind the drywall. I’ve even gotten strange readings sliding the stud finder along the seam of the drywall, which, of course, you can’t see on a finished wall. That will usually be about forty eight inches off the floor – the width of a sheet of drywall. When we talk a little more about drywall installation, you’ll learn that the seam has drywall mud troweled into it, a paper drywall tape put over that, and then more layers of drywall mud on top of that. It all adds up to a higher density than the rest of the board, hence the faulty readings with some models of stud finder. Try to run the stud finder along the wall either higher or lower than the seam. Of course, in this situation, you’ll know that you’re not reading wood behind the wall, because you’ll only get the signal at that one spot.  A 2×4, on the other hand,  is 1 1/2 inches wide, so your edge indicator will turn on as it reaches the first edge, stay on for the thickness of the stud, as you slide the stud finder along, then turn off.

3. You can’t use a stud finder on really old houses that have lath and plaster walls. Wow! Did they ever used to do things the hard way! They would tack thin strips of wood all over the wall, and then spread plaster over it and try to get it even. From what you already know, that old style stuff ain’t gonna work with modern technology – the density readings are all over the map!

4. You need to find the center of the stud and install any screws or nails there. The reason is that if you are too near the edge of the stud, and you drive a screw in that misses or goes in a bit crooked and comes out of the side of the stud, you might run into the electrical wires that could be running vertically up or down the center of the side of the 2 x 4. I know you don’t want to do that.

One thing that I have found is that modern technology is pretty reliable, unless you happen to get a bargain basement model, of course. Usually, if things aren’t going right, it’s because there’s something that you’ve forgotten to take into consideration, or some part of the owner’s manual that you skimmed over a bit too quickly. So, don’t throw the stud finder out. Just remember the basics we talked about here, plus a few clues and rules:

Clue:  As mentioned, a  2×4 is actually only one and a half  inches thick, so your lines should be one and a half inches apart. In wall areas that are close to doorways or windows, or in any old home that has been renovated, though, there might be two wall studs in the same location, so you’ll get alerts at  three inches apart. Once you learn to read and trust your stud finder, you’ll know what’s in the wall – it will be like having X-ray vision!

Clue: When you are looking for framing studs that are not in the area of doorways or windows, you’ll usually find studs on sixteen inch centers. That means exactly what it sounds like: the center of each stud is sixteen inches from the center of the next one. So that’s another clue – to confirm that you’ve found a stud, just use the stud finder to look for the next one over.  Or measure sixteen inches over from the one you’ve found, and check it with the stud finder.

Rule 1. Only make small pencil marks at locations that have triggered a good solid signal defining both edges of a stud.

Rule 2. Move the stud finder up 6 inches or so to see if you get the same readings, just to confirm that you’ve actually found a vertical wall stud.

You’ll be able to hang pictures that you could swing on …. if you wanted to!

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 41 in a series for DIY beginners)

You are probably itching to try out your new found skills on a simple project, like hanging a picture or small shelf. Of course, you want to get your fastener into something solid if possible, especially for heavier things, so you’ll need to find the location of a wall stud. You can get a little low-tech device that just uses a magnetic indicator to show where the drywall attaching screws are, but the modern way of doing this is with an electronic stud finder. Here’s the thing about stud finders, though: they seem super easy to use. Push a button, slide it across the wall, wait for the light. But they can be very frustrating if you don’t know about some of the their quirks.

You can get them for a very reasonable price, and even the most basic stud finders seem to work quite well. All the ones that I have used have some kind of calibration procedure to go through before they can sense wall framing that you can nail into, and we’re going to take a bit of a side trip to explain “calibration.” Don’t let that word scare you off, because it’s really a pretty simple idea! If you’re practicing being more aware of the world around you, something I encouraged in my post, “Your Very Own Serendipity Machine,” I think you’ll really enjoy getting to know what  happens behind the scenes with every single device that measures anything. If you’re in a hurry to hang your picture, feel free to skip to the next post.

In it’s most basic form, calibration is the way any measuring device finds out the value of one or more points of measurement, such as the zero percent point and the one hundred percent point, and then makes sure that it displays proper values through the whole range of measurement. Sometimes the adjustment is done by a technician, and sometimes the device calibrates itself. A good example of how calibration works is the fuel gauge in a car. It has to be calibrated, or adjusted, so that when the float and sensor in the tank is at the bottom, the gauge reads “Empty,” (zero percent), when the float is halfway up, it reads “Half Full” and when the float is at the top, the gauge reads “Full” (one hundred percent) In a very simple calibration scenario, the technician sets the zero and one hundred percent points on the equipment, and it is assumed that any measurement that the device reads between those points will be correct.

That example describes some of the basic components of any measuring and control system: Usually a sensor is involved, and then a display. In the case of things like a heater or furnace thermostat, the measured value is not only displayed, it is then acted on. The thermostat measures and displays the room temperature, and tells the furnace to turn off or on. Everything from kitchen range controls to grocery weigh scales to gas pumps and even police radar guns have to be calibrated. If you take a walk through any factory, you will see gauges and readouts that display values of things like heat, flow of product, conveyor belt speed, pressure, etc. Guess what? Yep, they all need to be calibrated.

The next time you are at a gas pump, or at any grocery store weigh scale, look for a sticker that says “Certified” and then a date. That’s proof that a required calibration was performed, to make sure that we are getting what we pay for.

Next post – Part 2: let’s find those hidden wall studs!

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 40 in a series for DIY beginners)

(Alternate title: “Making Things Look Level”)

What’s up with the “looking level” subtitle? Why not just, “Using A Level?” Good question. The answer is that going strictly by the level doesn’t always work! But before we get into that, let’s talk about … using a level.

The concept of lining up the bubble in the center of the marks on the bubble cylinder is pretty easy. Just don’t be sloppy about it, take the time to get an exact alignment, and you’ll do well. If you take a close look at some of the short levels, you’ll notice that the straight edge that will sit on the work piece you are checking does not run the whole length of the level. You need to make sure that you only use that machined precision edge. And it has to be clean! A little dab of construction glue or silicone stuck on that edge will really throw things out!

As mentioned earlier in the tool recommendations, if you are doing something that needs leveling over a long span, then a longer level is definitely better. All is not lost, though, if you only have a short level. For most jobs, you can find something that has a nice straight edge, like a yardstick, and hold the level against that. You’ve now converted your short level into a long level. Just remember that it isn’t the real thing. If you are super careful about lining up the bubble, it should work okay for you.

Now, what about that “making it look level’ stuff? Well, it’s like this; if you are installing a shelf above a doorway, for example, and the doorway is crooked, and/or the ceiling is crooked, a level shelf will look crooked! It’s time to put the level away, get your trusty helper to hold the shelf in place, and see where it looks best. That’s called “eyeballing it.” Sometimes that’s all you can do. You could measure and center the shelf in the area, but that doesn’t always look right, either. You can’t line it up parallel with the ceiling, because then the door frame will make it look crooked, and vice versa. The same thing applies when you are installing anything close to any straight lines – ceilings, walls, door or window frames, wood paneling or even wood or vinyl siding.  Always use the lines as a reference, rather than the level.

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)

(Post 39 in a series for DIY beginners)

OK, I have to apologize for the break in the “course” material, but I am pretty excited about getting news out about the ebook! If you haven’t checked out the table of contents, just as an overview, please have a look at the intro page. I think this is a perfect fit for anyone that doesn’t want to wait for the ecourse to unfold over months of time.

I also want to mention that I will be posting as often as I can, (I really want to get the 21 essential home and vehicle owner survival skills posted), but life is getting a bit in the way right now! I apologize, but promise I will get those 21 tips done ASAP, and then start with some specific home and vehicle task tutorials. Thanks for hangin’ in there, and I hope you’re learning stuff!

Today we’re going to clarify that old injunction to measure twice before committing. When you measure, you have to be aware of what you’re doing. The measurement, taken ten times, the wrong way, is the wrong measurement! The issue usually doesn’t arise when taking a straight measurement and then transferring it to something like a length of window trim. There can be problems, though, when you have to take a few measurements and add or subtract them to get your final dimension. Another common occasion for error is if you are cutting doorway or window mouldings that are angled on the corners. This is definitely the time to get a scrap of paper and do a quick drawing so that you can visualize exactly what you need to measure. Twice …

You also need to be alert as to where, exactly, the end of the measuring tape is, and where, exactly you are reading your measurement from.  And, for precision work, (which is what you are always aiming for, right?), you even have to take into account the width of the saw blade! Where you cut can make a difference of an eighth of an inch, even more if you cut both ends at the wrong spot. It doesn’t sound like much, but that’s the difference between a tight professional fit and a sloppy fit that has to be patched – and ends up looking patched.

A good habit to get into is to draw the line that indicates the length you want, and then make some kind of mark or scribble on the side of the line that will be the “waste” side. Then you know exactly where to line up the saw blade. And speaking of lines, make sure the pencil you are using is sharp! It’s very hard to make a precision cut if the mark you’ve made is an eighth of an inch wide!

Here’s another measuring trick that will help you to be accurate – but one that you really have to be careful with. Have you noticed that three quarters of an inch or so at the end of the measuring tape that is covered by the metal clip? How can you be really accurate if you can’t see it? The problem gets worse after the tape gets a little older, because the clip loosens up and moves around. Here’s what ya do: Use the one inch mark as your starting point. The one inch mark is always easy to see. So, if you need to measure ten inches, for example, line up the one inch mark with the end of your material, and then make your cut mark at eleven inches. Can you see, though, how you might get into trouble here? You can be more accurate, but if you make your mark at ten inches, the cleverness factor is right out the window, along with your ruined piece of material.

You can, of course, also minimize errors by making sure your measuring tape is not worn out, and by using things like a carpenter’s square or a metal ruler to make smaller measurements.

Measuring errors are a legendary pitfall of the occasional handy person, but you are now aware that it doesn’t have to be that way, right? Remember? There is no weird magic.  Just learn to measure correctly, be careful, make your cuts in the right place, even make a drawing if you need to, and you’ll get it right the first time, every time.

(Note for new visitors: This post is part of a series designed to give DIY newbies a confidence boost. My goal is to provide the basic basics of home and auto repair and maintenance, give you a heads up about some of the pitfalls that you might come across, and generally demystify the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in our lives. For best results, please take in the whole “mini course” that started with this post)