c/fix-it-yourself

Pro tip: A $5 tube of silicone caulk saved my kitchen floor from a slow leak

I noticed a soft spot near the sink last week and traced it to a tiny gap under the dishwasher. I sealed it up, and the subfloor dried out fine. Anyone know a good way to check for hidden water damage without tearing up the tile?

Warning: I lost a whole weekend and $40 on that 'free' faucet from the ReStore

Everyone says to check the Habitat for Humanity ReStore first for cheap parts... and I did. Found a kitchen faucet for $15 that looked perfect. Got it home, spent Friday night taking the old one out. Saturday morning I start putting the 'new' one in and find the threads are totally stripped on the main connection. Couldn't get it to seal no matter what I tried with plumber's tape or a new washer. Had to go buy a brand new faucet anyway for $120, plus the $15 I wasted and a whole Saturday gone. That 'free' part cost me time and a trip back to the store. Has anyone else had a ReStore find turn into a total time sink? How do you check stuff like that before you buy?

Overheard a guy at the hardware store say he fixes cracked phone screens with UV glue and a $20 kit from the mall. Always thought that was a scam.

Question about using plumber's putty on a new sink

I just redid my kitchen sink last week and used a fresh tube of Hercules plumber's putty for the drain flange. The instructions said to apply it, tighten the nut, and wipe away the excess. I did that, but two days later I noticed a weird, oily stain spreading on my new granite countertop right under the drain. It looked like the putty was sweating oil and it etched into the stone. I had to call a stone guy who said the putty reacted with the granite's sealant and it cost me $450 to have the section polished out. I learned the hard way that some plumber's putty formulas are not safe for natural stone. Has anyone else run into this? What do you use under a drain flange if you can't use standard putty?

I just hit 100 saved receipts in my repair binder and it finally clicked

I finally figured out why my neighbor's deck stain keeps peeling

He told me he power washes the wood right before applying a new coat every spring, which strips the old stain but leaves the surface too damp. The stain can't bond properly and just sits on top, so it flakes off after a few months. Has anyone found a good way to explain the dry-time needed without sounding like a know-it-all?

Appreciation post: my leaky faucet was just a worn-out O-ring the whole time

Found a plumbing diagram online that said 90% of drips are from that 50 cent part, not the whole cartridge. Anyone know a good source for a variety pack of those little rubber rings?

My kitchen sink was leaking for a month before I found the real problem

I kept tightening the P-trap under the sink, but the drip from the cabinet floor never stopped. After three tries, I finally took the whole trap apart and saw the washer was cracked on one side, not seated wrong. A new washer from the hardware store cost 89 cents and fixed it in ten minutes. Has anyone else wasted time tightening when the part just needed replacing?

Can we talk about using plumber's putty on sink drains

My kitchen sink started leaking under the cabinet last Tuesday, and I found the old plumber's putty had turned to dust. Everyone online says to just pack more putty in there, but I think that's a bad fix. I cleaned everything off and used a rubber gasket instead, the kind that comes with some new drains. It took maybe 20 minutes and cost $4 for the part. The putty always fails after a few years, especially with heat from the disposal. The rubber seal makes a tight fit without the mess and won't dry out. Has anyone else switched to gaskets and had it hold up long term?

My neighbor saw me struggling with a stripped screw and told me to use a rubber band

I was trying to get a stripped Phillips head screw out of an old cabinet hinge yesterday and was about to give up. He walked over, handed me a thick rubber band, and said to lay it over the screw head before pushing the driver in hard. It worked on the first try and saved me from drilling it out. What other simple household items have you used as a last-minute fix like that?

Just tried two different ways to fix a wobbly ceiling fan and one was a total game changer

My bedroom fan was shaking so bad it sounded like a helicopter. First, I just tried tightening the screws on the blades and the canopy. It helped for about a day, then the wobble came right back. Then I got a tip from a guy at the hardware store. He said to use a balancing kit, the kind with little clip-on weights. Cost me maybe $8. I followed the steps, found the heavy blade, and stuck a weight on the one opposite it. Took me 20 minutes. The difference was night and day. It's been solid and quiet for over a month now. Tightening alone was just a band-aid, but actually balancing it fixed the root cause. Anyone else have a better method for a fan that's still shaky after balancing?

Had to pick between a $40 pipe wrench and a $15 adjustable for a stubborn sink fitting.

The fitting was stuck hard after years of rust, and I went with the pipe wrench thinking it had more grip. It worked, but left some marks on the chrome, which was a bummer. Would a different tool have saved the finish, or was that just the price of getting it loose?

Update on my leaky kitchen faucet in the apartment...

I watched a video from a guy in Portland and learned to replace the cartridge myself for $12 instead of calling the super. Anyone know a good brand for those little O-rings so they last longer?

Update: That $40 stud finder from Harbor Freight was a total waste of cash

I was trying to hang a heavy shelf in my bedroom and this thing gave me three false positives in a row. Ended up drilling into a pipe and causing a leak that cost me over $300 to fix. I should have just used the old knock-on-the-wall method. Has anyone found a budget tool that actually works right?

Question about fixing a leaky shower valve after a hotel stay

Staying at a place in Sedona last month, the shower handle was so loose it spun freely. I watched the maintenance guy fix it in about two minutes with just a hex key on the set screw behind the handle cap. I've fixed three wobbly handles at home the same way since. Anyone know what to do if the screw is totally stripped out?

My neighbor in Cincinnati swore by using a hair dryer to fix a dent, and I thought he was nuts

I had a small dent on my garage door from a stray basketball, and he told me to heat it with a hair dryer for about five minutes and then quickly press a can of compressed air upside down on the spot. I figured it was a waste of time, but I tried it last weekend and the metal actually popped back out almost perfectly. Has anyone else had luck with this heat-and-cold trick on other surfaces, like maybe a car door?

Honestly, I had to pick between patching a hole with spackle or using joint compound and my drywall looks way better now

My old wood fence looked fine until I scrubbed a small spot with a $5 deck brush

I mean, everyone says to power wash a wood fence, but I just used a stiff brush and some soapy water on a 2-foot section last spring. The difference was crazy, like the wood went from gray to a light brown in maybe 20 minutes of work. I did the whole 40-foot fence over three weekends, and now it looks new without any of the splintering I got from a rental power washer last year. Has anyone else found that simple scrubbing works better for old wood?

Serious question, has anyone else's water heater anode rod snapped during a flush?

Mine broke off inside the tank last month, and I had to drain the whole thing to get the piece out with a magnet. What's the best way to avoid this next time?

My bathroom sink drain was leaking and I fixed it with a $3 part from the hardware store

I was in my apartment in Omaha last Tuesday night and noticed a small puddle under the vanity. The drain pipe from the sink had a slow drip right at the joint. I almost called my landlord but figured I'd try to look first. I took the trap apart with a pair of pliers and saw the old washer was totally flat and cracked. I went to the local hardware store and the guy showed me a replacement slip joint washer for less than three bucks. I put it all back together, hand-tightened the nuts, and ran the water for five minutes. No more drip. It felt so good to solve it myself. Has anyone else had a leak like that where the fix was way simpler than you thought?

My brother-in-law said my caulk lines looked like a toddler did them

He told me to use painter's tape on both sides and a wet finger to smooth it, which made my bathroom redo look way more professional. What's your best trick for a clean bead?

My old landlord in Tucson showed me how to fix a running toilet with a penny

I was about to call a plumber for a toilet that wouldn't stop running. My landlord, Frank, came over, took the lid off the tank, and just dropped a penny into the fill valve. He said, 'The washer's worn, this adds a little weight so it seals.' It worked perfectly for six months until I replaced the whole valve. Anyone know other cheap fixes like that for common problems?

Went to the hardware store in Bakersfield and saw a whole aisle of broken stuff

I was picking up some wood glue yesterday and walked past the returns counter. There were at least twenty power tools sitting there with tags saying 'customer states not working'. Most were basic cordless drills and sanders, nothing fancy. The guy behind the counter told me over half of them just need a new battery or a simple switch cleaned. It made me wonder how many people give up on a fix before even opening the case. Has anyone here actually brought a 'dead' tool back to life with a five dollar part?

My brother-in-law called my caulk line 'a real wiggler' and now I use tape every single time

My kitchen sink drain was slow for months until I tried a trick with a wet vac

This whole thing started back in March. The drain in my kitchen sink was just getting slower and slower. I tried the baking soda and vinegar thing a couple times, but it only helped for a day. I was about to call a plumber, which would have been at least $150. Then I saw a video online where a guy used a standard shop wet vac. I pulled mine out, made a tight seal over the drain hole with an old rag, and turned it on. It was loud and kind of gross, but it pulled up a huge clog of grease and gunk. The drain has been running perfect for weeks now. Has anyone else tried this method on a bathroom sink or tub?