Shower Drain
As drains age, they begin leaking. Often, the piles loosen, the putty dries up or the tape begins to lose its effectiveness, causing water to trickle down the drain. If you have a sink drain that leaks, you can mend it by following the steps outlined here. And by attending to it yourself, you’ll be saving by not calling in a plumber!
First, close the tap before starting work. Next, remove all the fittings of the drain by unscrewing them, using a screwdriver. Next, take off the tailpiece. Ask a friend or family member to hold the drain pipe from over the sink while you loosen it with pliers.
If your drain has a plastic retainer, unscrew it before the drain pipe comes loose. Now that you have disassembled everything, clean it thoroughly. Check that you have cleaned the previous plumber’s putty from the fittings of the drain. If something is left over, it will weaken the bond when you put it back altogether and begin to leak once more.
Now, coat the part under the rim of the drain pipe with 0.5” thickness of plumbers’ putty to prevent future leakages. Remove any excess putty from the pipe or you will find it very difficult to clean it once it dries. Now, replace the drain pipe into the drain and screw all the fittings to the pipe below the sink. This simple operation will repair your leaky drain.
However, if you have a leaky shower drain, water may collect around the edges and make its way to the ceiling below it. To repair this, cut a panel in your ceiling downstairs. However, if you live in a rented accommodation, speak to your landlord and have him repair it or get his approval before doing it yourself.
Now, place some cloth on the floor just where you want to get down to work. Wear a pair of goggles. Then, make a cut of about 1.5 feet square into your ceiling that’s just below your shower drain, using a saw. Remove the locking unit using pliers and then the gasket.
Now, in the bathroom, loosen and take off the packing nut from the leaky drain. Remove the drain collar and clean the area around it with a putty knife, and clean the shower drain entirely.
Next, take about an inch of plumber’s putty and coat the base of the drain collar with it. Replace the drain collar using a very firm hand or some of the putty you just applied will come off. This is normal, so don’t panic. Once this is done, screw the locking nut tightly again and then take off any extra putty from around here and replace the packaging nut where it belongs. Use silicone caulk to keep this packing nut firmly in place.
To test if the leak is plugged, open the tap and let a little cold water trickle out. Now, if there is no leakage, you will need to repair the drywall. If a leak persists, call a plumber.
Photo Credits: lavenderstreak
Originally posted 2010-04-20 17:59:08.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 28, 2010 in
Drains, Handyman, How to Fix, Plumber, Shower
Do you feel a draft?
One of the tools with the most uses around the house is simple: duct tape. A few rolls of duct tape in your tool shed will help you construct a temporary fix around most things, and will help to make sure that more brittle objects like glass can be rounded off so that they pose less of a safety threat. When it comes to the minor inconveniences, duct tape can deliver there, too. That's why you can repair a torn shower curtain with duct tape. Still curious as to how it's done? Let's explore.
If you tear a shower curtain down, it can puncture each hole that is meant for each of the shower rings - this leads to a "torn piece of paper from a notebook effect" that most people think means they have to go showerless. But in the time between a trip to the local home improvement store, you'll have to get by with a shower or two, especially if you have family in your home. Won't taping each individual hole require too much time and effort?
As it turns out, not if you're creative with your rolls of duct tape. Instead of taping up each hole, simply create a side of duct tape where all of the shower ring holes used to be - this double-sided duct tape edge should have as little adhesive showing as possible. This isn't totally necessary, of course, but it helps make things easier and more comfortable.
Now that you have a side of your shower curtain taped over with duct tape - the side with all of the ring holes - you'll need a way to put that side back up on the shower rings. You can do this by punching your own holes in the curtain and duct tape, essentially creating a new side of the shower curtain for temporary use. Hole punches can work if your rings are small, but you might need some larger holes if your rings are large and plastic. To do this, simply punch a hole and then poke it through with a wooden dowel or a similar object that will expand the hole.
Once you've done this a few times, you should be ready to put your repaired shower curtain up. It won't look like the best shower curtain you've ever used, but it will help ensure that you can close off your shower before buying a new curtain. If you're worried about splashing water out of the shower tub, you won't have to worry anymore; you'll be all set. Just another day in the life of a roll of duct tape.
Photo Credits: massdistraction
Originally posted 2009-08-14 03:48:27.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 17, 2010 in
Bathroom, Handyman, How to Fix, Shower
Cold showers?
If you're like me, you don't particularly like that first few minutes of taking a shower when the water is running and you're waiting for it to warm up. You'd rather simply jump right in, not waste any water, and get the shower over with so you can move on with your day. If you're sick of wasting water and wasting time - even if it's just a few minutes, a quick fix on your cold shower head can improve the quality of your life. Even if it's just those few minutes each day!
Here are a few tips to fixing that cold shower head and getting your next shower to be warm in an instant.
- Take a shower after you use water elsewhere. If you're really short on ideas but need to take a quick, warm shower, try this: shower in "batches." That is, take a shower right after someone else in the morning. Their usage of the water will ensure that it's warm for you right away, and you'll be able to climb right in without missing a beat. Just make sure that you don't wait at the door until they're finished! (One note: You don't only have to wait until someone else takes a shower. If someone is using hot water from the same water heater your shower uses, keep in mind that it could be a great time to take a shower if you need it.
- Install a tankless water heater. If you want to spend a few bucks so you don't have to wait until someone else has used hot water, but you don't want to break your bank account, either, try and install a tankless water heater. What is a tankless water heater? Quite simply, they are water heaters that work locally to cover some of your bathrooms - in other words, it's a water heater that doesn't heat up your whole house. This can be great for bathrooms if you have a family that needs hot water in the mornings but at different times. It's also less expensive than simply purchasing an entirely new water heater.
Like so many aspects of home improvement, fixing your cold shower head starts by looking at your problem from its cause. You really can enjoy hotter showers if you use a little imagination and get proactive with your home improvement.
Photo Credits: sburke2478
Originally posted 2009-10-06 03:04:02.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 3, 2010 in
Bathroom, Shower, home repair
Be innovative!
One of the parts of the shower ensemble that we take for granted is simple: the shower curtain rings! Our daily shower is such an ingrained part of our daily routine that we barely think about the quick second it takes to pull our shower curtain closed, let alone the rings that allow this simple maneuver possible. Of course, if you have broken shower curtain rings, suddenly you become inconveniently aware of their presence - or lack thereof. Here's how to fix your shower curtain rings for the long-term so you can get back to your daily routine.
First, go out to a home furnishing store and buy a new set of curtain rings. You'll be replacing all of the rings - remember that inside the home, uniformity in color and shape will be important when it comes to a "crowd" of parts like shower curtain rings. Your goal here will be to replace ever shower curtain ring, even the ones that are not broken. Once you've replaced them all, you'll feel better knowing you have a fresh set of curtain rings through every hole on your shower curtain.
In order to start fixing them, simply remove them. This might require taking the shower curtain off of the dowel first - don't try to pull it all down using force. After all, most household accidents take place inside the bathroom. Now that you've got the curtain off, pull off your shower curtain rings one by one. (Note: In some cases, you might have to take off the shower curtain rings one by one in order to get the curtain off. Whatever order works better, use it.)
Now you can start applying your shower curtain rings. One of the best ways to do this is to put the ring through the hole in the curtain so that you can attach the rings and curtain all at once when you're ready. Some shower curtain rings might be hard to figure out, but once you've figured out their mechanism - and some are quite simple - you'll be able to replace them all in no time.
Voila! You should now have a shower curtain attached firmly to the dowel in your shower, with a fresh set of rings keeping it attached. You should be able to enjoy this new setup for years. Until, of course, the next bathroom project shows up.
Photo Credits: Darwin Bell
Originally posted 2009-08-24 03:01:57.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on April 23, 2010 in
Bathroom, Handyman, How to Fix, Shower
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