Noisy dishwasher? No problem, we can fix that!
When you have a noisy dishwasher, you don't exactly feel like doing the dishes. After all, doing the dishes alone isn't the most entertaining bit of home maintenance in the world. The prospect of adding noise to the equation when you're trying to watch the game on TV or hear your favorite television show makes the idea even less appealing. That's why you'll want to fix your noisy dishwasher as soon as you can - so you can get back to quiet evenings after a rough day at work.
Of course, in order to fix your noisy dishwasher, you'll have to know what's causing the noise in the first place. This is where most of the work in fixing the noise itself will take place. First, try to find your dishwasher's owner manual: if it gives any warnings against improper dish loading that you've been violating, the reason for the noisy dishwasher might simply be human error. Oops. Do the dishes right next time and hopefully the noise will subside.
It's not always human error, however. If the problem wasn't you, you'll have to do some dishwasher inspecting. The first place to look? The pump at the bottom of the dishwasher. Make sure that it's not clogged with debris such as stuck silverware, food, or uneaten seeds. This pump should be perfectly clean.
If that's not the problem, you also might want to make sure that your dishwasher is level. If your dishwasher sits on "feet," you should be able to adjust them manually. Use a level to check that it is not leaning forward/backward or to any one particular side.
If none of these fixes has made the noise go away, there's a possibility that your inlet valve is the source of the issues. The inlet valve is not an easy thing to replace, but you'll probably want it replaced if you want to get rid of the noise. If you're out of answers, call in a repairman who will know what makes your dishwasher become so noisy, and ask about the possibility of replacing the inlet valve. This could be the source of your noise, but it's not an easy challenge to take on yourself.
Make sure that you keep your dishwasher clean, regularly cleaning it out of debris and gunk. Even though the dishwasher seems like a self-cleaning machine, you'll want to check how clean it really is from time to time.
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 17, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, appliances, kitchen
Summer Blooms.
Let's face it: raising a garden isn't always easy. Even if you pull it off and design it well, there's still a good amount of manual labor and honest work that will go into it. Tilling soil, landscaping, acquiring seeds, and making sure that your plants get what they need to grow can seem like an everyday endeavor. But if you plan your garden smartly and know what will be involved, you'll be ready for a full, lush garden within a relatively short amount of time. If you want to plant you garden the right way this summer, check out these tips.
Look up all of the plants that work well in your area. It's one thing to plant a garden in Wisconsin during summer; it's another to plant one in Arizona in spring. The simple facts are that some plants won't thrive in some areas like they will in another. That's why it will be crucial for you to do your homework up front: what kinds of flowers and plants work best in your local climate? This doesn't mean you necessarily have to plant something that everyone else is planting. Hard research on your part will yield some interesting flowers and plants that other smight not have thought of. Bottom line? If you plant something in your garden, make sure you know what that plant needs. That way you won't be surprised if your garden seems lackluster this season.
Make sure your soil is high-quality. Local garden centers can help you with soil testing kits that tell you exactly what is happening in your soil. After you know what plants you want, you'll want to make sure to treat and till your soil that that it's ideal for plant-growing. You want the right nutrients and amount of moisture in your soil to be conducive to growing the plants you sew. So make sure that your soil is ready for those plants; if not, be prepared to buy some high-quality soil from the garden center and mix it in with what you've got.
Make sure that your garden gets the right amount of sun. If you can't plant a garden under a tree, look for an area that does get a ripe amount of sunlight during the summer. If the problem is too much sunlight in your area, ask yourself where you might be able to get shade for large portions of the day. Most importantly, ask yourself how the plants will receive what they need to - and how you might block what they don't need.
Photo Credits: brewbooks
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 7, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, Landscaper
Four Tips for Typical Lawn Problems
One of the frustrating things about growing a lawn is that even if you work hard on it, unforeseen problems can arise that simply stump your landscaping knowledge. Instead of overworking yourself and burning out, you'll want to simply increase your range of knowledge so that you know how to address these typical lawn problems when you see them. That's why this article will explain some common lawn problems and some easy tips to help fix them.
Tip #1: Take out bare spots through aeration and repair.
Bare spots in your lawn can mean a number of problems, but often it means that your grass may be fighting off a disease and losing the battle. If you need to reinvigorate one particular area on your lawn, make sure to treat that spot specifically. Aerate the area to loosen the soil, perhaps add some fertilizer and make sure that there are enough seeds to allow grass to grow there again. If one area of your lawn is stepped on a lot, it can mean compacted soil, which can lead to poor grass.
Tip #2: Avoid weeds by cutting your grass high.
There are a few reasons for cutting your grass high, but one of this is quite simple: clipping your weeds at their high point will help avoid weeds. First, longer and healthier grass will have stronger and deeper roots, starving out the weeds by taking up most of the nutrients in the area. Short grass won't need as much strength, and this will allow weeds to spring up by using up all of the soil. Mowing your lawn high will clip the weeds and allow your grass to simply starve them out.
Tip #3: Water deeply and less frequently.
You might have noticed how healthy lawns can look after a really wet rainstorm. This is because deep watering can promote healthy grass by forcing roots to go deep in order to soak up all the moisture that they can. Deep, infrequent watering will support your longer grass and help build up their strength, making grass look healthier and making sure that there are less nutrients for the weeds to use up.
Tip #4: Make sure to test your soil at the start of the season.
Testing your soil - even in different areas - can help you understand what potential problems you might be potentially running in to. If you must, test your soil after you've noticed a problem, and see if the problem is being caused by an issue with your soil.
Photo Credits: chippenziedeutch
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Posted by Fix Handyman on July 24, 2009 in
How to Fix, Landscaper
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