Plumbing Tips: Replacing a Faulty Compression Faucet

Rather than calling in the plumbers to replace a faulty faucet, you can easily perform this plumbing task yourself as long as you have a pipe wrench, pliers and a Philips head screwdriver; three tools that are commonly found in most homes.

The very first thing to do is to locate and turn off the water to the faucet. The valve for this is usually found directly under the sink. Rotate it till it is firmly shut, then open the faucet to make sure that there is no water coming out.

Next unscrew or pop off the cap on the handle so you can get to the screw that is hidden underneath. Once the cap is off, unscrew the screw that attaches the handle to the valve. When you have taken it out you should be able to take the handle off. You will then see another cover which is over your valve stem assembly parts. Unscrew that cover and take it off.

You will then be able to remove your valve stem and the assembly. First unscrew the nut on top of it with your wrench, and then unscrew the whole vale stem assembly part with pliers or a wrench. Once it is removed you should see a washer, also held in place with a screw. Undo this screw and then take the washer out. You will then be able to put the new washer in place.

Finally reverse all the steps above until the unit is assembled again. Once you are sure everything is tightened you can turn on the water and open your faucet to make sure that it is working properly. You may also want to replace any screws or nuts that have deteriorated while replacing the washer. If you are unsure what size washer your faucet uses you can leave the faucet un-assembled and take the washer with you to a home repair shop. That way you can ensure you get the correctly sized washer.

Use Solar Powered Rock Lights for a Unique Way to Light Your Landscape

One of the most unique solar light fixtures that are available today are solar powered rock lights.  These lights draw on the power of the sun, which makes them easy to install and able to be put to a variety of great uses on your landscape.

The main benefit to installing solar powered rock lights is that they blend right into the natural atmosphere of your lawn or garden.  The rock come in a variety of different sizes, shapes and styles, so finding one that can be used on your landscape should not be a problem.  By blending in, the rocks let you place the light fixtures in more areas because you won’t have to hide them behind vegetation or make them look more discreet.  The lights will not draw any attention to themselves and keep people’s eyes focused on the object that is being lit.  Not only that, they will also add to the natural feel of your garden or lawn!

Since they blend right into your landscape, there are many different ways you can use your rock lights.  Lower voltage lights can be used to edge a path and provide some great walkway lighting.  They can even edge a patio, carport, or deck to give it a definable size and set it off from the rest of your yard.  There are also higher voltage rock lights that can be used for spotlighting certain features on your landscape that deserve a little extra attention.

No matter what size or shape your garden or landscape is, it can benefit from the addition of solar rock lights.  They’re easy to install, blend right in with the surrounding nature in your garden, and can even be put to a variety of different uses.   Start looking at applying some to your landscape today!

Hitachi C18DL Circular Saw Review

The Hitachi C18DL is an 18 volt 6 1/2 ” lithium iron circular saw kit with all of the standard features that the prestigious Hitachi line carries as well as some interesting additions. This is truly a great piece of equipment that stands out amongst the competition of power saws.

It contains a large and soft grip coated with elastomer. This is meant to reduce discomfort during working with this saw as well as reduce the fatigue that sometimes occurs when sawing material. Its blade is left mounted allowing easier use and overall convenience of use. The motor is fan cooled with both increases the runtime of the saw as well as reduces the possibility of the saw overheating. This allows the saw to be used to maximum power without the slowing down of overheating.

The Hitachi C18DL also has a custom spot light that improves the line of visibility on the line that is being cut. It also has an angle adjusting allowing up to 50 degrees with improves accuracy in cutting and useful for many diverse purposes.

Wireless Doorbells

I was recently working on a remodeling project for my mom. The project was to replace the weather stripping on the front door. This is an easy project and I didn’t think it would take long at all. I was mostly right but I forgot to take into account the “and also” list. In this case it was “and the doorbell is also not working”. As it turned out, it has never worked since she moved into the house a few years ago.

After doing some tests and digging around for a while I think the doorbell wires were cut from a previous remodel project. The problem was that I couldn’t get to the problem area it there wasn’t an easy path to route new doorbell wires. Luckily for me I remembered hearing about wireless doorbells. I made a quick trip to the local hardware store, picked one up and had it installed in 30 minutes. Of course that was hours after I started the simple weather stripping project.