Indy Total Construction

Have you ever had that annoying leaky faucet that seems to drip even louder while you are trying to sleep? This can not only disrupt your sleep but also cause you to worry excessively because you are wondering if you are going to wake up to a flooded room the next morning. Well there is hope to solving your leaky faucet woes. All you need to do is follow a series of simple steps and you will have a great faucet in no time and as a result you will be able to sleep in peace.

You can even do this without the added problem of hiring those overpriced plumbers. All you will have to basically do is inspect the O-Ring of your faucet as well as the rubber washing as well. When these two pieces are worn out they are the number one cause of your leaky faucet.

After you have inspected and determined that your washer and ring are worn out you will need to then determine the type of faucet that you have. The two types that are available are the compression type faucet which has both hot and cold handles or the non compression faucet which will only have a lever or knob. The non compression faucets are the more common types and are the easiest to repair just by following these simple steps.

1.First of all you are going to want to shut off the water through the shut off valve. This valve is normally located under your sink. You will also need to make sure that you determine if either the hot or cold is leaking so that you will be able to determine which pipe is actually damaged.

2.Now you are going to want to remove the drain. Once you have done this you will want to remove the screw that holds the handle to the faucet. There are some faucets available that you will be able to remove by either a screwdriver or just by basically applying some force.

3.Now that you have the handle removed you are going to want to remove both the nut and the stem. You will be able to do this easier by using a either an adjustable wrench or a pair of pliers to unlock the nut. After you have finished this you will want to carefully remove the stem from the faucet itself. The packing nut as well as the valve stem itself is easily removed by turning them counter clockwise.

4.You will now want to remove the washer by slowly removing the washer in place. Once you have done this your local hardware store will be able to assist you in finding the right parts that you are going to need to fix the problem.

5.Once you have done all the above steps and your replacement parts are purchased the final step is actually easy. All you need to do now is put everything back together. Once you have done this your done and you didn’t even have to pay for those expensive plumbers.

One of the great deterrents to anyone wanting to remove a radiator is the prospect of having to drain the whole system. However, this won’t be necessary provided the radiator to be replaced has a valve at both the hot water inlet and the outlet. Once these are closed. you’ll be able to keep virtually all the system’s water isolated in other parts.

At the inlet end you’re likely to find the hand-valve which is the control by which you open and close the radiator. At the outlet end you’ll find what is termed the lock-shield – valve. When you come to inspect your radiator, don’t worry if their positions are reversed — they will still be equally effective.

The first thing to do when removing a radiator is to close these valves. The hand-valve is straightforward, but you’ll have to remove the cover to get at the lock-shield valve. You’ll be able to close this valve using a spanner or an adjustable wrench with which to grip its spindle.

As you turn it, it’s a good idea to note carefully how many turns it takes to close. And you’ll find this task slightly easier if you mark the turning nut with a piece of chalk before you begin. The reason for all this is to maintain the balance of the system. After it was first installed, your system would have been balanced.

The lock-shield valves of all the radiators were adjusted to give an equal level of water through-flow so that they were all heating up equally. So, by noting the number of turns taken to close the lock-shield, when you come to fit the new radiator you can simply open it up by the same amount — so avoiding the somewhat tedious task of rebalancing the whole system.

Once you’ve closed both valves. you can unscrew the nuts which connect the valves to the radiator inlet and outlet. Do these one at a time after having placed a low dish under each end to collect the water and protect the floor.

Use an adjustable wrench to undo the coupling nuts. It’s wise to hold the circulating pipe securely in place with another wrench. Otherwise, if you apply too much pressure to the coupling nut you risk fracturing the flowpipe, and this would cause you a lot of extra work and expense as well as causing quite a mess.

It’s a good idea to get the radiator out of your home as soon as possible-just in case it leaks any remaining dirty water on to your carpet.