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Great article I found in the Freep that wanted to share with our readers.

It’s about saving money on home improvements when you do it yourself.

You know, some great tips on preparing for some home improvement jobs and some big pitfalls to avoid. Stuff like that.

I mean, after all, you’re a smart homeowner. You’ve saved with mortgage rates that are at historical lows. You’re a winner. So, when it comes to improving your castle, why not save a little more and try to DIY?

Here’s a section on plumbing, something that I’d love to understand, but so far I haven’t had much success.

Plumbing repairs also can be accessible even to the novice.

“A toilet is really a very simple mechanism and the parts are readily available to change out,” Lipford said.

First, the cause of the problem has to be diagnosed. Find information online, in books, or talk to a worker at your hardware store.

If the toilet is running, for example, one way to figure out what’s going on is to add a little food dye to the water in the tank, said Long, of Home Depot.

If the water in the bowl turns the same color, the flapper valve is likely the problem.

The flapper seals the tank, then lifts to allow water to flow into the bowl when the toilet is flushed. If the seal isn’t tight, water will leak into the bowl.

It could be that the chain connecting the flapper to the handle is too long or too short. Adjusting that could fix the problem. Or, it could be the flapper itself.

In most cases, the flapper snaps out and you can easily replace it with a new one. But first remember to turn off the water to the toilet.

Yes, when working on a toilet, always remember to turn off the water first. Good advice. I can tell you what happens when you don’t turn off the water, but that’s another post.

Read the full article here and enjoy!

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