A Pluming DIY: How to Fix a Clogged Toilet

Clogged toilets can be a scary inconvenience, but in most cases, it’s an easy problem to fix. This process is less complex than replacing a toilet altogether or even fixing the components inside the tank. Clogs can happen suddenly when a user attempts to flush an object that’s too large, or they can build up over time and happen unexpectedly. Learn how to unclog a toilet with this quick tutorial.

Step 1: Shut off the water supply by turning the knob at the base of the tank where the plumbing connects to the wall. You should hear the water stop running; if you still hear it, tighten the knob. This will prevent the toilet from overflowing.

Step 2: Gently position the plunger at the base of the toilet bowl with the plunger centered over the opening. Press in gently to begin as the air in the plunger can cause the contents of the bowl to spray if you push in too vigorously.

Tip: Use a bell-shaped rubber plunger with an extension flange at the base. These may be a bit more expensive than the basic rubber domed shaped plungers, but they work better and are worth the cost.

Step 3: Maintain a constant position with the plunger to avoid breaking the seal over the toilet bowl opening. Press the plunger up and down quite vigorously for about 30 seconds.

Step 4: Check to see if the clog has cleared by taking the lid off the toilet tank and lifting the flapper valve. The water should flow down from the bowl into the pipes easily. If it does not, your toilet is still clogged. DO NOT FLUSH until you are certain the clog has cleared. Use the flapper valve until then.

Tip: If repeated plunging forces all the water out of the bowl and your toilet tank is empty, open up the water supply valve long enough to let the tank refill, then close it again. It’s important to keep water in the bowl to maintain pressure and indicate whether the clog has cleared.

Step 5: Continue plunging and testing (alternating between steps 3 and 4) until the clog is clear. You’ll know the clog is clear either when the blocked material in the bowl drains easily and rapidly. A slow-emptying bowl indicates that some blockage is likely still intact.

Step 6: Your toilet bowl should be empty when the clog is clear. You can turn the water supply back on and push the handle to refill the bowl, then flush again to test. Turn off the water supply to the tank after this test flush just in case the blockage hasn’t actually cleared. This will help prevent overflowing. If flushing does not proceed as normal, your toilet is still blocked.

Step 7: When plunging doesn’t work, you may need to use a plumbing snake or toilet auger to get the job done. You can also call a qualified local emergency plumbing company to diagnose the issue and fix your clogged toilet.

Author Bio:

Leo is the owner of Northridge-based plumbing company Rooters On-Time of Northridge. On his free time, he enjoys writing how-to articles and tutorials to help others.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/05/how-to-fix-clogged-toilet-diy.html

Where the Green Grass Grows (Finally!)

Houston, we have grass!

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It’s been kind of a slow process, but thanks to some help from a cute guy I know (is it a thing that guys want to take on grass-growing projects or something?? My friends and I had a frank discussion about it the other day, and they were all chiming in with their husbands and SO’s about how the guys took on the grass-growing and fertilizing tasks), I have a lot more green growing in the yard. Well, thanks to him, an efficient timer, and the sprinkler system he set up.

Solid truth: if you’re a lazy grower like I am, you need to have something that waters the yard for you. New grass is a needy baby, and I am not a diligent enough DIYer to do this as often as needed.

You might recall that less than two months ago, it still largely looked like the giant dirt pile that it was when I first filled in the deeper spots and evened out the most difficult areas with a backhoe (click for parts 1, 2, and 3 of that saga). I hired some help for prepping the dirt and spreading new seed, but the results were very disappointing. There were lots of factors considered (Charlie, the weather, foot traffic, birds eating the seed, etc.), but it wasn’t until I started using a sprinkler system that I realized that I was probably the biggest contributor to its first failure.

In a recent storm, a piece of my neighbor’s fence (the one you see above and below) was uprooted from a dead tree, which pretty much created a giant hole directly on the other side of my fence line. After all of the work I’ve done on this yard, the last thing I want to happen is for it to be ruined through erosion that I can’t do much about (since it’s also not on my property where the water is draining). So, keeping the dirt in the yard via plant roots and a thick layer of grass became even more important. The first step was putting in the new hedge, but the other was growing grass asap. Basically: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again… and put in a better watering system. It soon became very obvious where I’m getting too much water, and where the sprinkler is missing its target.

Granted, it may not completely prevent erosion long-term (and I have a dog), but doing everything I can now is for the best. Some of the new growth has been a quick-grow rye seed (that will eventually die off after a season or two), but it allows time for the fescue to grow in. For several weeks, I kept all dogs away and limited foot traffic to prevent undoing most of the progress, but I’m about to hit the first milestone: the first mowing. Woo hoo!

I’ll have many more seasons of applications, weeding, etc. before it’s a nice, thick lawn like my landscaper-neighbor has in his yard, but I’m one (much greener) step closer! And to be honest, I am really grateful that I got to keep my hands off of this project while I was busy working on the others (that I’m revealing in just a week or two… stay tuned!).

(P.S. My happy, furry blur-ball approves.)

What have you been working on lately?

The post Where the Green Grass Grows (Finally!) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/growing-grass-difference-sprinkler-system/

How I Got Twice The Hedge For Half The Price

I’ll be honest with you guys: I was kind of certain I was going to fail HARD with this little “trick” I’m about to show you.

I waited until I started seeing new growth, so I think I’m in the clear and can finally share.

I first hinted at my cheat last month when I mentioned that I planted a bunch of new boxwood shrubs along my backyard fence line. Fourteen of them, to be exact. But the truth is, I only spent real dollars on seven of them, because I was able to successfully split each shrub in half! The trick? All I had to do was look for plants that had two existing stems in the same pot.

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My reason for the new hedge line was twofold. With the way my lot works out in my neighborhood, I have four different neighbors’ back yards facing my own, which has led to a hodgepodge of fencing surrounding me on three sides (some of which have the “ugly” side facing me, and some with the cosmetic side). If you look back at the yard fill-in project I did last summer, you can see and compare each. I could put up my own new fence line (and sort of have been, slowly), but finishing the rest is both time-consuming and costly, and not really convenient to do in the near future with all of the other exterior and interior projects I have going on this year. I also have my own chain link fence on two sides of the yard, which while ugly, is still very functional for Charlie The Escape Artist and other pups who come to visit. So, by planting a bunch of shrubs along the longest part of the yard, I can actively be growing a newer, more beautiful division that masks my neighbors’ fences and my own while I get to work on more urgent projects. It’s not immediate, of course, but then again hardly anything with this house ever is.

When I went looking for hedge shrubs, I wanted to find the cheapest and the hardiest ones I could find. Given that spring sales are abundant right now, I was able to find pots of boxwoods at a big box store for $5 each. The common boxwood isn’t really my favorite plant in general because they are pretty boring to look at. However, when healthy, they have a decent growth rate, make for excellent hedges, and can seamlessly grow into each other with very little care (aka neglect, which is what I need to be doing right now). I noticed while shopping that many of them had two stems growing out of each pot rather than one, and it got me thinking: could I possibly just split them into two separate plants?

Well, since you probably know from experience that I like to take a gamble with DIY projects, I decided to go for it so I could tell you if it’s worth doing. It is!

Tools and Materials Used:

• boxwood plants
• heavy duty utility knife (this one’s my favorite and worth every penny IMO)
• small garden shovel (buy a set like this for better prices per unit)
• slow-release fertilizer
• landscaping fabric
• flexible, no-dig landscape edging
• root growth hormone
• mulch
• drip hose

The process is really pretty simple, but I wanted to give this new hedge the best no-fuss start I could. I started with some landscaping fabric and ran a line of flexible landscape edging to contain the mulch. Then after spacing and digging holes, I split each boxwood plant along the middle to separate its two stems using a small garden shovel and utility knife (I didn’t want to rip/mangle them too much, so cutting seemed better than tearing with my hands).

Then, I used my new favorite secret weapon: root growth hormone. I’ll be sharing some other wins thanks to this handy stuff soon, but for the hedges, I just sprinkled them on the shredded ends of the plants once split, then plopped them into the ground. The soil in this back area has excellent drainage since it was part of the fill-in project, so I needn’t worry about soil quality. I covered over the entire hedge line with mulch and added some fertilizer along with a soaker hose (to keep the plants watered until they were established, but not double my workload in the process, this hose has a bunch of holes in it to periodically water along the length of it). The hose comes loopy and kinks up easily, so I weighted them down with extra edging and bricks I found from removing the trees in years past since the mulch wasn’t heavy enough to do that on its own.

So, that’s pretty much how I got twice the hedge for half the price. Thanks to the drip line and recent rain, the boxwoods are already sprouting new growth and seem to be doing very well! They’re even tolerating Charlie’s frequent strolls around the perimeter (she seems to have a liking for how mulch feels underfoot, I suppose). It will take several years before they grow tall enough to hide anything, but in the meantime, I’ll be able to remove the chain link fence, build the new shed, and concentrate on the next 1,257 things on the to-do list.

Oh, and all of that green grass you see on the left of that photo? That’s been a success too… more soon!

The post How I Got Twice The Hedge For Half The Price appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/split-plants-into-two-with-root-growth-hormone/

Slaburday: Laying a Concrete Slab for Trash Bins

How to Dream Big About Outdoor Spaces (But Keep It Real)

Key Driveway Renovation Tips to Preparing Your New Driveway Makeover

Curb appeal is something all homeowners strive for, but achieving that look can be time-consuming, confusing, and just plain expensive if you don’t have an effective plan. One of the best places you can spend money where curb appeal is concerned is giving your driveway a makeover. By freshening it up, you’ll completely transform how your house looks. With that in mind, we’ve put together a few key driveway renovation tips that you can use for your driveway makeover. Let’s take a look. 

1.  
2. Experiment with Different Materials

If you’re considering giving your driveway a makeover, it’s also recommended that you think about using different materials. Just because you have asphalt at the moment doesn’t mean you have to stick with it. Maybe you’re ready for a big change such as poured concrete or something even more intricate such as interlocking brick. Now is the time to check out the various materials and pick one that amps up your curb appeal and achieves the look you’re going for.

Additionally, it’s a good time to think about the layout and size of your driveway. Depending on where you live, regulations, and the by-laws, you may also be able to expand the size of your driveway. This could warrant a makeover right there! Perhaps, you’ve always dreamed of that circular driveway, or one that allows for more parking. Now is the time to think about the configuration and make your design changes before you begin any drive renovation.

2. Sealing Your Driveway

If your driveway is still relatively new and isn't in really rough shape, then you're lucky because your options are less expensive as you can give it a pretty cheap and simple makeover. In order to get the most bang for your buck, you'll want to look into resealing the driveway. You can do this on your own or hire a professional to come in and do it for you. Keep in mind, that any cracks or holes must be fixed before you apply the sealant.

Why seal your driveway?

First of all, it will instantly improve the appearance of the asphalt. Because these sealants are a thick black material, it will bring it back to new condition as far as looks go. As an added bonus, it also helps to reduce cracking in the future, which will allow it to look good for a longer period of time. These sealants actually close the pores that are in driveways and prevent water from seeping in and causing damage.

3. Keeping the Concrete?

If you happen to have a concrete driveway that has seen better days, but you’d really rather not change it, then there are ways you can get it back to new. One of the most unsightly things that can happen with concrete driveways is cracks. They can be quite small or rather large and deep. These cracks will age your entire exterior and give it a rundown feel.

While it would be great to avoid these cracks all together, unfortunately it's just not possible. Cracking occurs when the ground freezes then thaws. Obviously, if you are in a climate that experiences cold winters and hot summers, this will be extremely difficult on your driveway. The cracks usually start off small and just keep expanding from there.

One option to fix this is by placing a new layer of concrete on top of the old one. When doing this however you need to cover the entire driveway otherwise you’ll have patches of new concrete on old concrete. If you do want to just seal the holes with new concrete you could then work on painting over the driveway in one colour. This will help to even out the look and make it all one colour, hiding the new concrete and blending it in better.

4. Resurfacing Asphalt

Another way in which you can give your driveway a makeover is to resurface the asphalt. During this process, a professional takes the top layer off your driveway and then replaces it with a brand-new layer. This is much faster, easier, and cheaper to do then ripping up the entire driveway and starting from scratch. What’s great is that you won’t see any patches and the driveway will be nice and level/even once again. It will look like a whole new driveway when the process is finished.

5. Choosing to Re-Pave the Driveway

In the worst-case scenario, you’ll be looking at re-paving your driveway completely. Usually, this is reserved for driveways that are 20 years or older, have been sealed numerous times over the years, have large cracks, potholes, and are uneven. At this point, the driveway has basically reached its maximum lifespan. If you’re looking to repave your driveway, you need to start by:

Choose your new pavers and get them positioned and secured into place using a layer of concrete to push them into.

 

• Pulling up the old pavers to make way for the new pavers.
• Evening out the ground to ensure its level for the new pavers to be placed down.
• Work out the square meterage you need to ensure you have enough pavers for the job.

It’s important to remember that you mustn’t drive on your driveway for a few days as this can create the pavers to become loose or move into awkward positions.

What If You Don’t Have Money For A Professional?

If you want to renovate your driveway but you don’t have the funds to bring in a professional here’s some things to think of:

• Add flowerbeds beside the driveway to help give it colour and beauty throughout the year. The flowers should be those that are able to withstand different weather changes and be exposed to the elements. They should also be low to the ground growing (unlike roses) to ensure your car won’t get damaged if they get too big and rub against the car.
• Depending on your driveway, you can also add a layer of smooth rocks or pebbles on top of the current driveway (if it’s dirt related) to give it more texture and appeal. Pebble driveways look great and are a cheaper alternative to hiring a professional.
• Repaint the driveway if it’s a little outdated or if you want to upgrade the look and don’t have the money. Many people opt to repaint the driveway to help give it a more modern look without the expense attached.
  

Don’t Be Afraid to Step Outside the Box

When it comes to a driveway makeover the best advice is not to be afraid to step outside the box. Start by setting your budget, then think about what look you’re going for and the practicality. Before you know it, your new driveway will add the curb appeal and usefulness that you’ve long desired.

Jimmy Stanley

Jimmy Stanley founded PSI Paving in 2004. Their expert team of paving contractors are considered the best in the business. Honesty is a hallmark at PSI Paving, so you can rest assured that our team will take great care every step of the way to give you the outcome you want.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/04/key-driveway-renovation.html

How To Trim Fence Pickets – Lessons in Fence Fixing, Part 2

If you missed part 1, here’s a little recap:

• Dad knocked over part of my fence last fall with the backhoe I rented in order to fill in and level out the back yard (it’s alright, you can laugh; we did!)
• I tried out a new product to set a new post, but it failed miserably, so I went back to using quick-dry concrete.
• Next up: fixing the water flow issue of having a fence and gate that’s touching the ground (that’s this post!)

Since my crazy furball Charlie loves to run around the yard (and tends to run straight through an open fence with no gate), fixing the fence became a priority spring project.

I had to remove the fence panels surrounding the gate in order to reset the post, so it was the perfect opportunity to fix a few more problems that had always been less than ideal. Namely, when the fence was first installed, I failed to account for how water flow might ruin the bottom of the fence and left each picket touching the ground. The result was mud buildup and an overall likelihood of needing to replace the pickets more often (from wood rot, warping, etc.).

The gate also touched the ground in spots that prevented it from opening further. Even though I’d done extensive work to even out the yard, my call to 811 last year revealed that there were utilities running near this spot, so I didn’t want to take any chances by digging up places I shouldn’t. Instead, the easier solution was to trim off enough of the bottom of the gate that it could swing open a little wider.

Some links in this post may contain affiliates, which basically give me a commission if you were to buy a product I recommend. It doesn’t change your price, though — and the income goes toward supporting this site. Thank you!

You’ll Need:

• Safety glasses and ear protection (I like the disposable ones with a cord)
• Circular saw
• Pencil (I have started using carpenters pencils, which are flatter than your traditional No. 2 and work really well for marking projects like these)
• Drill (this one’s mine) and bit that fits whichever exterior screws you buy
• Course thread exterior screws

This DIY is pretty straightforward. Starting with the fence panel on the right side, I used some nearby scalloped edging from the garden to elevate the panel off the ground and screw it back into the new fence post using exterior screws (drill slow at first so you don’t split the pickets). I could have cut off the bottom section (the part with all of that dirt buildup), but no one wants to spend more time on a project than they need to, so it was much easier just to lift everything a little off the ground than cut it down.

Next, I hung the gate back on the fence temporarily and opened it to the point where it was getting stuck. That gave me a way to make markings in the exact spot it would hang to make sure I was cutting at the correct angle. I took a spare fence picket and angled it along the fence panels of the gate. The bottom of this panel would serve as my marking line for the cut.

I ran a pencil along the bottom of the fence panel, creating a straight cutting line. While pretty much anything works to mark wood, I’ve found that carpenter’s pencils work really well for stuff like this (it’s wider and flatter than your typical marking utensil, so it runs along a board or straight edge nicely).

Next, I lifted the fence panel back up and off the gate again and laid it down on a frame from another outdoor project (I’ll be sharing that with you guys soon). This extra elevation lifted it slightly off the ground, making it easier for cutting and kept it stable. While this can be done solo (I originally moved the gate last fall on my own), the hardware makes it kind of heavy, so try to have a second set of hands if you can.

With the cut ready to go, I put on some safety goggles, lined up the cut on my circular saw, and made my cut.

Once the cut was finished, the gate went back on the hinges. This also allowed me to re-install the self-adjusting gate latch on the new post. Done!

It’s not perfect nor a particularly glamorous DIY (the gate now looks a little short compared to the rest of the fence), but I don’t mind; it serves its purpose and it looks a lot better from the street from where I started:

Of course, I still need to cut the top of the new post so that it’s not sticking up above the fence line and the fence could use a good power wash (and maybe stain?), but with everything fixed enough to be able to close the gate again, Charlie could finally enjoy the yard once more. <3

There are a few more outdoor DIYs coming up from this same weekend, so more on that new hedge and mulch line along the back fence in a future post as well!

The post How To Trim Fence Pickets – Lessons in Fence Fixing, Part 2 appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/how-to-trim-fence-pickets-fence-fixing-part-2/