The DIY thread - DIYourself

Been having some issues with the toilet flushing in the bathroom I redid back in 2019.

I went to turn off the water supply and the valve was stuck. I know well enough not to force the issue and did a quick YouTube search and tried this method to free it up and avoid calling a plumber.

While it’s still a bit stiff to turn and I have to use one of those valve turn handle thingys that I keep around it’s definitely loose now and I can shut off the water.

I did the whole hot water/wd-40 treatment cycle twice over a span of about 2 hours then I left the wd-40 soaking in on a small rag overnight.



For the original issue I never knew the Fluidmaster flapper was adjustable to increase the amount of time of floats so it flushes a little longer. I also shortened up the chain length and Seems to be working better now.





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@iman29 I feel like over the next week I'm going to be spraying all those valves in my house with WD-40 or PB Blaster.

Actually this whole thread made me realize I should go out and buy replacement valves and fittings for most "emergency" type stuff that can come up. I'd rather spend a few $$ and have some stuff on hand.
 
Santapez said:
@iman29 I feel like over the next week I'm going to be spraying all those valves in my house with WD-40 or PB Blaster.

Actually this whole thread made me realize I should go out and buy replacement valves and fittings for most "emergency" type stuff that can come up. I'd rather spend a few $$ and have some stuff on hand.
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Haha yeah well glad I can help support the preparedness in your home. I guess I could have used PB blaster but I can't stand the smell of that stuff for inside use unless emergency.

I would also add don't forget to check the main water valves on the line coming into the house, I got that surprise back in July 2021 when the handle broke off during the guys installing the dishwasher and had to have the town come and shut off the outside line. Emergency plumber and $400 later and had 2 new ball valves to isolate the water meter.
 
iman29 said:
Haha yeah well glad I can help support the preparedness in your home. I guess I could have used PB blaster but I can't stand the smell of that stuff for inside use unless emergency.

I would also add don't forget to check the main water valves on the line coming into the house, I got that surprise back in July 2021 when the handle broke off during the guys installing the dishwasher and had to have the town come and shut off the outside line. Emergency plumber and $400 later and had 2 new ball valves to isolate the water meter.
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That ball valve works great. 🙂 I think they replaced it not that long ago based on how smoothly it functions and the way it looks. Sure as hell isn't original.

Not to say I don't want to just spend a few $$ on a new ball valve to have sitting on a shelf just-in-case.
 
Discovered some stains on the ceiling of a rental, there's a bathroom above so pretty sure there's a leak up there. Any chance I can just remove one of the high hats for an inspection or need to make a cut? Have renters for 5 weeks coming in next week so really just want to make sure it's not something serious and was hoping to wait till a month later to do a true fix. Didn't notice it last month when I was there last, but doesn't mean it wasn't there. Also, possibility of user error not using a shower curtain properly, which would be the best scenario, though not likely. PXL_20231223_200902591.jpgPXL_20231223_200948992.jpg
 
Just cut an opening for an access door
Repair or wait to the leak whenever
Pop in access door and patch at a later date



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Everbilt 14 in. x 14 in. Access Panel with Frame APD14 - The Home Depot

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Left for Florida with the family on the 16th. On the 17th, my thermostat sent me an email saying it's been calling for heat for the past 2 hours and the temp dropped 2 degrees in that time. Had my neighbor go over and I troubleshot it over the phone. Boiler had a low water cut off alarm. Pressure was fine, filled with water. Had him smack the low water cut off switch a few times with a wrench, pull off the wires and put them back on a few times. Didn't work. I ordered a new switch and it was overnighted free from supply house.com. Woke up on the 18th and the house temp was back up, figured the switch was working again, but it stopped by that night. Kept a close watch on the temps throughout the week, heat never turned back on. I didn't want the neighbor putting the new switch on because I was afraid of the soldered connection on the boiler breaking off it was wrenched too hard. At least if I break it, it'd be my own fault. When I finally got home at 10pm on the 22nd, the house was down to 49 degrees. Changed the lwco and it started right up. Took about 12 hours to get the house back up to temp.

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So tonight I had a win followed immediately by a screw up. Fixed a minor car issue in 5 minutes thanks to key knowledge provided others. Followed that up by being cocky and too fast on an electric heater move which smoked a thermostat. The lame excuse is that the old heaters were more similar left side to right side. I moved a new heater just to shift its position on the wall. I knew better when I went to do it but I assumed (ass) and didn't check the wiring requirements sufficiently of the left side. Moral: always check....google is easier than tomorrow's fix. In an odd way the small smoke puff out of the thermostat was kind of statisfying lol.
 
OddTrickStar said:
I remember that smell from my mobile electronics install days, usually faulty or overworked equipment but sometimes it was human error.
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I recall screwing up an install on a head unit. Brought it to a local car audio place to see if it was still good.
Dude at the counter picked it up,
sniffed it- “yeah, it’s toast”
 
Some stuff is worth fixing, should also add fixable. Kinda nice that there was bench techs on site to fix or modify it. Too bad the boss was a total chippy a-hole, it would have been a fun gig without that.

We called it poofage. On a side note I’ve seen some down right horror level installs, by other shops as well as bad DIY.
 
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