You are not a homeowner, you are a renter. Therefore, many things that go wrong with your home or apartment should be taken care of by the landlord. Some landlords are happy to authorize the hiring of professionals to fix a problem and will then either pay the bill themselves, or allow you to deduct the amount from your rent. Make sure you talk to your landlord about these sorts of things when you sign your lease, and call to get approval when necessary.
Emergencies with plumbing, heating or electricity might not be able to wait for negotiations, so know your landlord’s position on these ahead of time!
Still, there are plenty of little things that will need the attention of someone, and that someone doesn’t always have to be an expensive service person. It could be you!
That is why you should definitely buy a good “How To” book (Addendum A: resources). There are many to pick from, and no perfect choice. Pick one that seems pretty thorough, but with directions and pictures that make sense to you. You’ll sometimes find these books in garage sales or at used book stores, but many people hang onto theirs. You will too, so it’s a good investment.
Nevertheless, here’s a short list of how-to’s. These are just to get you started in the most basic, and often the most necessary how-to areas. I’m not talking rocket science, nano-technology or bio-genetics here; I’m just going to give you some help unclogging drains, tackling squeaky doors, etc….
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional anything when it comes to home repairs, I am just a person who’s learned a few tricks that work pretty well and sometimes keep me from calling in the expensive people who are professionals.
Help, the toilet’s backing up!!
You’ve flushed the toilet and the water’s not going down. In fact, it’s rising. You know this is a bad sign, but what do you do?
1) Quickly, remove the lid on the tank. (This is good reason to resist keeping all your make-up, or a shell collection, etc., on the tank lid!)
2) Look into the bottom of the tank. See the rubber stopper that is open down there? (Check it out now, so you’ll know what you’re looking for in an emergency.) Reach into the tank and push the stopper shut. This will stop the water from flowing into the bowl! Don’t worry, the water in the tank is clean.
3) Now for the not so fun (but necessary) part. Place the plunger over the drain in the bottom of the bowl. Push down and up several times, rhythmically putting your weight into it.
Usually this will be enough to force the toilet paper (etc.) past the trap, which is the u-shaped part of the pipe under the toilet. Often, you can tell the obstruction has moved because the water in the bowl begins to go down. You may have to repeat this a few times, but don’t give up; it may take a couple of minutes.
4) After the water drains down, plunge the drain a few more times, then flush the bowl again, to be certain the drain is no longer clogged.
5) BE PRO-ACTIVE: it’s a great idea to plunge the drain of all the toilets in the house every once in a while, just to keep things clear. Especially if you have company coming!
TIP: When buying a toilet plunger, don’t get one of those plain, cup shaped orange rubber plungers. Spend a little bit more to get one of the accordion, cone shaped plastic ones. It’s worth every penny when you need it!
Other Clogging Issues….
The same plunging techniques used above will work on clogged sinks too. If you have a two-sided sink, however, be sure to cover one drain while you plunge the other. Have a roommate hold a small, inverted saucer over the second drain and press down; the force of plunging will push on the saucer.
If plunging doesn’t work, try pouring boiling hot water down the drain. If grease has been poured down the drain this may dislodge it.
I don’t recommend using liquid drain cleaners. They are nasty chemicals, and if you plunge on top of them you could be hurt by spraying liquids. Plus, they’ll only be another thing the plumber will have to deal with.
BE PRO-ACTIVE: Here are a few things you shouldn’t put down the drain—even into the disposal: pasta, egg shells, lemons and limes, tough rinds from fruit like cantaloupe or watermelon, and bones. Put these in the trash. Pour GREASE into empty juice cans or coffee cans, let it cool and then put in the trash.
Jammed Garbage Disposal
Didn’t I say don’t put bones in the disposal? You didn’t? Then why is it jammed? Well, there are a lot of things that can jam a disposal. Maybe a glass broke and a piece of it fell in there. Maybe you cleaned your tennis shoes in the sink and there’s a rock in there. Or maybe you just tried to dispose of too much at one time.
No matter, there are things you can do, but first: DON’T PUT YOU HAND INTO THE DISPOSAL!!!! This is a bad idea, and can get you hurt. Try these steps instead.
1) Sometimes overworking the unit will make it stop in self-defense. Turn off the disposal, then look around the bottom of the unit (you’re going to be under the sink here, you might want a flashlight). Disposals have a “reset” button that is usually red. Press it. Now try restarting it. Did that work? Great, you’re done here. Didn’t work? Keep reading.
2) Something may be lodged in there. First, you want to disconnect the electricity. Many units simply plug in under the sink. If this is the case, unplug it now. If the connection is hardwired, you will need to turn off the circuit at the breaker box. Not sure which breaker? Turn them all off, just to be safe.
Shine your flashlight into the disposal. Do you see anything that might be jamming it? Get your hot dog tongs and pull it out. DON’T USE YOUR FINGERS—EVER!!
Can’t see anything? Take the end of a long wooden spoon, or a broom handle and put it into the disposal. Push it back and forth against the blade to see if you can release whatever is causing the jam. If you do, pull it out with those tongs.
Turn on the power, press the reset button and try it again. Not working? Repeat the steps. Odds are this is going to work. But if you try over and over, and it doesn’t, you may have to call in the plumber. Sometimes, you just have to.
