Loctite 431348 2-Ounce Cylinder Epoxy Repair Putty Stick

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project

Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project


Upgrading a bathroom is one of the more popular home improvement projects. Handling the plumbing for draining your shower can be exceedingly simple unless you go overboard.

Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project

Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project

Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project


Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project



Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project

Whether you are a bathtub or shower person, most people look for shower only options when buying a home. This simple fact means more than a few homeowners spend a weekend upgrading or installing showers in their bathrooms. Fortunately for you, it is a fairly simple process.

A collector or pan refers to the horizontal surface located at the bottom of the shower. The collector typically consists of a non-slip surface slightly banked towards the center or wherever the drain is located. Combined with three to four inch walls around the side, the goal of your shower drainage plumbing is to get the water to flow to and down the drain.

You can physically build a collector for your new shower, but you really need to think about it. Do you really want to get into the complications of getting the sloping correct, not to mention making sure every aspect of it is waterproof? And I mean every aspect! It is much easier to simply buy a pre-cast collector online or at your local Lowes, Home Depot or hardware store. Building one might sound like a great idea, but you will probably feel differently after a couple of hours.

Regardless of how you go about getting a pan, you should make every effort to use one that has the drain located in the same spot as the original pan. Moving the drain pipes can be a task, particularly if the builder used a unique framing structure. If you are determined to move the drain, you are going to have to cut back the pipe or lengthen it, which may mean ripping up large chunks of the floor. Put another way, you are going to be looking at a multiple weekend project.

Assuming we have our drain lined up, the actual hook up is fairly simple. The drainage pipe should be facing vertical up to the collector. It will often look like a "U", which means it acts as a cleanout to keep nasty smells from coming back up from the drain. To connect the drain, you are going to create a water tight connection between a drain cap on the top of the pan and the drainage pipe. Systems vary, but you are typically going to do this by putting a coupling piece on the top of the drainage pipe. This is then covered with gaskets and literally screwed into the drain cap. The drain cap should act as a locknut, to wit, it screws directly onto the coupling.

The tricky part of this process is getting your drain cap to fit into a watertight position in the pan. This is accomplished by backing off the drain cap once you are sure everything fits together. At that point, you put plumbers putty around the underside of the cap and then screw it back on. The putty should form a tight seal between the cap and the shower pan, which keeps water from trickling under it and into the framing under the shower.

Obviously, bathroom showers come in a wide variety of styles these days. If you purchase a collector, they almost always come with plumbing instructions or the store can note anything unusual you should know. It sounds complex, but is typically pretty straight forward. Have fun!

Handling Your Own Shower Drain Installation Project

Sunday, August 12, 2012

How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person

How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person


Single lever faucets were introduced during the 1950s and this type of plumbing fixtures allow control of water temperature with just one lever. The previous models used employ the use of two taps to separate hot and cold water.

How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person

How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person

How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person


How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person



How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person

A single kitchen faucet lever is also very easy to operate especially during those hectic moments in the kitchen when you find yourself elbow deep in grease or soap.

Do you want to have this type of fixture on your kitchen countertop?

If so then you can purchase yourself one in the style and make you want and prepare to install it yourself. How?

The procedure is very straightforward and if you are handy with tools, you can pull this job by yourself without any hassle. What are the tools you need?

• The fixture itself
• A sharp knife
Plumber's tape
• Rags and cleaner
• Two water supply hoses
• Silicone caulk and caulk gun
• An adjustable wrench
• A pair of pliers

Now the installation procedure:

1. Turn off the sink's water source which is usually found underneath. You'll see two valves: one each for the hot and cold water supplies, make sure to turn both valves off.
2. With the rags and cleaner, wipe the countertop clean. This will eliminate all matter or substance that would prevent a tight seal.
3. Check the bottom of the single lever faucet, to see where the inlets for water supply are. Then with your caulk gun, apply a thin layer of silicone caulk along the rim of the fixture's base edge.
4. Now mount the fixture on the countertop while making sure that the inlets are aligned with the countertop holes. Press the fixture down to keep it in place and properly bonded with the silicone.
5. Get under the sink and thread the retaining nuts onto the inlets. Tighten the nuts using the pliers.
6. Wrap plumber's tape around the inlet threads and the water supply valve threads.
7. You have two water supply hoses for both hot and cold water valves. Get one hose and attach the end with metal coupling to the water supply inlet. Tighten with the wrench. The plastic end should be attached to one of the water inlets at the bottom of the fixture.
8. Turn the water supply on.
9. Let the water run by opening the tap and check below the sink for leaks.

To avoid staining your sink, don't wipe away excess caulk. Instead, let it dry and cut it away using a sharp knife. Also, if you don't have silicone caulk, you may use plumber's putty. Be careful not to tighten nuts too much when installing a kitchen faucet lever.

How Do You Install a Single Kitchen Faucet Lever? Tips for the Avid Do-It-Yourself Person