Don't call the repairman -- yet
Posted
Nov 30 2007, 11:55 AM
by
Donna Freedman
A tenant knocked last Saturday to tell me she'd broken off her key in the door. If this ever happens to you, try doing what I did: Insert a spare key until it touches the broken piece, then turn very gently.
After a few tries, the lock opened. Since I couldn't pry out the broken piece, I installed a replacement deadbolt. Just another day in the life of Super Resident Manager, saving the building owners an expensive weekend locksmith call.
My point? This was not a tough fix. Lock replacement is one of many repairs that can be done by the most amateur of handyfolks.
Your home is full of things that stall, shred, stick, crumble or clog. A whole bunch of those things can be fixed by you.
The FYI on DIY
Let's face it: When it comes to home repair, you may not know your hasp from your elbow joint.
Maybe nobody in your home was handy, or maybe you never paid attention when Mom or Dad fixed something.
Now that you've grown up, or at least gotten taller, it's time to step up. Doing even a few basic repairs can save you a ton of money.
A comprehensive home repair book is a great investment, but there's also a ton of DIY info on the Internet. One of my favorite sites, and not just for its name, is fixatoilet.com. It's helped me diagnose and fix problems such as worn-out fill valves or malfunctioning flappers.
Toilet repairs are among the simplest (if occasionally grottiest) home chores ever. Why call a plumber if you can do the fix in 60 seconds with a $4 part?
Little Miss (or Mr.) Fix-It
A common complaint in the building is garbage-disposal death. Often it gets revived with a press of the reset button.
Didn't know that disposals have reset buttons? Well, you do now. Those that don't restart are usually repaired with a few turns of an Allen wrench in the slot under the center of the disposal.
You could have learned this by doing an Internet search with keywords like "stuck garbage disposal." I hope you will, the next time your own sink unit grinds to a halt. Ditto searches for "refrigerator leak," "tub drain fix," "caulk gun," "shingle repair" or "faucet handle replacement."
Or you may be able to figure it out by looking closely at the situation. Example: One day the apartment building's garage door would close most of the way, then open right back up. I checked for obstructions to the safety sensor system; there were none. When I looked at the opposite wall, I realized someone had backed into and smashed the sensor lens.
So I drilled a hole in a bike reflector and installed it where the lens used to be. A minute later the system clicked and the door closed smoothly. This fix cost the building owners a total of $7.50. Who knows how much the garage-door repair company would have charged for parts and service?
Obviously, we should recognize our limits. If, say, you get an electrical shock when you touch the light switch, I'd suggest calling an electrician pronto. (I'd also suggest not touching the switch again.)
But plenty of things are doable, even if you've never thought of yourself as handy. So before you call the expert, put at least a little effort into figuring things out on your own.
And remember: Measure twice, cut once.
