Super Handyman: Tips for pipe-leak preparedness

The sound of a water fountain is peaceful … but not when it’s inside your house! Quick, grab a towel, but then what? Let us help you be better prepared for such a disaster.

First of all, know where your cutoffs are located. You probably have a main cutoff at the meter. Some meters require a key of some sort to gain access. You usually can buy one of these keys at your local hardware store, so do so and keep it handy. You also might have a cutoff at the point where the water enters your home. Many appliances and fixtures that use water also have a handy cutoff, like the one under the sink. Make sure your cutoffs actually work. Test them periodically, and keep the proper wrench handy in case of emergencies.

In most cases, you’ll need a quick fix on hand to prevent damage until you can make a permanent repair. These include epoxy, tape and clamps.

Plumber’s epoxy putty is great because it works even on a wet surface. The cigar-shaped putty has both components inside, and all you have to do is break off what you need, knead it together in your hands and mold it around the leak.

There are some pretty nifty mending tapes available at the hardware store, too. Most will work on wet pipes and will hold until you can make permanent repairs.

There are a variety of clamps you can use. You also can wrap a leak with a scrap of rubber before putting a clamp on it. Remember not to overtighten the clamp, as plastic and copper can be damaged by doing so.

There are some battery-operated water alarms you can place near water heaters, washers and other appliances that might spring a leak. These won’t fix a leak, but hopefully you’ll find out about the leak before too much damage has been done.

You also should keep a good supply of repair parts on hand: extra pipe, joints, adhesive or soldering tools and whatever else you might need for a permanent repair. This could save you time in the long run. You also might want to have the name of a good plumber handy, just in case you need a pro.

Groovy glovesWe go through garden gloves like professional pickers do. And replacing them can get costly. One super-easy way to make your own is from an old sweatshirt. With the sweatshirt lying on the table, stick your hand up into the sleeve, with the wristband around your wrist and the sleeve of the sweatshirt over your hand. Lay your palm flat on the table and trace around it with a marker. Remove your hand, flatten the sleeve and sew along your lines. Then cut away the excess from your sewing lines. Voila! A new pair of gloves. They might even last a little longer than the store-bought kind, too!Hooked on hooksIf you have a large front porch, a couple of hanging baskets would be the perfect finishing touch. Our way of turning in the hooks is super fast. Put the screw hook into the end of your drill and chuck it in place to hold it firm. Then turn it in on the lowest speed. It will go in quickly and should hold the average-size fern to give your home more curb appeal! You can use this same method to turn in hooks and eyes all over your home.Super hintsŸ Try this the next time you have to work around fiberglass insulation. Wear long sleeves, long pants, a hat, dust mask and goggles to keep the stuff off your skin. Spread some baby powder on your skin, and the tiny glass fibers won#146;t stick to your skin, even if they get through the outer layers of protection.Ÿ My husband plays tennis and has a bunch of sweatbands that he uses on his wrists and to keep the sweat out of his eyes when he#146;s playing. I used them the last time I was painting and found that they worked well for me, too. No, the painting wasn#146;t causing me to sweat, but the bands did keep the drips from the paint off my arms. I used latex, so the paint washed right off. It#146;ll be our little secret, OK?Ÿ You can store a lot of hacksaw blades and other tools inside a scrap piece of PVC pipe with a couple of end caps on it. Your tools will be safely stored and ready to use.Q. We keep a small freezer in our basement for ice cream, meat and other things we like to stock up on at the store. It is older and has started to show some rust. I would like to paint over these areas so they don#146;t get any worse. What type of paint should I use?A. Use a rust remover first to make sure you get rid of any traces of it. Then use a zinc primer and an enamel paint to cover it. You can use epoxy paint on the entire surface if you like. It will last longer and look much better, but you might not care very much about how it looks. If the air is humid in the basement, try to add some ventilation. Chances are this appliance is not the only one starting to have rust problems.Q. I have carpeted stairs and am thinking about covering them with wood. How expensive and hard to do is this going to be?A. It depends upon what is under the carpet. If the existing stair treads and risers are cheap wood, then you will have to remove them and install oak or some other nice wood and then finish them. In many older homes, you might have nice wood under the carpet. You#146;ll have to be brave and take a peek.Q. I have a pink toilet and bathroom sink. Please tell me there is a way to change the color. I have painted the walls a neutral color and have replaced the pink tile floor with a neutral color, too. What can I do about the fixtures?A. There are some epoxy paints made for kitchens and baths. If done correctly, they will look good for a few years. Professional bathroom-fixture resurfacers can do a more permanent fix. Your best option may be to go ahead and replace them if you really can#146;t take the pink. Reader tipsŸ I bought some acrylic sheets to put over the tops of some of our tables and bedroom dressers. These are easy to work with and inexpensive, and can protect your furniture from scratches and stains. One thing I#146;ve learned about working with this stuff is to leave the wrapper in place until you have finished cutting, sanding and whatever else you need to do. Removing the protective covering should be the last thing you do before putting it in place.Ÿ You#146;ll love the #147;shower#148; my wife cooked up for us on our last camping trip. I had brought along a pump-up garden sprayer in case we needed to wash the dishes with it. But my wife hung it from a tree limb and turned it into a shower for us. We put up a makeshift curtain, and the sprayer was fairly nice for washing off after a day of hiking and fishing. It was a great idea, I think.Ÿ I found a nifty gadget for cleaning hair out of a drain. It looked like a long scrap of plastic with some barbs sticking out along the edge. You stick it into the drain and then pull out the clogs. I figured I could do the same thing with an old hacksaw blade, so I tried it. It actually worked. Just stick the blade down into the drain to pull up the hair. I cleaned off the blade and put it back into the garage. That was simple.Ÿ I hope the new fence post I had to put in will last longer than the original one. This time, I took some large 16-penny nails and drove them partially into the post near the bottom. Then I put it into the cement. I reasoned that the nails sticking out would help hold it in the concrete longer than before and would help it last longer. I#146;ll let you know how it#146;s holding up in a few years.Ÿ We have a small hammock in our backyard. We rarely use it to lie in, but it#146;s become the perfect place to drain the pool toys. After the kids have finished swimming, I have them put all their floats on the hammock, where they drain until they are completely dry. Then I can put them away until the next swim day. My next-door neighbor bought a hammock similar to mine and just hung it on her fence for the toys to drain in. I like her idea even better!ShoptalkŸ Natural stone is a very popular choice for kitchens, baths and all around the home. It#146;s strong, takes abuse well and is gorgeous. Granite Gold is a line of products made just for these stone surfaces. It works on a variety of natural stone surfaces and even some man-made surfaces without staining, streaking or discoloring the surface. The line includes grout cleaner, shower cleaner, floor cleaner, sealer, polish and even an outdoor cleaner. Granite Gold is sold at most hardware stores, home centers and discount and grocery stores around the country. To find out more about each product, visit the company online at www.granitegold.com.Ÿ The Dryer Duct Booster Fan can be added to keep your dryer ducts free of lint buildup. This is a real problem that causes a slow and inefficient dryer as well as a fire hazard. When added, the booster fan even can save energy by cutting the drying time up to 50 percent. No maintenance is required, and it can be installed by the average do-it-yourselfer. Find out more at www.tjernlund.com. They have some really great products that can make your home much more energy-efficient and, best of all, comfortable!Ÿ Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit the Carrells#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$