Six DIY Fixes all New Homeowners Should Know

So you just bought a new house. The days of calling a landlord for basic repairs are behind you. With that good news comes the necessity to learn some basic repairs. If you can do these few repairs on your own, you should be good to go in your new place.

Turn off the Main Water Line

So this isn’t in itself a fix, but it’s critical to know how to do if you ever have a leak. You want to shut off the water to stop the problem so the root cause can be repaired. Most of the time, there is a shutoff valve in the basement where the water main enters your house. Simply turn this all the way off and all water in your house will be turned off.

Clogged Drain

Many times a simple plunging can cure a clogged drain in the sink. Try to vigorously plunge the sink drain for a minute or so. If that doesn’t solve it, detach the P-trap under the drain and clean it out thoroughly. Just be sure to put a basin underneath before unscrewing the pipe. If there are still issues, you may need to use a snake to go deeper.

Jammed Garbage Disposal

Surprisingly, unjamming a garbage disposal is usually a pretty simple fix. Make sure power is off to the unit before beginning. In the center of the bottom of the unit, you can insert an Allen wrench and force it bank and forth a few times to free the impellers. 

Hot Water Heater Issues

In order to stop an immediate crisis while waiting for a professional Rapid Rooter repairman, turn the gas supply knob off for gas hot water heaters or the circuit off for electric hot water heaters, then turn off the cold water supply valve going into the hot water heater.

Silence Door Squeaks

Applying some WD-40 to the hinges can often fix the noisiness of a door. If not, take a little extra time by actually removing the door from its hinges then putting it back. After shuffling it around like that, the squeak might be gone.

Replacing Outlets

First shut off the circuit for this outlet. Use a voltage tester to double check there is no electricity. Remove the plate and unscrew the outlet. Attach the wires to the new outlet the same way they were attached to the old outlet, screw it back in and replace the plate.

As you can see, many basic repairs are simple enough for any new homeowner to handle. Unless they become more complicated, there’s no reason to pay a lot for a professional.