Every home and garden unfortunately has lots of things that will inevitably break or need maintenance, but not the games at real money online pokies. Sometimes the expertise of a professional will be required, especially if the task will interfere directly with the electricity, gas or oil supply, but you can and should do what you can yourself, to save yourself a fortune. You will also get to enjoy that particular sense of satisfaction all good DIY’ers know and love – the satisfaction of a job well done.
The basic DIY skills listed in this article curated leroijohnny will prove to be helpful to you during emergencies.
How to Drill
Being able to use a drill will open up a world of DIY and home improvement jobs to you; from putting up shelves, to hanging pictures, to even building your furniture! To get comfortable using a drill, get some scrap wood or plasterboard to practice on. Carefully pull the trigger and feel how the drill reacts. Follow the drill manufacturer’s instructions to change the bits and experiment by drilling with each of them – drilling holes, inserting screws, and loosening screws. Make sure the bit is tightened securely into the chuck and start with a low torque setting.
How to Use a Spirit Level
This is a versatile skill that you’ll find you need for many DIY jobs. When you’re putting up shelves, hanging a picture, tiling or paving, you will need to make sure what you’re doing is flat and level. Lay a spirit level along the line or surface you want to check. Allow the bubble in the vial to settle. If the bubble is in the middle it is level, if it is off to one side you will need to adjust the surface accordingly and check the level again. You may need to close one of your eyes to get an accurate reading.
How to Caulk
Being able to caulk with a caulk gun comes in useful for many vital DIY jobs, such as caulking around a bath or sink for a watertight seal, caulking around windows and doors to improve your home’s insulation and energy efficiency, and filling unsightly gaps behind skirting boards.
How to Turn Off the Water Supply
Without this skill, you will not be able to proceed with several DIY jobs, such as fixing a tap for example, as it is an essential first step. You also run the risk of allowing a burst pipe to flood your home, so it is an important DIY skill to learn.
Every home has an internal and an external stopcock, which are valves that control the flow of water into the home from the main supply. In densely populated areas like housing estates, the external stopcock may be shared with other properties and shouldn’t be turned off unless it is an emergency. If a pipe bursts in your garden, you will need to shut off the external stopcock using a special underground or external stopcock key, which is available in hardware stores. The external stopcock is usually under a metal cover marked “Uisce”.
In most circumstances, you should turn off the water supply to your home at the internal stopcock. You will usually find this valve at the pipework under the kitchen sink, or in a downstairs bathroom. Turn the stopcock in a clockwise direction using an internal stopcock key, which is available in hardware stores.
How to Clear a Blocked Drain or Toilet
At some stage, it’s going to happen! You will discover your sink, shower, bath, toilet or outdoor drain is no longer draining water away and you will need to clear the blockage. Sink, shower and bath drains tend to clog over time with food, grease, soap scum, hair and cosmetics like shaving gel; to unblock these drains see our step-by-step guide. Toilet waste pipes can also become blocked over time and you will notice the toilet bowl filling up with water.
