How to fix a towel rack

How To Repair A Loose Towel Rack


 

Recently my towel rack fell off the wall.  Upon investigation, I discovered the set screw had become loose.  This is a guide on how to rehang the towel rack, tighten the set screw, and use threadlocker to prevent it from loosening again. 










Supplies:

Small flat head screw driver 

Threadlocker
















Note the set screw located on the bottom of the towel bracket. 

As the picture depicts, the screw has almost backed all the way out. This will often happen with normal use.




Instructions:

• Add a drop of threadlocker to the set screw. 
• Set the bracket onto the wall hanging plate. The bracket usually has a lip on the back of the top edge that hooks on to the top edge of the wall bracket. Then press the bottom of the bracket against the wall.  
• Use the small flat head screw driver to tighten the set screw.
• Now your towel bracket should be secured in place.

Remember this is a small screw and does not require much threadlocker. The threadlocker is a liquid and only a drop is required. Be sure to keep a paper towel close at hand! 

That's it for this post. Go around and fix all your towel racks, and don't forget to use a threadlocker if you don't want to have to tighten them again.  

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Thanks For reading. Be sure to check out my other posts of helpful home insights and comment below if this was helpful!! 

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How to Replace a Light Fixture

7 SIMPLE STEPS TO 
REPLACING A LIGHT
FIXTURE

Recently, the pull string ripped out of the ceiling light in my closet, rendering me unable to turn the light on or off. I chose to replace the ceiling fixture with a new, similar pull string light. I took a few photos to show how to replace a light fixture in a few simple steps. The pictures will be specific to the fixture I am using, but can be used to install or take out any surface mount ceiling light fixture.

Steps:

1. Turn off your power. This should be done before any other steps. For instructions on how to do this refer back to my "How to reset a circuit breaker" post or just click the highlighted link. Just flipping the light switch off will not work!!! Flipping the wall switch only stops the electricity from going to the light bulb, but the wiring behind the fixture will still be live.

2.  Take out the bulb and set it some place safe. Then remove the screws, bolts, or whatever is securing the light fixture.

3. Next check to see if the electricity was correctly turned off. Use a voltage tester to see if there is any electricity in the wires. Depending on the type of tester used, there may be a small reading caused by your body's own electrical current of 1-2 volts. This is normal, but if the voltmeter reads 110-130 volts, go back to your breaker box and turn off the electricity. Other voltage testers will use a simple light bulb that lights up if there is sufficient electrical current to cause harm. 

4. Now that there is no electricity, you can remove the wires. Loosen the screws holding the wires in place and then pull the wiring off without damaging the wiring.

5.  If the new light fixture is similar to or identical to the fixture before, then just reattach the wires. I ran into the problem where my first light had connections for 2 sets of wiring but the new fixture only accommodated 1 set of wires. I solved this problem by using a wire connectors and extra wiring to reduce 2 white and 2 black wires to 1 black and 1 white wire. (I will addressed this in a future blog.) 

Note: The connection terminal screws in the light fixture were color coded for the wiring in my ceiling.  The white wire connects to the silver screw and the black wire connects to the gold screw. 

6. Reattach the fixture to the ceiling. 

7. Reinstall the bulb and restore the power by turning on the circuit breaker.  Confirm your light turns on. 

This is a fairly simple job. I replaced the fixture in 15-20 min even with the time it took to take photos and combine the two sets of wires for the new fixture. 

<<Thanks for reading this post!! Be sure to check out my other posts.>>

How to Fix A Running Toilet

The toilet flapper is circled in yellow.

Basic Toilet Maintenance 
One of the most common toilet parts to break is the toilet flapper. These rubber parts deteriorate and harden over time, resulting in the need to be replaced. By understanding how to replace this simple part your money can stay in your wallet rather than to be literally flushed down the drain as wasted water. You can make the repair in 10-15 minutes and $5 rather than $150+ for a professional plumber to make the repair.

What is needed:
All you need is one toilet flapper.

Flappers cost $3-$10 depending on the store and what kind you buy. There are a few differed styles depending on the type of toilet. Take a picture of the old one and then look for an identical one at the store. They are most commonly found in red. Red usually is chlorine resistant, and should last longer than the black version.



Instructions: 

First, shut of the water supply to the toilet. The shut off valve, as seen in the picture, is located behind the toilet. Twist in the indicated direction to turn off. Once the project his been completed, use the same knob to restore the water supply.


Once the water has been shut off the flapper now needs to be replaced.

If the flapper looks like the one pictured above, simply remove the chain from the flusher handle and unsnap the flapper.

Snap the new flapper into the same place as the old one and attach the chain to the flush handle.

Next, adjust the chain so that is is loose, but has just enough tension to lift the flapper when the toilet handle is pulled.

Note: Some of the flappers have a handle made of the same material as the flapper, itself. If this is the case the same steps should be followed for installation.  



In some cases he flapper will look like the picture to the left. To install, follow the steps above, but rather than snapping the prongs into place, the flapper ring should be slid around the bowl filling pipe.


Once the flapper has been properly installed, turn on the water supply and flush the toilet once or twice to ensure (1) the chain length is correct, (2) the flapper is positioned correctly, and (3) the toilet no longer runs once the tank is filled.

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Thanks for reading this "How To"! Remember to check out my other posts if you have not already. Check back later for more helpful home insights. 

Comment below if you have a "How To" idea or topic you would like to see covered in future posts.