#maintenance

Get Lots of Questions About Home Warranties

Paul Cummins

Apr 25, 2019
1 min

Get Lots of Questions About Home Warranties

Well, as with any insurance, they're betting against you. They're trying to get you to make a monthly payment forever that maybe you'll forget about. Costs range from $400 to over $1000 a year. What is actually covered varies considerably. You always have to pay a service fee. This article from the Washington Post lists the pitfalls and recommends just having a savings account for repairs. They also suggest you ask for the cash value of warranties offered by sellers, in

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Install that new dishwasher easily under your granite countertop!

Paul Cummins

Apr 4, 2019
1 min

Install that new dishwasher easily under your granite countertop!

No need to damage your cabinets with a side mount! Click on image for link. #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Mar 15, 2019
1 min

Outdoor hinges

Door to lovely rooftop deck had interior hinges installed. They are rusting and the pins can be knocked out easily and the door removed by anyone from an adjacent roof. Click on image for stainless steel hinges with fixed pins that will also allow the door to open wider...to get those kegs to the deck more easily! #exterior #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Sep 29, 2018
1 min

Loose Vinyl Siding

Just takes a very simple tool: Click on image for link. #exterior #maintenance

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Make anything less squeaky, without the oily drip!

Paul Cummins

Sep 7, 2018
1 min

Make anything less squeaky, without the oily drip!

I use this on stiff windows, reluctant sliding doors and those spring-loaded steel balls used to keep doors closed. Click on image for link. #cleaning #remodel #maintenance

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Make your steel railing posts last longer!

Paul Cummins

Apr 30, 2018
1 min

Make your steel railing posts last longer!

Remove rust with a wire brush and steel wool. Paint with Rustoleum. Then fill pit with caulk and slope it away from post. Otherwise you'll need to hire a welder or replace the whole railing. This is a good option for a metal railing on a wood deck or a replacement for ones that have broken in concrete. No welding required! Click on image for link. These plastic caps will prevent the bolts from rusting. #caulking #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Feb 20, 2018
1 min

Sharp Knife in Seconds!

I've only used whetstones. They're messy, hard to hold. They wear quickly. With this model you just draw over each slot three times (on a cutting board to protect the counter) and you can slice a tomato. Costs only $15! Click on image for link. #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Oct 31, 2017
1 min

The perfect flashlight!

This is extremely bright, can be dropped repeatedly (which I have done!), and can be focused to get just the right exposure when taking pictures, like close up in a basement corner or far away, lets say of a wet eave inside an attic. It's compact enough to fit in a pocket, albeit a big one. This twin pack is an especially good deal including Duracell batteries. Click on image for link. #electric #misc #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Oct 27, 2017
1 min

Moldy Coils are Quite Common!

No rinsing required. Click on image for link. #cleaning #HVAC #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Oct 23, 2017
1 min

Garage Door Lubricant

Talk about squeaky wheel! How about dozens of them! This is a lot simpler than getting out the grease gun. Click on image for link. #misc #remodel #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Sep 24, 2017
1 min

Fun to fix your old screens!

Just need a spline tool and utility knife. Click on image for video. #remodel #exterior #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Jul 11, 2017
1 min

A Lifetime Searching: for this scraper!

OMG, trying to remove that awful caulk which dries as hard as stone but grows mold like a Petri dish from around my second story windows. Putty knife too weak, double edged scraper broke, enter this puppy: which can be worked with two hands! It even easily removed my blotches from brick after 6 hours. Also did a number on glue for carpet tack strips on a tile floor... what a project. Ah, the right tool... Note carbide blade. Some just add a thin piece of steel. The groove

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Paul Cummins

Jun 11, 2017
1 min

Forget the furniture crayons!

These new pens have real stain in them, great for touching up any stained surface. Click on image for link. #cleaning #maintenance

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Where can I get that strange part for my old window?

Paul Cummins

Dec 26, 2016
1 min

Where can I get that strange part for my old window?

New windows range in price from $250 to $1000 each for a standard sized double-hung model. Unless they are fogged from the inside, which means the seal has failed, or UV light has fractured key components, it may be possible to keep them alive for a bit longer with the right part here and there. Click on image for a link to Blaine Window Hardware in Maryland. #remodel #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Jul 17, 2016
1 min

High Pressure Laminate Flooring (Pergo)

This flooring is inexpensive, quite durable and provides some cushioning. However, the old product does not survive flooding and can be nicked with sharp objects. There is a newer version that has an all vinyl base that will not be damaged by water. It is three times the cost. Here is how you repair nicks: To repair larger portions of damaged floor it must be removed piece by piece from the finished end or cut out then glued in as described HERE. #remodel #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Jun 26, 2016
1 min

Safe "Power Washing"!

This little $5 device has endless uses. It's great for "sweeping" driveways and patios and cleaning out your outdoor drains. The ones at the bottom of your stairs often don't have their own trap, because the water in the trap would freeze. A horizontal portion of pipe usually runs to an indoor drain with a trap. So to clear the horizontal pipe simply put this on the end of your hose and shoot it down the drain! Can save many a basement from flooding! #drainage #plumbing #

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Paul Cummins

May 30, 2016
1 min

What's the Catch?

Just did another house with some closet doors that won't stay shut because the spring mounted ball bearings have disappeared. If there is a visible crater you had the "drive in" kind: Makes sense to replace the drive in kind with the fancy "sit down" kind above. HA! like a restaurant ! The right seating is important! Might need a chisel to recess the fancy ones. Click on images for links. #maintenance

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Use this "balloon" to seal your chimney in the off season!

Paul Cummins

Sep 7, 2014
1 min

Use this "balloon" to seal your chimney in the off season!

The tricky part is getting your damper lever through it. Cut a small slice in it and partially inflate the balloon until it's snug in the flue--then inflate fully! It will pay for iteself very quickly! Click on image for link. #ventilation #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Sep 6, 2014
1 min

Everyone needs a good scraper!

Can’t live without this simple but can’t be beat scraper—even gets old, dried paint off of windows. But be careful using it and storing it… it’s sharp! #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Sep 6, 2014
1 min

Not your old school glue!

Space-age glue! This will bond things you never thought would go together. It’s power is in its adhesion and expansion. Monitor your joints over a couple hours and wipe with paint thinner and a lint free towel to get off excess. If you wait until it dries you will have to scrap it off. Great for broken chair legs: glue and wrap with wire until almost dry. Click on image for link. #maintenance

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