Friday, May 27, 2016

How to Remove and Replace Bathroom Damaged Sink

Fig.1 Damaged Sink
By Gary Boutin

Tools and Supplies: 
Adjustable Pliers and Adjustable wrench
Basin Wrench
Crescent Wrench (Used for tightening fill lines)
Channel locks (Locks/unlocks the pipes fittings)
Electric Flashlight (See better under the sink)
Safety Glasses (Protects the eyes)
Pipe Wrench and Water Pail
Plumber’s Putty (Seals under the faucet/and pop-up flange)
Open-end-wrench for lag bolts (Under sink mounts)
Putty Knife (Break the bond from under the sink)
Screwdriver (Phillips, and flat)
Teflon® tape (White)
Utility Paint Scraper Knife

One of my friends had a huge party at his home, he called me up and wondered if a sink could be patched up. I guess he was hoping that I could put a band-aid on it. I told him that the only way to fix the damages was to replace it. Notice fig.1 above right the sink has a hole on the left side. The party was in full swing and one of the visitors using the bathroom dropped a full beer bottle into the sink, and instead of bouncing of the sides, the bottle fell through the sink. I brought my friend to our local hardware store to purchase a new sink.

 1
Turn off both cold and hot water stop valves that are underneath the sink, the first choice is to turn off the stop valves and if they are frozen, or if they turn, but the valves do not stop the water the next choice is the to off water at the main. Usually the main is located at the front of your home near the hose bib and you will need to turn off all the water to the house. If that fails the third and final choice is to turn off the water at the street main valve. You can get a special valve wrench at your local hardware store to close this valve. 
 2
Now the water is turned off, the next step is to remove the water fill lines notice from the sink shanks. Fig 2 shows two threaded brass (water shanks) pipes with black plastic nuts around them for the hot and cold faucet handles. Both of these flexible lines need to be removed even if you are replacing the faucet. The fill lines are still connected and need to be removed. Do not remove the fill lines from the stop valves because this will save you an additional installation step. If you can not reach the brass nuts use a basin wrench. A basin wrench is the easiest way to remove and tightened the nuts and it work on these mounting nuts too. You can find this tool at any hardware store.
3

Now disconnect the gray pipe connected to the sink and the white pipe going to the p-trap. Place the pail underneath the gray/white pipe to catch water that may be in the pipes. Now the sink is almost free except that it is attached to the cabinet by several under mount clamps and screws. Not all sinks have these clamps. If you have the clamps look for at least eight clamps and use a flat head screwdriver to remove the screw and the clamp from the sink. Notice the white pipe, turn the white pipe connector nut counter-clockwise to unscrew the two pipes and take them apart.
 4
Next use a Razor Knife to help release the bond to the counter top.
5

Use both two scraper and pull the sink out of its home. Use the faucet as a handle and it helped me remove the sink. and a The last step is to remove the damaged sink and to free the sink from the cabinet counter top. Notice 
6
Now scrape the old silicone off the edges of the counter top. If the old silicone is left behind the silicone will be a barrier between the sink and the counter top and the new sink will not adhere to the existing counter top. Some installers just place sink clamps below to secure the sink to the cabinet.
7
Now the old sink has been removed and a new sink is being installed. The new sinks is packaged in a large boxes, and this sink came with a template. The template is to aid the installer in getting the exact size for the new sink. You would place the template on the new vanity and use the template to cut the hole for the sink. But this vanity has the hole already in the cabinet. In fig.6 shows that silicone is placed at the edges of the sink to add adhesion between the counter top and the sink. The manufacturer will have detailed instructions on how to assemble the faucet you purchased.
8
Place the faucet on the sink, attach the mounting bolts and turn over and place the sink in the vanity.
9
Next insert the lift-rod into the faucet, connect the lift-rod strap to the pivot rod, slide one end of the spring clip onto the pivot-rod. Slide the other end of the pivot-rod and make sure the lift-rod opens and closes the drain plug.
10
Place the faucet on the sink, install the old faucet (mostly new).
11
Attach the mounting bolts, turn over and place the sink in the vanity.
12
Attach the fill lines from both stop valves onto the water shanks. Being careful not to move the sink.
 
13
Attach the sink flange from under the sink, and screw into the tailpipe. Once the nut is secured between the sink drain, the sink gasket needs to be tightened up with a jamb nut. 
14
The bottom of the tailpipe will need to be secured with a coupling nut and that pipe will flow into the P-trap.
15

Now re-check the installation. Apply more silicone to the outer edge area and seal the sink to the vanity. The new sink completed in its new home


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Note: The DIY Advisor assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any jobs. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow current codes and regulations that may apply, and is urged to consult with a licensed contractor if in doubt about any steps on these posts. All names were changed to protect client's privacy. DIY Advisor. Reproduction of site content including photos without permission prohibited. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2011-

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

How to Repair Fireplace Back Up Switch - Part 2 of 2 - The Repair

Battery leaking acid
By Gary Boutin

Tools and Supplies:
Baking soda box 
Dust pan and brush 
Duracell® Batteries
Drywall rags or towels
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser®
Paper towels
Toothbrush (one time use)

We placed a fireplace backup switch on this fireplace because the area seemed to have power failures. The purpose of the backup switch is to provide electrical power to the gas igniter to produce a flame if there was a power failure.  

This post shows the fifteen steps on the process to repair the back up switch for the fireplace.

1
Upper right shows a battery that has exploded.

The picture on the left shows that gloves must be worn on the hands, eye glass to cover the eyes.
2
The picture on the left shows that Baking Soda will be used to neutralize the acid from the batteries. The dust pan and brush to to get as much dry acid out of the fireplace. Before the acid get wet from the base solution.
3
The picture on the left shows that the base solution of water and Baking Soda was applied to  the fireplace shelf.
4

The picture on the left shows scraping of the acid from the metal shelf.
5
The picture on the left shows that most of the acid was removed from the metal shelf. A toothbrush with the past base solution was used to scrape the acid loose.
6
The picture on the left shows the toothbrush removing the acid from the battery compartment. Several applications of the base solution was placed into the battery case to remove the acid. Later the case was dried using white paper towels.
7
The picture on the left displays the Baking Soda, the battery case with acid inside a trash can. The white fireplace frame can be seen in the background.
8
The picture on the left shows the battery case is completely wipe clean of battery acid. The battery springs, electrical wires and case  were wiped clean.
9
The picture on the left shows the metal shelf that once had battery acid now is cleaned and ready for use.
10
The picture on the left shows the battery case hanging from the fireplace ready for the next battery.
11
The picture on the left shows two new Duracell® Batteries placed into the back up switch.
1. Turn off the power using the panel switch to the fireplace.     2. Test the back up unit and see if power is turn on the flame igniter. 
3. If the flame starts then the job is finished. 
12
These two picture on the left show where the fireplace glass cover is located so the flame cover can be place correctly in the metal frame.
13
The picture on the left shows the fireplace certificate is not surrounded by acid and is in plain site for fireplace safety.
14

The picture on the left shows the damage the  acid did to the metal shelf.
15
The picture on the left is the fireplace turned on and useful again. To see how to clean the fireplace when battery acid touched the white frame click below.

Magic Eraser - Cleaning a White Fireplace Mantel


How To Repair a Fireplace Back Up Switch:

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Note: The DIY Advisor assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any jobs. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow current codes and regulations that may apply, and is urged to consult with a licensed contractor if in doubt about any steps on these posts. All names were changed to protect client's privacy. DIY Advisor. Reproduction of site content including photos without permission prohibited. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2011-

How to Repair Fireplace Back Up Switch - Part 1 of 2 - The Damage

Battery leaking acid
By Gary Boutin

Tools and Supplies:
Baking soda box 
Dust pan and brush 
Duracell® Batteries
Drywall rags or towels
Magic Eraser® sponge
Paper towels
Toothbrush (one time use)

We placed a fireplace backup switch on this fireplace. The purpose is to provide power if the power is turned off to the home. Instead of waiting for the power to return the back up switch provides electrical power to turn on the igniter and light the gas to provide a full flame for the fireplace.

This post shows the ten steps on the process to clean the back up switch for the fireplace.

1
Upper right shows one Duracell® battery that has exploded. The picture on the left shows the fireplace is turned on, but the back up switch is not working. This is not the Duracell® battery fault. The back up switch worked well for over 5 years. It exploded because the battery was not replaced. Now the backup switch battery unit has a replace sticker to avoid this problem in the future.
2
The picture on the left shows the wall switch for the fireplace. Presently its in the ON position. Flip the switch down to turn the fireplace off, to do the repairs for the backup switch.
3
The picture on the left shows two Duracell® batteries that are leaking acid, into the back up switch case. The acid escaped out of the battery case and spilled into the bottom metal layer of the fireplace.
4
The picture on the left shows one Duracell® battery has been removed to the trash can, and one battery still is in the case.
5
The picture on the left shows both Duracell® batteries were removed. Now the case can be cleaned.
6
The picture on the left shows the fireplace certificate which is in the middle of the acid that leaked from the batteries.
7
The picture on the left shows that the fireplace certificate has been removed and the white acid is on top of the shelf. This has to be removed from the shelf because it poses a hazard to the electrical system.
8
The picture on the left shows a spoon was used to start the removal process.
9

The picture on the left shows the acid wall behind the fireplace certificate.
10
The picture on the left shows the underside of the battery case. This is the acid that will need to be removed.

How To Repair a Fireplace Back Up Switch:

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Note: The DIY Advisor assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any jobs. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow current codes and regulations that may apply, and is urged to consult with a licensed contractor if in doubt about any steps on these posts. All names were changed to protect client's privacy. DIY Advisor. Reproduction of site content including photos without permission prohibited. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2011-

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

How to Clean White Fireplace Mantel with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser®

Fig.1
By Gary Boutin

Tools and Supplies:
Dry clean towels
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser®

We were replacing our batteries on our backup fireplace switch and some of the acid had reached the fireplace mantle and frame. 

This posts shows the four steps on how to use the magic eraser to clean a white fireplace and mantle.

Step 1: Fig.1 shows the magic eraser is the tool for cleaning this fireplace mantle and its framed edges.

Step 2: Fig.2 and fig.3 shows the magic eraser removing acid from the bottom metal gas shelf of the fireplace.
Fig.2

Fig.3
Step 3: Fig.4 shows Mr. Clean Magic Eraser® removing dust and acid particles from the fireplace edges.
Fig.4

Step 4: Fig.5 shows Mr. Clean Magic Eraser® cleaning the bottom edge of the fireplace frame. Now that the fireplace frame and mantle are clean use the dry clean towel to pick up any existing moisture or water residue.

Fig.5

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Note: The DIY Advisor assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any jobs. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow current codes and regulations that may apply, and is urged to consult with a licensed contractor if in doubt about any steps on these posts. All names were changed to protect client's privacy. DIY Advisor. Reproduction of site content including photos without permission prohibited. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2011-