With the average age of a Chicago area home pushing a quarter-century, even the most well-maintained house has its share of problems.
There are the once-in-a-lifetime repairs-new roofs, new furnaces, new front porches, new sidewalks, etc.-but what’s more common are the everyday maladies such as loose doorknobs, jammed garbage disposals and the occasional overflowing toilet. These are the things that are guaranteed to come loose, wear out or get rusty in the next year or so.
“These small problems do not mean that your house is a lemon,” says Rose Geier-Wilson, a research architect for the Building Research Council, a Champaign-based public information group. “But you can’t expect a house to last for years and years without small things wearing out and breaking down.”
These common home repairs can usually be aptly handled by the accomplished do-it-yourselfer. They are usually uncomplicated, require only a few tools, and a little time.
What follows are 10 common household repairs that most homeowners will be sure to face in the next year or so.
Doorknobs
With all the twisting and turning they go through, doorknobs can loosen to the point where they no longer function.
“Often, the retaining screw that holds the doorknob to the spindle becomes loose and it requires only tightening,” Geier-Wilson says. “Other times, the set screw strips and needs to be replaced.”
In addition, the screws in the doorknob’s face plate can become loose and also need to be tightened. “Sometimes, the screw hole has gotten larger and needs to be filled with wood putty or toothpicks so that the screw gets a better grip,” Geier-Wilson adds. “Or you can try to use a larger screw.”
Loose strike plates and latch plates are also common and can be reattached in the same way, she says.
It’s also not uncommon for front and back door locks to become sticky. “A lock can freeze up to the point where it’s so hard to turn the key, that you think you’ll break it off in the lock,” says Pat Johnson, a restoration consultant with Johnson Reconstruction on Chicago’s North Side.
To remedy the situation, squirt a little graphite into the keyhole and into the latch cylinder, Johnson says. “Never use oil as that tends to get the lock more gummy over time,” he adds.
Cranks and handles
Another common home malady involves the cranks or handles found on casement windows. “The cranks break because the homeowner never lubricates the window,” says Tony LaPelusa, chairman of the board of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, a trade group of contractors.
Sometimes, only the handle breaks on casement windows. The remedy? Replacement handles, which can be found at most hardware stores. The handles are usually held in with a set screw that might require an Allen or hex wrench to remove.
If the entire gear assembly has broken, remove the screws holding it down and move the arm on the assembly until it is free of the bottom track on the window. Sometimes, the assemblies can be cleaned and made to work again. Otherwise, new assemblies are available at home improvement stores.
Next, use a bristle brush to clean debris from the tracks of the window and lubricate them with petroleum jelly. Finally, replace the gear assembly.
To avoid problems with casement window cranks, LaPelusa suggests lubricating and cleaning the window tracks and gear assemblies once a year.
Storm doors
If you have storm doors on your home, you can bet that the sweeps at the bottom will wear out or fall off, LaPelusa says. “The problem is that the doors are installed too tight, wearing the sweeps down,” he says.
To repair the sweep, you will need to remove the old sweep, which may necessitate removing the door. The sweeps are usually held in place by a series of screws. Replacement sweeps can be found at most home improvement stores. You may need to cut the new sweep to fit the existing door. Re-install with the existing screws or new screws if the old ones are rusty.
Gutters, downspouts
Even with twice-yearly maintenance, expect gutter and downspout problems each year, LaPelusa says. Ice or ice dams are usually the sources for problems such as leaks in the gutters or splits in downspout seams.
While leaks can be patched with a gutter caulk, downspouts with splits usually need to be replaced by a professional, the experts add.
Sump pump
It’s also inevitable that you will face sump pump problems over the next year or so, says Larry Desmond, a home sales associate with the Waukegan-based Century 21 Maki and Associates. “I’ve found that sump pumps usually have a lifespan of about three years or so,” he says.
The most common problem is the sump pump will stop working during a rainstorm, as rainwater fills a sump pit. Normally, the pump is supposed to eject water out of the pit and into a sewer system.
The short-term remedy is to lift the float arm or ballcock on the pump to engage it and clear the water out of the pit. That will also sometimes get the pump to function again for the remainder of the rainstorm.
The long-term remedy is to replace the pump, not a difficult task if you have some plumbing experience.
Clogged drains
There are a number of ways to unclog drains. If it’s the first time the drain has clogged in a long time, try one of the commercial remedies available at hardware stores. These range from the chemical drain cleaners that pour into the drain, to plungers that use air and water pressure to clear drains, to mechanical augers that snake out the drain.
If the drain clogs constantly, your best bet is to use an auger to give the pipes a good cleaning. Then use drain baskets and the non-chemical drain cleaners to keep the pipes running clean.
Overflowing toilet
An overflowing toilet is also a given as far as a home repair, Geier-Wilson says. Toilets overflow when they become clogged and the outlet valve is stuck open.
First, stop the flow of water. Remove the toilet tank lid and find the outlet valve, an opening at tank bottom. Above the valve will be a tank ball. Push the ball into the opening to stop the flow.
If the ball is truly stuck, lift the float arm-a grapefruit-sized ball on a wire arm-to stop the flow. Keep the float arm up in place with a piece of wood or a book across the top of the tank.
Next, remove the clog with a plunger or auger in the bowl of the toilet. If the clog won’t come free, you’ll need to call a professional.
Exhaust fans
Another typical bathroom malady is a noisy exhaust fan. “You’d be amazed at how dirty the inside of these fans can get,” says Johnson. “That’s what causes the noise.”
To correct the problem, make sure the fan is turned off and remove the cover plate of the fan. “Typically, the fan itself unplugs from a housing,” adds Johnson. “Take it out, clean it off and lubricate it. Then replace it.”
Disposals
Garbage disposals often jam when they get stuck on a utensil or a stringy food item, such as celery, Desmond says. When a disposal jams, it stops grinding and instead hums or buzzes.
A homeowner can often correct a jam in a few minutes, Desmond says. Start by shutting off the power to the unit. Then use a flashlight to look into the disposal chamber and try to find what’s jamming the unit. (Don’t put your hand in the unit.) You may be able to pull out the obstruction with a pair of pliers.
If not, clear away any debris with a wooden spoon or tongs and insert a wooden broom handle into the disposal. Using as much pressure as possible, try to turn the rotor in either direction. Then remove the blockage with pliers.
Often, you’ll need to push a reset button on the bottom of the disposal or flip the circuit breaker the disposal is on.
Pilot lights
Usually once a year, the pilot light will go out on your water heater, thanks to basement flooding, a draft across the basement floor or simply because the water heater is getting old.
Most water heaters have relighting instructions printed on the front of the heater. If yours doesn’t, call a professional to relight the unit.
To make relighting easier, keep a box of long-stemmed fireplace matches on hand.
