How To Save Money On Your Plumbing Bills
In tough financial times it is important to try to save money on unnecessary home improvement bills for jobs which with a little bit of ‘insider’ knowledge you can do yourself to a very satisfactory standard. Minor jobs like bleeding radiators can save you substantial amounts of money on unncessary plumbing bills.
Bleeding A Radiator
Occasionally, you will notice a radiator heating unevenly. Specifically, the bottom of the radiator is warm while the top is cool. Before you call a heating engineer or plumber, try the simple and inexpensive remedy of bleeding the radiator to see if this will fix the problem. A radiator needs bleeding when air has infiltrated the system and is blocking the warm water from reaching the top of the radiator. In addition to the uneven heating of a warm bottom and cool top, a radiator may feel as if it is not working at all. If the radiator feels cool both on the bottom and top, there may be so much air that the water is not circulating at all. Air is introduced to the heating system when water is added as well as the action of the impeller pump. While bleeding may not fix all plumbing problems, it is the first remedy a heating engineer or plumber will attempt and if it is the problem, it will save you time and money on unncecessary plumbing bills.
Tools Needed To Bleed A Radiator
The only tools necessary to bleed a radiator are a bleed key and a rag or towel. The first step is to turn off the heat pump at the central source and open both valves at the bottom of the radiator. If the main heat pump is not turned off, it can draw more air into the system. Then, locate the bleed screw at the top of the radiator. Usually, the bleed screw is located at the ends of the radiator and occasionally on the back. Using the bleed key, turn the bleed screw anti clockwise; while bleeding, you will hear a hissing noise. Be prepared to tighten the bleed screw as soon as water starts dripping out of the bleed screw at the top of the radiator. Tighten the bleed screw by turning clockwise; do not over tighten the bleed screw. Occasionally the bleed screw has been damaged and the bleed key no longer works on the screw. In that case, carefully use a spanner to bleed the radiator.
Repeat the bleeding process on all radiators. Once the radiators are bled, if the heating system is a closed system, you will need to adjust the pressure by topping off the boiler. Once the system is turned on again, check each radiator for even heating, if the heat from the radiators is still uneven or insufficient, contact a heating engineer or plumber.
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Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
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21 Aug 2009
How To Build A Brick Garden Barbecue For DIY Home Improvement Enthusiasts
The first step to building a garden brick barbeque is site selection. The barbeque site should be a level section of garden located close enough to the house for frequent trips to the kitchen but far enough away, so the smoke does not vent directly into the house. As well as smoke concerns, fire hazards such as overhead branches and awnings also help select the location. After selecting the site, determine the length and width for the barbeque and mark it out on the ground using a measuring tape. It is a good idea to do a dry run of bricks to check the measurement before starting the building process.
Some measurements that are useful to determine the total materials needed are as follows: the nominal size for one brick and mortar is 225mm x 102.5mm x 75mm, for mortar a rule of thumb is 25kg of dry mortar for 25 bricks. Do not forget to add a percentage of bricks for breakage. The typical brick barbeque is thirteen brick rows high. Keep brick storage close to building location and keep bricks dry using tarps. Wet bricks can result in lime blooming, which is white staining on the surface of bricks. In addition to bricks and mortar purchase barbeque grates and ashtrays.
After selecting the site and purchasing the bricks, the next step is digging the footings. Dig the footings 24 inches deep along the laid out barbeque outline and tamp down dirt at the bottom of the hole. Coarse cement is appropriate for the footings. Create a pile of mortar on a board and place a well in the top of the pile to add water. A watering can is a good tool to use to add water for the mortar mix since it is easier to control than a bucket. Pour the mortar in the trench and tamp down and level with a timber then leave the footing to cure for two days.
Lay the first course of bricks. Butter the bottom and side edge of each brick with mortar using a trowel. The mortar should be mixed to a consistency of butter and the mortar should not fall off the trowel when held sideways. Check the first course of bricks for level using a spirit level. Build up the corners by three or four bricks then install corner blocks and stretch lines to mark level for the other courses. After every three rows of bricks are laid on the barbeque, point the joints, vertical joints first. Be sure to check for plumb and level frequently. Install brackets in the second and third row of bricks from the top. The lower bracket is for the ashtray and the upper bracket is for the barbeque grill. Cap the top row with coping stones or hard bricks.
Allow the brick barbeque to cure for forty-eight hours before enjoying your new home made DIY garden barbeque.
Some measurements that are useful to determine the total materials needed are as follows: the nominal size for one brick and mortar is 225mm x 102.5mm x 75mm, for mortar a rule of thumb is 25kg of dry mortar for 25 bricks. Do not forget to add a percentage of bricks for breakage. The typical brick barbeque is thirteen brick rows high. Keep brick storage close to building location and keep bricks dry using tarps. Wet bricks can result in lime blooming, which is white staining on the surface of bricks. In addition to bricks and mortar purchase barbeque grates and ashtrays.
After selecting the site and purchasing the bricks, the next step is digging the footings. Dig the footings 24 inches deep along the laid out barbeque outline and tamp down dirt at the bottom of the hole. Coarse cement is appropriate for the footings. Create a pile of mortar on a board and place a well in the top of the pile to add water. A watering can is a good tool to use to add water for the mortar mix since it is easier to control than a bucket. Pour the mortar in the trench and tamp down and level with a timber then leave the footing to cure for two days.
Lay the first course of bricks. Butter the bottom and side edge of each brick with mortar using a trowel. The mortar should be mixed to a consistency of butter and the mortar should not fall off the trowel when held sideways. Check the first course of bricks for level using a spirit level. Build up the corners by three or four bricks then install corner blocks and stretch lines to mark level for the other courses. After every three rows of bricks are laid on the barbeque, point the joints, vertical joints first. Be sure to check for plumb and level frequently. Install brackets in the second and third row of bricks from the top. The lower bracket is for the ashtray and the upper bracket is for the barbeque grill. Cap the top row with coping stones or hard bricks.
Allow the brick barbeque to cure for forty-eight hours before enjoying your new home made DIY garden barbeque.
11 Aug 2009
Tools Needed for Plastering
Prepping for Plaster is the most important step to have the plaster project turn out level and smooth. The tools needed for prep work include Plumb Level and Wood. In order to cut the wood to height you will need a Saw which can either be manual or electric. It will be helpful to also have on hand a few standard building tools before starting the project. You may need a Ladder, Claw Hammer and Buckets. Once the wooden guides are leveled and secured, the plaster can be mixed.
Plaster comes in two bases, cement base and gypsum based. Gypsum based plaster should only be used indoors as it will absorb moisture and is prone to mold. Cement based plaster is for exterior use. Plaster comes in powder form with all additives already in the bag so all that is needed is to add water and mix.
When mixing plaster the least expensive mixing tool is a wooden stick but if mixing a large amount, an electric mixer is a better option. A Mixer Paddle can be attached to a drill and will allow for a thorough mix with much less effort. It is important to mix only a small batch at a time since the plaster has a relatively short working time and cannot be used once it is too dry.
Transporting the plaster from the bucket to the project site is usually done a small batch at a time on a Hawk; a square metal plate with a handle centered underneath. Since plaster is heavy, be sure not to load the Hawk with more than you can comfortably balance and carry. The Hawk is used in conjunction with the Plasterers Trowel but since the Plasterers Trowel is metal and is prone to rusting, an alternative is a polycarbonate Float. The Float or Trowel is used to scoop plaster from the Hawk and apply the plaster to the project surface. A Plasterers Darby is used to smooth the plaster to the correct depth. A Darby is a long metal straight edge with handles which spans the plaster surface and rests on the wooden guides, as it is pulled along the guides it levels the plaster to the finished depth. An alternative to the Darby is a Featheredge which is a long aluminum straight edge also useful for plasterboard applications.
Another tool that is helpful is a Splash Brush. A Splash Brush can be an old paint brush or a wall paper brush. The splash brush is used to keep the plaster from drying out but if left too long, the plaster will become hard and unstable and should not be used. One last tip is to keep all plaster tools clean and free of plaster bits, chips or chunks; any old plaster bits on tools will ruin a smooth finish.
Plaster comes in two bases, cement base and gypsum based. Gypsum based plaster should only be used indoors as it will absorb moisture and is prone to mold. Cement based plaster is for exterior use. Plaster comes in powder form with all additives already in the bag so all that is needed is to add water and mix.
When mixing plaster the least expensive mixing tool is a wooden stick but if mixing a large amount, an electric mixer is a better option. A Mixer Paddle can be attached to a drill and will allow for a thorough mix with much less effort. It is important to mix only a small batch at a time since the plaster has a relatively short working time and cannot be used once it is too dry.
Transporting the plaster from the bucket to the project site is usually done a small batch at a time on a Hawk; a square metal plate with a handle centered underneath. Since plaster is heavy, be sure not to load the Hawk with more than you can comfortably balance and carry. The Hawk is used in conjunction with the Plasterers Trowel but since the Plasterers Trowel is metal and is prone to rusting, an alternative is a polycarbonate Float. The Float or Trowel is used to scoop plaster from the Hawk and apply the plaster to the project surface. A Plasterers Darby is used to smooth the plaster to the correct depth. A Darby is a long metal straight edge with handles which spans the plaster surface and rests on the wooden guides, as it is pulled along the guides it levels the plaster to the finished depth. An alternative to the Darby is a Featheredge which is a long aluminum straight edge also useful for plasterboard applications.
Another tool that is helpful is a Splash Brush. A Splash Brush can be an old paint brush or a wall paper brush. The splash brush is used to keep the plaster from drying out but if left too long, the plaster will become hard and unstable and should not be used. One last tip is to keep all plaster tools clean and free of plaster bits, chips or chunks; any old plaster bits on tools will ruin a smooth finish.
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