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Maintaining Your Lawn Mower

posted by HomeDepot.com

 

Maintaining Your Lawn Mower

There's more to mowing a lawn than just turning on the mower. A mower that's not properly cared for will have years taken off its life and have a lot more problems in the short run, as well.

A little fast, simple maintenance during the mowing season and just before you put it to bed for the winter can make the difference between care-free operation and lots of costly and stress-inducing problems.

Be sure to keep the blade sharp, as described in the project Sharpening a Mower Blade. A sharp blade, along with a well cared-for engine, will keep your mower humming for years to come.

Steps

Steps 1 - 6 of 6

• 1

Step One

Keep it clean. After each use of the mower, give it a quick brushing off with a gloved hand or rag or whisk broom. It’s a good idea, too, after the mower has stopped running completely, to reach under the deck with a gloved hand and do a quick brushing off of caked grass under the deck and on the blade.

Step Two

A couple times a year, give the mower a good cleaning. With the gas tank empty, turn the mower on its side. Remove any debris that may be wrapped around the blade or caked up on the underside of the mower deck. Spray the underside of the mower deck hard with a garden hose to loosen dirt and dried-on grass. Scrub with a soft brush and soapy water. Then rinse.

Step Three

Clean or replace the air filter once or twice a year. Replace paper filters when they look dirty (keep a few on hand). Plastic foam filters should be removed and washed with warm, soapy water. Air-dry thoroughly. Then work about 2 tablespoons of clean mower oil evenly across the filter to lightly coat it.

Step Four

After you’ve used the mower for the last time at the end of the growing season, empty the fuel tank by letting the engine run until it is out of gas. Leave the gas tank empty until spring. With the gas tank empty, remove the oil fill cap (if applicable) and turn the mower over to drain the engine oil into a suitable container for recycling. If your mower has an oil drain plug, use that instead of turning the mower on its side. Refill the engine oil reservoir per your mower manufacturer’s recommendations, then replace the oil fill cap.

Step Five

Once a year when you change your mower’s oil, replace the spark plug. Disconnect the spark plug wire, then remove the existing spark plug with a wrench or pliers. To ensure you purchase the right replacement plug, write down the code on your existing plug, consult your mower’s owners manual, or just take the old plug with you when you go to purchase a new one. Screw in a new plug, then reconnect the spark plug wire.

Step Six

Keep the blade sharp. A dull mower blade cuts unevenly and shreds the tip of grass blades, which then turn brown and give a lawn a beige cast that makes it look dry. The ragged ends are also good entry points for disease.

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How To Repair Small Cracks & Holes In Your Wall Cheaply

Posted by elev8.com

Repairing cracks and holes is simple. Most of us are busy trying to make ends meet.When you are unable to move little things begins to bother you. One of those things is the cosmetic look of your home. A simple repair of a crack can make a whole world of difference in your home. I was very fortunate, that I grew up with a father who taught me these simple tricks.

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When a crack develops on a flat wall or ceiling, the repair is rather simple. You cover it with a strip of paper tape (if indoors) or mesh tape (indoors or out), skim over it with your putty knife and the appropriate interior or exterior patching compound in three thin coats (each one wider than the last to float it out with the surrounding surface as smoothly as possible) and sand it just enough to remove any edges.

Smooth plastering like this is easy to achieve with some practice once you’ve grasped these fundamentals. And while you’re practicing, there are no errors that can’t be easily fixed with either a little more plaster or a little more sanding. The most common mistake is in applying the compound too thick. This creates excessive sanding and bulgy looking patches.

But what about the crack on a textured surface? Obviously you can’t just tape, skim coat and sand it. The result would be a long flat patch in the middle of a textured profile (which I’ve seen far too many homeowners stuck with in my career). It stands out like a bad rash and adds insult to injury. You can’t undo or fix a repair like this. The only way to get rid of a bad stucco repair is to remove all the textured material on the entire surface and replace it with new. That’s a costly venture and can be avoided if the repair was done properly the first time.

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Sometimes created by sudden impact, sometimes by the long (or short) natural process of shifting and settling and often by water leaks, the crack is a break in the solid substrate. And through the laws of weight and gravity, the crack can only shift, grind and grow. It never gets smaller and it rarely stays the same. No matter how you repair the crack, you’ll only mask it from eye while it continues to thrive below the surface waiting for its chance to reappear. That is, unless you want to go through the costly and messy process of replacing the entire substrate. But who wants to do that if there’s an easier way?

Here is a list of things you will need: putty, putty knife, paper tape, Spackle and in some cases mesh.

• Putty fills in the hole
• Putty knife smothes the putty out
• Paper tape helps close cracks
• Spackle
• Sandpaper

Here are simple steps

Step 1 smooth out the area with the sanpaper

Step 2 look at surface decide if  there is a hole or trench. If so fill in with putty

Step 3 use mesh if area needs to be close. apply spackle  over mesh

step 4 smooth out area

step 5 wait for area to dry

step 6 paint over.

Tell me how it works out for you?

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How To Winterize Your Home

Posted by elev8.com

We have had our first official snow fall in most of our country. While the danger from winter weather varies across the country, nearly all Americans, regardless of where they live, are likely to face some type of severe winter weather at some point in their lives.

Here are tips to winterize your home.

• Winterize your home to extend the life of your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.
• Winterize your house, barn, shed or any other structure that may provide shelter for your family, neighbors, livestock or equipment. Clear rain gutters; repair roof leaks and cut away tree branches that could fall on a house or other structure during a storm.
• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected every year.
• Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and allow faucets to drip a little during cold weather to avoid freezing. Running water, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside and kept clear.
• Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk, as more people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
• Learn how to shut off water valves (in case a pipe bursts).
• Insulate your home by installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic from the inside to keep cold air out.
• Hire a contractor to check the structural ability of the roof to sustain unusually heavy weight from the accumulation of snow – or water, if drains on flat roofs do not work.

Helpful Hint: How To Tile a Bathroom Floor - The Home Depot

How To Patch A Hole In Drywall

Oops, you knocked a hole in the wall. Don't worry, it's not hard to fix. Small holes (such as nail holes) can be filled with white toothpaste or spackling paste. For something a bit larger, read on.

 

How to Patch a Hole in Drywall -- powered by ehow

 

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paints
• Drywall Nails
• Drywall
• Stud Finders
• Primers
• Drywall Joint Tape
• White Toothpaste
• Brushes
• Drywall Trowel
• Utility Knives
• Putty Knives
• Wet And Dry Sandpaper
• Wallboard Tape
• Sheetrock
• Spackle

1. Patching Smaller Holes

   • 1
     Strip away any raised portions of the drywall paper around the edge of the hole.
   • 2
     Sandpaper all around the edges of the hole enough to scrape and roughen the paint.
   • 3
     

     For holes roughly 1 to 3 inches wide, apply self-adhesive plastic mesh tape. (Skip this step for smaller holes.)
   • 4
     

     Use a putty knife to apply spackling compound or a hard-setting, fast-drying patching compound. Smooth it out.
   • 5
     

     Repeat step 4 after the spackling shrinks, if necessary.
   • 6
     Allow the spackling to dry. Sand the area smooth, prime it and paint.

   Patching Larger Holes

   • 7
     Find the stud that is closest to the hole and use a drywall knife or saw to cut out a rectangle of drywall around the hole, including half of the width of the stud.
   • 8
     Roughen up the paint several inches all around the cut with sandpaper.
   • 9
     Cut a new piece of drywall the same size as the one you removed. Use the cutout as a patch.
   • 10
     Attach your new drywall patch to the stud using drywall screws or dry-wall nails, being careful to set the heads just below the surface, but not too deep - you don't want to break the paper.
   • 11
     Using a wide putty knife, apply a thin spread of joint compound along the seams. Gently press paper joint tape into the joint compound with your putty knife. Be sure that the edges of the tape are embedded in the compound, but scrape any excess compound from the tape.
   • 12
     After the joint compound is dry, spread two or three additional thin coats of compound over the tape, extending 4 to 8 inches on each side of the seam to blend in with the surrounding wall. Sand lightly between coats.
   • 13
     

     Paint primer over the new patch. If the seams are still visible after it dries, apply more joint compound before final painting.

Home Improvement Tip: Extend the Life of Your Washer and Dryer

Post from Lowes.com

Washers and dryers are some of the most hardworking appliances in your home. As much as we demand from them, they only need a little care in return to keep running strong. Follow these quick tips for extending the life of your washer and dryer, and you'll help ensure they perform at their best and last longer.

Tips to Increase the Life of Your Washer and Dryer

1. Peek for leaks. Washing machine hoses should be replaced every five years. Checking and replacing hoses will help protect your home from flooding due to leaks.

2. Don’t overload it. When washers and dryers are overloaded they perform inefficiently. Break big loads up into smaller piles to extend the life of the motor and use less energy. As a general rule of thumb, most front-loaders wash better with larger loads, and most top-loaders wash better with smaller loads.

3. Use it or lose it. If you’re not planning to use your washer for an extended period of time, turn off the water flow to the washer. Otherwise, constant water pressure may cause or exacerbate leaks.

4. Give it some air. Over time, even small amounts of stagnant water can lead to mildew and odors. Leave the washing machine lid open between washings to let the drum air dry, especially if your washer is in a basement or an area that’s prone to humidity.

5. Get the lint out. To get the maximum airflow to the dryer and ensure its best performance, clean your lint filter after each use. Also, check and clean the duct vent twice a year to prevent lint buildup.

6. Soap is for washers, not dryers. If you spill laundry soap or other products on the exterior of your dryer, wipe it up quickly. Most dryers are painted with synthetic enamel and can be damaged by chlorine bleach, ammonia, solvents and other chemicals.

Helpful Hint: How to Repair Drywall - The Home Depot

We all have walls in our home that have suffered more than an a little damage. It's not uncommon to have nail holes from hanging pictures, scratches from wear and tare, and even damage from the recent earthquake or hurricane. Below you will find a great "How To" video from Home Depot to easily and inexpensively repair the walls in your home.

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How To Replace A Faucet

Home Improvement Tip:

VIA:  Lowes.Com

Repairing a leaky or outdated kitchen faucet is not as difficult as you might think. You can tackle the project yourself with a basin wrench and a few other common tools. Replacing a faucet is not difficult and should usually take no more than about an hour. Replacing a kitchen faucet is very similar to replacing a lavatory faucet, so this article serves for both types.

Tools & Materials
•    Basin wrench
•    Waterpump or groove-joint pliers
•    Adjustable wrench
•    Faucet
•    Supply lines
•    Plumber’s putty or silicone caulk
•    Teflon® tape
•    Flashlight

Click here for more on replacing a faucet…