http://homerepair.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2012-02-11T22:41:56Z Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:41:56 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/20/dryer-vent-cleaning-and-fire-risk.htm <p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/homerepair/1/0/4/B/-/-/blog_dryer_duct.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="left" />Think your clothes dryer is free from needing maintenance? <br /> <strong>Think again.</strong></p> <p>This blog is going to describe a simple, cheap maintenance task that could save you from a house fire.</p> <p>Do you know what do you probably have in your home or apartment that is annually responsible for around 15,000 fires, 20 deaths, over 300 injuries and more than $80 million in property damage?! <strong></strong>And if you have an electric clothes dryer, did you know the chance of fire is 250% greater than if you have a gas dryer?</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/20/dryer-vent-cleaning-and-fire-risk.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/20/dryer-vent-cleaning-and-fire-risk.htm Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:34:32 +0000 2012-02-20T14:34:32Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/11/how-to-avoid-frozen-pipes.htm <p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/homerepair/1/0/R/6/-/-/heatgun2.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="right" /></p> <p>Frozen pipes are a problem you never want to deal with but are all too common during extended cold snaps in winter. In the tutorial <a href="http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/thaw_frzn_pipe.htm"><strong>Thawing a Frozen Water Pipe</strong></a> I'll describe what you can do to prevent frozen water pipes. Frozen water exerts thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch on a pipe and can burst it, causing flooding and major damage to your home. But there are right ways and wrong ways to thaw out a frozen pipe, and knowing how to perform this critical repair and prevent it from from occurring can save your home.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/11/how-to-avoid-frozen-pipes.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/11/how-to-avoid-frozen-pipes.htm Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:41:56 +0000 2012-02-11T22:41:56Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/10/how-to-clear-a-slow-draining-tub.htm <p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/homerepair/1/0/P/D/-/-/drain_blog.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" width="150" height="115" align="left" />Happiness is nice hot shower until you come toe-to-toe with the dreaded <strong>slow draining bath tub. </strong></p> <p>So you ignore it as long as you can, but then there comes a point when that drain just has to get cleaned. And if not done correctly, trying to clean the drain is messy and futile. If you just use a <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/toolsmaterialsyouneed/ig/Hand-Tool-Image-Gallery/Cup-Plunger.htm">cup plunger</a> by itself, not a whole lot is going to happen other than you'll make a big splash. You won't however get a whole lot of drain clearing done.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/10/how-to-clear-a-slow-draining-tub.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/10/how-to-clear-a-slow-draining-tub.htm Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:03:34 +0000 2012-02-10T10:03:34Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/05/how-to-install-a-wall-shelf.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/homerepair/1/0/Y/G/-/-/shelf-blog.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" width="100" height="100" align="right" />We're often hanging things from our walls like pictures and posters, but a&#160;heavy object such as a wall shelf requires special installation techniques.&#160; Wall shelves are popular and versatile and are used to&#160;support books, art, clothing&#160; and many other items.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/05/how-to-install-a-wall-shelf.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/05/how-to-install-a-wall-shelf.htm Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:53:49 +0000 2012-02-05T23:53:49Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/02/257389.htm <p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/homerepair/1/0/B/4/-/-/boatanchor.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" width="100" height="100" align="left" /><strong>The Wall Anchor. </strong>I'm not&#160;writing about the type shown in the photo. I mean wall anchors you need when&#160;fastening things to the wall in your home. These&#160;include types such as <strong>molly, toggle, shield, self tapping.</strong><strong></strong></p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/02/257389.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/02/02/257389.htm Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:36:33 +0000 2012-02-02T17:36:33Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/27/repairing-your-water-heater-thermocouple.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/homerepair/1/0/M/G/-/-/dial-blog.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="right" />The water heater is an amazingly reliable appliance and one you rely upon every day. It really has very few parts that can go wrong and most are easy to repair. Of course knowing the various water heater's components and their names are essential so reviewing the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/hwh_tank_gas.htm">Anatomy of a Water Heater</a> is a good starting point.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/27/repairing-your-water-heater-thermocouple.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/27/repairing-your-water-heater-thermocouple.htm Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:47:15 +0000 2012-01-27T14:47:15Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/24/the-incandescent-lighting-ban.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/homerepair/1/0/L/G/-/-/compliant-incandescent-blog.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="left" /><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/electricalrepair/ss/The-Incandescent-Lighting-Ban.htm">The ban on&#160;the&#160;100 watt&#160;incandescent bulb is now in effect</a>.</p> <p>As of January 1, 2012 the law says you cannot manufacture or import into the United States any General Service Incandescent Lamp that is above 72 watts having&#160;a light output of 1490 - 2600 lumens and a minimum service life of 1,000 hours.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/24/the-incandescent-lighting-ban.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/24/the-incandescent-lighting-ban.htm Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:32:50 +0000 2012-01-24T21:32:50Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/21/how-to-prevent-remove-ice-dams.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/homerepair/1/0/p/E/-/-/ice-dam-house-blog.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="right" />The winter snow storms are starting up a little late this year but soon icicles will be everywhere. Although icicles may look attractive hanging from eaves of homes they signal a more ominous condition <strong><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/termsgn/g/Ice-Dam.htm">known as an ice dam</a></strong>.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/21/how-to-prevent-remove-ice-dams.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/21/how-to-prevent-remove-ice-dams.htm Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:13:30 +0000 2012-01-21T01:13:30Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/17/how-to-repair-a-hole-in-drywall.htm <p><img src="http://z.about.com/d/homerepair/1/0/Z/2/-/-/hole2.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" width="170" height="170" align="left" />Having a hole in your drywall is never fun, although it may have been caused by having too much of a good time. Most drywall holes are small and easily repaired, but large holes can happen as a result of accidents, gaining access to wiring or plumbing or because of home renovations. And larger holes require a special technique for repair.<p> <p>Fortunately there are a few tricks I can show you in <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/drywall_lg_hole.htm">How to Repair a Large Hole in Drywall</a>.</p> <p>For smaller holes caused by doorknobs, kids, toys and other elements of home life there is the tutorial <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/sbs_dryw_repair.htm">Repairing a Small Hole in Drywall</a></p> <p>Don't have holes but just dents, popped nails or drywall tape? Then <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/drywall_repair.htm">Tips for Repairing Drywall</a> is the tutorial you need.</p> <p>And after the repair, you'll have to paint the wall so take a read through <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/ss/repair_tex_wall.htm">Repairing Textured Walls</a> and <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/od/interiorhomerepair/qt/painting_order.htm">How to Paint a Room</a>.</p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/17/how-to-repair-a-hole-in-drywall.htm Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:43:49 +0000 2012-01-17T17:43:49Z http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/14/pex-copper-plumbings-alternative.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/homerepair/1/0/4/E/-/-/aweightlifting.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" align="right" /></p> <p>Do you know about the home plumbing material called <strong>PEX </strong>(not "PECS" like on display in the weight lifting photo)? If you have a major plumbing repair, don't be surprised if your plumber proposes using this material.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/14/pex-copper-plumbings-alternative.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://homerepair.about.com/b/2012/01/14/pex-copper-plumbings-alternative.htm Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:01:47 +0000 2012-01-14T14:01:47Z