Home inspector gives advice on water pipes and doors

If you’re a little handy around the house, you could save yourself thousands of dollars by taking care of the 10 most common repair problems. We will cover two of them here.

Let’s start with the main water valve. It is very important to know where the main water valve is and where to close it. You never know when a major water problem will occur. For example, a pipe could freeze and burst in winter. Or you may just have a broken pipe due to age.

Therefore, knowing the location of the main water valve is very important. Put a tag on it saying this is the main water valve. Then show it to family members so they know where it is and how to turn off the main water valve in case there’s a problem. This can save you thousands of dollars. Make sure the valve turns easily so anyone can close it if necessary.

The second simple fix is ​​those pesky doors that get stuck. I’m not talking about doors that are out of square due to a structural problem. I’m talking about those doors that rub and have jamming problems. Let me give you the two main causes of doors getting stuck.

One of the easiest things to check and fix is ​​the door hinges. Sometimes door hinges become loose over time. There is a very simple solution if your door hinges are loose. Just take a screwdriver and tighten the screws that hold the door. This will tighten the door and allow it to snap into position correctly.

Sometimes you’ll find that the screws won’t tighten, but there’s no reason to be alarmed. Here is a very simple way to fix that problem. The first thing you need to do is support the door because you want to remove all the screws holding the hinges.

Now this is the most expensive part. Take some glue and some toothpicks and stick them into the screw holes. Let the glue dry for about 20 to 30 minutes, and then reattach the hinges. I know this may sound strange, but it really is an old trick and it works very well. You will be very surprised how well it works.

The second problem with the doors is between summer and winter. In summer, you will notice that the door and frame swell and cause the door to stick, and in winter, the door works well and does not stick or rub.

In this particular problem where the door is swollen, you can try to check the hinges first. But if this doesn’t work, you can buy a very inexpensive tool that costs less than $20 and can be purchased at any hardware store. You can probably borrow one from a friend. This particular tool is called a block planner hand rasp.

It looks like something you’d cut cheese with, but I’m not suggesting you do it. What you want to do is leave the door open and mark the door where it’s touching. Once you mark the door, you can start planning that area. Keep planning until the door closes properly. When you brush the door, you are removing small portions of the door trim at a time.

This will only take a few minutes and you will find that you don’t have to remove much material. If the door is very bad and you can’t close it, you may need to hire a professional carpenter to check the door problem.

Chances are, just a little brushing will fix your door.

If you’re buying a home, be sure to work with a professional home inspector who will examine the residence and report any items that may turn into major repairs.