From Grandma's Desk

This column is just an extra something for visitors to this site. I hope you will find it helpful and interesting. I will cover more than home repairs or maintenance issues. I like to give advice on many different subjects (typical grandma!). You can email me at grandma@grandmashandyman.com if you would like advice on any subject. I will answer you personally and publish the question and answer here. Your privacy will be honored and real names will not be used. I may also ask you for advice on occasion. I will publish the question here and you can email your answer to me.

One of the many calls we receive at Grandma’s is for slow flowing drains. Drains will clog over time for various reasons: hair down the drain, accumulated debris and just a buildup soap scum, etc. on the inside of the drain pipe. When a client calls for such a problem, we ask them to try the following first: There are two products commercially available in the local supermarkets – Drano Professional Strength Foamer® in a gray bottle and Liquid Plumr Foaming Pipe Snake® in a bronze bottle. Both containers look like the bottle is split in two and stuck together with one cap. I have been using the Liquid Plumr Foaming Pipe Snake®. Wait for the sink or whatever drain is clogged to completely empty of water and follow the directions on the bottle, however, allow the product to work overnight if possible or at least for several hours. Flush with hot tap water. This has been working consistently for my clients and I feel very good about saving them the expense of a service call. If it doesn’t work, that means that there is a more serious problem that we need to repair. If you haven’t done so, you may want to use this product in the drain pipe for your washing machine. That pipe is particularly susceptible to accumulating soap scum on the inside of the pipe and you won’t notice it until the water runs over.

Another common problem occurs with the garbage disposal. If it is not running or making noise, push the red reset button. If it doesn’t start and you hear a hum that means that the blades are stuck. Shut off the disposal. You should have a tool to turn the blades from the bottom of the garbage disposal. If you don’t have that or do not have the hand strength to turn the tool, get your broom with the wooden handle. Be sure that the garbage disposal is shut off. Put the handle in the garbage disposal at an angle until it catches one of the blades and turn the blades. It may take a little effort but do not use so much force that you break the blades. This has worked for many of my clients, especially the senior ladies who have little strength. Remember not to put vegetable peelings, especially potato peels, down the disposal. It is meant for plate scraps. While running the disposal, be sure to run the water long enough to clear your drain pipes. Use hot water for greasy material. We were told to only run cold water in the disposal, the theory being that the heat would expand the blades. It will take a good deal more heat than you can create using some hot water to clear your pipes to expand those blades.

If you have a leaking pipe and the ceiling below is getting water damage, just get a screwdriver and put a hole in the middle of the stain so the water will drain out (don’t forget to place a container underneath to catch the water). Nine times out of ten, this will prevent extensive repairs to the ceiling. After we repair the leaking pipe, we allow the ceiling to dry out completely before making any repairs to it. Doing it this way saves you money.

We have developed a new technique to repair the spray-on popcorn texture found on many ceilings. We do not use the spray in a can because it is extremely messy and doesn't seem to work very well. With our method, we can pretty much match the rest of the ceiling texture. So, if you have to have a drywall repair on your ceiling, be sure to give us a call. You’ll be glad you did.

I hope you find this column helpful. Please let me know.

Grandma



“Dream big dreams because little dreams have no magic.”…..Angelina Costin