The Handyguys have a new video! Toilet fill valves are the second most common toilet repair after flapper replacements. We put this short video together to take some of the mystery out of the process. We hope you find it useful. As always, comments are welcome.

We will be back after the first of the year with our regular podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a future episode.

Happy New Year

The Handyguys

Basement Toilet Installs, Water Saving Flush Valves and Dryer Vent Cleaning

Saniflow Saniplus Toilet and pump system

First off – The Handyguys begin by addressing a listener question.

Julianne asks:

Hi! I am considering purchasing a bi-level home. When you walk in the door, you have the choice of going upstairs where there is a kitchen, bathroom and 2 bedrooms… Or you have the choice of going downstairs, which is partially in the ground. It has a living room, laundry room and two bedrooms.
My question is this:
The downstairs portion does not have a bathroom. The only bathroom in the home is upstairs. Is it possible to add a bathroom to the downstairs portion of a bi-level home…or is this impossible since it is “underground” and you would have to find a way to flush the “sewage” upward?

Thanks for your help.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Julianne

Short answer – yes!

Listen to the podcast for Handyguy Brian & Paul discussing some issues to consider.

1. Does this house have a city sewer drain or is it a septic system?
2. Where does your sewer pipe enter the house?
   1. On some houses it enters at the floor (or under the floor) of the lower or basement level.  On other houses it enters about 4 feet high in the basement.  If it is above the basement floor, you will need to have an ejector/grinder pump installed.  This is typically best installed in a pit under the floor.  Concrete will have to be removed and you will have to determine where this can be located.  There is also a toilet which is sold with an above grade container which does not require you to cut into the concrete floor.
   2. You normally want to install the bathroom near where the sewer pipe enters the house for easier install.  If you want the bathroom on the opposite side of the lower level, then there would be more work/mess/expense involved
3. Do you have room for the bathroom?  Is it a half or whole bath?  If I recall, you can get a very basic full bathroom in a 4′x8′ area but then you may need more space if installing an ejector pump pit.
4. You will need to install a vent connection for the sink, bath and the pump. You will want to determine how you will be able to route the pipes to either the main vent stack (if large enough for these added plumbing devices) or where you can run a new pipe.

The bottom line is that you should have a couple of professional plumbers size up the situation and provide you some quotes on the work to get a bathroom installed.  It can be complicated but it is certainly doable.

Toilet Fill Valves

The next topic that The Handygys discuss is fill valves for toilets. Handyguy Paul needed a new fill valve for his toilet. He ended up getting a leak sentry version from Fluidmaster. What is special about this fill valve? How does this help you save water? If you have a leak in the flapper and water is draining down the drain the valve wont keep filling the tank. Worst case, if you have a leak, you will loose down the drain only the water in the tank. You will also know you have a problem when you go to flush next time. Listen to the podcast for discussion of this product.

Dryer vent Cleaning

Lastly – The Handyguys discuss dryer vent cleaning. Dryer vents can be dangerous if the get clogged. According to the CPSC in 1998 clothes dryers caused over 15 thousand fires, 20 deaths and 370 injuries. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the exhaust. Handyguy Paul tested out The Linteater system and was quite happy with it. He almost got into a little trouble with it though. Paul – Read The Fine Manual next time! Listen to the podcast for discussion and impressions.

Can Brian succinctly answer 10 unrelated questions in a single episode?

Did you know you can click on any of our pictures for a full size view?

Listen to the podcast to find out!

In this episode, Paul pulls 10 questions from our listeners and forums around the Internet.   It is Brian’s job to provide brilliant answers in the space of one episode.  Some of these questions are from the Yahoo Answers site which features lots of Q&A forums.  These are questions that Brian has answered previously, but now Brian must regurgitate these answers again “live” on the podcast.  Paul will not allow any stalling.

Perhaps some of these questions pertain to issues you have around the house.

Here our the 10 Questions for Handyguy Brian.  Listen to the Podcast for the answers.

Q1  Steve has a problem with a corner kitchen cabinet where the supply water lines leaked.  It ruined the bottom/floor of the cabinet and caused the particle board to swell up making an uneven surface.  The bottles of dishwasher soap keep falling over.  What is the solution?

Listen to the podcast for some solutions!

Q2  What to do about household smells?  Matt asks the Handyguys about a strange smell that awakes him 2-3 times per year at around 2AM.  It smells like burning rubber.  Matt checked all the appliances and can’t figure out where the smell is coming from.  The smell eventually dissipates on its own.  How can Matt determine the cause of this smell?

Any suggestions from our listeners? Listen to the show for some ideas.

Q3  Upon flushing the toilet, the commode shoots water up on the seat!  The toilet is 10-15 years old.  What is causing this?

Yikes – Paul chimes in on this one.

Q4  How do I get red clay stains off of a concrete bench?

You can click the play button for an answer. Better yet, subscribe to the show so you don’t mis an episode.

The Handyguys will take your questions via the phone at (615) 676-0877. Leave an email address if you want an immediate and direct response.

Q5  How many rolls of wallpaper would it take to cover one wall that is 20 feet long and of average height?

Math questions – we hate math questions but do have an answer..

Q6  Is there a big window sticker that I can stick on a clear window to make it blur?

Hint:  Check out our episode #7.

Q7  We laid Pergo laminate flooring a couple years ago but now it is buckling in a few places because we did not leave enough space around the outside to allow for expansion.  How can we cut around the edge of the floor that is already laid?

Tools – you need the right tool for the job. Listen to find out why a Fien Multimaster may be your best bet.

Q8  What should I do about condensation on the inside of the refrigerator?  It is not very old.  What could be causing this?

Answer to the question in the podcast.

Q9  How do I get started in wood working?

Hint:  Check out the Wood Whisperer at www.thewoodwhisperer.com

Q10  Could someone help me choose a good power screwdriver?  It will be used mainly for drywall and some light wood use.  Cost should be between $40-$80.

Lots of good choices. Maybe the Bosch mentioned on our drill comparison show.

Paul then asks a bonus question at the end of the show.  Check out the podcast for details.

On next week’s show, the Handyguys finally get around to installing their new faucets!  Brian and Paul video their respective installations. Brian installed a Price Pfister faucet on his powder room sink.  Paul plans to install his new Grohe faucet on his master bathroom sink.  Every step of this process will be detailed in next week’s episode.

The Handyguys talk about the dirty side of home improvement — well, unless you clean it regularly. The toilet is something nearly everyone owns (unless you live in back woods Appalachia), and everyone has to address the persnickety problems presented by a toilet.

When a toilet fails, you may be left with a water bill that is 10 times higher than normal. Before you have this kind of problem, it is a good idea to learn a little about how your toilet works.

The toilet is composed of a bowl and a tank. Within the back tank, where the water reservoir is located, you will find two main components (just lift up the lid and look inside). The first component is the fill valve.

This valve is connected to your house water via a short section of hose or pipe which connects to the fill valve at the bottom of the tank. This short hose or pipe is normally connected to a shutoff valve on the wall, which feeds water to the toilet. Older houses may not have this shutoff valve because it was not in residential codes a long time ago.

The fill valve’s duty is to add water to the tank when you flush. As the water rises in the back tank, a float rises up and turns off the fill valve at the proper time. Hopefully!

The other main component in the tank is the flush or flapper valve. This valve opens up when you flush to allow the water to flow down from the tank into the bowl.

Another important component that is more difficult to see is the trap underneath and in back of the toilet bowl. This trap keeps sewer gases from coming into the house. It also keeps the water in the bowl and helps to create a siphoning action of the water when you flush to suck out all the “debris”.

Now let’s address the problems common to toilets. The biggest problem is a toilet that leaks. In most cases you will hear the refilling when it is not being used, but in some situations there will be no auditory warning (thus a big water bill). How can you tell that the toilet is leaking at all and that your big water bill is not being caused by long morning showers?

The simplest method to diagnose this problem is to put dye, such as food coloring, into the water tank. After putting the dye into the tank, come back in an hour or so to see if the colored water has migrated down into the bowl (the water will remain clear in the bowl of a toilet that is operating correctly). If the colored water has migrated to the bowl, you have a leaking toilet. There are two possible causes for this leak. The more common reason is that your rubber flapper valve is leaking. This is the valve or stopper at the bottom of the tank that lifts up when you flush the toilet. When the toilet is not being used, it should prevent any water from flowing down into the bowl. If this flapper fails, your fill valve will keep refilling the tank as the water level recedes. Normally you will hear this when it happens.

If your flapper valve is failing, you can often fix the problem by cleaning around and under the flapper. In some situations, grit builds up underneath the flapper, preventing a good seal. On occasion, you can provide a longterm fix by cleaning the area on the bottom of the tank where the rubber flapper makes this seal. If cleaning does not work, you can easily replace the flapper for a few bucks. The Handyguys like the newer Korky flush valves, which can be found at the big box stores. Be sure that your new flush valve fits correctly. Test it by flushing the toilet to determine if the new flapper has a good seal. Also, lift up the float so that the tank fills up over the overflow tube, and confirm that the water runs through the overflow tube without running over the top of your tank. Paul has seen a situation where a wrong-sized flapper valve constricts the flow of the overflow tube and prevents it from working well.

Once you learn how to replace the flapper, it is like changing a light bulb. If you have hard water, you may have to replace it every year.

The other possible problem related to large water bills is when the fill valve is failing and slowly and continually adds water to the tank. You may not hear this when it happens. When you have this problem, your dyed water will run down the overflow tube in the tank and into the bowl. But how do you determine that the fill valve is the problem? One way is to mark the water level in the tank with pencil right after a flush and a tank fill. Make sure that your water is turned off when you do this test. Check back after 30 minutes and see if you water level has receded. If it has, your problem is probably with the flush valve as we stated above. But if your water level remains the same, then most likely your problem is with the fill valve. The water is continually running through the faulty fill valve into the tank and going over the overflow tube.

How do you fix a fill valve? You can replace it completely or you can replace its washers (on some models). If you want to replace it completely, it will only cost about $15. Just turn off the water and flush the toilet to get the water out of the tank. You may want to use a sponge to get all the remaining water out. Remove the supply tube that connects to the bottom of the tank — it is connected with a large nut.

Again, make sure the wall valve is off before performing this operation! Since many toilet wall valves are not reliable, the Handyguys often turn off the entire house water before doing this procedure. After loosening the large nut, there is normally a smaller nut that connects the fill valve to the bottom of the tank that releases the fill valve unit. You can now lift the fill valve out of the tank.

Another problem you may face is that your tank fills up too high or too low after a flush. Normally the water height can be adjusted. With newer toilet parts, there is a float attachment as part of the fill valve. This float device can be raised and lowered accordingly to get the correct water level (most toilet tanks have a mark to locate the proper level). On older toilets, there is usually an arm attached to a float bulb. You can often just bend this arm some to make the adjustment of the water level.

What do you do if you discover that the toilet is leaking water onto the floor? This sort of leak could be caused by a bad hose connection to the bottom of tank. This connection may require adjustment or tightening. It is also possible that this nut requires replacement. In addition, the toilet may be leaking between the tank and bowl, or between the toilet and the floor. Listen to this Handyguys episode for their recommendation on fixing this issue. Hint: mopping up the floor only addresses the symptom, not the cause!

The the other major quandary we all face is the clogged toilet. The Handyguys provide some suggestions for toilets that always seem to clog.

Feel free to use the comment feature below to post your specific toilet questions.

In this show we introduce ourselves, the Handyguys (or Brian and Paul). We take the role of household handyman to an extreme. We have lots of experience with our hands and our power tools! For a full biography, check out the “About Us” tab at the top of this website. If you would like to submit a question to the Handyguys, click on the contact link. Please note that this first show does not have the best audio as we are just getting to know our podcast gear. We expect some improvements on the second show.

SHOW CONTENTS ABOUT HOME IMPROVEMENT

The Handyguys discuss why this podcast could be useful for the household handyman or handywoman. We plan to provide more detailed answers to questions than the typical call-in commercial radio show. We hope to benefit those folks who are don’t quite have the experience but do have the initiative to do it himself or herself.

In this episode we talk about Amazon’s best of 2007 list of top products in the home improvement category. The best selling product is the Black and Decker Handy Wrench. Brian is not too sure of this wrench. Is it a product waiting for a solution? Is it really better than the classic adjustable wrench? Paul notes that this tool gets good reviews. Check out their full comments on the podcast.

In the most loved category, the Toro Ultra 12 Amp Electric Blower gets Amazon’s top award. This category is given to products with the highest ratings. Neither Brian or Paul have used this particular model but Toro’s generally make good products.

In the most wished for category is the Leatherman. Both Brian and Paul are big fans of Leatherman products. Paul comments on the Leatherman Wave he pulled out of his pocket and the guys compare it to the new Leatherman Skeletool CX. Brian also highly recommends Spyderco Knives.

We provide a summary of future shows and discuss some of our personal honey-do lists. Of course, our lists are long, but if you want to get a sampling, check out the podcast. As a hint, make sure you purchase a good toilet, such as a Kohler! (see our store)

One last thing – In a future show, we will do a head-to-head comparison of two reciprocating saws. You don’t want to miss it.