Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Family Handyman

VINTAGE HANDY HINTS® We’ve cracked open the Family Handyman vault to show off our favorite reader-submitted Handy Hints from decades past. Turns out they’re still pretty brilliant today. To see all 100 of these gems, go to familyhandyman.com and search for “vintage handy hints.” LEARN MORE. BUILD MORE. Calling DIYers who want to tackle it all! Get unlimited access to Family Handyman’s complete library of quick DIY University online classes. This includes two exciting new projects per month—things you’ve been dreaming about, and projects that may not have occurred to you. Get ready to build a wall-mounted bike rack or your own workshop, add elegant kitchen storage and a tile backsplash, install a sleek USB charging station, and much more! Start your 14-day FREE Trial at DIYUniversity.com. See More “Stuff…

While the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, raised serious questions about the risks in public water supplies, most supplies in the United States are very safe. Still, there are good reasons you might want to filter your home’s water: HARD WATER The dissolved minerals in hard water can make your laundry feel scratchy, decrease the efficacy of shampoo and soap, and affect your water’s taste. Iron can stain your clothes and dishes, even at levels allowed by the EPA. The solution: Install a wholehouse system, which will filter every drop of city or private well water that comes into your home. SAFETY While the water leaving your provider should be clean, the quality could decline before the water reaches your taps. Even the pipes inside your home could be to…

Possibly the most used yet most taken for granted household fixture, the toilet is a marvel of engineering simplicity. Even typical modern toilets still employ just a couple basic mechanical components. The rest of the flush relies on the natural forces of gravity and siphoning action. But sooner or later, every toilet develops problems like weak flushing, clogs or constant running. When that happens, most homeowners just live with the problem or pay a plumber a lot for a simple fix. You don’t have to. If you know how a toilet works, you can diagnose and solve problems yourself, often in just a few minutes. So let’s lift the lid to see the magic that happens in the bowels of this underappreciated fixture. 1 THE FLUSH HANDLE LIFTS THE FLAPPER…

Table saw kickback happens when a board trapped between the blade and the fence gets flung back at you after the cut is completed. The results can be dangerous, as you can see from the photo above. This particular mishap occurred while I was ripping 1/4-in.-thick splines for a hardwood floor. I made the mistake of using a push stick that was so shredded from overuse that the board kicked back and blew right under it, skewering my chair! Fortunately, there are several ways to safely rip thin strips. One of the easiest methods is shown below. This push stick, more accurately called a push block, somewhat resembles a shoe with a heel. To make one, cut a notch in a 16-in.-long 2x6 a bit shallower than the thickness of…

Over time, the internal contact springs on electrical receptacles lose their spring. If you have a receptacle that doesn’t hold onto plugs (left), it’s time to replace it. If you want to reuse an old receptacle from your box of electrical supplies, check its grip first by plugging in a grounded plug that’s in good condition (above). If it grips well and there’s no corrosion on the terminal screws, the outlet is fine to reuse. To learn how to replace a receptacle, go to familyhandyman.com and search for “replace receptacles.” SENIOR EDITOR…

This arch would make a beautiful portal to your yard or garden, and it’s easier to build than most. Made from just six parts, it can be built in less than a day—even if you’re a rookie carpenter. The design is versatile, too: It can support climbing plants, serve as a gateway in a fence, frame a walkway through a hedge, or stand alone as a striking wooden structure. You can stain it for a rustic look or paint it for a more formal one. WHAT IT TAKES TIME 1 day COST $250 SKILL LEVEL Intermediate TOOLS Circular saw, screw gun, standard hand tools Money and materials The total materials bill for our cedar arbor was about $250. Depending on where you live, you may have other varieties of rot-resistant…

A NEW TOILET TO GO WITH THAT SEAT My dad waited until I came home from college to ask me to install the soft-cushion toilet seat he’d just bought. I sprayed the old, rusty toilet seat bolts with a heavy dose of lubricant and then got out the wrench and went to work on them. Unfortunately, the wrench slipped off the lubricated bolt and the handle busted a nice hole in the toilet, sending water all over the floor. With my tail between my legs, I had to tell my dad that he needed a new toilet to go with his new seat. I replaced the toilet, but haven’t had my dad ask me to do anything around the house since. (I guess that means it worked out for the…

Q We’ve been getting high electric bills and want to replace our old electric water heater with a natural gas model. But I’m afraid that running the exhaust vent will be a hassle. Is there an easy way to do it? MICHAEL BANKS, PORTLAND, OR A It’s much easier to run the vent if you install a “power-vented” type of natural gas (or propane) water heater. This type of venting system is different from what you see on most gas water heaters. Most have a “natural-draft” type of vent (photo above), where the hot waste gases rise through an open draft diverter and into metal pipes, which eventually lead to the outdoors. Running one of these vents is complicated and may be expensive. In contrast, a power-vented type (right) uses a…

If you’re retired and find yourself with unexpected medical or other expenses, or an inadequate retirement fund, the equity in your home could provide a crucial source of income, thanks to a reverse mortgage. Yet while they can be useful, reverse mortgages come with risks, so consider your situation carefully. WHAT IS A REVERSE MORTGAGE? It’s a type of loan offering retirees (only people 62 or older qualify) access to money without requiring regular monthly payments, and while remaining in their home. According to Peter Bell, president and CEO of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, you can draw down funds and defer any repayment until you pass away or decide to move. WHAT ARE THE DOWNSIDES? “A reverse mortgage obviously helps the cash flow,” Bell says, “but you still…

WHAT IT TAKES TIME 1 day COST $65 SKILL LEVEL Beginner TOOLS Basic hand tools, drill, jigsaw Tools and materials This swing design is especially forgiving. If your cuts are slightly inaccurate or not quite straight, the swing will still turn out just fine. So, although a table saw, miter saw and band saw are best for this project, you could do it all with only a jigsaw. The swing shown here is made from cedar, but you could use treated lumber instead. Either material will contain some large knots, which can look bad and create weak spots. Avoid them when cutting parts (Photo 1). The Materials List includes 1x2s, but if you have a table saw, you’ll get better material by ripping 1x2s from wider boards. Some stores carry…