Help! My basement is still leaking and I’ve tried everything. I have moisture spots on my ceiling. My floor squeaks and pops. Can someone please help? Do you have one of these problems that you can’t seem to solve? These home issues can be extremely annoying and expensive. So, I’m offering to give anyone out there that needs some help a free diagnosis with any issue you might have with your home.
Photo by Sean Dreilinger
I know you are thinking to yourself right now…
“I could finally get her off my back!” Has your wife (or husband) been nagging you about fixing that “thing” in your home? It’s time to remove the bullets from the gun.
“Maybe it will just go away if I ignore it” Fat chance big guy. Have you seen Phil from the show Modern Family trip over that pesky step? He’s probably done it six times on the show…and it’s funny every time!
“But if I solve the problem, then I’ll have to fix it” That’s right genius. You will have to fix it at some point so you might as well do it before it gets worse. (or someone gets killed)
I’ve already fixed it…Three times: That thought reminds me of one of my friends who talks about his battle to quit smoking. He says, Quitting is easy, I’ve done it four times! Let’s git-r done right this time. Fourth time’s a charm.
“If I fix it…what then?” Hmmm…don’t worry. Your family will think of some other reason that they need you. And if not…we still love you at Armchair Builder.
“But Nothing is Free!” When you hear free, you probably want to know what I want from you. Nothing. Nada. It’s my contribution, albeit a small one, to solving our economic issues. You’re welcome Barack.
So try to stump me damn it! I dare you! No, I triple-dawg-dare you! Don’t forget to give as much info as possible…unlike golf strokes, late fees, and bed bugs, more is better in this case!
11 Comments for What’s Wrong with My House?
Bill | October 10, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Author comment by armchairbuilder | October 10, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Hi Bill. My sister has the exact same problem. With her shower, the installer forgot (or decided it would be cheaper not to) to put the rubber membrane/shower pan under the shower floor. This is an expensive mistake as the floor will need to be taken out to add this now.
If you’re luck enough not to have this problem, check to see if maybe you have some grout that is cracked or some caulk that is missing. You could also check the seal around the valve (temperature adjuster) to make sure water isn’t getting in there.
You might have a leak in the drain under the shower. To check to see if it’s the drain or not, cover the drain (so no water goes down). Fill the shower with an inch or two of water and let it sit. If the water shows up on the ceiling below, the tile floor is leaking. If there is no leak, but there is a leak when you pour water down the drain, the plumbing drain is leaking.
Let me know how this works. Thanks for stopping by our site.
MeganT | October 11, 2011 at 3:27 pm
My shower drain is clogged. What is the best way to unclog it without damaging?
Author comment by armchairbuilder | October 11, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Hi Megan. There is a really inexpensive tool you can buy at the local home improvement store/hardware store (for sure Home Depot has it). It’s called a Zip-it and sells for $2 or so. This thing is about 20″ long, is made of flexible plastic and has sharp points coming off of it. You carefully push it all the way down into the drain and then pull it out. It grabs all of the junk and pulls it out of the pipe. Then you run the water to flush the rest down the drain. Works great on my drains. You can wash it off and re-use it. If you used a chemical before hand, be careful not to splash it on yourself when you use the Zip-it. Good luck. FYI – ArmchairBuilder has no affiliation with this company or product.
Sherry | October 11, 2011 at 8:35 pm
You pretty much said what i could not effectively communicate. +1
My site:
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Lisa Ehrhart | October 12, 2011 at 4:29 pm
My french doors have very large spaces between them and at the bottom. We actually had a snowdrift in our office last winter.I’ve purchased weather stripping material, but it’s bulky and looks tacky!Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Author comment by armchairbuilder | October 12, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Hi Lisa. Many newer doors have an adjustable threshold. Basically, you can use a screwdriver to turn the screws on the threshold counterclockwise (these will be located under the door when it is shut). If the sill is adjustable, it will raise as you turn the screws. Be sure to raise the threshold evenly…you don’t want a high spot.
If you could send me pictures of the doors, I might be able to help more with the area between them. Some doors have adjustable hinges that allow you to move them in and out…which would tighten up the joint between them, eliminating the gaps. You might also be able to tighten the striker plate so the door seals more tightly to the weatherstrip.
Thanks for sending your question.
London Building Contractors | October 12, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Use red detector for finding leaks in home.
Darwin Lansdale | November 1, 2011 at 11:55 am
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
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My shower is leaking. It has a tile floor. No water is getting outside of the shower. Any ideas on what the problem could be? The water is showing up on the ceiling below.