11
EZthewashingtonpost.
saturday,february22,2020caused because t he top door
hinge screws have come loose.
Open the door so you have access
to the h inge s crews and t ighten
them. If that works, fantastic. If
not, then you m ay h ave to set the
hinge plate deeper in its mortise.
This requires the use of a wood
chisel and g reat hand-eye
coordination. What’s more, leave
this to the l andlord a s it’s h is
door, not yours.
The slow bathroom sink drain
can also be quite e asy to fix. If the
sink is equipped with a standard
pop-up drain, the tiny prong that
makes the stopper go u p and
down is superb at c atching hair
and other gunk. You can buy long
plastic strips that can hook the
hair and pull it back u p out of the
drain. You can also unscrew the
nut on t he b ack of the tailpiece,
remove the l ever t hat lifts the
stopper and c lear out all the
obstructions. This can be done in
less than two m inutes. Watch the
video I h ave on my w ebsite that
shows h ow t o do this.Subscribe to Tim’s free newsletter and
listen to his new podcasts. Go to:
http://www.AsktheBuilder.com.to c lose on its own, and She Who
Must B e Obeyed h as let me know
that it must be fixed. I d on’t s ee
why I have t o be reminded every
six months, t hough!
The self-closing door is
perhaps the e asiest t hing to cure.
I've h ad g reat s uccess by simply
bending one o f the door hinge
pins. T he bend i n the pin creates
just enough additional f riction to
overcome the force of gravity that
closes the door without your help.
I prefer to bend the top h inge
pin. Open the door part way and
slide a folded magazine o r some
thin pieces of cardboard u nder
the far bottom tip of the d oor
under t he handle. This will
support the door when you
remove the t op hinge pin.
Sometimes the bottom of the
hinge has a h ole s o you c an insert
a large nail to get the pin to move
up. Once t he hinge pin is out, take
it outside to a concrete surface
and lay it on its side. Strike it in
the center with moderate force to
put a slight bend in the s teel
shaft. Reinsert the pin, and l et’s
move onto stopping the d oor rub.
The rubbing that happens at
the top of a d oor frame is o ftenYou can use paint stirring
sticks, regular tapered wood
shims and construction adhesive
that c omes i n a standard caulk
tube to accomplish this simple
fix. T he key thing t o remember is
to be sure the shims are about^1 / 2 -
inch below t he t op of the tank l ip
so t he t ank lid doesn't t ouch the
shims when you p ut it back on.Q: T im, I enjoy a ll t he videos on
your A sk the B uilder website. I
just moved i nto an apartment
that’s t ired and old, and my
landlord i s slow at m aking
repairs. Can you help m e fix a
closet door that wants to always
shut o n its own w ithout h aving to
use a doorstop? T his same d oor is
rubbing the f rame up at t he top
corner. How can I fix that?
Finally, the sink in the bathroom
drains s lowly. Is t here a fast way
to see if it’s c logged with
something? Thanks so much.
— Nancy P., NashvilleA: These pesky problems can
happen in houses, condominiums
and apartments, no matter what
the age. I have a ghost d oor in my
own master bathroom that wantsagainst t he tank while sitting on
the toilet b owl. The issue is with
the rubber O-rings t hat surround
the bolts. It’s e ntirely possible t o
create a leak between the toilet
tank and bowl if y ou push b ack
against t he tank too m uch.
This is quite p ossible a s the
toilet a ges and the r ubber O -rings
become less pliable. I ’m s ure
you’ve seen rubber that becomes
brittle with age. You don’t w ant to
hope that t he r ubber O-rings s tay
supple indefinitely. You hope f or
things you can’t c ontrol like t he
weather or when a volcano might
erupt.
Plumbers can install toilets so
the tank i s snug against a wall,
but this requires q uite a bit of
planning. If the tank is tight
against t he wall, t he tank l id
might not f it well because the lids
are larger than t he tank and o ften
have an overhanging rear l ip.
It’s e asy to keep peace in t hese
situations. When the l eaning
cohabitant is out and about
having coffee with a friend or
picking up g roceries, y ou can glue
some wood shims between t he
back of the t oilet tank and t he
wall behind the t ank.Q: A n unnamed
person (rhymes
with “house”)
living i n my h ome
says that t he t oilet
seat lid and t he
toilet t ank are made f or leaning
back against while using the
fixture for personal needs. In a
negotiation debate with this
person, I m entioned that the bolts
fastening the t ank to the bowl are
not strong e nough for leaning as
one might against a standard
chair. What say you, wise Tim?
— Donn R ., Shelby Township,
Mich.
A: Truth b e told, I adjudicate
disputes — or should I s ay
spirited discussions? — between
two people living under the s ame
roof a t least once a month.
The traditional toilet t ank used
to have just two b rass bolts that
connected i t to the toilet b owl.
One manufacturer years a go
thought this w as insufficient a nd
developed a three-bolt design.
The third bolt added a l ot of
strength.
The bolts i n either design are
plenty strong and should never
break if s omeone leans b ack
DIY
Wood shims can help maintain i ntegrity of your toilet’s O-rings
Ask the
Builder
tim carter
Only 7 HomesRemain!Two New ModelsJust Released57 1.281.03 13 | TheSignetVA.comIT’S ALL INTHE DETAILSTHIS IS YOUR FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO CALL
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