On this property the hosebib – sillcock – froze inside the wall. The home was designed with no subterranean insulation; there is no basement or crawlspace. While there was a frost free sillcock in place, the space between the siding and the drywall was very limited and only left room for the shortest of sillcocks. When we opened the wall we easily found the cracked pipe. We cut this out and went looking for a replacement 4″ sillcock. The big box stores do not carry these short lines – a big thanks to Ferguson’s Plumbing Supply for finding us one in stock. We soldered the new one in and decided to use a spray in foam to insure the insulation completely enveloped the pipes. We also topped the spray in insulation with the loose and bat insulation that was previously installed. We were then just left to do the drywall repairs. Here is a photo pictorial of the project, beginning to end.
Replacing a sillcock – the part on the house the hose attaches to.
Beginning in the crawlspace we identify the line, shutoff the main supply and cut out the existing piece
Once the old peice is removed we measure for the replacement. A 12 inch frost free sillcock with a backflow preventer (1/2″ male 3/4″ female) is perfect to accept the existing half inch pipe without any other modifications.
Clean up the pipes prior to solder…
Add a little flux, which pulls the solder into the joint.
Sorry only two hands…one is on the torch, heating up the joint, the other hand is holding the wire solder to the joint. As the copper heats up, the flux pulls the solder into the joint, in effect welding it together.
Have you ever considered refinishing your own hardwood floors? It is a serious project, but with the right tools and care you can bring old floors back to like new condition. At this property our client called us in to give this DU rental a good polishing. The hardwoods had seen years of traffic and were pretty worn down. We began by using the drum sander with a fairly low grit belt to remove the old poly coat and stain. You must be careful to work at a constant speed to insure a smooth finish. Progressively increasing the grit on the belt allows the finsih to truly begin to shine. Using an edging sander (basically an orbital sander on steroids) allows you to get a consistent finish near the edges, out of the reach of the belt sander. We chose to finish the project with an oil based poly sealant, which is not only durable, but brings out the golden shine of the natural wood finish. This project was affordable and made this rental property command attention!
Here we show you some ceiling fan basics. By uninstalling, tightening the mounting bracket and adding a balancing weight we take a falling fan back to like new. Click Here for more info…
This week one of our rental property tenants called to tell us the ceiling fan was falling. Upon inspection I could see the fan mounting bracket was not tightly fastened to the ceiling box and one of the blades was slightly damaged. I removed the four screws at the top of the canopy to allow the fan assembly to be removed. Once free the missing screw was replaced (a #8-32 1″.) With the mounting bracket now secure the fan can be raised back up. If your fan uses a downrod extension the ball on the extension would fit in the socket part of the mounting bracket and the canopy would then cover that. We are doing a flush to the ceiling mount and thus the four screws are reinserted horizontally through the canopy into the mounting bracket. Upon testing our work we found the balance to be off a bit, likely from the dinged blade. Adding a weight to the opposite blade cured the wobble and the fan is now in good working order.
Have you ever tried to turn off the toilet or sink water supply, only to find the valve leaks and needs to be replaced? Then you know, plumbers aren’t cheap!
Compression fittings are a common method used when installing new valves, supply tubes and fixtures. They are often used on copper pipe because it is soft enough for the compression ring to seat nice and tight.
These simple fittings are attached by sliding a compression nut then a compression ring over the straight supply pipe.
Apply a little pipe joint compound or Teflon tape to the union threads, then place the new valve or threaded pipe fitting over the supply line and tighten the compression nut onto the threaded coupling.
Hold the center of the union with a wrench and turn the compression nut at least one full turn to insure a tight seal.
Turn on the water to test your fitting and if you find any leaks tighten the nuts gently, but be sure not to over tighten.
Call EcoSystems Property Management today at
303-750-2900; We’ll handle these rental property issues for you!
Have you ever tried to turn off the toilet or sink water supply, only to find the valve leaks and needs to be replaced? Then you know, plumbers aren’t cheap!
Compression fittings are a common method used when installing new valves, supply tubes and fixtures. They are often used on copper pipe because it is soft enough for the compression ring to seat nice and tight.
These simple fittings are attached by sliding a compression nut then a compression ring over the straight supply pipe.
Apply a little pipe joint compound or Teflon tape to the union threads, then place the new valve or threaded pipe fitting over the supply line and tighten the compression nut onto the threaded coupling.
Hold the center of the union with a wrench and turn the compression nut at least one full turn to insure a tight seal.
Turn on the water to test your fitting and if you find any leaks tighten the nuts gently, but be sure not to over tighten.
Call EcoSystems Property Management today at
303-750-2900; We’ll handle these rental property issues for you!
