home clinic

Properly installed, quality sinks and downpipes should last for many years, with little or no maintenance other than occasional cleaning.
However, in the past winter, the area has accumulated a lot of snow and ice, plus in many cases, the ditch is easily blocked by leaves and other debris, and it is better for the cautious homeowner to check his sink as soon as possible, see if cleaning and/or repair is required.
Since this task involves the use of ladders, the work should be done on dry days without wind.
It is also a good idea to have an assistant hold the ladder at the bottom to minimize the possibility of slipping.
When the sinks are installed at that time, they drain quickly because the horizontal extension is installed with a slight pitch or slope, while the Downpipe is at the lowest point (
In a long run, there may be two downpipes, one at each end and one slope tilted in both directions from the center).
However, after the winter that has just passed, heavy snow build-up or branches fall off may loosen the mounting straps or brackets of one or more fixed ditches.
Therefore, the development of the depression will interfere with the proper drainage.
It is not water that flows innocently down through the downpipe and the lead pipe, but gathers at the low point, and then spills over the edge, connecting to the lower level along the walls of the House, piling up in puddles next to the foundation.
This will not only cause ugly stains on the outside of the house, but also cause leaks in the window frame and basement.
Usually, just look at the full length from the side and you can easily see the drooping part of the ditch.
However, in some cases, if the depression is suspected, it is better to use the mental level placed on the long straight plate at the edge of the drainage ditch to check the appropriate slope.
For every 8 feet run length, it should be tilted at least half an inch down.
Metal ditches are usually supported by long spikes that go through the edges and pass through the metal tube inside the ditch, so if there is a depression, it is likely that one or more spikes have been pulled out.
If because the wood is cracked or the hole in the wood is too big, they can\'t be driven back to fix it firmly in the same place, and then, it may be necessary to reinstall them a few inches on one side of the original location.
This will require a new hole to be drilled on the edge or lip of the drain.
In other cases, it might be better to add one or two additional peaks for support.
Some baked-enamel metal gouges and most vinyl gouges are supported below by special supports on facia boards fixed behind the gouges.
When a depression or low point is found near one of them, it is likely that the bracket has bent.
Bending or hammering it back to its original position may work;
If not, it may be necessary to replace it with a new one.
Other metal sinks have brackets that go through the top, then nailed to the roof under the first row of wooden tiles.
If these are bent or loose, refolding or bending them into the right shape will often solve the problem of fixed pitch.
In the process of developing dents or lows, due to the leakage of seams, cracks or rotten and rusted parts, the ditch often allows water to be poured from the walls of the house.
These defects should be fixed in a timely manner before they deteriorate until they need to be replaced.
Leaking seams can be easily repaired with silicone rubber sealant (
It has a tube or caulking box)
Or fill in the sewing agent with Ding glue.
Work from the inside, thoroughly clean the surface on either side of the crack or seam, then apply the compound freely and push it into the gap as much as possible.
The rotten part on the wood sink and the refurbished part on the metal sink can usually be repaired with the Fiberglas patch kit, which is sold in many hardware stores and home centers that do their own work.
Another way to repair is to use roof cement and aluminum foil.
After cleaning the internal surface, a layer of free roof cement is laid on the defective area.
A piece of aluminum foil is then placed on the tc p, covered with the second floor roof cement, ensuring that the cement covers the edge of the aluminum foil.
Probably the most common problem is Karton due to the accumulation of leaves, branches and other wind-borne debris --
Especially there are many tall trees nearby.
The leaves can be removed by using a broom and a small gardening spatula, or they can be cleaned up with a long hose attached to a shopping vacuum.
The leaves are an ongoing problem, so need to be cleaned up frequently, the best long-term solution is to sell one of the various grid protection strips in many hardware stores and lumberjacks, covering the entire drain length.
This mesh is made of metal or plastic and has strips about 6 inch wide, usually with clips attached to the outer or outer edge of the gutter (
Some designs just slide inside and below this outer rim).
The other edge can be fixed to the bottom of the roof top plate of the first row that extends out, or it can be simply placed on another edge of the drain.
■ Questions about home maintenance can be raised with Mr.
Gladstone takes care of the New York Times, 229 West 43d Street, New York, NYY. 10036.
This column will only answer questions of general interest.