How to Replace a Bathroom Faucet Replacing a bathroom faucet is an easy way to breath new life into the space. 1Shut off the waterShut off the hot and cold water supply valves.2Remove the old faucetRemove the old faucet set and clean the sink surface of any silicone, plumber’s putty or gunk build-up.3Insert valve stemsInsert the valve stems through the holes and secure snugly. Hot water (red) on the left, cold water (blue) on the right.4Insert the spoutInsert the stem of the spout through the middle hole and secure to the mounting bracket using the brass nut. 5Attach the handlesScrew the handles onto the stems. Insert hot and cold set screws if supplied. Hot on the left, cold on the right.6Secure the lift rodSecure the new lift rod to the pop-up mechanism according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 7Attach the water supply linesAttach the hot and cold water supply lines by screwing them on to the valve stems. The manufacturer’s instructions may require the use of Teflon tape.

8Turn on the waterOpen the water supply valves. Turn on the water to the faucet and check for leaks.How to Clean Mineral Stains From Your Toilet Is there any housekeeping chore worse than cleaning the bathroom? Most homeowners would say "no." From trying to move around in such a small room to inhaling noxious fumes from the cleaning fluids, cleaning a bathroom can be a frustrating experience. And if you have stubborn mineral stains, it's even more of a pain. Believe it or not, mineral and rust stains in your toilet or tub -- greenish stripes, a brown ring, lime scale -- aren't caused by anything you're doing wrong in your cleaning regimen. It's simply something in the water. Calcium, lime, magnesium and iron, naturally found in hard water, attach to just about every surface they come across. Even if you have filters or water systems in place to soften the water, some of these minerals still slip through. The rust-colored stains you find under your faucets or in your toilet turn up when iron meets air.

Green or brown stains in the toilet usually indicate lime buildup. Lime scale forms as hard water evaporates and leaves a mineral buildup behind. As it dries, it picks up any dirt particles along with it, and slowly the stain builds, layer by layer, on the inside of the toilet bowl. Fisher-Price Rainforest Deluxe Auto Mirror With Remote more on bathroom cleaningHomes For Sale Jessieville Ar How to Clean a Toilet TankHomes For Sale Mission Hills Northbrook Il How to Clean Calcium Deposits From Your Toilet Bowl How to Keep Your Toilet Clean The good news is that many store-bought products and home concoctions can fight these stains. Removing mineral stains requires some elbow grease, so don't expect it to be an easy process.

To get rid of these stains, you need some sort of acid. The most effective solution is muriatic acid, an extremely powerful and dangerous chemical. But we advise against using this unless you're a professional. If you want an off-the-shelf solution, consider Lime-A-Way or CLR (which stands for Calcium-Lime-Rust). Barkeepers Friend and The Works are also recommended, as well. For an organic home remedy, try vinegar, and -- perhaps unbelievably -- one of your favorite beverages. Find out more on the next page. Published on December 18th, 2014 | A great way to ensure that your home is using both energy and water efficiently is to ensure that your hot water tank is running like it should. Over time things like lime, calcium and other minerals can build up in the base of your hot water tank, and this will cause your hot water tank to work harder to heat the water for your home. A great way to get rid of that mineral build up is to flush your hot water tank, but if that isn’t enough you can add vinegar to your hot water tank, which will help to break up the deposits so they’ll drain more easily.

Just follow these steps: Things you’ll need for the job: Before proceeding with this project, if you are at all unsure or weary of performing maintenance tasks on your hot water tank, stop. Call up a local technician and have them maintain your hot water tank for you. Part 1: Remove the anode rod from your hot water tank 1. Turn off the power to your hot water tank. Simply open up your homes circuit break and flip the switch that controls the power to your hot water tank (which should be labeled) to the off position. 2. Open up a faucet in your home. Turn on the hot water in one of the faucets in your home. This will prevent a vacuum from forming within your system and allow it to drain properly. Be sure to leave the faucet on while performing the first part of this project. To minimize water waste, you can just turn it on low….just enough so that water’s moving through the system. 3. Attach a hose to the drain valve on your hot water tank. Screw the hose into place at the base of your hot water tank and be sure to run the other end to either a drain outside the home or bucket.

4. Turn off the cold water for the hot water tank. The cold water line that runs into your hot water tank should be located just above your unit. Simply take the lever and turn it to the off position. 5. Drain some of the water from your hot water tank. Now that you’ve turned off the power, opened up a faucet, attached a hose and turned off the cold water line to the tank you’re ready to partially drain the tank. Simply open up the drain valve located at the bottom of the tank and allow it to start draining. If you’re emptying the water into a bucket you’ll have to dump the bucket at least 3-4 times in order to drain a sufficient amount of water. Just be sure that you don’t leave the drain valve open while you’re emptying the bucket. Once you’ve drained some of the water from your tank, you can turn off the faucet in your home. Be sure to watch this quick video on anode rods before continuing on to the next step of actually removing the anode rod: 6. Locate the anode rod on your hot water tank. 

Now it’s time to remove the anode rod. Curious what an anode rod is? It’s basically a sacrificial piece of metal that’s put into your hot water tank that helps to prevent the build up of rust along the interior of the tank. The rod is located on the top of the tank and is recessed into the lid of the unit. In some cases, the hot water tank will have a lid that covers that anode rod, you’ll need to remove this lid (usually held in place by screws) in order to gain access to the anode rod. 7. Remove the anode rod from your hot water tank. Now that you’ve located your unit’s anode rod, take your socket wrench and loosen it till you’re able to pull it free from the hot water tank. Be careful as you remove the anode rode, while it isn’t delicate per-say, it could be falling apart or eroding in places. Part 2: Adding the vinegar to the hot water tank 8. Pour in the vinegar. Now that you have access to the inside of the tank it’s time to add the vinegar. Take your funnel and place it into the opening for the anode rod, now pour your vinegar into the belly of the hot water tank.

Once you’ve added all of the vinegar all you have to do is remove the funnel and set it to the side. 9. Put the anode rod back in place (or replace with a new one if necessary). Simply take your anode rod and put it back into the hot water tank and snug it up using your socket wrench. It’s also a good idea to put a thin layer of teflon tape around the grooves on the head of the anode rod. This will help to ensure a snug, air tight fit. 10. Add water to the hot water tank. Now that you have the vinegar inside the hot water tank and the anode rod in place it’s time to add some water back to the tank. Turn on the cold water supply and let it run for roughly 5-10 minutes. Running the water for 5-10 minutes won’t fill the tank, but it will help to stir up the vinegar and circulate it around the inside of the hot water tank. 11. Let the water/vinegar solution sit for at least 6 hours. The water/vinegar solution will need time to break down and loosen the deposits that have been caked onto the inside of the hot water tank, so let it sit for at least 6 hours.

As a side note, be sure to let everyone in your home know (before starting this project) that your water tank will be out of commission for a day. 12. Drain the water/vinegar solution from the tank. Now that you’ve let the water/vinegar solution sit for at least 6 hours it’s time to drain the tank. Turn on a faucet somewhere in the home and open the drain valve at the base of the tank. Remember, you’ll want to have a hose attached to the drain valve with the other end emptying into a drain or bucket. It’s important to note that when your draining the tank large chunks of sediment could clog the hose. If this happens, simply use your hands to massage the line till you feel the obstruction start moving through the hose. Once you’ve finished draining the tank you’re ready to refill it. 13. Refill the tank with water. Be sure that the drain valve is closed and your taps are turned off before proceeding to fill your hot water tank. Once it is, all you have to do is simply turn on the cold water supply and let the tank do it’s job.

14. Turn the power to your hot water tank back on. Now all that’s left is to turn the power to the hot water tank back on. Head over to your home’s breaker box and flip the switch back to the on position.Again if you are at all unsure or hesitant to perform this task don’t do it. Contact a local professional and have them service the tank for you. If you’re looking for more ways to make your home more energy efficient, be sure to check out our green home improvement projects: Green Living Ideas, after all, is a top 20 home improvement website! More ways to use vinegar to clean your home! Best Tankless Water Heaters & How They Work How Gas And Electric Water Heaters Work How A Solar Hot Water Heater Works Make the most of your hot water with these 4 Tips for Energy Efficiency in the Bathroom Changing The Sink Aerator How To Install A Water Efficient Shower Head New Water Heater Technology to Save Water & Energy How to Save money on Hot Water