c/diy-landlord-fixes

That time I used a penny to fix a backed up toilet flange in Cleveland

One of my tenants called me last Tuesday about a leaking toilet that was wobbling. I figured the wax ring was shot again, third time this year. When I pulled the toilet, the flange was cracked all the way through on one side. I didn't want to spend 40 bucks on a new flange plus a call to a plumber. So I dug through my change jar and found a thick 1970s penny. I drilled a hole right through the center of it, then screwed it into the flange next to the crack to bridge the gap. It held the flange together tight, and the new wax ring sealed it up perfect. Has anyone else used coins or washers to patch up cracked plumbing parts like this?

$20 tub spout turned into a 6-hour nightmare

Picked up a cheap replacement spout at Lowe's for a rental in Denver. Thought it would be a 20-minute swap, but the old one was seized on so bad I ended up cutting it off with a hacksaw. Then the new one's threads didn't match the pipe, so I had to make two more trips for adapter fittings. Anyone else waste a whole day on a job that should take 10 minutes?

Debate: Should you patch a small drywall hole or just replace the whole panel?

I spent 6 hours patching a fist-sized hole in a rental unit hallway using mesh tape and compound, only to have it crack again after two weeks. My coworker says he always cuts out the whole 4x8 sheet for anything bigger than a doorknob hole because patches never hold in older houses. Which way do you go for those medium-sized holes between a quarter and a dinner plate?

Spent $80 on a cheap toilet flange repair kit and it failed within 3 months

My tenant called saying the toilet was rocking and there was water seeping onto the floor when they flushed. I went over, saw the flange was cracked, and grabbed one of those push-on plastic repair kits from the hardware store for 80 bucks. Figured it would hold. Three months later I get a call about water damage in the ceiling below. The repair had completely let go. Cost me $600 for a contractor to rip out drywall and replace everything. Has anyone else tried those kits and had them actually work, or am I better off just cutting out and replacing the whole flange with a metal one every time?

My $5 fix for a leaky toilet that everyone told me would fail

Everyone on this forum says to replace the whole flush valve assembly when a toilet runs intermittently, but I spent $5 on a new flapper and cleaned the sealing surface with a scouring pad instead. It has been 8 months since I did that in my rental in Austin and the tenant hasn't complained once. Has anyone else had luck with just cleaning instead of replacing the whole valve?

My $12 toilet fill valve turned into a $200 plumbing lesson

I tried swapping out a leaky Fluidmaster in my duplex in Omaha last Tuesday. Figured it was a 15 minute job, but I cross-threaded the supply line and water sprayed everywhere behind the toilet. Took me 3 trips to Home Depot and a wet vacuum rental to fix the mess I made. Has anyone else had a cheap repair spiral into something way bigger than it should have been?

My grandad told me to use vinegar on every plumbing issue. Took 3 clogged drains to learn that's bad advice.

Can we talk about those cheap plastic toilet flappers from the dollar store

I was dead set against them for like 5 years. Figured any part that costs $1.25 can't hold up to a rental property toilet. Then my tenant's old flapper cracked on a Sunday with no hardware stores open. Stuck one in as a temp fix and it's been running fine for 8 months now. Anybody else had a cheap part outlast the name brand stuff?

PSA: check your tenant's bathroom fan before winter hits

Had a guy move out of my duplex near Boston last October. Place looked fine on walkthrough. First cold snap came and the bathroom ceiling above the shower was black with mold. Turns out the fan was just blowing hot air in a circle for 3 years. Cost me $400 to rip out drywall and treat the joists. Anyone else find hidden mold after a tenant leaves?

Pulled off a $15 fix on a busted toilet flange and saved a $300 plumber call

Last Saturday morning, I walked into my rental's basement bathroom and found water creeping across the linoleum from the toilet base. Pulled the toilet off and saw the flange had a hairline crack right where the wax ring seats. Instead of calling a plumber and dropping three hundred bucks, I grabbed a $15 PVC repair ring from Home Depot, a tube of silicone caulk, and a cheap hacksaw. I cut away the cracked section, used the repair ring to clamp a new PVC piece over the old pipe, and sealed it with silicone. Took me about 2 hours including drying time, and the toilet has been solid for a week now. Has anyone else had luck with those repair rings for cracked flanges, or do you usually just replace the whole thing?

Talked with a tenant over the weekend who fixed a leaking toilet flapper with a zip tie instead of calling me

Bought a cheap toilet flapper and learned my lesson the hard way

I was at Home Depot last month picking up some paint for a unit I'm flipping. Saw a universal flapper for $4.50 and figured why not, save a few bucks. Installed it in a rental bathroom on Tuesday and by Thursday the tenant calls saying the toilet won't stop running. I go over there and the plastic arm broke clean off. That cheap thing wasted way more water than I saved. Now I only buy the Fluidmaster brand ones for like $8 even though they cost more. Has anyone else had bad luck with the super cheap plumbing parts?

Can we talk about the time I spent 6 hours fixing a toilet fill valve that should have taken 20 minutes?

Rented out my old place in Austin after moving, and the tenant said the toilet was running nonstop. I figured I'd swap the fill valve quick, but the shutoff valve crumbled in my hand and I spent the next 5 hours driving to three hardware stores for a replacement fitting and mopping up water that leaked into the kitchen ceiling below. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a half-day disaster because of one old pipe or valve?

Spent $40 on a cheap toilet fill valve and it flooded my downstairs unit

I figured a $10 universal valve was fine but after 3 months the flapper sticked open and it ran for 6 hours straight before the tenant noticed. Has anyone else had issues with those no-name parts from the hardware store?

Hit $2,250 in plumbing repairs I did myself this year and now I'm rethinking the landlord warranty company

After fixing a leaky toilet flange in unit 3B for $47 in parts instead of paying the $850 deductible on my warranty, I added up all the jobs I did myself this year and realized I saved over two grand, so what are you all paying for those monthly warranty plans that nobody ever answers the phone for anyway?

Should I cover the A/C unit in winter or leave it open? I keep going back and forth on this

Went by my duplex in Phoenix last weekend and noticed all three tenants have their A/C units wrapped in tarps and zip ties. I get wanting to protect them from dust, but I've heard that traps moisture and rusts out the coils faster. My old landlord in Tucson swore by leaving them bare, said a little rain never hurt anything. But then I see guys at Home Depot buying those fancy $50 covers every November. What do you all do for your units? I'm leaning towards leaving mine uncovered but I don't want to wreck a $4,000 condenser over being lazy.

Warning: cheap caulk around windows will ruin your paint job in 3 months flat

I stopped by a duplex I manage in Phoenix last week to check on some peeling paint around the windows. The previous tenant had tried to seal gaps with that dollar store caulk that costs like $2 a tube. After just three months of summer heat it turned yellow and cracked everywhere. The paint started bubbling up and peeling off in strips because the caulk never bonded right to the vinyl frames. Now I'm stuck scraping it all off and redoing the whole trim on Saturday. Has anyone else had luck with a specific brand that actually holds up in extreme heat?

That renter who tried to fix their own toilet with a coat hanger

I was at the hardware store in Cleveland last Saturday and overheard a guy telling his buddy he used a wire coat hanger to unclog a toilet because he didn't want to pay for a snake. Next thing I know, he's calling me saying the porcelain cracked and now there's water damage on the subfloor. How do you convince people that some things are worth spending ten bucks on before it costs you four hundred?

Picked up a 15 dollar snake at a garage sale and it saved me a plumbing call

Found this old drain snake at a garage sale in Omaha for 15 bucks, just a basic manual one with a rusty handle. Last week my downstairs tenant's tub was backing up and she said it was getting real gross. I spent maybe 20 minutes snaking it and pulled out this clump of hair and gunk the size of a small fist. That thing probably saved me 200 dollars on a plumber. Has anyone else had luck with cheap secondhand tools for fixing stuff?

Vent: My tenant tried to fix a leaky toilet themselves and now the bathroom floor is ruined

I got a call from my tenant in unit 3B last Thursday about a running toilet. I told them I'd come by Saturday morning to fix it, no big deal. But Friday afternoon I stopped by to grab some mail and water was dripping through the ceiling into the laundry room downstairs. Turns out they watched a YouTube video and tried to replace the flapper themselves but cross-threaded the fill valve instead. It sprayed water everywhere for a few hours before they thought to turn the shutoff. Now I've got a $600 water damage claim and the bathroom subfloor is gonna need to be replaced. I get that they wanted to help but how do you guys politely tell tenants to just wait? I'm thinking of putting a note in the lease about no plumbing fixes period. Has anyone dealt with this kind of thing before?

Shoutout to the old timer in Phoenix who fixed my leaky toilet in 10 minutes

Honestly, I was about to call a plumber and drop $200 on a new wax ring for a toilet that kept wobbling. This guy Bob, retired contractor I met at the hardware store, said just loosen the bolts, push a couple plastic shims under the base, and tighten it back up. Saved me the headache and the money, and it's been solid for 3 months now. Has anyone else had a quick fix from a stranger that actually worked?

That cheap shut-off valve on a toilet hose cost me $300 in water damage last weekend

Had a tenant call me Sunday morning saying water was seeping through their bathroom floor, and I found the little plastic valve had cracked clean in half at 2AM. I replaced it myself with a brass one for $12, but now I'm wondering how many more of those plastic time bombs I have in my other units. Has anyone else had these things fail on them out of nowhere?

Changed my mind about painting over chipped baseboards after 3 years

I used to always just slap a fresh coat of paint over chipped baseboards. It looked fine for a month or so but the chips always came back. Last week at my duplex in Austin, a tenant sent me a photo of a huge chunk missing and I finally grabbed some wood filler. Filled it, sanded it smooth, then painted. Took an extra 20 minutes per room but the finish actually looks new now. Anyone else have a repair trick they ignored for way too long?

Caulked my own bathtub last month. Saved $150.

Had a gap growing behind the tub in my rental. Water was getting in. Called a pro, he quoted $200. Nope. Watched a 5 minute video instead. Bought a $6 tube of silicone and a $2 tool. Took me 45 minutes. Looks decent. Not perfect but no more water damage. Anyone else do their own bathroom fixes and regret it later?

Tried spray foam vs foam board for sealing a basement rim joist

Last month I used spray foam in a can to seal the rim joist in my duplex over on Maple Street. It was a complete mess - dripped everywhere, took forever, and I used 8 cans at $7 each. Last weekend I tried rigid foam board cut to size with canned foam for the gaps and it took maybe 45 minutes total. Has anyone else found that combo way easier?