← All 45 books Home repair basics, one fix per page Get the full edition · £10
One fix per page

Home repair basics, one fix per page

Twenty-two fixes that keep a first house honest.

Steve Hodgkiss 8 fixes

Calm, practical, and small enough to actually do.

Home repair basics, one fix per page

Twenty-two fixes that keep a first house honest.

Set in Space Grotesk, Inter and JetBrains Mono (SIL Open Font License).

Practices checked against the US EPA (lead RRP, WaterSense, mold guidance), CPSC (CO alarms, GFCI, wiring hazards), NFPA and USFA (smoke alarms), OSHA and NIOSH (ladders), US DOE (air sealing), ENERGY STAR, and manufacturer instruction patterns.

General information only, not professional advice. Codes vary by town: your local building department and the manufacturer's instructions are the final word.

Your purchase is for personal use only. You do not have redistribution rights: please do not share, resell, or republish this book or its pages.

© 2026 Steve Hodgkiss. All rights reserved. Personal use only; no redistribution rights.

Edition 1.0 · stevehodgkiss.net

Contents

Contents

Part 1 · Water4
The meter test5
The running toilet6
Part 2 · Light and power7
The breaker trip8
The smoke alarm map9
Part 3 · Seasonal guard10
The gutter clean11
The furnace filter12
The drafty door13
The CO detector14
Part 1 of 3
Water only leaks where you let it sit
1

Water

Five pages on the water you pay for twice: once at the meter, once when it lands somewhere new. The toilet that runs, the tap that drips, the stain that grew, and the hoses holding a thousand gallons behind your washer.

In this part
  1. 01The meter test
  2. 02The running toilet

You cannot fix a leak you have not confirmed, and most leaks announce themselves only as a number. The meter is a truth machine: it spins for every gallon, heard or not.

Home repair · No. 01
Water

The meter test

The bill is higher than the habit
NO WATER RUNNING, METER STILL MOVING? THE LEAK IS IN THE LINE.the water metereverything off, and it still creepsthe two hour test1close every tap, no laundry2read the meter, note the digits3two hours later, read it againmoved at all? call it a leak, start huntingDo it at bedtime and it costs you nothing. The meter never lies and never blinks.

Everything off, then read the meter. Recheck two quiet hours later: still creeping? The leak is real and yours.

The classic mistake is chasing sounds. Silent leaks show up only as numbers. One flapper wastes 200 gallons a day.

It turns and every fixture checks clean: water moves in a wall. Plumber.

The meter is the only witness that never blinks.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Tonight, before bed: everything off, photograph the meter, go to sleep. Compare in the morning. Photograph again either way.

The flapper is the rubber door at the bottom of the tank. Scale and age stop it seating, the tank drains into the bowl, and the fill valve wakes to top it up.

Home repair · No. 02
Water

The running toilet

The tank refills without a flush
THE FLAPPER IS A DOOR THAT SHOULD SHUT COMPLETELYthe tankflapper not seating: water creeps to the bowlso the fill valve runstank sinks, valve tops it up,every few minutes, all nightdye test: color in the tank, color in the bowl after 10 minutes = leakTake the old flapper to the hardware store. Flappers are not one size.

Lift the tank lid and watch. Water creeping over the overflow tube: bend the fill float down. Draining to the bowl: the flapper.

Dye tab tonight, no flushing; colour in the bowl by morning is flapper confirmed. Wipe the seat, new flapper, ten minutes.

Still running on a fresh flapper: tank hardware is a plumber's hour.

Two parts cause nine of ten running toilets.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Do the dye test tonight. Color in the bowl means a matching flapper, a weekend swap, then repeat the test to prove the fix.

Part 2 of 3
Respect the panel, learn its language
2

Light and power

Four pages that make electricity less mysterious without making it inviting: the outlet that protects you, the fixture you can change, the breaker that tripped for a reason, and the alarms that buy you the minutes that matter.

In this part
  1. 01The breaker trip
  2. 02The smoke alarm map

A circuit is a loop with a capacity, and every appliance draws from the same pot. Demand beats the wire's rating, and the breaker opens the loop before the wire heats.

Home repair · No. 03
Light and power

The breaker trip

Half the kitchen went dark at once
THE TRIP IS A DOOR CLOSING. FIND WHAT OPENED IT BEFORE YOU RESET.why it tripsfridgelightsheaterone circuitthe reset ritual1unplug the newest load2off fully, then back on3one trip: life. trips again: stopsome breakers must go fully OFF before ONA breaker that trips twice for the same thing has found a problem. Let it win.

Unplug everything on the dead circuit. Full off, then on: the click resets it. Plug back one item at a time until it trips.

The last thing plugged in is usually the story. A trip is protection doing its job. Space heaters on one circuit do this.

Trips with nothing plugged in, humming, warm faceplate: electrician, this week.

Subtract until it stops. The last plug confesses.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

If a breaker trips more than occasionally, unplug its newest resident and note the date. Repeat trips earn an electrician call this week.

Smoke gives you minutes, and placement decides how many. The fire authorities agree: inside every bedroom, outside the sleeping areas, and on every level including the basement.

Home repair · No. 04
Light and power

The smoke alarm map

The hallway has one, the bedrooms have none
EVERY BEDROOM, OUTSIDE THE SLEEPING AREAS, EVERY LEVEL. CEILING.the mapin each bedroomoutside the doorsevery levelbasement: by the stairsthe care loop1test monthly: press the button2fresh batteries once a year3new alarm at 10 years, whole unitphoto of the back tells you its birthdayInterconnected is best: one sounds, they all sound. Manufacturer instructions win on placement.

Inside each bedroom, outside the doors, one per level. Ceiling, or high on the wall: smoke rises. Basement included.

The classic mistake is the hallway-only layout. A shut bedroom door buys poison, not time. Replace the whole alarm at ten years.

Hardwired alarms are electrician work. Photo every date tonight.

Bedrooms, doors, levels. Ten years, whole unit.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Photograph the back of every alarm tonight and check the year. Press every test button. Older than ten, or a bedroom bare: order today.

Part 3 of 3
Twenty minutes a season beats a repair a year
3

Seasonal guard

Five pages on the quiet maintenance that decides whether winter is an event or a season: gutters, filters, drafts, the ground around the foundation, and the detector for the gas you cannot see or smell.

In this part
  1. 01The gutter clean
  2. 02The furnace filter
  3. 03The drafty door
  4. 04The CO detector

A gutter's job is to hand roof water to a downspout. A mat of seeds and leaves dams the trough, the next storm pours over the edge and pools at the foundation.

Home repair · No. 05
Seasonal guard

The gutter clean

Green water pours over the edge
A CLOGGED GUTTER DOES NOT LEAK UP. IT SPILLS WHERE YOU DO NOT LOOK.the clog, in sectionseed mat + leavesfull trough spills at the nearest edgebefore the trough, the ladder1inspect it first, feet on firm ground24 up for 1 out; 3 ft above the edge3top 3 rungs are not for standing3 points of contact; 10 ft from power linesGloves, a scoop, and a bucket on a lanyard. The ground, twice a year, in dry weather.

Firm ladder, flat legs, gloved hands. Clear the trough to a bucket; check patterns from the ground.

The classic mistake is leaning the ladder on the gutter lip. Gutters are aluminium, not scaffolding. Wall side, never overreach.

Two storeys, any roof walking, uneven ground: pro. Roofs are pro territory.

Twice a year, or after every big storm.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Walk the house after the next rain and watch every edge. Spill points mark your first cleaning. Book the ladder for a dry Saturday.

Your furnace has lungs, and the filter is the diaphragm. Whole-house air passes that one slot, and the filter catches what you would rather not breathe. It fills up by design.

Home repair · No. 06
Seasonal guard

The furnace filter

The filter looks grey and fuzzy
ONE FILTER SERVES HEAT AND COOLING ALL YEAR. CHECK IT MONTHLY.the lungs of the housereturn airweakerblower works harder as it greysthe filter calendar1glance monthly in heavy months290 days is the ceiling, not the goal3pets or allergies: every 30size is printed on the frame: write the date on the new oneThe arrow on the frame points with the airflow, toward the blower. Slide it in, close the slot.

The old filter's arrow shows airflow, toward the blower. New one in with its arrow the same way. Write the date on the frame.

The classic mistake is the highest MERV number. A tight filter chokes an old furnace. Match what the manual names.

Runs weak on a fresh filter? Ducts or blower: technician.

Check monthly, change on schedule, not on hope.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Find the slot, slide the filter out, read its size aloud. Order a three-pack today and write the install date on the frame.

The cold corner by the balcony door is not the house's personality. It is a gap, and the DOE splits every gap in two: still joints get caulk, moving joints get weatherstrip.

Home repair · No. 07
Seasonal guard

The drafty door

The corner by the balcony door is cold
CAULK IS FOR STILL JOINTS. WEATHERSTRIP IS FOR MOVING ONES.find the draft honestlymoving joint:weatherstripdaylight around the frame?rattle = seal has quitthe hand test finds every gapmatch the fix to the joint1still frame joint: caulk outside2door edge and sill: weatherstrip3sweep at the bottom for the gapthe DOE pair: caulk still, strip movingAir sealing pays for itself in about a year, says the DOE. This is the cheapest warm room you will buy.

Wet the back of your hand and walk the frame. The cold spot is the leak: foam tape on the stop, a sweep below.

The classic mistake is caulking a moving joint. It cracks by spring. Caulk stills, weatherstrip moves.

Mist between panes, a gap no strip fills: the unit is failing. Contractor.

Caulk what never moves. Strip what does.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Close the door on a strip of paper at three points tonight. It slides out freely, the seal is gone. Add a sweep this week.

Carbon monoxide is the hazard you cannot sense: no smell, no color, no taste. It comes from anything that burns fuel incompletely, and headaches that ease outside are its signature.

Home repair · No. 08
Seasonal guard

The CO detector

Winter headaches that pass outside
CO HAS NO SMELL, NO COLOR, NO TASTE. THE ALARM IS THE ONLY NOSE.where it comes fromfurnaceheaterfireplaceincomplete burning of any fuel makes itplacement, per the CPSC1every level of the home2outside the sleeping areas3not in the kitchen, not above appliancesUL 2034 listed; the maker's manual wins on spotFlu-like symptoms that fade outside the house are the classic CO signature. Fresh air first, then 911.

Combustion makes it; a sealed house keeps it. A headache that eases outdoors is its signature. The alarm is the only nose you have.

Detectors expire in five to ten years, stamped on the back. A dead sensor is silence you can trust once. Every level, near bedrooms.

If it sounds: out, everyone, then 911. Flame appliances: annual pro service.

You cannot sense it. The detector is the plan.

FIX IT THIS WEEK

Check for a CO alarm. None, or older than its stamped date: order a UL 2034 unit today, hallway outside the bedrooms. Test tonight.

Index

Index

The breaker trip8
The CO detector14
The drafty door13
The furnace filter12
The gutter clean11
The meter test5
The running toilet6
The smoke alarm map9