Wilshire Square Neighborhood
Santa Ana, California

MR. "Fix It"

Roofing Contractor

Ralph Adkins Roofing   714-679-2705  Resident Wilshire Sq.

FURNACE  REPAIR

B & P Services Inc.   1-949-833-1041

Air Conditioning, Heating, Specialist in "Gravity Furnace"

PLASTERING  CONTRACTOR

Mike Carrasco 544-4250 (Feb. 1-657-544-4250)

Small job specialist-Exterior Stucco, Interior lath and plaster

MS. "Fix it"

Avon Representative

Lori Ruvolo 401-2775 or 549-8391 Resident Wilshire Sq.

Note:  The above individuals  have been referred to this  site by satisfied Wilshire Square residents.  It is the homeowners sole responsibility to check out these contractors before any contracts are signed or work is performed.

Other Resources

 DEA Bathroom Machineries-(vintage plumbing fixtures) www.deabath.com

Van Dyke's Restorers-(hardware)-1-800-558-1234 or www.vandykes.com

Lee Valley & Veritas (hardware) 1-800-871-8158 or www.leevalley.com

ReStore 12827 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, 714-590-8729

ReStore 2200 S. Ritchey Ave, Santa Ana 714-434-6202 www.restoreoc.org

DIY  Plumbers Note

  Is the faucet in your home leaking? If so,  before you run off to the hardware store, check and see if you have the documentation that came with the faucet.  Call the company and tell it about your problem with its faucet.   Chances are, the company will replace the cartridges and mail them to your door free of charge.  The company may even replace the whole faucet and mail it to your door free of charge.  It usually takes about 7 to 10 business days to receive the replacements.

Preventing Unwanted Visitors

A frequent entry point for thieves of opportunity is an open window. There is an easy way of frustrating those individuals by simply installing “Flip Locks” on your double hung windows.  They come in a package of two for two dollars.  The harder you make it for someone to enter your home, the more likely they will try somewhere else.  These “Flip Locks” can be purchased at your local ACE hardware store. 

Q. l have carpeted floors that squeak when they're walked on. I was watching a home repair show and it showed a three-legged tool that fit over the carpet and let you drive a special break-off head screw through the tool into the floor joist. The homeowner can stop the squeak without removing the carpet. Do you know of this tool and special screws? Or do you know of another method of repairing squeaky floors without removing the carpet?

A. The product you saw on "Ask This Old House" was Squeak No More, which I first wrote about in 1993, along with two other products designed to reduce pesky squeaks. But you have to have access under the floor for those other two. If there's no access to the underside of the floor then use Squeak No More. It utilizes a tripod stand that is placed on the carpet and over the floor joist to be repaired. A long screw installed with a special screw bit attached to a screw driver/drill is inserted through an opening in the tripod. The specialized screw passes right through the carpeting to secure the floor decking to the joist. You then use the tripod to break off the exposed end of the screw.

The only problem I've experienced was when I drilled through hardwoods; the screw would sometimes break prematurely. I simply removed the broken screw and started over. When you have under-floor access or if the floor covering can't be penetrated, you can use Squeak Ender, a metal clamp that is fastened to a floor joist and a bracket that is fastened with screws to the underside of the floor's decking. A bolt and nut system is installed between the two. When you tighten the nut, decking is pulled down tight.to the floor joist. The Squeal Ender retails for $6.89.

Squeak Relief is a small L shaped bracket that is secured to the side of the floor joists with a single screw. A second screw is inserted at an angle to secure the bracket to the decking. When the two screws are tightened, the decking is pulled tight again the floor joist. Squeak Relief retails for $14.99 for four.

The Squeak No More retails for around $30 for the tripod, a drilling bit and 50 screws. If you have only a few squeaks and a limited budget you can use a 2 ½ inch long No.8 twist fast wood screw to secure the decking to the floor joist through the carpeting using only a drill/driver drill. Once the head of the screw breaks through the carpet pad, you will no longer. feel the screw underfoot.

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