 10 – Supply line connection
The valve for the water line should be in its permanent place so now it is time to connect the new water supply line from the toilet to the valve and main water line. And for this you need a compression ring and nut. You need to also reattach the stem and the handle to the valve before connecting the supply line.
More than likely, your supply line is a small straight pipe so you will need to bend it in order for it to fit in the space between your toilet tank connection and the valve. You can use a tubing bender to do this, which will not damage the pipe itself.
Now take the new water supply line and hold it in place where you are going to install it, making sure that the flared end is next to the tank. You need to make sure that it will sit below the valve’s outlet about ½ an inch so that when you install it, it will sit neatly in the outlet on the valve and will not pop out. Mark on the supply line where the ½ inch extension is and then cut off the excess pipe with the tubing cutter.
NOTE – make sure your measurements are correct before cutting!
11 – Supply line permanent install
When you are ready, we are now going to permanently attach the supply line to the valve and to do this, first you need to slide on a plastic nut. Make sure that you have your finger over the one end so it doesn’t slide off and then put on a compression nut and a compression ring.
NOTE – the plastic nut should aim at the tank connection and the compression ring on the bottom where it will fit on the valve’s outlet!
Now take a small amount of Teflon paste and spread it on the inside valve’s outlet on the threads—this will cement the pipe to the valve. Now push the end of the supply line into the outlet and then move the compression ring into place on the valve’s outlet.
Connect the supply line to the underside of the tank using the plastic nut to secure it. Once the supply line is permanently attached to the tank, then complete the install by securing the supply line to the valve, tightening the compression nut.
12 – Toilet seat
The toilet seat should be positioned so that the holes in the back portion of the seat align with the holes in the toilet bowl. Your seat should come with plastic bolts and nuts (metal can easily rust and corrode, leading to problems). Then simply tighten the nuts with your fingers until they are firm.
13 – Fill the tank
Now comes the big moment you have been working for! Making sure that the new water valve you installed is in the “off” position, turn on the main water line for the bathroom. Turn on the water valve and check for any signs of leaks as you wait for the tank to fill up. This will take several minutes so feel free to run your fingertips along the connections to check for any dampness.
Once the tank is filled, flush the new toilet about six times to make sure that it is working properly, keeping an eye out for any water pooling on the floor or dripping from your connections.
Your new toilet is now installed and ready for use. What was the most difficult part?
 In this section of installation we address the toilet bowl and the tank and it is important to take your time with this so that you do not cause unnecessary damage to your porcelain fixture.
8 – The toilet bowl
On the base of your toilet bowl you will notice that there are some holes and these should align with the elongated slots on either side of the closet flange. With your assistant to help you, lift up the toilet bowl and hold it just above the wax ring making sure that the holes line up with each other. Then set the base over the wax ring and push gently until the toilet bowl is sitting flat on the floor with the brass bolts sticking up from the flange coming through the holes of the toilet bowl base.
NOTE – If there are uneven places between the toilet bowl and the flooring, you can use metal washers to fill the gaps—a method known as shimming.
When the toilet is firmly attached, add a nylon washer, and then add the nut, using a wrench to rotate the nut a quarter turn each time. This will hand thread the nut so that you get a tighter fit and once the nut refuses to turn, stop so that you do not cause damage to the toilet bowl.
You will notice that the bolts extend quite a ways upward and you will want to trim off the extra bolt stem with a hacksaw, taking care not to scratch your new toilet. Make sure to leave a tiny amount of bolt above the nut—two threads showing should do it. Then cover the nut and bolt with the plastic bolt covers.
9 – The tank
Now that the toilet bowl is secured in place, it’s time to turn your attention to the tank and on the bottom of the tank there should be a large rubber washer. This is called the spud washer and it is important to make sure that it is firmly in place so that it will not fall off when you attach the tank to the bowl.
On the inside of the tank you will see two factory holes at the bottom and this is where the tank will be secured onto the bowl. Put a rubber washer over each hole and then add the tank bolts so that they are hanging through the bottom of the tank. Now lifting the tank, position it carefully over the corresponding connections on the toilet bowl and make sure that the bolts go through the holes on the bowl.
Then underneath that section of the toilet bowl, put a nylon washer and then the nut, following the same method that you did with the closet bolts. I recommend having your helper hold the bolts steady with a screwdriver from inside the tank while you do this. Work with both bolts at the same time so that you can make sure that the tank is evenly attached, being careful not to over tighten the nuts as this can cause the porcelain to crack.
Once the tank is secured, then you can connect the flapper chain to the toilet handle, which is simple to do.
On to part 4 for supply line hook-up and completion…
 4 – Permanent install of closet flange
Once your soil pipe is installed, you want to do the same method with the closet flange, applying PVC primer and then the cement. You are going to use the same twisting motion in attaching the closet flange to the soil pipe.
The red collar portion of the closet flange should rotate but sometimes they are permanent so, before the cement dries, make sure that the elongated slots in the red collar are in a position that when the toilet is in place, they will be on either side. Use the stainless steel screws to secure the collar into the floor.
5 – Cutting the water line pipe
Before going further you need to stop and shut off the water to the bathroom so that you can prepare the water line for the toilet. I recommend a bucket under the water line to catch any water that may be sitting inside it. The copper line will extend out of the wall and what you are going to do is take the tubing cutter and cut the pipe. You need to make sure that there is an extension of about an inch for the pipe and this is so you can attach the stop valve. Dump the water inside the pipe into the bucket and let it sit for a couple of minutes so that all of the water has a chance to get out.
6 – The stop valve
While the water is draining, pick up the stop valve and take off the handle and stem (the long part) so that when you use the propane torch you will not do any damage to the plastic washers on the stem. By now, the water should be drained from the pipe so go ahead and take a rag and wipe it out and then wipe the outer portion of the pipe as well.
Using the wire brushed pipe cleaner, insert it into the pipe and clean it out more thoroughly. You also should clean the outside of the water pipeline and the valve’s inlet interior. Once you have done that, apply some flux to the pipe and the valve.
The escutcheon is the oval or round shaped plate (usually stainless steel) with a hole in it and this fits over the water line. Then the valve goes over the line and you want to make sure that the outlet on the valve points up to the ceiling. Now take the propane torch, light it with the striker, and then apply the flame to the joint on the valve. You want to heat the valve hot enough so that it will melt the lead-free solder in place. When you think the valve is sufficiently heated, put the solder around it so that it will seal the joint. When you see a drop of solder form at the bottom of the joint, the seal is good.
7 – The wax ring
Now let’s turn our attention back to the closet flange that is sitting in the hole of your floor. In those elongated slots, you want to place a couple of brass closet bolts, making sure they point upward towards you and then add a brass washer to them. The wax ring is then put on the closet flange with the flat side touching the flange itself.
Now we are ready to install the toilet bowl. Let’s continue to part 3…
On January 10-13, 2012, the Consumer Electronics Show – the world’s single largest consumer technology tradeshow – was held in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Of course, DirectBuy was in attendance! DirectBuy’s Director of Electronics Jim O’Keefe gives us the scoop on some outstanding new products scheduled for release on the market this year.
Greetings from the 2012 CES!
 One of the first booths I checked out was Samsung. They’re introducing a stylish iPod/iPad/Galaxy dock complete with Airplay that looks like it was crafted by an expert guitar maker in Segovia. The dock is gorgeous and integrates a tube pre-amp that hints at high-quality audio and will never tolerate being stowed on a shelf or in an out-of-the way cabinet. Call your friends; this dock is a show piece.
Canon introduced a few “point and shoot” cameras with Wi-Fi connectivity to compete with the overwhelming trend to ditch the camera and just use your phone. You still won’t be able to email your photos right from your camera without a couple more steps and using your PC so I won’t be giving up my smart phone camera any time soon. The neatest camera innovation I saw actually came out of Samsung. They have cameras that can connect wirelessly with smartphones (using an app) that enable you to use your smart phone as a view finder for your camera. The family photo in front of the alpine lake just got a lot easier, not to mention the technological advantage I will now have in games of “hide and seek” with my kids. They don’t stand a chance.
My kids would have also loved this next exhibit too because of its similarity to what’s taking place in the video game universe right now. LG was showing a gesture driven remote (think a Nintendo Wii controller) which is very interesting. It simplifies the hunt for the right button, but the Kinect style shown by Samsung operates with no remote. The interface seems smarter to me and more aligned with the future… just talk to your TV and use gestures to cue up what you want to watch.
Next, I checked out the new OLED technology, which is thin and phenomenal. It doesn’t need a backlight (making it thinner) because each pixel illuminates itself thereby making the blacks blacker. Somehow it looks better than any TV I have ever seen. I am still waiting for that subtle enhancement that is only visible to non-humans, but this is not it. First customer ship dates have not yet been announced and I am anxious about price points. I expect the price tag to be in the $8-10k range and consumers can expect to see product hitting shelves toward the end of the year.
3D is cool and fun, the images seem to come even farther off the screen than ever before and LG did a great job touting the benefits of passive glasses. They are so cheap they handed out thousands of pairs on the show floor. The glassless version still needs work; it reminded me of my time fishing before a storm rolled in. The seas were angry, my friends, and so was my stomach. I still think 3D is nice to have but connectivity is everyone’s “need to have” feature right now.
Speaking of connectivity… I am hopeful that we have finally reached critical mass to break the strangle hold that our current TV and movie retailers have on how we view content and allow us the freedom that connected TV’s give us. If you buy a TV or DVD player it needs to have access to the Internet, period. There is no better way to view the universe of content than tapping into Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, and all the other content out there. It is simply smarter, better, and so much more personal.
Thanks Jim! We’re completely excited about advancing 3D technology, and look forward to the release of some great new products this year!
 Ah, the time has come to install a brand new toilet and if you are looking to do the job yourself and save some money, you will find that it is not a hard task. I recommend scheduling a full day, however, so you can take your time and ensure that it is done correctly. I also highly recommend having an assistant to help you since toilets are heavy and is not an easy shape to hold.
Materials/Tools needed:
Adjustable wrench bucket chromed brass supply line
closet bolts, washers, nuts compression nut/ring
Closet bolt caps electric drill/driver escutcheon
Flux Hacksaw handsaw (or inside pipe cutter)
Jigsaw Level lead-free solder
propane torch Pencil plastic nut
PVC cement PVC primer Rags
Screwdriver striker (to light propane torch) stop valves
seat assembly small bucket stainless steel washers
(for shimming)
Stainless steel screws soil pipe tank bolts – with washers/nuts
- No. 10 1 5/8 inch
toilet bowl/tank Tubing cutters tubing benders
Tape measure Utility knife wax rings (with & without
wire brush pipe cleaner integrated rubber gasket)
1 – Soil Pipe
If you look at the floor of your bathroom where the toilet sits you will see a hole in the floor. Beneath the flooring in this hole sits a pipe that bends like your elbow and we call this a closet bend. The soil pipe is inserted into the closet bend. Before connecting the soil pipe to the closet bend, the first thing that you should do is put one of the rags into the soil pipe. This is to prevent any dangerous and smelly gasses to enter the bathroom space when you connect it and also so you can’t accidentally drop a tool down there—something I do not recommend.
Likely, your soil pipe is going to be longer than your needs so you will have to trim it. The best way to make sure that you have the correct measurement is to put the soil pipe into the closet bend beneath the floor’s hole and then use the tape measure to see how far the soil pipe rises above the flooring. Then cut off the excess amount using a handsaw and you can smooth any rough edges with the utility knife.
2 – Closet flange
Your closet flange is a round red circular piece that sits on a very short pipe and this will go on top of the soil pipe. You need to make sure that when the pipe is in place the closet flange sits even with the floor. If the hole is too small to accomplish this, you will need to cut it with the jigsaw, measuring first by putting the closet flange on the floor and then use the pencil to trace the red collar’s shape.
3 – Permanent install of soil pipe
Once you have made sure that the soil pipe and closet flange fit correctly, you can permanently install them. Taking the PVC primer and a rag, you need to put some primer on the rag and then reach into the floor’s hole to wipe the primer inside that pipe beneath called the closet bend. Then wipe some PVC primer on the outside of the end of the soil pipe that you are going to insert into the closet bend. After the primer is applied, then you need to put on the PVC cement and then connect the soil pipe to the closet bend with a twisting motion.
NOTE - You do not want that cement to dry before you connect the pipes so make sure you are ready to insert the soil pipe before applying the cement!
Now let’s move to the next step…
 4 –water line
Now that you have the electrical line disconnected, you can turn your attention to the water line and this is usually a copper or stainless steel tube that runs beneath the dishwasher. If you look at the water line, you will see that it attaches to the dishwasher through a fitting and a nut called a compression fitting nut. Place a small bowl beneath this connection to catch any water that might drip out when you disconnect it. Once the bowl is in place, take an adjustable wrench and untighten the nut. If the nut is in good condition put it somewhere safe so that you can use it again.
Now remove the fitting that the water line was fastened to and set this aside with the nut. Then empty out any water that may be sitting in the line so you do not end up with a mess and remove the bowl.
5 – The drain
Now we’re ready to disconnect the drain line and this is located under your kitchen sink. You should see the hose coming in from a hole in the back of your cabinet and fastened with a clamp to either your sink or your garbage disposal. Put a bucket beneath it to catch any water before you unclamp the hose and empty the extra water from the hose into the bucket.
6 – Pulling out the old dishwasher
Before you start pulling on the old dishwasher, make sure that there is no water sitting in the bottom of it below the dish rack. You should also check the flooring clearance to make sure that there is nothing obscuring the bottom half of the appliance. Most of the time you should be okay but if you do have flooring that has blocked the dishwasher, I recommend just taking the extra flooring out.
When you are ready, gently pull the dishwasher out of the opening, making sure that you are mindful of the drainage hose or tube and that the dishwasher feet rests on the floor’s protective covering. The drainage hose is going to be thrown away so work it out carefully through the sink cabinet’s hole.
7 – Connect the new dishwasher
Once the old dishwasher is out, it is important to follow the directions that came with your new appliance so take some time to read the installation manual and the owner’s guide. The first thing to do is to reattach that fitting from the old dishwasher and you might have to lay the new appliance down so that you can access that area. Once the fitting is on, than turn the new dishwasher right-side up and follow the directions on adjusting the feet, fitting on the wheels that should have come with it. Each dishwasher is different so it is always best to check the instructions to make sure that you adjust them correctly.
Now feed the new drain hose through the opening of the sink cabinet and then lay the other end on the floor where the new dishwasher is going to slide in. I also recommend making sure that the electrical and water lines are also stretched out before sliding the dishwasher into place.
Slide the dishwasher carefully into the opening and then reconnect your water line, electrical line, and the drain hose, following the same steps, but backwards. Make sure that the water line is straight when you attach it, otherwise it will leak.
Once you are sure that everything is connected correctly then turn the water and power on and check the dishwasher to make sure it is not leaking. Now put the panel in place and attach the new dishwasher to the cabinet or counter.
What type of dishwasher did you choose?
 Replacing a dishwasher is a fairly simple task but it can take several hours so I recommend setting aside the afternoon or entire morning for this project. The average dishwasher is about 24 inches in width so you should be able to just take the old one out and move in the new one. If you have any concerns, make sure that you talk to a licensed electrician or have the appliance professionally installed.
NOTE – A licensed electrician should be called in if your water pipes are made out of aluminum. Make sure the electrician is certified for aluminum piping because this is very different to work with than copper and can lead to unnecessary problems if an inexperienced professional touches it.
Materials needed:
Teflon tape level new dishwasher voltage tester
Bucket 2 adjustable wrenches shallow pan rag
Sponge tape measure old rug/carpet/tarp work gloves
4-in-1 screwdriver pliers braided stainless steel water line (optional)
1 – Protect your flooring
Before you get started, it is important to protect your floors so I recommend getting a tarp or a large piece of carpet to lie down in front of the old dishwasher. Some people use cardboards or even an old blanket. The important thing is choosing something that is going to keep your flooring from getting scratched or broken.
2 – Shut down
The first thing that you want to do is shut off the water and the electricity. The power source for the dishwasher is usually located under the kitchen sink but sometimes you can shut it off through a button on the front panel next to the cycle choices. I recommend shutting off the power source of that kitchen wall since you are going to be working with electrical and water connections and these two sources do not combine well. Because you are going to be working with the valves under the sink, you might want to take off the cabinet doors if they do not open very wide.
To shut off the water, turn off the valves that are under the sink. Some people recommend just shutting off the hot water valve, but I like to play it safe so I shut off both.
3 – Electrical cable
For dishwashers that are hard wired:
Before you can move the old dishwasher, you need to disconnect it and we’ll start with the electrical cable. This is located at the bottom of the appliance behind the panel. To see it, you will need to remove the panel with a screwdriver and take off the cover of the electrical box—usually located in the lower right corner. Now, test for any existence of an electrical current, using the voltage tester—even if you shut off the electricity to that wall. Once you have verified that there is no electrical activity, you can disconnect the wires and the electric cable and then pull them gently out of the electrical box. As you look at the wires you will notice that there is a clamp on the cable and you want to leave it there for the new dishwasher.
For dishwashers that are not hard wired:
Some dishwashers use a plug and cord and with this setup, you simply unplug it. I recommend looking over the cord to make sure it is still in good condition so that you can use it with the new dishwasher.
See ‘Dishwasher Replacement’ part 2 for the next step…
 Whenever you are planning to undertake a large home project such as a renovation or a remodel for your kitchen, the first thing you need to do is put together a floor plan. I never work on a big project without planning it out because that would be like going on a trip without checking the car over or looking at a map. Consider the floor plan your personal map and guide for your trip into turning your kitchen into something more.
Graph it
There are a couple of ways that you can go about in creating a workable floor plan. You can go out and buy a software program or you can simply buy some graph paper and graph it out. I like to use the graph paper over the computer software because I can easily erase and draw a new line. What I do is estimate each square to six inches or you could choose to estimate each square as three inches of space. To remind yourself, you can make a note at the top of the sheet.
Once you decide on your measuring unit then create an outline of your current space. I recommend using a pencil to do this so that you can make corrections easily. Be sure to include doors and windows, keeping in mind their actual measurements and incorporating that into your graph. I usually use a dotted line for windows and a diagonal line for each door, drawing a horizontal line where the door or window begins.
Shape
Now that you have your kitchen outline drawn out, decide on the shape that you want for your kitchen. There are several layout designs that you can choose and this is where you should take your time. The L shaped kitchen runs along two walls, the U shape has three walls (obviously), and then there is the one wall shape, or galley which works well with smaller kitchens. If your home is an open floor plan (meaning that the kitchen connects with another room), you should take that into consideration when deciding where to place the appliances.
Many people choose to go with a plan called the triangular plan, in which the placement of the stove, refrigerator, and sink create a triangle shape in the kitchen, which is considered cook-friendly.
Appliances
The first thing I like to do is decide where the kitchen appliances are going to be placed and it is important to visualize yourself in the space as you draw it. Think about your day-to-day activities and where the most convenient places would be for your major appliances and your minor appliances such as the dishwasher, wine fridge, warming drawers, microwave, and so forth.
Draw multiple layouts
If you really are not sure what kind of layout you want in your kitchen, I recommend drawing different ones using different shapes and putting the appliances in various areas. Do you want an island and if so, do you want to have the stove in the island or a sink? How big do you want the island to be? Do you have enough space for that size of island?
One thing more that I like to do is to write in the colors or materials that I am planning to use because it helps me create an even stronger mental image of how the room might look.
What kind of kitchen layout do you want?
 Materials Needed:
Metal toggle bolts towel bars Electric drill
Screwdriver level drill bits
Pencil measuring tape stud finder
Masking tape
Choose location
Once you have all of your materials assembled, look at the walls of your bathroom and decide where you want to install the towel bar. Usually people choose to place them near the tub, shower, or vanity and close enough where they can easily reach out and grab a towel. You want them to be visible and easy to get to.
48 inches is the recommended height for a towel bar to be placed but it really is contingent on the height of the people who are going to be using it. If you are a tall family, you do not want to place the towel bar too low and if you are relatively shorter, 48 inches may be too high for you.
Locate the studs
After determining the height that you want the towel bar to be hung at, use the stud locator to find the stud beams within the wall. If you cannot find a stud beam that is okay because the metal toggle bolts will still securely support the new towel bar. If you do find a stud wall, you can mark the spot with a small piece of masking tape placed horizontally.
Mark the spot
Now hold the towel bar up against the wall and use the level to make sure that it is evenly placed. When you have the bar leveled, mark the spots where the towel bar touches the wall with a piece of masking tape horizontally just above the bar.
Take the bar down and use the measuring tape to measure the distance from the top of the bar to the hole where the screw or screws will be placed. Most towel bars use a single screw but sometimes there are two. Use the measurements and do the same thing on the wall where the bottom of the masking tape is. Mark the spots with a pencil.
NOTE – since you are going to drill here, you can also use the tip of a permanent marker so it’s easier to see. Also be sure to measure both sides as sometimes they can be a bit off.
Drill the holes
Use the electric drill to create small holes for your hardware to be fitted into, referring to the size of the screw or bolt for guidance. For the wall that does not have the stud, you want to use a metal toggle bolt which is stronger than the ones that your towel bar probably came with. Plastic toggles can eventually rip through the drywall but metal will support the extra weight when towels are wet.
NOTE – before you drill, double check your measurements to make sure that they are correct!
Add hardware
An electric screwdriver makes this step relatively easy to do and the ends are easily changed depending on the type of screws that came with the towel bar. Put in the toggle bolt and the other hardware according to the package directions.
Pick up the towel bar and carefully fit it over the mounting hardware and then secure it with the screws if you have this kind of towel bar.
How did you do?
 Now that 48 hours has passed it is time to clean the tile and apply your grout.
8 – Cleaning the tile
Your glass tile should be firmly set in the thinset after sitting for 48 hours and your entire surface should be complete. Before you apply the grout you have to clean the adhesive left over on the tile from the paper backing. This is easy enough to do with the nylon brush and the sponge. Make sure that there is no residue left from the adhesive before you start the grouting process! I use the brush to clean the small cracks between the tiles.
9 – Time to grout
Once you are confident that there is no more residue on the tile, it is time to stir up the grout mix. You want a smooth texture to the grout and you can achieve this with a drill that has a paint mixing bit attached to it or by hand—although this could take a while longer. When the grout has been stirred sufficiently, you want to let the bubbles of air surface so let it stand by itself for a couple of minutes.
The grout should be applied where the sheets of tile join together, in order to create a unified appearance and to do this, you need to have an epoxy grout float. You are also going to work on one section of the wall at a time so that the grout does not have time to set and can be easily removed from the glass tile. Wet the portion of the tile with the damp sponge, making sure that it is easy to slide your fingers over. Now put some grout on the section and gently work it into those joint areas with the float. The best way to do this is by moving the grout float left and right as you go up or down. The idea is to get as much grout into those spaces as possible.
When you are sure that you have enough grout to feel those gaps, then use the float to remove the excess grout, moving it in a diagonal direction. Once you have removed the excess grout, then take a wet sponge and wipe the tile with your hands following a circle. Doing this will help the grout mold to the tile and make it even with the tile. When you have rubbed the grout like this, then wipe off the extra grout with the sponge, using a diagonal sweep over the tile.
Follow the above directions until the entire wall is grouted.
10 – Caulk
If you have caulked before, you know that this is probably the easiest step. Put the acrylic caulk into the caulk gun and then apply it along the edges of the tiled area such as where the tile meets the counters, the cabinets, or an opposite wall. Once you have the caulk in, you need to let it set, which takes a couple of hours.
Now remove the protective covering from your counters, put the range back into its place, screw the outlet/switch covers back on, and enjoy the beauty of your work.
What was the hardest step for you?
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10 – Supply line connection
