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Keep a few spares with you

A stitch in time saves nine. And this holds true for your home repairs too, especially the small ones. If dealt with in time one can save a lot of money as well as botheration.

Keep a few spares with you


Jagvir Goyal

A stitch in time saves nine. And this holds true for your home repairs too, especially the small ones. If dealt with in time one can save a lot of money as well as botheration. That is why prudent homebuilders make it a point to have a fully stocked up tool-kit to deal with small repairs in home as running to buy a couple of nails or adhesive etc can be a tedious affair. Here’s a list of some such spares that you should keep handy to ensure the “smooth” running of your home: 

Aerators: Different manufacturers produce different size and style of aerators and you need to take used piece along with you to find a matching one in case you have to change one. These are not available even with the dealers of particular brand used by you and they tell you to wait till they requisition these from their manufacturers. To counter this, always ask for a few spare aerators when you place the order for faucets to be used in your house and store them safely for use in future.

Fan regulator knobs: Electronic fan regulators that fit within the switch plates are now in fashion and old and heavy type regulators have become antiques. Just the knob of these regulators is visible for you to rotate and operate. Often, these regulator knobs develop cracks and become non-operational due to the crack in them. It is advisable to keep a few spare knobs with you to replace the cracked ones. It is easy to replace these knobs as these just need to be pulled out and the new ones need to be pressed in by matching the opening of knob with the lever.

Hand shower mesh plate: The hand held showers attached to chromium finished flex tubes have a 25 mm or 30 mm diameter mesh sprayer that can be easily unscrewed for cleaning purposes. Sometimes these sprayers become unserviceable and need replacement. Keep one or two spare pieces with you for instant replacement.

Electrical switches: Modular electrical switches are now in vogue and conventional switches are used rarely. If you carefully examine the modular electrical switch plates installed in your house, you’ll find that the electrician had left some dummy slots in a few plates to accommodate an electrical switch required by you in future for some new electrical item got installed by you. At that time, these dummy switch slots need to be provided with a new electrical switch. Over the time, manufacturers keep changing the style of switches produced by them and one, similar in design and colour used by you in your house a few years back may not be available even with the dealer of same brand. A different switch will spoil the beauty of switch plate and become an eyesore. To avoid such a situation, buy a few spare switches at the initial stage and store them safely. 

Laminates: Wooden laminates of different shades and designs are generally used in homes these days. After the application of laminates over shutters and units, some pieces are always left behind by the carpenter. Don’t throw these, rather ask the carpenter to convert these into storable rectangular pieces and store along with floor tiles in a safe place. 

Wall papers: Wall papers are supplied in standard size and length rolls, and a half or one third roll of each wall paper usually gets saved after application. Don’t throw away these spare lengths and safely store them in the box of some bed in your house. You never know when some corner or area of your wall paper gets damaged and require replacement. The job looks damn easy when you find that the wall paper is already available with you and you just need to apply it.

Act on these tips & enjoy life. Happy living!

— The writer is former HoD and Engineer-in-Chief, Civil Engineering Department in a Punjab PSU

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