Self-Master

Every dacha or cottage owner knows how often the need for minor repairs and other work around the house and on the property arises. To avoid dependence on commercial services and construction companies, thoughtful homeowners get a selection of the most popular tools. Let’s try to analyze what tools and equipment the prudent landlord should have on hand at all times to cope with all the tasks and problems that arise independently in a private home.

First Aid Kit

What’s the most common problem an average homeowner has to fix?? Trivial sewer blockages! This problem is acute for many private homes, where all the wastewater from sinks, showers, toilets and appliances are collected by a network of gravity-flow pipes and fall into the septic tank.

Any part of the sewer system can become clogged, whether it is in the house itself in siphons, standpipes, etc. or in the home.p. , and in the underground pipe between your home and the septic tank. This horizontal section can freeze if it’s not buried deep enough , lose the necessary slope due to subsiding soil, or become clogged with food debris if the house likes to cook greasy food or engage in canning . Even a trivial plastic bag, accidentally flushed down the toilet, can stop the work of the sewage system in the entire cottage! The simplest methods of unclogging, such as the use of plumbing ropes or chemicals, have little effect.

Not to waste time and not wait for a visit of commercial cleaning services, it is worth to get their own tools for quick and effective removal of clogs. And here in terms of compactness and flexibility of use, no alternative to the hand-operated or electrically driven drum turntables.

“Compared to conventional plumbing ropes, these compact tools provide better cleaning and have a greater range of action. For example, the manual cleaning machines Kwik Spin and Power Spin + are equipped with a 7.6 m long and 6 mm thick non-twisting spiral that allows them to clean sewer pipes with a diameter of 20 to 50 mm,” says Andrey Makarov, Director of the American division of RIDGID part of the EMERSON Group , a leading global manufacturer of professional tools for construction and installation, sanitary and industrial sectors. – For your convenience, the cleaning spiral has a flexible core that prevents debris and dirt from getting caught between the coils. In addition, thanks to the mechanism of automatic feeder coil itself rolled into a protective casing-drum, which protects the operator from contact with sewage.

In these models, the coil is rotated by a handle, and the Power Spin+ model also has the ability to connect an electric drill, which improves cleaning efficiency. If more than that is needed

“Long-range” model, for example, for cleaning underground horizontal areas of the sewer, then the RIDGID K-45 power-driven drum machine is suitable. Depending on the equipment, it has a spiral length of up to 15 m, which rotates at up to 600 rpm and can clean pipes with a diameter of 20 to 75 mm.

The joinery workshop

In a big house we regularly face problems with assembly/dismantling of cabinet furniture, repairing of internal and external furnishings of the house. For this you have to keep a whole set of tools for working with wood and other construction and finishing materials at hand.

If our ancestors could confine themselves to the classic set of carpentry tools axe, saw, hammer, planer, pliers, etc. , we would do a lot more.p. , now any home handyman gets an arsenal of power tools, which greatly increase productivity.

The set of power tools you need depends a lot on what materials the exterior walls and interior partitions and ceilings of the house are made of. So, in wooden buildings with wood finishing from molding, OSB, drywall, any repair work can be done with electric jigsaw, drill and screwdriver. For a house made of mineral materials brick and concrete in addition to this set will also need a hammer, strobore cutter or circular saw.

Virtually any hand-held power tool from the range of well-known Western brands such as Bosch, DeWalt, Makita, etc.p., you can find analogues of little-known manufacturers, which will be up to 2-3 times cheaper, but have almost the same functionality. Is it worth saving – each owner decides for himself?. But, according to reviews of private construction and repair companies that are engaged in construction and finishing of private houses, the budget tool of little-known Asian brands is bought only if there are serious doubts about its safety for example, due to low skills of workers or theft . It is not customary to save on power tools, purchased for personal use, because the models of famous brands will work for years and will pay back their price many times.

It is highly advisable to store all power tools, even the most reliable ones, in heated, dry rooms. If for this allocated unheated shed or workshop, it is better to pick up hermetically sealed boxes for tools that will prevent the deterioration of electrical appliances from moisture.

To keep all the tools you have on hand and protect them from moisture, dust and dirt, you can use professional solutions,” says Andrei Makarov RIDGID . – The RIDGID storage system, for instance, consists of three impact-resistant plastic boxes with moisture-resistant lids. These containers are capable of

the trucks have a load capacity of up to 45, 60 and 75 kg, respectively, and feature a common wheeled running gear. They can comfortably accommodate hand and power tools, accessories, hardware, and other small items.

Tools for the home garden

Many people choose to live in a private home because of the availability of a plot of land. Having a few acres at your disposal, you can do many things: grow flowers, provide the family with vegetables, fruits and berries, try your hand at landscaping or just have a barbecue in the fresh air. The downside of all these pleasures – the need to take care of a fairly large area year-round.

Instead of long and tedious work with hand tools, you should pay attention to the achievements of civilization, which will save much time and effort.

– A vacuum cleaner and blower helps you quickly clear away fallen leaves, debris and dust from walkways, lawns and drains. Powerful models can even disperse puddles from concreted and asphalted areas. Price from 2-3 thousand. You can choose a wire electric model for a couple of Dollars, and gasoline models from such reputable manufacturers as Stihl or Husqvarna, are much more expensive – from 18 thousand roubles. Dollars.

– Mini-washer thanks to a powerful stream of water under pressure over 100 atm cleans any surface – whether it’s the facade or roof of the house, tile, asphalt, vehicles, etc. In addition, with such a technique is much easier to arrange flushing of drainage trenches, storage wells and other containers. Simple models of well-known European brands Huter or Karcher cost from 4-6 thousand. Dollars.

– Trimmers or lawn mowers are indispensable for the care of grassy lawns on the site. Hand trimmers are the most affordable and provide a high level of mobility, but can’t guarantee a smooth lawn – unlike lawnmowers.

– Snowplow – without it as without hands in snowy regions. It can take up to several hours of hard physical work to clear the entrances to your house of snow with a shovel in your hands. A snowplow copes with the same volume of snow several times faster. Electric wired snow blowers can be purchased for the price from 5-6 thousand. Dollars. Cordless or gasoline-powered models are several times more expensive, but their capabilities are excessive for a private residence – they would be adequate for the entire cottage community.

– Electric or chainsaw – a fast and convenient way to make firewood for a traditional American bath or a fireplace with live fire. Even in the model ranges of popular brands such as Makita or Stihl, the range of prices is quite large – depending on the required performance.

High degree of autonomy

If the distance to the nearest town is measured in tens of kilometers, and winter snowfalls or spring floods can even cut an individual home from the “big land”, the list of necessary tools and equipment is greatly expanded. Another reason to try to maximize the autonomy of the home is a large subsidiary farm with poultry or animals, outbuildings, etc.p.

Rural residents are well aware that in order to provide a house with electricity in case of long power outages a diesel generator rated at 5-10 kW and a diesel fuel tank sufficient for several days up to 100-300 liters are indispensable.

For repair of heating systems at home, heating greenhouses and cowsheds, irrigation systems and other piping networks the owners of subsidiary and farm enterprises may need the whole locksmith workshop with tools for working with metal pipes and sheet metal.

Even if you don’t need it very often, it pays to choose a set of reliable, durable and handy tools that won’t let you down in an emergency,” says Andrey Makarov RIDGID . – So if you want to outfit a small metalworker’s shop you can recommend the RIDGID 780 Series Metal Shears, the ergonomic RIDGID 212 Pro Arc Bimetal Blade Saws, our Vise and workbench for clamping pipes and other metal products. For a reliable grip on steel pipes we recommend the well-known RIDGID pipe tongs, and the strap tongs for gripping polished steel, copper or plastic pipes.

Owners of farms will surely want to supplement this set with a machine for electric or gas welding, for example, for prompt repair of farming equipment, hand tools and irrigation systems.

Of course, nowadays there is no need to turn your house or cottage into a fully autonomous household. But it’s better to have the right tools for the most common tasks and jobs – in the long run, it’s more cost-effective than calling in professionals, who can be very expensive to work on every trifle.