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The purpose of Commonsense Home Repair is to save homeowners money. In a tough economy, saving money is on everyone's mind. This website is not a slam on the home repair industry. There are many people that would rather pay someone to solve their problems. Savvy homeowners feel that they are intelligent enough to solve problems and repair things themselves.

It is a fact of life that things break at the inopportune times. For many of us that is when we can 'least' afford it. Has that ever happened to you? Do you really want to spend hundreds of dollars on a repair right now? The worst part is not knowing what it will cost.

One version of 'Murphy's Law' states that, 'If anything can go wrong it will go wrong at the worst possible time'. Sound familiar?

When a repairman arrives, your problem is never simple. You always have the model that is too old, neglected or the worst one ever made. Sure he can fix it, 'But'. The fateful 'But', is where he tells you how much it will cost.

The reality is you probably don't have the worst products ever made, the worst installations or the worst circumstances of anyone, anywhere on the planet. Chances are your situation is fairly normal and probably fairly simple. Unfortunately, doom and gloom tends to get people to get the check book out.

The idea behind this website is to give you options. It is our hope that we differ slightly from other 'how to' websites in that we approach things from the 'I've never done this' standpoint. We temper that with the concept that most 'professionals' are not really any smarter than the rest of us. They just know a few proprietary secrets that the rest of us don't.

The bottom line is that, every repair is not a snap of your fingers. You may need to spend a little time getting familiar with the problem. Then you will need to make the repair. The question is, would you trade an evening of watching television to save $100, $200 or more? Is your answer yes? Then take a few minutes and review the following guidelines. You will be happy you did.

Some popular topics are 'Door Repairs', 'Fixing Drywall', 'Troubleshooting Electrical Problems', 'Solving Plumbing Problems' and 'Troubleshooting Water Heaters', follow these links for more information.

The Home Repair Evaluation Section

All of the Home Repair articles have an 'Evaluation' section. The yellow boxes near the top of the page give it away. The idea is to give you a quick overview of what your up against. Use some 'Common Sense', weigh what you could save against how much time and patience you have. How disruptive will a repair be? Do I have the tools? Do I have the skills needed?

These are all good questions. If you can get something fixed for $50 and you are swamped at work and don't have the time. Bite the bullet and spend the fifty dollars. Are you looking at a few hundred dollars, it's not the difficult and you have the time? Well, it's your decision.

Below we give you and explanation of what each 'Yellow' box means. Once you understand them, you can use the Evaluation section to quickly decide if you are up for a particular repair.

What Can You Save?

This is not intended to be an absolute estimate for every situation. Instead it gives you a general idea of what a repair should cost. Unfortunately, you cannot always be confident that the person coming to perform a repair will give you an honest appraisal. In this section we try to warn of possible 'up selling' that you may be faced with.

The reality is, that the cost of a repair can go up dramatically when you are 'sold' things you don't need.

Even if you decide to hire someone, read the article anyway. Having a basic knowledge of what is involved will protect you and give you insight on the right questions to ask.

How Hard Could It Be?

Boy, that's a great question. Some tasks are difficult even for trained professionals. A difficult task gets worse when you don't know what you are doing. Then it can be compounded by mistakes made along the way. No we are not trying to scare you off.

We have tried to give you some guidelines based on 'Skill Levels' and 'Difficulty'. Since this is not an exact science, we have provided and explanation of what we mean by each term used on this site. These are not intended to slight anyone. In fact, your skill level can increase rapidly, after you have successfully completed a few repairs. Use this segment to weigh your skills against how hard something is.

The 'Difficulty Level' indicated is more or less based on the 'Skill Level'. Again, it's not an exact science, but if something is very hard for a trained professional, it will be almost impossible for a novice. The good news is that most repairs are not that difficult.

Difficulty Levels

Very Easy - These are the repairs that the serviceman does with a slight of hand while he is talking to you about the weather. The repairs that you could have done yourself in less than two minutes. These are the repairs that you will really kick yourself about when you have to write out a check. 'Very Easy' repairs are the ones that anyone could do, even your grandmother.
Easy - 'Easy' repairs are very similar to the 'Very Easy' ones except they may take a little longer and require the use of a tool. We are talking about five to ten minutes. You might need a screwdriver or pair of pliers. Most if not all homeowners are capable of this level of home repair.
Simple - We are still in the world of 'just about anyone can do this'. We might be talking about a couple of tools, possibly power tools. A 'Simple' repair will involve a few steps and take up to an hour to perform. This is not where the average person starts to think 'Is this too much?', but you are getting close.
A Bit of Work - All right, this is where you start to wonder, 'Is this too much?'. This is where you evaluate your commitment level. It is also where you evaluate your financial 'pain threshold'. Repairs in this category are still possible for most homeowners. The caveat is that it will take some effort to be successful. You will have to take some time to become familiar with the steps. You will probably need to obtain parts. You may need to acquire a tool or two. This is the crossover point, where a professional will have the advantage, due to the fact that he is already equipped for this repair.
Clearly - This is Work - This level has to do with the amount of work involved. Still within the grasp of many homeowners, it involves several hours, perhaps days to accomplish. With adequate skills and the proper tools in hand, you will need to ask yourself, 'Is this something I want to tackle?'. Don't be scared off too easily, you just need to understand what you're in for.
Difficult - This is where we separate the men from the boys. When we say that something is difficult, we mean that it is hard even for a trained professional. This is a repair that someone you hire will be grunting and groaning to get done. Special tools and knowledge will no doubt be involved. For a 'Difficult' repair you need to think seriously about your skill level, time availability, commitment and financial situation.
Very Difficult - We are definitely over the line at this level. You will need to have access to other resources if you attempt something at this level. I have worked in construction for years and have always had access to various professionals. Getting tips from someone 'in the know' is invaluable. Not everyone has that kind of resource. We have included information on this type of repair mostly for informational reasons. Knowing what is involved and the right questions to ask will help you to reduce costs when you hire someone.

Skill Levels

Total Novice - This is not meant to be derogatory. For whatever reason you have little or no skills when it comes to home maintenance. Perhaps you only have limited knowledge of common tools. Do not despair, there are a many repairs that you can make without possessing any skill at all. When you attempt repairs and are successful, your skills will increase. Read through the articles before you write yourself off. Many repairs are not that hard.
Job Jar Specialist - If you are in this category you are something of an unwilling recruit. Being a homeowner often forces us into situations that we don't like. No doubt you would rather be sitting on the porch with a cool drink than sweating your way through some repair project. You have some skills and knowledge, but you would rather do other things. Again, don't despair, maybe we can help you get things done quickly.
Handyman - A lot of homeowners fall into this category. How do I know that? Well, stores like Home Depot and Lowes would not be in business if a lot of homeowners were not willing to attempt home repairs and home improvements themselves. To qualify as a 'Handyman' you need to have a willingness to do things yourself. In addition you need to have basic tools, some hand and some power, at your disposal. You also need to be able to follow instructions that are provided. Have you ever assembled a grill or a swing set? Yes, then you are probably a handyman.
Determined Handyman - Similar to a 'Handyman' this person has dedication. You view a tough task as a challenge, not a 'deal breaker'. A 'Determined Handyman' is willing to take on jobs that involve a significant amount of work. You have tools and reasonable skills, You are 'Dagwood' with a purpose.
Home Repairman - Admittedly, I do not use this often in this website. At this level, you are in the business or a related business. You know where to get help when you need it and you know the right questions to ask. If you don't have the right tools, you know where you can get them. This is sort of silly to cover this level, at this level, you are not even bothering to look at a website like this one.

Tools You Will Need

Not much of a mystery here. We list the probable tools you are likely to need. This listing may not be comprehensive, due to the specific circumstances that you are faced with. However, it should be helpful, if I say you need a hammer drill for something and you don't have one, well, you can do the math.

Check the Simple Things!

This is a feature that should prove invaluable. Even if you are inclined to call a serviceman, read this section. If it is included in this section it is not hard to do. Save yourself some money and never pay anyone to fix something that is really easy to fix.

What Can Go Wrong?

This is where I make you aware of the dark side of home repair. Sure, I can fix the toilet, you say confidently. Then it overflows and leaks down onto the ceiling in the living room below. To make it worse, the dirty water stains the quilt the your wife's grandmother made. You get the picture. Home repairs are only practical if we don't damage something else in the process. Additionally, evaluate how invasive something is going to be. Will you have the kitchen shut down for a week? Is that practical?

The 'Steps' Involved

I have used the term 'Step' somewhat loosely. Many of the topics that we discuss have more than one aspect. A 'Step' may include several sub steps related to that particular aspect of a subject.

The narrative that is provided should give you a sequential listing of what needs to be done. I am giving the readers of this website credit for a level of intelligence. What you need to do should be clear, even though I don't provide a separate web page for each minute step, with a one sentence explanation.

Sometimes there are multiple possibilities for the cause of the problem. When this is true, the steps will generally progress from the easiest to solve to the most difficult. The logic is, that you should exhaust easy solutions before you dive into a difficult task.

The Pictures

You will notice that some of the pictures are clip art images. We are trying to include a little humor in this subject. All home repairs can be dealt with one way or another. Don't get upset or lose your cool, it's just not worth it. The balance of the pictures that are in the home repair articles are illustrative. Again, we are not providing a comprehensive slide show of every possible step involved. Instead we give you pictures that help you to make sure you are on the right track with your repair. In addition, the pictures have annotations on them that help to identify the elements involved.

Warning Boxes

When you see a box like the following, you should be aware that there is some danger involved. This is an area where you could be injured if you are not careful. Heed the warnings and do not get hurt. No home repair is worth getting injured for.

WARNING!! Pay Attention to These Boxes!!!

Safety

The importance of Safety cannot be stressed enough. We provide 'Warning Boxes' for certain items. This does not mean that this is the only way you can be hurt. Every page on this website has a link to a Safety page. On that page are links to other websites that provide safety guidelines. A common practice on construction sites is to do a 'Task Hazard Analysis' before beginning any activity. You should do the same. Ask yourself: What are the dangers? Could I fall? Could I be shocked by electricity? Do I understand the safety guidelines for the tool i am using? Do I have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the task I am performing? Don't mess with your well being, work in a safe manner. Not sure? Check things out first.

Links to Other Sites

When we find other websites that have valuable information we want you to know about it. Throughout this website you will find links to other quality websites. Check them out and see if you like them as much as we do. Just remember to come back.

This website is designed for people that want to save money. Another great website that helps you to save money is Simple Money Management. It gives you a lot good advice on how you can save money on other things besides home repairs.

We hope that you don't think that this is a site that solely promotes products. Our main focus is to provide useful information. You must know, however, that it takes time to maintain a site like this.

We have included ads that are related to what you might need. Don't need anything, good, ignore the adds. You may find that we have provided you with an easy way to get something you need. It's your choice. Use the information, that's what it is there for.

Summary

We hope you find this website helpful. With a little patience and determination you are capable of repairing many items in your home. This will save you money. On any day of the week, that is a good thing. Thank you for visiting.

We appreciate hearing from individuals that visit our website. We value your comments, suggestions and inquiries. Home Repair Central is mostly an informational website, therefore, our staff is limited. If you require a response to your inquiry we will try to answer it as quickly as possible.

We Are Not a Repair Service

This site is designed for homeowners that want to fix problems themselves. The site provides do it yourself instructions for repairing many common problems. We do not hire out to make repairs for homeowners in any locality. Instead, we provide instructions on how to perform the repair.

If you are looking for a contractor, you need to do a localized search for contractors in your area. Add the city that you live in to your search and you will get contractors in your area on the results list.

We Do Not Refer Contractors

This website is not a contractor referral service. We are not affiliated with contractors in any area of the country. We do not refer requests for repair services. Instead we provide helpful instructions for making simple repairs, often saving homeowners time and money.

Got a Question or Comment?

If you have a question, comment or suggestion, you can use the form below to send it to us. If appropriate, we will reply to your inquiry. Use the form below to send us an email.

General Information

Please be assured that the information you provide to contact us will only be used to provide you with a reply. We do not provide direct access to our email addresses due to the prevalence of spammers that will misuse this information. By filling out the brief contact form it assures us that your inquiry is legitimate.

There are no rules or limits to the reasons why you may want to contact us. Hopefully, the website is intuitive and you are able to find the information you are looking for. However, we do not attempt to be comprehensive on every subject associated with home repair. We have tried to address topics that are common and of interest to most homeowners. If you feel there is a subject that we should cover, feel free to suggest it.

If you have a concern about privacy for yourself or a child, please contact us immediately. We will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that your privacy is maintained. You may wish to review our Privacy Statement, for more information.

Do you have a suggestion, comment or even a complaint, this is the way to let us know. Forward your thoughts to us via the form below and we will respond appropriately.

We have taken every effort to design our Web site to be useful, informative, helpful, honest and fun. Hopefully we’ve accomplished that — and would ask that you let us know if you'd like to see improvements or changes that would make it even easier for you to find the information you need and want.

all we ask is that you agree to abide by the following Terms and Conditions. Take a few minutes to look them over because by using our site you automatically agree to them. Naturally, if you don’t agree, please do not use the site. We reserve the right to make any modifications that we deem necessary at any time. Please continue to check these terms to see what those changes may be! Your continued use of the Home-Repair-Central.com Web site means that you accept those changes.

THANKS AGAIN FOR VISITING!

Restrictions on Use of Our Online Materials

All Online Materials on the Home-Repair-Central.com site, including, without limitation, text, software, names, logos, trademarks, service marks, trade names, images, photos, illustrations, audio clips, video clips, and music are copyrighted intellectual property. All usage rights are owned and controlled by Home-Repair-Central.com. You, the visitor, may download Online Materials for non-commercial, personal use only provided you 1) retain all copyright, trademark and propriety notices, 2) you make no modifications to the materials, 3) you do not use the materials in a manner that suggests an association with any of our products, services, events or brands, and 4) you do not download quantities of materials to a database, server, or personal computer for reuse for commercial purposes. You may not, however, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute Online Materials in any way or for any other purpose unless you get our written permission first. Neither may you add, delete, distort or misrepresent any content on the Home-Repair-Central.com site. Any attempts to modify any Online Material, or to defeat or circumvent our security features is prohibited.

Everything you download, any software, plus all files, all images incorporated in or generated by the software, and all data accompanying it, is considered licensed to you by Home-Repair-Central.com or third-party licensors for your personal, non-commercial home use only. We do not transfer title of the software to you. That means that we retain full and complete title to the software and to all of the associated intellectual-property rights. You're not allowed to redistribute or sell the material or to reverse-engineer, disassemble or otherwise convert it to any other form that people can use.

Submitting Your Online Material to Us

All remarks, suggestions, ideas, graphics, comments, or other information that you send to Home-Repair-Central.com through our site (other than information we promise to protect under our privacy policy becomes and remains our property, even if this agreement is later terminated.

That means that we don't have to treat any such submission as confidential. You can't sue us for using ideas you submit. If we use them, or anything like them, we don't have to pay you or anyone else for them. We will have the exclusive ownership of all present and future rights to submissions of any kind. We can use them for any purpose we deem appropriate to our Home-Repair-Central.com mission, without compensating you or anyone else for them.

You acknowledge that you are responsible for any submission you make. This means that you (and not we) have full responsibility for the message, including its legality, reliability, appropriateness, originality, and copyright.

Limitation of Liability

Home-Repair-Central.com WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY THAT ACCOMPANY OR RESULT FROM YOUR USE OF ANY OF ITS SITE.

THESE INCLUDE (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO) DAMAGES OR INJURY CAUSED BY ANY:

USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THE SITE
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COMPUTER VIRUS OR LINE FAILURE
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING:
- DAMAGES INTENDED TO COMPENSATE SOMEONE DIRECTLY FOR A LOSS OR INJURY
- DAMAGES REASONABLY EXPECTED TO RESULT FROM A LOSS OR INJURY (KNOWN IN LEGAL TERMS AS "CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.")
- OTHER MISCELLANEOUS DAMAGES AND EXPENSES RESULTING DIRECTLY FROM A LOSS OR INJURY (KNOWN IN LEGAL TERMS AS "INCIDENTAL DAMAGES.")

WE ARE NOT LIABLE EVEN IF WE’VE BEEN NEGLIGENT OR IF OUR AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR BOTH.

EXCEPTION: CERTAIN STATE LAWS MAY NOT ALLOW US TO LIMIT OR EXCLUDE LIABILITY FOR THESE "INCIDENTAL" OR "CONSEQUENTIAL" DAMAGES. IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THOSE STATES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION OBVIOUSLY WOULD NOT APPLY WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECOVER THESE TYPES OF DAMAGES.

HOWEVER, IN ANY EVENT, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL LOSSES, DAMAGES, INJURIES, AND CLAIMS OF ANY AND EVERY KIND (WHETHER THE DAMAGES ARE CLAIMED UNDER THE TERMS OF A CONTRACT, OR CLAIMED TO BE CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER WRONGFUL CONDUCT, OR THEY'RE CLAIMED UNDER ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY) WILL NOT BE GREATER THAN THE AMOUNT YOU PAID IF ANYTHING TO ACCESS OUR SITE.

Links to Other Site

We sometimes provide referrals to and links to other World Wide Web sites from our site. Such a link should not be seen as an endorsement, approval or agreement with any information or resources offered at sites you can access through our site. If in doubt, always check the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address provided in your WWW browser to see if you are still in a Home-Repair-Central.com - operated site or have moved to another site. Home-Repair-Central.com is not responsible for the content or practices of third party sites that may be linked to our site. When Home-Repair-Central.com provides links or references to other Web sites, no inference or assumption should be made and no representation should be inferred that Home-Repair-Central.com is connected with, operates or controls these Web sites. Any approved link must not represent in any way, either explicitly or by implication, that you have received the endorsement, sponsorship or support of any Home-Repair-Central.com site or endorsement, sponsorship or support of Home-Repair-Central.com, including its respective employees, agents or directors.

Termination of This Agreement

This agreement is effective until terminated by either party. You may terminate this agreement at any time, by destroying all materials obtained from all Home-Repair-Central.com Web site, along with all related documentation and all copies and installations. Home-Repair-Central.com may terminate this agreement at any time and without notice to you, if, in its sole judgment, you breach any term or condition of this agreement. Upon termination, you must destroy all materials. In addition, by providing material on our Web site, we do not in any way promise that the materials will remain available to you. And Home-Repair-Central.com. is entitled to terminate all or any part of any of its Web site without notice to you.

Jurisdiction and Other Points to Consider

If you use our site from locations outside of the United States, you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws.

These Terms of Use shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Ohio, as it is applied to agreements entered into and to be performed entirely within such jurisdiction.

To the extent you have in any manner violated or threatened to violate Home-Repair-Central.com and/or its affiliates' intellectual property rights, Home-Repair-Central.com and/or its affiliates may seek injunctive or other appropriate relief in any state or federal court in the State of Ohio, and you consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in such courts.

Any other disputes will be resolved as follows:

If a dispute arises under this agreement, we agree to first try to resolve it with the help of a mutually agreed-upon mediator in the following location: Lake County, Ohio. Any costs and fees other than attorney fees associated with the mediation will be shared equally by each of us.

If it proves impossible to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution through mediation, we agree to submit the dispute to binding arbitration at the following location: Lake County, Ohio, under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitration may be entered in any court with jurisdiction to do so.

Home-Repair-Central.com may modify these Terms of Use, and the agreement they create, at any time, simply by updating this posting and without notice to you. This is the ENTIRE agreement regarding all the matters that have been discussed.

GBarr Services LLC

Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 31, 2019

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions.

The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), You can be referred to as the Data Subject or as the User as you are the individual using the Service.
Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to GBarr Services LLC, Wickliffe OH 44092.

For the purpose of the GDPR, the Company is the Data Controller.
Affiliate means an entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with a party, where "control" means ownership of 50% or more of the shares, equity interest or other securities entitled to vote for election of directors or other managing authority.
Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.
Website refers to Home Repair Central, accessible from home-repair-central.com
Service refers to the Website.
Country refers to: Ohio, United States
Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.

For the purpose of the GDPR, Service Providers are considered Data Processors.
Third-party Social Media Service refers to any website or any social network website through which a User can log in or create an account to use the Service.
Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

For the purposes for GDPR, Personal Data means any information relating to You such as a name, an identification number, location data, online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity.

For the purposes of the CCPA, Personal Data means any information that identifies, relates to, describes or is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with You.
Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
Data Controller, for the purposes of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), refers to the Company as the legal person which alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of Personal Data.
Do Not Track (DNT) is a concept that has been promoted by US regulatory authorities, in particular the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), for the Internet industry to develop and implement a mechanism for allowing internet users to control the tracking of their online activities across websites.
Business, for the purpose of the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), refers to the Company as the legal entity that collects Consumers' personal information and determines the purposes and means of the processing of Consumers' personal information, or on behalf of which such information is collected and that alone, or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of consumers' personal information, that does business in the State of California.
Consumer, for the purpose of the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), means a natural person who is a California resident. A resident, as defined in the law, includes (1) every individual who is in the USA for other than a temporary or transitory purpose, and (2) every individual who is domiciled in the USA who is outside the USA for a temporary or transitory purpose.
Sale, for the purpose of the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), means selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring, or otherwise communicating orally, in writing, or by electronic or other means, a Consumer’s Personal information to another business or a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

Email address
First name and last name
Usage Data

Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device's Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service.

You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service.

Cookies can be "Persistent" or "Session" Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close your web browser.

We use both session and persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

Necessary / Essential Cookies

Type: Session Cookies

Administered by: Us

Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.
Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies

Type: Persistent Cookies

Administered by: Us

Purpose: These Cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the Website.
Functionality Cookies

Type: Persistent Cookies

Administered by: Us

Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.
Tracking and Performance Cookies

Type: Persistent Cookies

Administered by: Third-Parties

Purpose: These Cookies are used to track information about traffic to the Website and how users use the Website. The information gathered via these Cookies may directly or indirectly identify you as an individual visitor. This is because the information collected is typically linked to a pseudonymous identifier associated with the device you use to access the Website. We may also use these Cookies to test new advertisements, pages, features or new functionality of the Website to see how our users react to them.
Targeting and Advertising Cookies

Type: Persistent Cookies

Administered by: Third-Parties

Purpose: These Cookies track your browsing habits to enable Us to show advertising which is more likely to be of interest to You. These Cookies use information about your browsing history to group You with other users who have similar interests. Based on that information, and with Our permission, third party advertisers can place Cookies to enable them to show adverts which We think will be relevant to your interests while You are on third party websites.

For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.
To manage Your Account: to manage Your registration as a user of the Service. The Personal Data You provide can give You access to different functionalities of the Service that are available to You as a registered user.
For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.
To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.
To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.
To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.

We may share your personal information in the following situations:

With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to show advertisements to You to help support and maintain Our Service, to contact You, to advertise on third party websites to You after You visited our Service or for payment processing.
For Business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.
With Affiliates: We may share Your information with Our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include Our parent company and any other subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that We control or that are under common control with Us.
With Business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside. If You interact with other users or register through a Third-Party Social Media Service, Your contacts on the Third-Party Social Media Service may see You name, profile, pictures and description of Your activity. Similarly, other users will be able to view descriptions of Your activity, communicate with You and view Your profile.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company's operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

Comply with a legal obligation
Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Detailed Information on the Processing of Your Personal Data

Service Providers have access to Your Personal Data only to perform their tasks on Our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

Analytics

We may use third-party Service providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualise and personalise the ads of its own advertising network.

You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

Advertising

We may use Service providers to show advertisements to You to help support and maintain Our Service.

GDPR Privacy

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data under GDPR

We may process Personal Data under the following conditions:

Consent: You have given Your consent for processing Personal Data for one or more specific purposes.
Performance of a contract: Provision of Personal Data is necessary for the performance of an agreement with You and/or for any pre-contractual obligations thereof.
Legal obligations: Processing Personal Data is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the Company is subject.
Vital interests: Processing Personal Data is necessary in order to protect Your vital interests or of another natural person.
Public interests: Processing Personal Data is related to a task that is carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Company.
Legitimate interests: Processing Personal Data is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Company.

In any case, the Company will gladly help to clarify the specific legal basis that applies to the processing, and in particular whether the provision of Personal Data is a statutory or contractual requirement, or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract.

Your Rights under the GDPR

The Company undertakes to respect the confidentiality of Your Personal Data and to guarantee You can exercise Your rights.

You have the right under this Privacy Policy, and by law if You are within the EU, to:

Request access to Your Personal Data. The right to access, update or delete the information We have on You. Whenever made possible, you can access, update or request deletion of Your Personal Data directly within Your account settings section. If you are unable to perform these actions yourself, please contact Us to assist You. This also enables You to receive a copy of the Personal Data We hold about You.
Request correction of the Personal Data that We hold about You. You have the right to to have any incomplete or inaccurate information We hold about You corrected.
Object to processing of Your Personal Data. This right exists where We are relying on a legitimate interest as the legal basis for Our processing and there is something about Your particular situation, which makes You want to object to our processing of Your Personal Data on this ground. You also have the right to object where We are processing Your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes.
Request erasure of Your Personal Data. You have the right to ask Us to delete or remove Personal Data when there is no good reason for Us to continue processing it.
Request the transfer of Your Personal Data. We will provide to You, or to a third-party You have chosen, Your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Please note that this right only applies to automated information which You initially provided consent for Us to use or where We used the information to perform a contract with You.
Withdraw Your consent. You have the right to withdraw Your consent on using your Personal Data. If You withdraw Your consent, We may not be able to provide You with access to certain specific functionalities of the Service.

Exercising of Your GDPR Data Protection Rights

You may exercise Your rights of access, rectification, cancellation and opposition by contacting Us. Please note that we may ask You to verify Your identity before responding to such requests. If You make a request, We will try our best to respond to You as soon as possible.

You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about Our collection and use of Your Personal Data. For more information, if You are in the European Economic Area (EEA), please contact Your local data protection authority in the EEA.

CCPA Privacy

Your Rights under the CCPA

Under this Privacy Policy, and by law if You are a resident of California, You have the following rights:

The right to notice. You must be properly notified which categories of Personal Data are being collected and the purposes for which the Personal Data is being used.
The right to access / the right to request. The CCPA permits You to request and obtain from the Company information regarding the disclosure of Your Personal Data that has been collected in the past 12 months by the Company or its subsidiaries to a third-party for the third party’s direct marketing purposes.
The right to say no to the sale of Personal Data. You also have the right to ask the Company not to sell Your Personal Data to third parties. You can submit such a request by visiting our "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" section or web page.
The right to know about Your Personal Data. You have the right to request and obtain from the Company information regarding the disclosure of the following:
- The categories of Personal Data collected
- The sources from which the Personal Data was collected
- The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling the Personal Data
- Categories of third parties with whom We share Personal Data
- The specific pieces of Personal Data we collected about You
The right to delete Personal Data. You also have the right to request the deletion of Your Personal Data that have been collected in the past 12 months.
The right not to be discriminated against. You have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising any of Your Consumer's rights, including by:
- Denying goods or services to You
- Charging different prices or rates for goods or services, including the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties
- Providing a different level or quality of goods or services to You
- Suggesting that You will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

Exercising Your CCPA Data Protection Rights

In order to exercise any of Your rights under the CCPA, and if you are a California resident, You can email or call us or visit our "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" section or web page.

The Company will disclose and deliver the required information free of charge within 45 days of receiving Your verifiable request. The time period to provide the required information may be extended once by an additional 45 days when reasonable necessary and with prior notice.

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

We do not sell personal information. However, the Service Providers we partner with (for example, our advertising partners) may use technology on the Service that "sells" personal information as defined by the CCPA law.

If you wish to opt out of the use of your personal information for interest-based advertising purposes and these potential sales as defined under CCPA law, you may do so by following the instructions below.

Please note that any opt out is specific to the browser You use. You may need to opt out on every browser that you use.

Website

You can opt out of receiving ads that are personalized as served by our Service Providers by following our instructions presented on the Service:

From Our "Cookie Consent" notice banner
Or from Our "CCPA Opt-out" notice banner
Or from Our "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" notice banner
Or from Our "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link

The opt out will place a cookie on Your computer that is unique to the browser You use to opt out. If you change browsers or delete the cookies saved by your browser, you will need to opt out again.

Mobile Devices

Your mobile device may give you the ability to opt out of the use of information about the apps you use in order to serve you ads that are targeted to your interests:

"Opt out of Interest-Based Ads" or "Opt out of Ads Personalization" on Android devices
"Limit Ad Tracking" on iOS devices

You can also stop the collection of location information from Your mobile device by changing the preferences on your mobile device.

"Do Not Track" Policy as Required by California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)

Our Service does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

However, some third party websites do keep track of You browsing activities. If You are visiting such websites, You can set Your preferences in Your web browser to inform websites that You do not want to be tracked. You can enable or disable DNT by visiting the preferences or settings page of Your web browser.

Children's Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

We also may limit how We collect, use, and store some of the information of Users between 13 and 18 years old. In some cases, this means We will be unable to provide certain functionality of the Service to these users.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent's consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

By visiting this page on our website: https://home-repair-central.com/home-repair-central-contact-us.html

Happy couple with home in good repair. Home Repair Central is for homeowners that don't want to pay high prices for 'Home Repairs'. There are many websites that are designed to lead you to an expensive repairman. Numerous other sites are forums where very specific problems are discussed. Although the answer to your problem may be there, it is sometimes, difficult to find.

Home Repair Central tries to organize topics in a logical fashion that makes sense to those that are looking for information. It also focuses on common problems that many homeowners face. It also uses the K.I.S.S. philosophy, start with simple solutions that are quick and inexpensive to perform.

Are there some repairs that are best left to the Pros? Yes there are. When something is beyond the grasp of most homeowners, we try to warn you. Can a homeowner make many repairs themselves? The answer is, Yes. Using this website you can pick up a few tricks and some info that will be helpful in making your own home repairs.

We have attempted to cover all of the subjects on this website thoroughly. However, this website is not a comprehensive 'How To' manual. Some subjects may not be covered. If you would like to suggest a topic, feel free to use the Contact Us page to make a suggestion. As time permits we will add suggested content to this site.

Purpose of Home Repair Central

The purpose of this website is to assist homeowners in making necessary repairs on their homes. It is our desire that those who use this website, use 'common sense' when attempting repairs. Home repairs are sensible when you take the time to make yourself aware of the steps involved and prepare accordingly. The proverb 'Those who fail to plan, plan to fail' is certainly apt when it comes to home repairs.

We have tried to give you some guidelines that you can use in evaluating the feasibility of each repair. Your aptitude, skill level and confidence are big factors. In addition, you must be willing to follow instructions and take your time. You also need to be willing to take all the required safety precautions before attempting a repair.

There is always the possibility that you could fail and wind up calling a repairman anyway. This should be the exception and not the rule. The repair industry will tell you that you should not attempt to make any home repairs. Others will tell you that you are invincible and can do anything you set your mind to. The reality is somewhere in the middle.

Why should you pay someone $75 to push the reset button on your garbage disposal? Has that happened? Yes it has. The repairman will tell you that it's worth $75 because he knew which button to push. What if you knew which button to push? That's our concept in a nutshell.

Background of Home Repair Central

I have been working in construction and home repair related fields since 1974. I have been a homeowner since 1981. I have expertise in a number of areas that affect a home. Interestingly, a home contains many individual systems and problems that any one individual would find it difficult to be an expert on. As a result I have had things come up that I was not familiar with.

This is an honest statement, many times I have been as perplexed as you may be right now. Not quite sure what to do, looking at my checkbook and wondering if I could afford to call someone. If you have the money, the easy thing to do is call someone, no argument, just pick up the phone. The reality is, that many times, things break at the least opportune time.

I am not going to tell you that every time I attempted to fix something that it was a stellar success. At times I was sorry for the amount of aggravation I generated for myself. This is the main reason for creating this website. Hopefully for you, some of the aggravation can be avoided and money can be saved. On rare occasions I would end up calling a repairman. Most of the time, I kept things at my house in good repair myself.

It is our desire to give you some 'been there, done that' confidence when you attempt to fix things. Knowing what might go wrong and what the easy fixes are may save you time, money and displeasure.

The benefit to you is that I have both a professional and a non professional perspective at the same time. I have knowledge of how to get things done. At the same time I have compassion for someone that is faced with a repair, that is the last thing they need at the moment.

Development of Home Repair Central

Development for this website began in the middle of March 2010. This website will be a work in progress for some time to come. We will welcome feedback from homeowners and try to incorporate information we receive into the website.