Home Repair Tips for Madisonians with Mercury Stardust

Madison homes are a wide range from new and modern to old and historic. But whether your home is a new build or 150 years old, there’s always something that can go wrong. Mercury Stardust is a maintenance technician and internet legend from Madison working to help people accomplish home repairs in a not-so-traditional way.

Here are her tips for some of the most common repair requests she receives.

Garbage Disposal Repairs

One of the most common repairs Mercury gets asked about is related to the garbage disposal.

Working with this particular appliance can be daunting because a lot of times people may be scared to mess with it due to the blades. But don’t be afraid! If your disposal is a dud, there are a few easy tips to follow.

Before sticking your hands down there, Mercury says there are usually two things you will see when looking at your sink — if the disposal is directly plugged in or if it’s hardwired to the system. If it is plugged in, just unplug it. If it is hardwired, you will want to turn the breaker off. This is the easiest way to ensure it won't turn on while you’re working. From there, check to see if something is stuck in the disposal. If yes, you can use a pair of pliers to remove what is stuck. If not, this could mean the blades are seized up. All of the blades are connected to an Allen hole, so find an Allen key that fits, then, turn the key 180 degrees in each direction, and that will usually fix it right up!

Madison’s Hard Water

Madison is known for having hard water. It comes from deep in the ground from a sandstone aquifer. The water is “hard” because it picks up a lot of minerals from the rock formations which it is drawn from.

Why should we care? Well, to begin, hard water can have negative effects on your skin and your hair. This can be attributed to the higher sodium content in the water. Hard water can also slowly ruin the faucets in your home. To avoid that, Mercury recommends investing in appliances made of metals that are more calcium-resistant, like stainless steel. Another option are lime away products that can be used to remove build-up. What it comes down to is that you get what you pay for and cheaper faucets aren’t going to last as long against Madison’s hard water.

Where Should You Go for Repair Materials?

Ready to take on your next home repair project? Check out these repair companies that can help you get the tools you need to succeed.