Every homeowner needs a few basic tools and skills

Houses don’t come with instruction manuals. Little emergencies inevitably crop up, and new homeowners aren’t always equipped to deal with them.

To help, we’ve put together a list of tasks every homeowner should know how to do. Think of it as your own homeland security strategy.

It certainly doesn’t represent everything you’ll need to know about your house, but it’s a good start.

We compiled our list with help from Chuck Kester of DC Home Inspection Services, Chris Havlik of BEI Maintenance and Repair, Kenneth S. Parker of H.L. Parker Electric, all of Akron, Ohio, Inspector Sierjie Lash of the Akron Fire Department, energystar. gov and the books “Tools” by Steve Dodds and “What’s a Homeowner to Do?” by Stephen Fanuka and Edward Lewine.

PUT TOGETHER A TOOL KIT

At the very least, you should own a curved-claw hammer, an adjustable wrench, needle-nose and standard pliers, slotted and Phillips screwdrivers in a couple of sizes and a pair of safety glasses.

An electric drill and a set of twist bits are also invaluable. Cordless drills are convenient but may not have enough torque to handle heavy-duty jobs. Start with a corded drill, and save the purchase of a cordless model for later.

It’s worth investing in goodquality tools that feel comfortable in your hand. They’ll last years, maybe even a lifetime.

FIND WATER SHUTOFF

When a water pipe leaks, you need to stop it right away. Otherwise, the water can do extensive damage to your home and your bank account.

Shutoff valves for individual pipes are typically found along supply lines and near fixtures, but those valves can break or freeze up. So it’s important to know how to stop the water supply to the whole house.

The main shutoff valve is found where the water supply enters the house, near the water meter. Look along the basement wall nearest the street. If you don’t have a basement, the shutoff is probably near the water heater but might also be under a sink.

The valve might be right next to an outdoor meter or inside the house. Some water meters have two shutoff valves, one on each side. If yours does, use the valve farthest from the street.

It’s a good idea to close and open the main shutoff valve once a year to prevent it from corroding and freezing in an open po-

sition.

UNCLOG A TOILET

Everybody hates this chore, but sometimes you just have to take the plunge — or more accurately, take up the plunger.

Use a flange plunger, which has a cone extending from the bottom of the bell. It creates a better seal in a toilet than a cup plunger, so you can create the suction you need to clear the clog.

Put on rubber gloves, and if necessary, bail out the toilet bowl until it’s only half-full. (Yeah, we know. It’s gross.) Then position the plunger over the drain hole, and pump up and down a few times to let the air out and create a vacuum seal.

Once you feel the resistance that indicates you have a good seal, pump in rapid, short strokes four or five times without breaking the seal, and then pull out the plunger. If you’re lucky, the clog will clear. If you’re not, repeat.

For really tough clogs, you may need to use a toilet auger. It has a rubberized guard, so it won’t scratch the porcelain the way a regular plumber’s snake might.

RESET POWER

When the power goes out in part of your house, it means a circuit breaker has tripped or a fuse has blown, shutting off power to an electrical circuit. Usually the cause is an overload, meaning too many electrical devices are trying to draw power from one circuit.

Most homes have electrical panels with circuit breakers, switches that flip when there’s a problem with the circuit. Resetting it isn’t rocket science, but there’s a little trick to it: You have to turn the switch all the way off first before you can turn it back on

It’s a good idea to turn off or unplug all the lights, appliances and other devices on the circuit before you reset the circuit breaker. When the power is back on, leave some things shut off, or plug them into a receptacle on a different circuit.

If your house has olderstyle fuses, you fix a blown circuit by unscrewing the bad fuse in the electrical panel and screwing in a new one. However, it’s important to use a fuse with the right wire gauge to handle the circuit’s amperage.

RESTART DISPOSAL

When disposal blades jam, a little force is required to dislodge them.

Most units have a hole on the underside of the disposal that an Allen wrench fits into. Check underneath the unit to see if the wrench is attached. If not, you can buy a set of Allen wrenches fairly cheaply.

Unplug the disposal, or turn off the power at the electrical panel. Then insert the wrench into the hole and work it back and forth until the blades are freed.

Remove the offending debris from the disposal. (You did turn the power off, right?) Press the reset button, which is usually on the bottom of the unit near the point where the electrical cord enters the disposal, and then turn the power back on.

OPEN GARAGE DOOR

This one’s easy. There should be a cord — probably red — hanging overhead from part of your garage door opener. When you pull the cord, it disengages the opener. You can then open the garage door by hand.

If the door is open when the opener fails, however, don’t try pulling the cord. If could cause the door to come crashing down.

PUT OUT GREASE FIRE

The best way to deal with a grease fire is to use an ABC extinguisher, a multipurpose extinguisher that can be used on fires caused by grease, electricity or ordinary combustibles such as paper, plastic and wood. It’s a good idea to buy one and keep it in an easily accessible place in your kitchen.

If you don’t have one, smother the flames with a lid that covers the pan completely. That will cut off the oxygen that feeds the fire.

Turn off the burner if you can do so safely, and don’t touch the pan until it has cooled.

Some people recom-. mend pouring on baking soda to smother a grease fire, but you should use that method only if it’s your only recourse. It takes longer for baking soda to stop a fire, and it requires you to come into close contact with the flames.

If a fire gets beyond your control, get everyone out of the house immediately, and call 911 once you’re outside.

No matter how small the fire, you should always call the fire department, even if you’ve managed to put out the flames.