Handy woman tips

Car
Turning on: check idiot lamp, see that it's not blue. Don't rev the engine, let it warm up a bit so engine oil can flow through the engine - You can start normally, just don't rev it, by the time you move iff, it should be ok.

Engine oil
Change engine oil 6 months or 10,000km whichever comes first - Conti cars about 15 000km between changes or one year
Some people say the more often you change engine oil the better
Specifications of engine oil: 
W - stands for winter
10 - viscosity (slipperiness) of the oil
The higher the second number, the more viscous for warm climates. Follow engine manufacturers. If too thick, more difficult for engine. Viscosity breaks down when engine is overheated (car may stop) 
When engine is overheated, send car to mechanic and ask if engine oil needs to be changed as oil may have broken down
Radiator pressure cap: DO NOT OPEN when engine is hot. Do it first thing in the morning. Radiator should always be full of water. If car is 5 years old, you may want to drain radiator (look for white cap at the front bottom, drain twice). Water may be brown and rusty. Some mechanics may recommend coolant which has a higher boiling point (150 degrees)
Only add coolant when you've drained the radiator.
Try not to use ordinary water (which contains minerals to prevent mineral build up), use distilled water 
When car is hot, overflow of coolant goes into the gauge (F and E). Check once every two months.
To check if engine oil is enough, check dipstick. Should be a caramel colour, if darker need to check. 
Check tires every month or so, until you have a tire pressure monitoring system.. TPMS

Battery 🔋
Change battery every 18-24 months 
Amaron is a good brand (taxis use it)
Need to be maintained, if you have a in car battery, use car every day. If travelling, pull out the camera as it drains battery 
If you drive automatic car, you cannot push car to start 
User jump start cables, get another car with battery in good condition and attach cables. Other car engine should be turned on.
Positive charge (big red part)
Negative charge connected to body of car 
Connect negative charges (black wire) FIRST
Then TAP dead car positive charge, then connect to the live car positive charge so that the alternator of the dead car will start charging 
Keep engine idling for a while 
Then go for a long drive to charge battery (12 months or less), maybe it can still be used 
When parked, don't leave hazard lights turned on 
Try to turn on car every 2-3 days 
Alternatively you can buy a USB battery (Amazon sells for about USD 30) like a power bank, jump start cables, needs to be charged every 2 months like a power bank - Some are just battery packs for charging - these cost $40 or less. Those with 'jump start' function will cost about $80 or so. Comes with cables.

Tyres 
Thread is ok if you can feel the groove
Look for arrow, if rubber has reached that point, it's v thin
Tyres should be replaced every 40,000km 
Every 10,000km to rotate tyres
Pressure - follow tyre size and car door label
165 -  
Always pump when tyre is cold (e.g. morning), but if you are driving, add 10 PSI cos tyre is hot - The fuel pump door will also advice how much more do you pump when the car has more passengers 

Don't under or over inflate
If wet road, under inflate so there's more grip 
Tyres now are tubeless, so if you have a puncture, it will stop the leakage - Run flat tires
If puncture is on the surface, you might be able to repair the tyre (maybe add a tube inside)
If you rarely drive, change tyres every 4 years otherwise The rubber compound becomes hard, and has no grip 
Some cars come with tyre sealant 
Tyre flat - car feels sluggish and lists to one side 
Check tyre pressure gauge at least once a month

Toilets
Sink trap / P trap 
The smaller diameter goes under basin 
Sink or basin
U shape is to trap water to prevent bad smells, if not used often, may dry up a and can be smelly (and cockroaches can come up)
PVC pipes should not be corroded
If there's oil, pour hot water into the sink (not basin)

Taps
Open/close taps maybe can't be fixed like in the past (put new rubber ring)
Cheap ones are $20 but might spoil in 2 years
Invest in good tap like Grohe that can last a long time
O ring - if there's a leak, remove the ring and wash (may be minerals), but if broken, buy new O ring or put petroleum jelly (but destroys rubber), or silica grease (but hard to find)
Oil breaks down rubber
Don't put white tape / teflon tape cos it will tighten the tap then you can't move it
24x2 wrench to tighten tap 
Tape should be applied clockwise (so you don't take out the tape when unscrewing)
Flexible hoses come in different lengths (don't buy too long or short)
Remove existing flexible hose by unscrewing at each end 

Bidet spray
Make sure tap is properly turned off
Not meant to contain pressure
Vibrating pipes - tap is turned on partially
When you go on vacation, turn off main water pipe or riser (in case it bursts or leaks when you're away)

Toilet bowl
Cover can be removed for cleaning 
Can be unscrewed
Bring screw to hardware store if you break it to get the right diameter
Toto is a good Japanese brand 
If problems with flushing, old type is the balloon

Electricals 
Switch off the main power or circuit breaker when doing any repairs 
Macs are not earthed and have an aluminium body 
Universal colours 
Blue or black - neutral (N)
Green or yellow - earthed 
Brown or red - live (L)
Wear rubber shoes so you'll be cut off from the earth 
Electricity travels along path of least resistance 
All appliances in Singapore must have a fuse (not other countries like UK and Australia)
13A plugs have fuse
Fuse is where the live wire is
Use a scissors to take off some of the rubber insulation, make sure inner cables are not cut
White powder is fire retardant
Take off a bit of the inner rubber with scissors to expose wire, twist and tuck into hole, then screw it in 
Once copper is exposed, there's a chance for sparking
So exposed wire shouldn't be too long
Don't worry about over-tightening screws 
Inner wires come out (fray) quite easily 
Usually 2 circuit breakers for 1 room
Lights and power sockets separated 
Can spend a day to test and label circuit breakers 

Water is one of the best conductors for electricity, so any exposed wiring is a danger 
Or for short term, tape it up
Buy electricals with a safety mark (don't stinge or buy from Taobao)
Extensions can be purchased for about $30

Fire safety - Smoke detector 
Usually electrical fires, can only smell, cannot see
Fix smoke detector near charging stations
Rubber burns with a lot of smoke 
Only way to turn off smoke detector is to remove battery 
ELCB - technically the ELCB (electrical circuit breaker) should trip. But even if power is off, once a fire is sparked, though no more electricity, fire may be started and will continue to burn 
Once there is a fire, run out of the house with all persons in the house 
If calm and collected, turn off main electrical circuit, then try to extinguish with fire extinguisher 
Smoke always rises, so fire detector should be placed on the ceiling 
Fire detectors powered with battery, usually lasts about a year, when low battery it will beep 
Can put fire detector outside kitchen (so it doesn't always beep when you're cooking)
** Don't throw water on cooking/grease fires **
You can try to smother with a tight fitting lid (but if not airtight, will burn more)
Throw whole pack of baking soda on fire (generates carbon dioxide) packaging will burn but after that it will absorb oil and smother fire
Stop drop and roll if your clothes catch fire
There should be a green light flashing to show that it's turned on
Some have a test button to press and test the beep 

Fire extinguisher
Get one which says "ABC dry powder" 
Look for indicator to see that it's in the green zone 
Shoot at the thing burning, not at the fire 
SCDF runs a course (MCST can arrange)

Lights
Most people changing to LED
But if your light flickers, test the starter. If light comes on, it might be the tube which is faulty (not the starter)
If the light doesn't come on, it could be the starter which is faulty (30c for new one) not the tube 
Starter is like a switch, it turns on the light by triggering a chemical reaction
If ballast (box with electricals) is spoilt, whole light may need to be changed

Drill
Red plastic is 5.5mm which is ideal for most purposes
5 mm is v tight
Green rubber is 6mm for larger screws 
Cordless screwdrivers available now can screw 50 screws on 1 charge 

L-R: Wood mason (concrete) metal (aluminium) bits 
Drill v good for tiles (rotating)
Sewing machine oil (Singer oil) is v good for the drill bit (try not to use WD 40)
Mason drills have carbide tips