Sunday, April 6, 2008
You know its been a long day when...
..you laugh at the things that make you mad! I need to splurge on a $2.00 replacement! For pity's sake:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
I am interesting!
Wow! I am surprised! I am an interesting blog! Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook has honored me with this award.
I am truly thankful to her for it. This blog means a lot to me, and to know that someone, somewhere is interested is enough to keep me going!
Now, to the blogs that I think deserve it:
New York Renovator
NYCO's Blog
Life in a Shoe
I am truly thankful to her for it. This blog means a lot to me, and to know that someone, somewhere is interested is enough to keep me going! Now, to the blogs that I think deserve it:
New York Renovator
NYCO's Blog
Life in a Shoe
Deep Problems
Our septic was placed on our neighbor's land, prior to our purchase of the home. We have to move it this year, no question about it. Our neighbor recently transitioned from using the area as a cow pasture to planting. All the farm equipment has caused a real problem for our leach field pipes, not to mention the whole system is probably over 30 years old. We had the tank drained in Dec. of 2007, but it is full of liquid again. We had a major backup causing us to have to make a quick decision. We cannot afford to have someone come out and pump it, so the next best thing is to uncover the tank and release the pressure off my indoor plumbing!
Here we are digging it up. You can see how wet the ground is. EW. I just kept telling myself, it is just muddy water, muddy water.
We got down to the tank. This is the manhole cover.
Once we took the soil off, the pressure of the full tank caused it to bubble up rather quickly. Thankfully we got the rope through the handles before we got our hands and feet wet.
We used the lever system to lift the lid. That lid is quite heavy so I am very thankful for my strong son!
After all that, my back was tired, so I let my daughter take my shovel job. My husband got down and dirty with it, too. We needed to uncover the distribution tank to let the liquid flow through. All the earth there was saturated right up to the gravel bed. I waited until the morning to get this photo.
That is the edge of the distribution tank. The dark, wet area is the beginning of the gravel bed. My son and I had already started to put some of the earth back to shape the hole better for the cover we will put on it. We have to leave the hole there for now, with a wooden cover and flags posted. When we do put the septic in this summer, I will post the process for all to see. What a stinky mess. But at least for now, I won't have it backing up into my tub!
Here we are digging it up. You can see how wet the ground is. EW. I just kept telling myself, it is just muddy water, muddy water.
We got down to the tank. This is the manhole cover.
Once we took the soil off, the pressure of the full tank caused it to bubble up rather quickly. Thankfully we got the rope through the handles before we got our hands and feet wet.
We used the lever system to lift the lid. That lid is quite heavy so I am very thankful for my strong son!
After all that, my back was tired, so I let my daughter take my shovel job. My husband got down and dirty with it, too. We needed to uncover the distribution tank to let the liquid flow through. All the earth there was saturated right up to the gravel bed. I waited until the morning to get this photo.
That is the edge of the distribution tank. The dark, wet area is the beginning of the gravel bed. My son and I had already started to put some of the earth back to shape the hole better for the cover we will put on it. We have to leave the hole there for now, with a wooden cover and flags posted. When we do put the septic in this summer, I will post the process for all to see. What a stinky mess. But at least for now, I won't have it backing up into my tub! Saturday, March 29, 2008
Spring is on the way!
Spring means time to clean out and inspect your dryer vent! My vent is attached with an adjustable clamp. It is a tight fit! I loosened the screw and cleaned out the lint.
I found that the vent had some holes in it, so as a temporary fix, I duct taped it. After replacing the vent, I used a mirror to check that it was fully attached to the dryer vent hole.
All looks good for now. I will have to replace that flexible vent sometime, but the tape should hold ok for now. I went down cellar and inspected the vent all the way to the outside. It was in fine condition. I used an old bottle brush to reach as far in as I could to clean out the lint clinging to the inside walls of the vent. This will keep my dryer running efficiently. It is a good idea to check it again before winter as that is when I use my dryer the most.
I found that the vent had some holes in it, so as a temporary fix, I duct taped it. After replacing the vent, I used a mirror to check that it was fully attached to the dryer vent hole.
All looks good for now. I will have to replace that flexible vent sometime, but the tape should hold ok for now. I went down cellar and inspected the vent all the way to the outside. It was in fine condition. I used an old bottle brush to reach as far in as I could to clean out the lint clinging to the inside walls of the vent. This will keep my dryer running efficiently. It is a good idea to check it again before winter as that is when I use my dryer the most.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Turn Up the Water Pressure
The water pressure had slowed to a trickle. I decided it was time to turn up the water pump pressure, and the tank pressure. I shut off the breaker for the water pump.
We had to drain the tank of water so that the pressure would go down to zero. That would be an all day task based on the present water stream. Our tank has a rubber bladder that fills with water. It leaves an air pocket within the top of the tank. As the water fills the bladder, the air pressure in the tank help compress it, which gives us a nice steady stream of water. Apparently, one must check the tank pressure annually, which I just happened to read in the manual 3 +years since it has been installed. Always take the time to read the manual before installing, operating, or maintaining your equipment.
Once the water was all out of the tank, and the pump pressure gauge read zero, I checked the air pressure in the tank with tire gauge. There is a valve on top like a tire air valve.
It read 14psi. The pressure should be at least 28psi. Ok, now I knew where to start. I also knew from checking it the day before, that the pump pressure was set to 28/48. What that means is the pump would kick on to fill the tank when the pressure got down to 28psi, and then shut off as soon as it reached 48psi. According to the manual for our tank, I can bring the air pressure up to 38psi if my pump pressure is 40/60.
I put the correct fitting on the end of the air compressor hose.
These kind have something like a spring with bearings that hold your fitting tightly. But, you can't just press it in there, or screw it.
You have to pull down on the quick connect coupler and then put the end of the fitting in there, then release the coupler.
I filled the water tank with air, checking the pressure every so often with the tire gauge.
Once I had it up to 28psi, I proceeded to turn up the pump pressure. There are two little nuts, the one with the large spring around it is to turn up the turn on/off pressure. The other is just to turn up the off pressure.
I paid attention when my husband installed this pump pressure gauge, so I knew that it took about 4 turns to raise the psi 2-4, so I counted my turns and prayed I would put it to just the right pressure. I turned on the breaker and watched the gauge. It shut off at 60 psi on the dot!
I turned on the faucet. The stream of water was gushing, right?! Wrong! It was worse than before! I called a plumber that was trusted by a trusted relative, and he suggested that there is a block in the line, so check all the valve connections. I was NOT going to take apart any copper fittings at this point! My husband found the problem, the plastic hose under the sink. A piece of the lining had come loose and was acting like a check valve! That's easy to fix!
I shut off the water to the sink from the shut off in the cellar, and the one under the sink. I used a wrench to loosen the nut on the flexible hose. I had a cup handy to place the hose in and allow the water to drain.
I removed the other end of the hose from the faucet, and using plumber teflon tape, I wrapped the ends of the fittings that the replacement flexible hose would be tightened onto. This will prevent leaks.
Although the water stream was being choked off by this bad flexible hose, the water pressure was much lower than it should have been. In all, I am very satisfied with the current pressure. I haven't seen it this good in dog's age!
We had to drain the tank of water so that the pressure would go down to zero. That would be an all day task based on the present water stream. Our tank has a rubber bladder that fills with water. It leaves an air pocket within the top of the tank. As the water fills the bladder, the air pressure in the tank help compress it, which gives us a nice steady stream of water. Apparently, one must check the tank pressure annually, which I just happened to read in the manual 3 +years since it has been installed. Always take the time to read the manual before installing, operating, or maintaining your equipment.Once the water was all out of the tank, and the pump pressure gauge read zero, I checked the air pressure in the tank with tire gauge. There is a valve on top like a tire air valve.
It read 14psi. The pressure should be at least 28psi. Ok, now I knew where to start. I also knew from checking it the day before, that the pump pressure was set to 28/48. What that means is the pump would kick on to fill the tank when the pressure got down to 28psi, and then shut off as soon as it reached 48psi. According to the manual for our tank, I can bring the air pressure up to 38psi if my pump pressure is 40/60.I put the correct fitting on the end of the air compressor hose.
These kind have something like a spring with bearings that hold your fitting tightly. But, you can't just press it in there, or screw it.
You have to pull down on the quick connect coupler and then put the end of the fitting in there, then release the coupler.
I filled the water tank with air, checking the pressure every so often with the tire gauge.
Once I had it up to 28psi, I proceeded to turn up the pump pressure. There are two little nuts, the one with the large spring around it is to turn up the turn on/off pressure. The other is just to turn up the off pressure.
I paid attention when my husband installed this pump pressure gauge, so I knew that it took about 4 turns to raise the psi 2-4, so I counted my turns and prayed I would put it to just the right pressure. I turned on the breaker and watched the gauge. It shut off at 60 psi on the dot!I turned on the faucet. The stream of water was gushing, right?! Wrong! It was worse than before! I called a plumber that was trusted by a trusted relative, and he suggested that there is a block in the line, so check all the valve connections. I was NOT going to take apart any copper fittings at this point! My husband found the problem, the plastic hose under the sink. A piece of the lining had come loose and was acting like a check valve! That's easy to fix!
I shut off the water to the sink from the shut off in the cellar, and the one under the sink. I used a wrench to loosen the nut on the flexible hose. I had a cup handy to place the hose in and allow the water to drain.
I removed the other end of the hose from the faucet, and using plumber teflon tape, I wrapped the ends of the fittings that the replacement flexible hose would be tightened onto. This will prevent leaks.
Although the water stream was being choked off by this bad flexible hose, the water pressure was much lower than it should have been. In all, I am very satisfied with the current pressure. I haven't seen it this good in dog's age!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A Shelf for the Spices of Life
I used a clear polyurethane on the board to give it a nice shiny finish. It was as thick as syrup. I used a 2"paint brush. It was a cheap one, so I made sure to pull out all the loose bristles before starting. Then with long even pressured strokes, I applied the polyurethane.
We had to wait at least 5 hours before installation, so in the meantime, I decided to get that caulking along the upper edge of my splashboard done.
I squeezed a bead of caulk along the edge. I used my finger to press it into the edge and even it out. I used a wet rag along the edge to clean up the edge too.
Inserting the dry shelf and getting a helper to hold it in place, I pre-drilled the holes for the screws. Plywood will split if you try to drive a screw into the side without pre-drilling, and it is also much easier to drive the screw into a pre-drilled whole. I used a bit that was smaller in diameter than the screws I was using.
If you've never used a drill, this is how to change the tips. The entire silver/black end is called a keyless chuck. "Keyless" because it does not require any tool to tighten or loosen it.
Hold the bottom portion of the chuck, while turning the upper portion. You will see down through the top that you are either loosening or tightening the opening to insert your bit. Once you have it to approximately the size you need, hold your bit and tighten the drill chuck as best you can with one hand. Just put the plain part, called the shank, into the chuck. Then really give a good tightening to keep that bit in place.
I drilled the holes through the underside of the cupboard into the side of the shelf.
I have many "advisers" here, so it was suggested that I should put brackets up to help support the shelf more, in case the ends split from the weight put on it. So, on that suggestion, I applied brackets underneath.
If you don't know where the wiring runs behind the wall, use short screws to prevent drilling into them. Ideally, you should know where the wall studs are, so you can anchor the brackets to them. But, I didn't feel this as necessary as cosmetic placement of the brackets, since they are just up as an extra precaution and not the main support of the shelf.
I predrilled the holes for those small screws to prevent cracking the tile facing on the backsplash. I will be painting the underside of all the cupboards as soon as the weather turns nice enough to let the breeze through, and I will paint the underside of this shelf as well.
Here, you can see how beautifully it complements the kitchen. And you can't see the bad cut I made in the paneling! I am satisfied.
Now, for the underside of that top cupboard! I have a few ideas rolling around in my head for that.
We had to wait at least 5 hours before installation, so in the meantime, I decided to get that caulking along the upper edge of my splashboard done.
I squeezed a bead of caulk along the edge. I used my finger to press it into the edge and even it out. I used a wet rag along the edge to clean up the edge too.Inserting the dry shelf and getting a helper to hold it in place, I pre-drilled the holes for the screws. Plywood will split if you try to drive a screw into the side without pre-drilling, and it is also much easier to drive the screw into a pre-drilled whole. I used a bit that was smaller in diameter than the screws I was using.
If you've never used a drill, this is how to change the tips. The entire silver/black end is called a keyless chuck. "Keyless" because it does not require any tool to tighten or loosen it.
Hold the bottom portion of the chuck, while turning the upper portion. You will see down through the top that you are either loosening or tightening the opening to insert your bit. Once you have it to approximately the size you need, hold your bit and tighten the drill chuck as best you can with one hand. Just put the plain part, called the shank, into the chuck. Then really give a good tightening to keep that bit in place.
I drilled the holes through the underside of the cupboard into the side of the shelf.
I have many "advisers" here, so it was suggested that I should put brackets up to help support the shelf more, in case the ends split from the weight put on it. So, on that suggestion, I applied brackets underneath.If you don't know where the wiring runs behind the wall, use short screws to prevent drilling into them. Ideally, you should know where the wall studs are, so you can anchor the brackets to them. But, I didn't feel this as necessary as cosmetic placement of the brackets, since they are just up as an extra precaution and not the main support of the shelf.
I predrilled the holes for those small screws to prevent cracking the tile facing on the backsplash. I will be painting the underside of all the cupboards as soon as the weather turns nice enough to let the breeze through, and I will paint the underside of this shelf as well.
Here, you can see how beautifully it complements the kitchen. And you can't see the bad cut I made in the paneling! I am satisfied. Now, for the underside of that top cupboard! I have a few ideas rolling around in my head for that.
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