Kids and Houses

Some days I think I should wear my tool belt and follow my kids around the house - fixing all the things as they break them. Everyday they get a little more creative in the damage they accidentally cause.

After the nightly shower routine, had to fix the toilet flushing chain.

It is funny how the toilet no longer flushes but they don't think to mention it.

Then I screwed the under sink cabinate door hinge back on.

Replaced the bathroom lights.

The shower needs to be re-caulked and painted, because they have started pealing that off. But this is more work than I have time for tonight! At least the gluing and recaulking of the bathroom sink is holding.

I will post some pictures when I get around to fixing the shower. Hopefully I won't see water damage before I can fix it.

Winter means Blown Bulbs

Maybe it is the dry static filled air? Maybe it is because the bulbs stay on longer? Maybe it is because I am home more and notice more? Or perhaps I have something odd that only runs in the winter that sends surges through my house (hmmm... That electric fireplace in the living room...). Whatever the cause is, I blow a ton of light bulbs at the start of winter.

Here is a pet peeve of mine: can't we have one kind of bulb?

No! I have to keep a stock of all kinds of different bulbs!

Everything from LED to holigen.

It is just an annoyance.

Here is something else: when you go shopping for light fixtures, think about the difficulty of bulb replacement! 

For this ceiling light, I have to grab the fragile glass housing and twist it counter clockwise without breaking it.

Others are on high ceilings that only I can reach.

Don't talk to me about going to CFLs. I switched a third of our normal lights to CFLs and even one of those died this year!

The best bulbs have been Westinghouse incandescent bulbs - many of mine have been burning for 12 years and they are still going!

My recommendation? Make life easy for yourself. Get lights that use the same bulbs and are easy to replace. 

Roof Update 1

Previously, I wrote about problems we are having with our roof shingles. I asked a builder for his opinion and he thought the problem was related to a defect in the shingles. However, the problem only appears on the southern side of one roof - if it was a shingle defect, wouldn't we be seeing this problem everywhere?

We contacted our Home Owner's Insurance. If the damage is due to wind, snow, sleet, or ice? It is covered. But if the shingles are defective or if the problem is due to age? It will not be covered.

The insurance agency is sending out an adjuster to look at the roof. Stay tuned for more information!

Home Ownership In The North

Are you sure you really want to be a home owner? If you live in the northern states, like I do, home ownership includes owning all the snow that lands on your property.

The snow weighs down the roof and sometimes turns to ice and damages the roof.

The snow lands in your driveway giving you three possible chores: shovel it. Buy and maintain a snow blower (good only if your driveway is paved). Or pay for someone to plow the driveway (as I do).

Equally important is shoveling all the sidewalks and keeping them clear of snow and ice. If you have a sidewalk out by the street? That is your responsibility too. If anyone slips and falls on your sidewalks? They can sue you. 

Ahhhh... Home ownership. The American Dream. Work all day so you can come home and work on maintaining a house.

Stove Control Panel Replacement

I have a GE  Jbp69BH1BB range (Aka Stove +Oven) that has served my family well for over twelve years. Unfortunately, someone has been too aggressive with the buttons and has warn them out. It takes around eight button presses for the range to respond.

I ordered a replacement panel from GE via the Internet. 

By entering my range's model number I was able to see a parts diagram with part numbers. Then, I just ordered the part number (WB27T11311) I needed.

The first installation step was to unplug the range.

Next, I removed the back of the control panel.

The control board is located behind a metal plate.

I aligned the new control panel next to the old one and moved the wires one at a time, making sure each connected to the right place.

I then unscrewed and removed the old panel.

You have to remove the control panel's black lamanet cover (that has the words and buttons) from the old panel so it can be stuck onto the new one. Be careful! When I pealed it off, some of the glue caused the back finish to come off the plastic cover.

I used a sharpee to color in the places where the black paint came off. The sharpee did an OK job, however, if anyone looks closely that will be able to see the problem.

There was enough adhesive on the cover to easily stick to the new control panel. I was concerned I might need to add some glue, but that was not necessary.

I screwed the new control panel back in place and then put the metal cover back on.

Tip: when you have appliances pulled out and pulled apart? Have a vacuum handy to clean up the area.

Plug it back in and give it a try!

Now our buttons work great!

IKO Armor Plus 20 Roof Shingles Failure

Ahhhh... The American Dream! Home ownership. But is it a dream or a nightmare?

We built our house in 2003 and used IKO Armor Plus 20 roofing shingles. After only 12 years, the roof is failing.

The shingles are heavily warn.

Tiles are lifting and curling. 

I asked a builder to look at the roof and he said the shingles are brittle and can not be replaced.

He said that if I try to put a new roof over the top, the new roof will fail as the old roof crumbles.

It could cost $20,000 to tare off and replace the roof!

There is a class action lawsuit against IKO, but that won't be settled for a long time. The builder I talked to, who has had experience with this IKO problem says the company won't return his calls.

I added myself to a list so I can get updates on the lawsuit. I notified IKO of my concerns. We are going to contact our Home Owner's insurance on Tuesday to discuss our options.

Tune back in and follow our progress with getting the roof replaced.

Winterizing the Humidifier

The house humidity has finally dropped to the point where I need to turn on the furnace's Honeywell HE220 humidifier.

First step is to remove the cover by loosening the screw under the cover.

Remove the filter housing.

Remove the top of the housing and discard the metal filter.

The bottom of the assembly will be caked with water deposites that must be scrapped off and cleaned.

Now it is time for the new filter. I bought this filter at Lowes.

Then I reassemble the housing and return it to the humidifier. Put the cover back on.

Now I can turn the humidifier on. This will allow water to drop over the metal filter. I like to put it on the highest setting, 10, and then adjust it over the coming days until the house humidity becomes comfortable.

The final step is to switch the vent from Summer to Winter to divert the air over the filter.

All done for another year!

While I am at it, I use this opportunity to replace the furnace filter and to inspect the hot water tank for leaks.

More Sound Proofing

I built a nice office in the basement of my house. During the winter the office gets cold and I found out why: one of the Uninsulated walls is blowing cold air into the room! I decided to insulate the wall with Roxul  (http://www.roxul.com/residential/create+a+quiet+home/which+safe+n+sound ) sound proof material.

I have used Roxul throughout my basement and I like it a lot. It doesn't offer complete sound proofing but it does take away some noise. To get real sound proofing, the Roxul would be used with additional techniques. I like Roxul because it is fireproof, which gives peace of mind. It is also insulation. Finally, I like it because it is very easy to cut or rip, which makes it easy to install.

Like most insulation, Roxul can be very itchy if it comes in contact with skin. It is probably overkill to wear a painter's jump suit for installation, but the suits are cheap and I have installed enough Roxul to prefer the comfort.

Another downside is that Roxul is more expensive than other options. Therefore, I don't recommend using Roxul everywhere - only use it where it makes the most sense.

The Roxul installs right into the wall as easy as you can imagine. I simply compress it to fit between the studs and then it expands to stay in place.

With the Roxul installed, my office is now warm and comfy.

Chair Repair

Today's post falls under the category of: if you don't take care of what you have, you won't have anything.

We have some nice wooden chairs that take a ton of abuse from our teenagers. Occasionally, they pull apart.

If a chair in this condition isn't immediately repaired, the chair could break and be ruined. Chair repairs are very simple and anyone can do it. You can repair the chair the easy way or the hard way.

The hard way? Pull the chair completely apart at all the joints. Clean the joints. And Re-glue the chair.

I am going to do the repair the easy way; I am only going to reglue the joints that have come undone.

There is a lot of different kinds of glue out there and everyone has their favorite. This one is my favorite for a very simple reason: it has a screw on cap that prevents the tip from hardening. There is nothing worse than grabbing your glue bottle and having to chip away at harden glue, or try to pull out a nail or pin that has been glued solidly to the nozzle. With this glue, I simply unscrew the cap and I am ready to go.

I clean any loose glue from the joint and then apply ample new glue to the hole and the peg.

I then put the peg back into the hole and apply pressure until the glue sets. I make sure to wipe up any extra glue that has squeezed out of the joint.

The glue I use takes 24 hours to fully set, so, the chair gets set aside for a day.

That is all there is to it!

Car Battery

I tend to be a diY guy because I am too stingy to pay someone else to do something I should be able to do. This approach works out fairly well... Unless we are talking about car repair.

I have never owned a car that was not essential so I have never had something I could tinker with. If my car is broke? I need it fixed ASAP!

My wife's battery died and with some guidance from a friend I was able to replace it. I guess that means I get to keep my Man Card for another year.

I took the old battery to the parts store and exchanged it for a new one.

The van battery is held in place in the van via a plastic clip. After putting the battery in its place, I tightened  the plastic clip's bolt.

The battery is now securely in place.

Next, I connected the first lead.

The second lead had a plastic cap that I needed to remove.

And then I was able to connect the second lead.

And that was it!