"Murphy was an optimist!"
Today I’m learning garage door repair March 20, 2010 1:40 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , add a commentWell, file that one under, "oh sh*t! that’s what the big spring does!"
add a commentSeeking Referral – Surveyor March 6, 2010 10:48 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , 4commentsKNOXVILLE: I’m about to start some landscaping projects. Can anyone recommend a surveyor? I want to reconfirm the boundaries of the yard, easements, and underground utilities.
4commentsAnd if the crik don’t rise… January 24, 2010 11:27 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, House, Of Being Dad , 3comments
Rains have come. The creek out back has enough water in it that we can see the water from the house. I just checked the trench, wanna be French drain, that protects our basement from flood and sure enough, the sides have collapsed. We don’t have water in the basement yet but will if I don’t get out there and dig us out. I need to be programming every second of today but this has to take priority. Back to the Mosquito Coast.
Note: On the above video, after the first twenty seconds or so I figure out how to not have that obnoxious noise.
The creek in this video is at least 5 feet deep.
Brrrrrrr December 11, 2009 6:45 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , 2commentsIt’s 69°F (that’s 20.5°C to the rest of the whole) inside the house and probably 10 degrees colder in the basement. That’s with the emergency heat on and the thermostat set to 75"F (23.8°C). I can’t use the woodstove because 1) it needs to be cleaned, 2) Tommy now lives in that room and has piled stuff all over the stove, and 3) I haven’t put the fireboard up on a wall I built near it. That stove used to heat this house in the winter. I really need new windows and to re-insulate the walls and attic.
*temperature conversion by OnlineConversion.com.
2commentsThat blows! November 27, 2009 7:13 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , 1 comment so farA friend of mine loaned me 2 rakes and a backpack leaf blower. I believe this may be the first time in over a decade I come close to actually winning the War of the Leaves!
1 comment so farThis Broken House October 13, 2009 9:42 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , add a commentMicrowave RIP
add a commentRedneck Lawncare Update September 6, 2009 4:42 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , add a commentIn hindsight, putting a clutch on the blade to keep the drive shaft from breaking probably would have been wise. I wonder what I can do with an extra 30 cc 2 stroke engine.
Update: It was suggested that I make a go cart! I could do a motorized skateboard.
add a commentHomeowner stupidity September 6, 2009 2:43 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , add a commentI have found a sharp 7″ circular saw blade. It is clearly marked "max rpms 5,400" and I have attached it to a weed eater with a max rpm of 12,500. Why should this matter? To make it interesting, the shaft diameter is smaller than the hole in the blade so I imagine I might get some wobble. There is no safety mechanism to keep the blade from being thrown. My legs will only occupy roughly 35 degrees of the circle so if the blade gets thrown there’s a good 325 degrees left for the blade to fly into safety. Of course, I’ll be pushing the blade into brush so that probably increases the chance that the blade will come back toward my ankles. We’ll see. Next post from the ER.
add a commentBush Hogging September 6, 2009 12:29 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , 4commentsI own a John Deere weed eater. They used to sell a variety of snap on parts for it like a chainsaw extension, edger and so forth. I never bought any. Last time I was at the John Deere store the sales person responded with surprise, "Are you sure it’s a John Deere?" Apparently they got out of that business a long time ago.
My yard is overgrown. I have about an acre and the brush is shoulder high in places. Using a machete is slow going and painful. Using a lawn mower guarantees bent blades. Renting a bush hog for the weekend has been my desire but is a bit costly and just hasn’t happened. I need to be able to take brief breaks on the yard and pull this down over time. The heavy duty trim line just isn’t working out. For every 5 feet of brush I knock down I have to spend 5 minutes fidgeting with the line or reloading the spool.
The solution? A brush blade! These are about $25 if I can find one which I doubt I could today. Instead, I believe my Dremel and bench grinder are going to help me repurpose a rotary saw or table saw blade into a wicked brush destroying weapon. If I do this correctly, I won’t end up with shards of metal thrown at high speeds into my ankles and the hill out back will have a better chance of being used for sledding this winter.
Read more at Homeowner stupidity, and Modified weed eater, and Redneck Lawncare Update.
4commentsBurying the past August 22, 2009 2:22 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , add a commentI just went through a box circa 1999-2001. It contained newspapers that were so large they felt awkward in my hands compared to today’s tiny paper. I recycled stacks of business cards of names that brought back interesting memories but will never be contacted again. I tossed papers of a defunct business which reminded me of the many things I had my hands in. I did some neat things back then. I found an uncashed check for $1 from 2000. It feels good to get that stuff out of the house.
Update: I filled up a 30 gallon trash bag plus another 13 gallon trash bag with papers I’ve been holding onto from 1999-2001. The recycle can is full! That was cathartic.
add a commentOur Door Greeter August 16, 2009 8:03 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, House , add a comment
Every night this spider builds a web by our front door that would make Charlotte proud. Every morning it is gone. I think the large view is awesome. Check out the really close up view!
add a commentToday is drippy faucet day August 16, 2009 10:03 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House , 2commentsThere are so many leaks in this house that if it were a boat it would be sunk. Today I am replacing washers and spigots and fixing all leaks. Here’s hoping our $90 water bill cuts in half next month.
Goals
- Replace spigot in front of house.
- Replace spigot in back of house.
- Evaluate leak in kitchen faucet.
- Fix leak in kitchen faucet.
- Evaluate leak in upstairs bathtub faucet and determine whether or not to replace the entire mechanism or just the washers.
- Fix leak in upstairs bathtub by replacing entire mechanism or just the washers.
- Attach water supply to downstairs sink.
First trip to Home Depot
I’m off to get supplies: 2 outdoor spigots, 1 box of assorted washers(oops forgot), and one 30 meter outdoor hose(didn’t like their hoses).
Conversions by http://onlineconversion.com/
Unnecessary Trip #1 – Rocky Hill Hardware
It appears my spigots are sweated on instead of threaded. I am afraid I’m going to break the pipe. If I do that, I’ll have to tear out wall and perhaps brick to make the repair. Instead of using force, I’ll try heating the pipe first and see if it comes off. I can’t find my torch end for my propane bottles so I’m off to the local hardware store. I’ll have to resist the urge to buy the new fangled hotter torches on the market today.
Home Depot Trip #2
Rocky Hill Hardwared morphed into a trip to Home Depot. I hate paying $13 for a tool I own but since I cannot find it that’s what I have to do. I’m also wondering if just trying to replace the washers might now be the route to go.
Trip #2 to Rocky Hill Hardware
Turns out it looks like this repair has been done before. I heated the pipe and removed the sweated copper. Turns out a threaded adapter has been sweated onto the pipe before but its so bonded to the old spigot that I think I would have broken the pipe trying to remove it. This was the correct approach. Now I need to buy a threaded adapter.
Completion Status
After 2 trips to Home Depot and 2 trips to Rocky Hill Hardware, the faucet/spigot on the front of the house has been upgraded and no longer leaks. The weed eater which hasn’t worked for 5 years is functioning and cleared a path to the back of the house to discover a steady stream of water from the back faucet/spigot. That one may have to wait until tomorrow. It looks like a previous DIY’er got creative with concrete. Time to cook dinner.
2commentsThe soil 3 feet from my stoop August 9, 2009 9:20 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Family, House, Of Being Dad , add a commentAn hour ago, stepping out my front door included having your ankles swarmed by 100 mosquitoes, a dead bird, and enough landmines to give a Vietnam vet flashbacks. I relented. Determined to rid myself of the mosquitoes I pondered ripping out the entire front porch. Instead I looked under it. A dog toy in the shape of a tire..holding water. 5 planters holding dirt and water..no plants. Some plastic cups..lazy children. Toys and trash.
One can of back yard fogger later, the mosquitoes have cleared out enough for me to work. Under the porch is now clear. And the bird is buried with enough dog and cat manure that I’m sure we’ll grow a new one quickly. I’m know it will grow. The ground seems fertile. My 7 year old girl found the remains of a potato filled with airsoft pellets hanging from the branch of a tree. It had a couple of sprouts so she took the target and buried it 3 feet from the stoop. We now have a healthy looking potato garden standing about a foot high. Imagine the convenience! Two steps to dinner!
add a commentSpring is here! Stay outside! April 26, 2009 12:57 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, House, Of Being Dad , 6comments
As a home owner, I have frequent battles with nature. Mother Nature’s latest assault appears to be a yellow jacket nest near the house. Not the cute tiny yellow jackets that make you curse loudly when you run over their nest with the lawn mower but these are kind that need Rico, Dizzy and Rasczak to show the Orkin man how it’s done. We’ve had 3 of these in the house in the past week:
I know their nests typically have 2 entrances. They return to their nests at dusk. They fly faster than I can run. They tag you with a pheromone when they sting that alerts the rest of the nest that you are a bad guy. They don’t die when they sting like honey bees. And traps near the entrance work as well or better than gasoline down the holes but take longer. One evening this week we will do battle.
6commentsHandyman of the Day Award – Hot Water April 5, 2009 4:48 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, House, Of Being Dad , add a commentOld busted water heater element replaced with shiny new one. Only two floods in the process, one sliced open hand, and no electrocutions. A 48 gallon tank is too small for a 7 person household but stands a better chance with two working heating elements. (Yes, I cross posted this with Facebook.)
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