On the road again

A Not a DIY Situation
I did try but!

Two weeks ago, I took my lil yacht out to the lil lake for some quiet time. The kids were all out with friends, it was sunny and a nice lil breeze from the northeast. Then it got windy...

You know the rest.

The catch up is that the broken down van had a problem at the repairers too! Poor guy was told by Mercedes that the Mercedes Vans [made in Korea by SangYong] have this special alternator and pulley combination- [the power supply and battery charger unit][BTW- a $1000 special!- that will fit. But they sent one pulley for him to fit because the mechanic knew that that was all that was needed. (3 x that in a sentence! Ha!) It did NOT. Back it went! He finally had to find one made for a Japanese 4WD to fit the "Korean built Mercedes branded vehicle". Cos he has seen this problem before. Wow. Anyway, $300 later, we are moving people. Yay. Cost the repairer quite a few phone calls, but good him. Owe him one.

He also told me that he could fix the sticky buggery hard to shift gear lever too. "Seen it before". Again!

Next time I win Lotto, I'll get it looked at. Like the LCD screen in the family car. Lotto. Later.

Fingers Crossed

testing times

This week was interesting.

I received a parcel for personal colon cancer testing, care of the federal government. A kit enclosed for sampling...things. That's nice of them- a freebie for my health.  Free test and free posting.

[What about DENTAL rebates as as well?']

So. Done it and posted it off. There is some tests I don't want to pass... Unless it is a negative for cancer.

And also got a letter from the brain-man about whether or not he thinks I have MS. Threee weekssss later... Well, he does think I have it.

So that's not a good thing. Either I do or I don't. And I do not really trust his listening and hearing- according to his notes I may be an overindulger in certain legal activities- one to wit- wine. I have cut down since 2007, may throw a few empty bottles in a week now. My own home made red wines actually tastes better after a night of breathing anyway. The Bundy mix lasts months instead of weeks now.

Well now I want to see my GP Anna, the doctor that seemed to know what I had was strange enough to get it checked. In three weeks... Boy Oh Boy, I can not wait. Hmph. But we'll see.

FIGJAM- DIY heater done

Squeaking squashed.
Heater all done and Heating

The other week, towards the end of September, mid Spring here, there was an ominous sound coming from the central heating motor, built into a the wall of the other smallest room in the house.

Then later that night- there was a distinct burnt dust and almost a ozone smell like a burnt electrical motor...

Uh oh.

There was no warm air coming out... The motor had cut out.

Next day, I called around the local rural town for a sparky or gas fitter to give me a quick evaluation of the situation and a quote, and no one was available!

Another ring around mid week and finally a bloke was tracked down.

He was able to squeeze us into his tight schedule, and came around at the end of the week. I showed him the cretinous treasonous bstd thing hiding away in the closet.

"Well, you may be able to save yourself some money if you can get the motor out."
"why? How much do you think it may cost?"
"At eighty five dollars an hour..."

So I did it. 45 minutes. Remove covers.
Disassemble the fan unit
The size of the thing surprised me- about the size of a half pound coffee can.
That was all that was needed to heat the house up in less than ten minutes?!

At the the electrical motor rewinding shop, the  felllas looked at it yesterday and I picked up the dang thing today, and irt only needed to be fitted with new bearings. One of the old ones was close to siezed!

Back home with most of my money!
Half an hour later- whrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmm and warmth!

I DID IT!
So thanks Matt for showing me how to save some dough.

hard rubbish

Out it goes
Unclogging the yard

Every year, local government offers to take away hard rubbish that has been gathering. Stuff like old TVs, kettles, chairs, you know? Nearly anything too big for the wheelie bin!

I just do not have the patience or front for garage or yard sale. There you go. Maybe a few grand to replace, but any old junk just, to me now, has to go on the street.

The previous collection managed to clear some stuff up, like a huge old tent that was on its last legs, sorry dad, but it was finally given away, or crumbling away? I did not keep track of the steel poles, but I imagine it was gone quick!

The renovations of the spouting around the veranda a year ago or so left a lot of crap around, and which missed that last collection for the dead spouting somehow- or forgotten? Clogging up the yard. It could have been taken it to the local dump, for a fee... And no trailer at the time did not help.

But! It is all out on the street this week, earlier than required, sure, as... as it is old iron, and maybe someone could take it for recycling? A fine example of hard rubbish anyway. and the yard is unclogging slowly but surely.

Along with that stuff, there is also an old garden table or two, lots and lots of old bike stuff and wheels, gear that Son#2 has... left? For me to clean up...

The basketball pole assembly was a complete waste of time, some teens ruined the counter-weight, and it was used at the most just a few times and had fallen on the hoop a few times and thatt had broken off too. It was put out, and--- was MIA by brekky time!


All the old cookware, electricals, radios, teapots, anything I cannot keep any longer, mismatched twenty year old cutlery. A year old but rusty microwave. My first TV. Three LCD monitors- Dead ones. PC peripherals- obsolete. A coffee drip machine, waffle maker. The list is long. I mean, twenty year old stuff! Out it goes! A 35 year old radio that had stuttered to a hiss and wheeze, Tarn's.

I look in the shed, and oh dear, there might be some junk in there I have been keeping for too many years, like as in Just In Case, you know? Old bolts, hinges, jars of screws and nails, nearly junk, boxes, luggage, but not... The "timber" collection may end up in a bonfire.


The BBQ is looking haggard, to be nice, and is on notice... Anything else?

Maybe an old trampoline frame, a forty year old swing set... but still thinking on those- steel tubulars...

So someone's junk and trash is definitely someone-else's treasure.

The veranda is starting to look better, as well as the yard. Maybe this time next year, there will be only a graveled block left. I mean, I may even get rid of the lawn and garden, just pure minimalist upkeep!

Just me and a tent...

Bend over Stupid

Jones'd Again

Part 2, the Weeks Stories 

Office Upgrade

To repeat myself- 

"After a bit of research on-line for office goods needed and some insurance policy changes, I thought I found some bargains! It was half the main street price! A whole utility bill cost saved!  Bargain. I was so excited, I spent the next few days pinching myself, and getting three quotes on the so called bargains."

I laid me money down for an online bargain on a modem/router/WiFi and a new larger screen, and waited for the mail.

Yesterday, the new toys arrived. Not shaking with excitement, but one eye on the clock, I ripped the wrapping off and delved into the manuals. Yeah, I do read them.

The screen was a dream, so much better than the old fill-in, for which it replaced a bunged large screen that I still cannot fined the bloody receipt for! The settings had me worried, different font sizes etc between the two screens, yeah two, becauseI lucked IN by having a dual OUTLET from the graphics card on the bargain pc I bought last year. 

But had a job to get to.

Back, and into the new setups. After some head scratching, key punching, AltTabbing, menu searching and a few swear words, the screens were in sync. The bigger one by a percent is further away to the right of the bodgy desk setup- A Roman Column Visual Trickery sort of thing I guess.

Then the new modem kit.

Was Not A Modem at all.

MARVINED again- quick thinking and send it back or search again?

Nah, it was a quality thing, I maybe doing a Jonesey thing with my brother, but then, it was quality and no messing around like with the bloody Insurance Scams!

Set the kit up and it all worked pretty well straight out of the box. Great. A catalogue had came in the post during the afternoon, and my new toy was more than twice the price in it! Bargain!!!

Search again for a new modem both online and down Main Street, found some okay prices  and a sale and had to make a shop keeper "bend over a barrel". Well, I asked for a written quote on the Sale Item that was the same brand as the "Rooter". "Hmm. He discounted it even more! Wow!" A Muttley-like Herherher, I thought, he is trying to outsmart the next guy!

Took the quote around the corner, checked out Hardly Normal. More expensive, but better rangeWell, just in case, do the 3 price check on gear at the RetroVergin joint and Cox Jones shop. 

"Have you got that piece I looked at yesterday? Hmm. Oh, look, does this one do the same thing?"

"Yes"

"Ah. Can you match THIS" and presented my written quote.

"Oh. Yes, we can" with gritted teeth.

YAY me, a win for once, and handed over the moolah.

Back in the office after another job, and set it up, all in less than fifteen minutes too.

So there is the Keeping up with the Jones's Story. 

Better than the Marvined Story Of The Week.

DIY (Marvining) in the Bathroom

Bathroom

Drip. Drip.

"Turn the shower tap OFF please!"
Problemo-  a worn valve or washer suspected.
Three days of reminders.....
Finally, "DONT FORGET THE HARDWARE STORE TODAY!"
"YES Marvin!"



Look for parts in the usual place at the Cob & Co hardware bazaar¤ store.
I thought it was the right place.
Phit?† NONE?
Back to the front counter.
"Ah, ahem, um, valves for taps[faucets]? Do you still sell them?"
Ah.
Behind the counter was the collection of parts, washer, valves, o'rings, all in a little box.
And "Cheaper one piece at a time" was the answer.[Hmm, lesson learnt by the store, plumbing stuff=easy targets] 
Possibly true, compared to the Big Hardware store around the corner anyway.
Total only $3.80 for two each of washer, o'ring and valve. El Cheapo!! Yay me...

Installation
Proceed to g'rage, Vice Grip for water mains, and that's Off. A lesson learnt. Sometime ago.
Collect tools for jobby. Vice Grips. Special Silicon or nylon grips for the flange. Adjustable spanners, large, and larger.

Scratch the flange again

Proceed to shower, open other taps to relieve pressure... [Another lesson learnt previously.]
Hot knob off. Attempt to use new silicone tool on the flange(?). NO BLOODY GOOD. Not exactly cylindrical, so the adjustable grips come into play, and once again a little scratch. ARGH! MARVINED again.

valve damaged and so DRIP DRIP

The last time I did this little DIY in the house somewhere, the hot side fitting was very difficult to undo, so braced myself and the dang thing undid easy... Hmmph! Maybe another lesson previously heeded? Disassemble the fittings noticing that the old valve was very NFG*, and, it was a more expensive silicone sealer too! Go off to get another tool for removing old o'rings. Then go and get another tool to scrape remains off or remove old washers. Hmmph. Assemble and install new parts.

The cold side was much the same, easy, apart from the rubber valve staying inside the fitting. Bloody hell. So had to go and fetch ANOTHER tool, pliers, and a torch. Finger crossed the damming thing did not fall down to really stuff the plumbing up. Knocked the spanner to the floor, JUST missing my toes... Bend over to pick it up and drop the mobile phone in the ONLY little puddle...
Finish up, turn the water back on and put away the tools.

Completed in less than twenty minutes all up I reckon. Shorter without the extra walk-about time...
Things never really go according to plan, huh?
I imagine that it may have cost more than the $3.80 if I had called in the--- Especialists!!!... At extracting $s.


¤ It really is like that, you need a guide to to find things there!
†Phit- Scottish for What, cos they actually and really pronounce the WH like a F sound in Aberdeenshire,as in "FOO was Here"! or me,  A FOOL was here!
*No Good

Curtains...

Bedroom Curtains
Or Home Decorating, a Male Way...

You would think home decorating is for the ladies. If there is no lady to tell you that you have done it the wrong way, Marvin, then you may be like me, constant trips to the hardware store.

Of Course, some people KNOW exactly what they need before they step out of the hoose!

I had a fair idea for doing the new curtains last year, a list as it were- New Curtains.  If there is anybody cheaper than me, I would not be surprised, as it means they are successful El Cheapos.


My original ancient green coloured thick-ish bedroom draperies were nice, blocking the evil morning sunlight from striking me awake ever since we had bought the house.

However, the backing was so old, it was literally disentegrating, especially when just grabbing them.

There had been an Aldi sale earlier in the year, and after I had noticed the poor state of repair of the bedroom curtains, I investigated and purchased same, with some trepidation. But the set was not the SunBlocking kind so Back to the store for a refund. See, TREPIDATED!

Finally, later last year, Aldi had some sunblocking curtains out there cheap. Eggslantê!

With all undue haste, I was there on the Sale Day, with all the other poor El Cheapo bstds, in the wind and rain, waiting for the nine o'clock opening...

Nah, I was't really, but was there later on.

I got to the curtain bin, and all that was left was two sets. BEIGE, and BROWN. As I really did need to cover large window area, bought both. No good asking for a RAINCHECK cos They Do Not, and they won't call the next store [an hour way by road] if there is any left there, Oh No.

'Kay, set off with the odd pair of pairs, and dismantled[?] the old drapes. Boy they were old and stuffy. And stinky, never would have survive a good launder. Actually, they did not... Very fluffy clothes for a week of washing afterwards. Bugger!

A folding stair stool combination would be nice next time. Stepping on bedside tables, chests of drawers and edges of beds and window sills could be dangerous. Just don't look down...

Clambered around the bedroom, getting the draperies off. Assemble the new ones.

Need an IRON? 

NO WAY, a bit plastic, I thought, to actually IRON?
Then.
Not enough hooks...

Only out up three curtains, the last one with 1/4 of the number of  hooks and rings... back to the hardware store or Spotless [I dislike the staff there, they see me and turn around, I swear, like just cos I got no boobs, man, really, the money is the same?!]

There was no need to fancy pants it all up in my opinion. There was no one around, really, to critique it.

But last week, I thought I better do something.
The spare curtain lying over the bed canopy for 6 months was a bit too long.

Off to the hardware store. Again. More rings and hooks. Remember the clambering last time? This time, a close call atop the bedside table, lucky I fell towards the bed... And to rub the salt in...

Wrong hooks... Wrong size rings by a fraction, too bad. El Cheapo remember. Muttley was behind it! Back to the hardware store again.

So finished it off today, looks okay too. IMHO.

Brown and BEIGE though. Argh.

renew a weather monitoring tool

As mentioned somewhere, the original rainfall collector just weathered badly since 1998.

Being plastic (from Nylex as well?!) it got brittle. Getting up on a shaky homemade stool... I had dropped it twice over the years, and repaired twice with super glue, the last time with some freezer bags too... Cracked it then actually broken the second time actually. Tape and plastic bags do not do a great job
, but better than vinegar and brown paper! It did not help that I had it mounted well over my head, on the roof, top corner, of the former Alcoholery (now plain Shed to some & Vacant as Son#1 is at Uni, and #2 Son wants to move in So Bad...), but the backyard, I thought, was not clear enough of low plant life to mount the collector by itself, just near the ground.  Pictured above and at right

Once back together again, it was okay, as I did have the digital recorder, the 'backup'.
But I think it also a) leaked in  or b) absorbed moisture, because there was always something to measure, even over a dry week...

Meanwhile...
There was a special a while ago at the hardware store for a cheap replacement- missed out.

Last week, after a little spending spree elsewhere, I thought, bugger it, let's get a new collector.

Ta da! Twenty bucks man! Oh yeah, measure up to 250mm rain- just what I need if the climate changes so much more differently than anyone expected in the next fourteen years!

A label on another box, the Rolls Royce model naturally, said where it should be mounted.

This time it is just over my head.
And so clean...
On the clothes line instead.




*End of Autumn Downunder- Son#2 is "booked" to do the lawns sometime soon....

Dishwasher 2011 Episode II

Three mornings ago
Arrgh....Kids.

Three mornings ago there was some water on the kitchen floor as we got up.
Kids!

Two mornings ago
Hmm? 


The same. They would not have done it emptying the dishwasher? Nah.



Two nights ago
Flashing. RTFM.


The dishwasher would not go past what sounded like the draining stage, and a light was lit.
And Flashing.
Oh no.
Where's TFM! Was it a possible DIY repair?

Read the manual again.
"CALL A SERVICE PERSON"
Thanks. A lot...

Yesterday
Find the service people Tone, Repair Time...


Did so, and they said;
"See you tomorrow!"
Bugger! I thought I could get away with not opening the wallet for at least a week...
"Sure!"

Muttley-like* thoughts going through my head- $#%^^ %^& etc etc. A new dishwasher? Argh.

Just spent 60 bucks on some tray rollers!

Today.
Make sure machine out of niche. Bargain?


Door bell rings right on time.
Race from late morning bathroom obligatorys...

Teenager with toolbox at door...[WTF! Fuck off!]
"Hi there. Um, where's the other guy?"
"Brett gives me the shit work."
"Right, come on in then."

Preceed him to the kitchen, trying to be positive in my head.
He gets stuck into it, asking some questions.
After he pokes around the outside at the pipes and wires, undoes a panel or two:
"Have you got a towel please?"
"Yep".

I fetch the oldest towel in case a MESS spurts out all over the place.

"I do remember a small puddle there the other day. Does that help" How could That Help? Ah well.
No answer.

"There" he says. "Will just see that it cycles through."

Da da!
Bloody hell.
And he shows me where a problem could occur if too much detergent or rinse aid could overflow into a tray and cause a float to rise and turn on the draining cycle if there is too much foam in the system!

Plan B was to visit Aldi for a 300 buck 5-cycle dishwasher.
Comment on that from repair guy- "...cheap shit..."

$66 visit/check/"fix".
Instead of a new washer.

Bargain.

*From a cartoon out of the sixties[correct me?]