tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73656072390416990542024-03-04T22:53:09.828-07:00The Daily Man ShowXylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-40075040172619668112015-06-20T16:57:00.001-06:002015-06-24T18:37:21.059-06:00Wye Strainers - Filter the rust deposits before they leave you dry in the shower.I haven't posted to my blog in a long time but this particular topic warrants a post.<br />
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I own an older home whose plumbing is made of cast iron. This is pretty common in old homes. So if you have a home with cast iron pipes then you will know exactly where I am going with this post. <br />
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My #1 problem with cast iron piping is that it rusts, and this rust causes all sorts of problems with my faucets and other appliances that use water.<br />
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Normally on a faucet there are water aerators with a screen in them that filters out the rust and other debris caused by cast iron pipes, washing machines have a small filter as well. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hd6nMdGgouBKYOsU-Ds7Mq-_nQQyIWEI4b_fS5c5p2SOS_NqWZLCRq9FSiiknKp4OJrlCIkpwgHL2VBkDsG4gvLmk_5hD3yLdkRR1qsebVej_MY_QdqqO26-sqXsSe_DO5gqKXBn84o/s1600/WP_20150619_09_09_30_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hd6nMdGgouBKYOsU-Ds7Mq-_nQQyIWEI4b_fS5c5p2SOS_NqWZLCRq9FSiiknKp4OJrlCIkpwgHL2VBkDsG4gvLmk_5hD3yLdkRR1qsebVej_MY_QdqqO26-sqXsSe_DO5gqKXBn84o/s320/WP_20150619_09_09_30_Pro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This a my washing machines hot water inlet. You can see it's completely plugged up with rust and other deposits from my pipes. Luckily the filter catches most of it.</td></tr>
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The one thing in my house that doesn't really have a filter/screen that actually needs it is my shower water manifold. About every 6 months I would have to tear apart my showers plumbing and clean out the shower manifold to get all of the rust deposits that were jamming up the ports. It was a very time consuming procedure, but if I didn't do it then I would end up hugging the shower wall trying to get the water from the shower head to wash my hair.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00835X4NE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00835X4NE&linkCode=as2&tag=wingnthin-20&linkId=7ENIELDVEUQC47TY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00835X4NE&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=wingnthin-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cleaned out the showers manifold so many times that I installed these brass ball turn valves on my water lines so I didn't have to keep shutting off the water to the house every time I worked on the shower.</td></tr>
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I had been to the plumbing stores trying to find an inline filter that would be easy to clean out, but it seemed that no one had heard of such a thing. The years went by and I was constantly looking for a solution. The other day I was at The Home Depot and I decided to see if I could make something that would work. I found a PVC union coupler that I thought I could install a screen in that would work but I decided to run it by a plumber friend of mine first. Of course my idea wasn't going to work, the PVC wasn't designed to be used in household plumbing, but he did introduce me to what I was looking for. It was called a Wye (Y) strainer and it was exactly what I was looking for. (Thank you Chris Kelly of Kelly's Rescue Plumbing)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H9XWUCC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00H9XWUCC&linkCode=as2&tag=wingnthin-20&linkId=25236XDQCX4OEETY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Inline Y Filter" border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00H9XWUCC&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=wingnthin-20" height="288" title="1/2" Inline Y Filter Fitting 200 Micron 80 Mesh 304 Stainless Steel Strainer" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">1/2" Inline Y Filter Fitting 200 Micron 80 Mesh 304 Stainless Steel Strainer</span></td></tr>
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The strainer is an inline 1/2" Y filter. The one I happened to buy has an 80 mesh strainer with a 200 micron filter. It only cost around $11 bucks a piece on Amazon (No local plumbing supply store sold one, let alone have heard of one)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgYzxF_FCGV7qr9KBXmsF_zFTAAFsk7Ms8PD4TU8c1yGT4s_AaniWkUHkpILNnXZSnw6INZ1fDvP2QzA8nHQ3hOJ0ImpmHDs39n1HpGUo7K1guZimtCsgMTsA6Gdxp3RKtOHkxmSL16g/s1600/WP_20150618_18_33_28_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgYzxF_FCGV7qr9KBXmsF_zFTAAFsk7Ms8PD4TU8c1yGT4s_AaniWkUHkpILNnXZSnw6INZ1fDvP2QzA8nHQ3hOJ0ImpmHDs39n1HpGUo7K1guZimtCsgMTsA6Gdxp3RKtOHkxmSL16g/s400/WP_20150618_18_33_28_Pro.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrlrDClEtlZSXUlDowZydKBBqlYry9uX_YDJNylKVZflxBXO0NKG-_qei4Job20-UNOxCDwwiPEjKbMICDMmfMEOFDoPE3MG8zi_YE8gCt1OPYwWt19MudYbQjMFqbBYEg-2HjPNbeFQ/s1600/WP_20150618_18_33_24_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrlrDClEtlZSXUlDowZydKBBqlYry9uX_YDJNylKVZflxBXO0NKG-_qei4Job20-UNOxCDwwiPEjKbMICDMmfMEOFDoPE3MG8zi_YE8gCt1OPYwWt19MudYbQjMFqbBYEg-2HjPNbeFQ/s400/WP_20150618_18_33_24_Pro.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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After tearing apart my showers plumbing one last time and spending some time getting every thing back together I finally have something that I feel will be a long term solution to rust plugging up my showers water faucets manifold. This is what my final project looks like. You can see the inline filter feeds straight into the showers manifold. Now when I notice my showers water pressure decreasing I just have to unscrew the nut on the Y and pull out the filter and shake off the debris. My only regret is that I wish I would have found this solution year a go.</div>
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Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-15967159294444738152012-09-18T13:19:00.002-06:002018-04-11T09:40:38.431-06:00The Kid wash - Cheaper than a pool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMP0t5gB2VGao_4tnU9IFgiF8FhvvOx6oN3KoytJHS_c8B1t96Matf_29OY1yJBLR0Bl9cb9tUqpNE00eUWKOxYpmNHU9JdgfR0RVmBM3LpAc9sQbFWeAYkzcyUSMTtklcNn1DcUnPxk/s1600/2012-09-18+11.29.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMP0t5gB2VGao_4tnU9IFgiF8FhvvOx6oN3KoytJHS_c8B1t96Matf_29OY1yJBLR0Bl9cb9tUqpNE00eUWKOxYpmNHU9JdgfR0RVmBM3LpAc9sQbFWeAYkzcyUSMTtklcNn1DcUnPxk/s400/2012-09-18+11.29.32.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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When my neighbor showed me some plans for a "Kids Wash" I knew I had to make it. I found the original plans on-line at <a href="http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/the-deluxe-kid-wash-709166/">Disney Family Fun Center</a> and with a few personal tweaks to fit my needs I had the kid wash up and running in time for the 4th of July.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimU7s4786wKkpZF31QV9S0qQnmvwlUl-w63CFy_Mz61vAvNu0_W67SaNjaGcWKFHPuj8-iiXWIA9UrOwBQ3V2S5fGNGaoMBiVD3LquGJSgM35wVbEHA9asL1x6Hi0CONCwbwAUdjGvsE4/s1600/DSC03506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimU7s4786wKkpZF31QV9S0qQnmvwlUl-w63CFy_Mz61vAvNu0_W67SaNjaGcWKFHPuj8-iiXWIA9UrOwBQ3V2S5fGNGaoMBiVD3LquGJSgM35wVbEHA9asL1x6Hi0CONCwbwAUdjGvsE4/s320/DSC03506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
When I started to build the kid wash, I printed the plans off in black & white, which if you look at the plans do not work if you cannot see the different colors that indicate the length of the cuts and the amount. It made it a bit more confusing then it needed to be. One of the problem that I had with the original design was the gate. For some reason I didn't understand the idea of how it worked, and when I did figure it out, I didn't like the way it worked. The second thing I didn't like was how unstable it was. I was able to fix that with two extra cross joints and 2 more pieces of 2 1/2 ft. PVC pipe and lastly I wanted to spread the water out more (we need to make sure the kids get wet) by adding drip system sprayers instead of just holes. The extra cross pieces go between the first arch (where the gate would be) and the 2nd arch. You can see the difference in the below pictures, and the one at the top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSpot6aBilw8R3ZubEglSMBtqmqM3zO42k5Learo7REGx4_DFf0YywX0SoX3twolW4sXyoSesVTrNUAP3Fv9qc-h4MkComT1_X0RkQZv6nGpLd3WfKu3qVIdEVw5FHgpLncLv3YSulck/s1600/DSC03508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSpot6aBilw8R3ZubEglSMBtqmqM3zO42k5Learo7REGx4_DFf0YywX0SoX3twolW4sXyoSesVTrNUAP3Fv9qc-h4MkComT1_X0RkQZv6nGpLd3WfKu3qVIdEVw5FHgpLncLv3YSulck/s200/DSC03508.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Materials needed for the modified Kid<br />
Wash: <br />
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<tr><th>Quantity</th><th>Item</th><th>Cost</th><th>Total Cost</th></tr>
<tr><td>10</td><td>10-foot lengths of 3/4 inch PVC pipe</td><td>$1.97</td><td>$19.70</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>3/4 crosses</td><td>$1.70</td><td>$6.80</td></tr>
<tr><td>4</td><td>3/4 caps</td><td>$0.35</td><td>$1.40</td></tr>
<tr><td>7</td><td>3/4 90-degree elbows</td><td>$0.34</td><td>$2.38</td></tr>
<tr><td>11</td><td>3/4 T's</td><td>$0.33</td><td>$3.63</td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>3/4-inch slip female hose adapter</td><td>$1.47</td><td>$1.47</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>$35.38<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3HQ29-vCp3_rdQMHZRZhpecyeizXR9KZ3WvZQHfF-31vNvcKXuDv3XUFTIe7bQrz_0sMWW5Hg_UL_tBgkLxFTLFgL6nnMt08nKlDyiGmkTdn7__nPkFWYWF1l9uR6lLYA8Mt9B-IZNo/s1600/DSC03510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3HQ29-vCp3_rdQMHZRZhpecyeizXR9KZ3WvZQHfF-31vNvcKXuDv3XUFTIe7bQrz_0sMWW5Hg_UL_tBgkLxFTLFgL6nnMt08nKlDyiGmkTdn7__nPkFWYWF1l9uR6lLYA8Mt9B-IZNo/s200/DSC03510.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Cost based on prices at local hardware store.</span><br />
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For the gate (Optional):<br />
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<tr><th>Quantity</th><th>Item</th><th>Cost</th><th>Total Cost</th></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>1-inch to 3/4-inch T</td><td>$0.88</td><td>$0.88</td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>3/4 inch T</td><td>$0.33</td><td>$0.33</td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>3/4 inch straight fitting (female coupler)</td><td>$0.24</td><td>$0.24</td></tr>
<tr><td>1</td><td>3-foot 3/4 PVC pipe (part of 10 bundle)</td><td>$0</td><td>$0</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>$1.45<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Cost based on prices at local hardware store.</span><br />
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**As an update to this, I ended up removing the gate. It was always in the way and it really served no purpose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHTjsnKyyulhaL1tDXjSdDG2vgXqQG0DlxBL-5YsWoH-83vzYzSwXJmS7X_i-kkbraJCFRqzjsjJFaqXlYXZxyai3cTvB0Dk1kfOdcsF32XiqNY4gn1sDhjjUTNOQ4M49aiYSnp73oEA/s1600/deluxe-kid-wash-craft-photo-420-FF0804HOMEA01-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHTjsnKyyulhaL1tDXjSdDG2vgXqQG0DlxBL-5YsWoH-83vzYzSwXJmS7X_i-kkbraJCFRqzjsjJFaqXlYXZxyai3cTvB0Dk1kfOdcsF32XiqNY4gn1sDhjjUTNOQ4M49aiYSnp73oEA/s1600/deluxe-kid-wash-craft-photo-420-FF0804HOMEA01-300x300.jpg" /></a></div>
Fun Details (Optional): These are items are pretty much just for looks for when you are showing off your new cool kids car wash. The kids will pretty much destroy them shortly after they are installed.<br />
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1 pool noodle</div>
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craft foam</div>
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permanent markers</div>
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string</div>
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3 large sponges</div>
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about 40 feet of nylon lawn chair webbing</div>
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paper</div>
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fasteners</div>
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adhesive-backed Velcro</div>
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At the annual impromptu family Fourth of July party I setup the finished product for all of the kids to play in and let's just say we didn't hear from the kids for most of the day. I would call that a success.<br />
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** Update: I ended up gluing the side pieces together because the water pressure kept popping the joints apart. I didn't glue the top bars (that connect the sides) so I could still take it apart. I just lean it on the side of the garage during the winter.<br />
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My kids played in the Kids Car wash all summer long, and it was a great way for them to beat the heat. The neighbor kids always loved to come over and use it as well. For the price I spent on building it I would say I got my money's worth.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-79624779055851989972012-05-15T15:32:00.000-06:002012-09-18T13:23:52.324-06:00My Experience with the New Nokia Lumia 900 - A review for the average smart phone user<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My overall impression of the phone is that I love it. The phone itself is sleek and well built. I don't feel like I am playing with one of my kid's toy phones. While every relationship has it flaws we tend to work past them because we want the relationship to work. So it is true with the Nokia Lumia 900.</div>
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<b>Pros</b>: Smooth transitions between screens, doesn't lag or bog down when loading applications, unique UI. Solid well built phone. Common UI theme across all applications, fluid integration into <a href="http://twitter.com/" target="_blank">twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/" target="_blank">linkedin</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">facebook</a>. Free turn by turn navigation provided by Nokia that works with no data connection.<br />
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<b>Cons</b>: Zune, Weak notification system, Music player, email client (sort of). It would be nice if Zune could be supported by 3rd party apps like MediaMonkey. The notification bar needs to have links to what it is showing me. So if I press on the battery icon it takes me to the battery saver settings so I can see the percentage of battery life left or turn on the battery saver mode, or if I click on the message notification it takes me to the message rather than having me go and find it.<br />
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User Interface</h4>
Windows Phone 7.5 uses whats called a Metro Style UI, with live tiles. It is nothing like what you might already be use to. It allows for a lot less clutter to accomplish the same task as with icons and widgets. Each tile is supposed to be "alive" constantly display information or photos to allow you to quickly find information without having to actually open the app. It seems to work pretty well, but I think it is more of how the developer for each application choose to utilize it. For instance the Weather App by the Weather Channel does a nice job of updating the live tile with the current weather conditions. Or MyStocks which constantly updates my live tile with my portfolios current stock prices.<br />
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Button Layout</h4>
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<a href="http://cdn2.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/nokia-lumia-900-review-041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://cdn2.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/nokia-lumia-900-review-041.jpg" width="320" /></a>The power/unlock button is on the side of the phone (I am use to mine being on the top) so this took some time getting use to. now that I have used the phone for a bit I actually like it where it is. If you hold your phone in your left hand and navigate with your right, then the power/lock button falls right where you middle finger on your left hand sits. If you hold your phone in your right hand and navigate with your left, then the power/lock button falls right where you thumb is. Because of its placement I can let my phone rest naturally in my hand with out moving a finger to unlock my phone. <br />
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The other buttons are the volume buttons and the dedicated camera button, which I am a big fan of and makes it easier to take photos.<br />
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Call Quality</h4>
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The best way to describe the call quality is that it has it, quality that is. Sometimes I think people forget that one of the main purposes of a cell phone is to actually make phone calls. The Nokia Lumia 900 does it very well even with my less than stellar AT&T coverage. The call clarity is clear which is important to me now that my wife says that my hearing is starting to go. I find myself asking the question "Now what did you say again" much less frequently.<br />
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Battery Life</h4>
Of any recent smart phone I have used the battery life on the Nokia Lumia 900 has been the best. The first couple of weeks of use I was getting around 12 hours out of my battery before needing to charge the phone. Then one day I discovered something that doubled my battery life. I turned on my Wi-Fi radio. I had it turned off because I thought it would help me save battery, but apparently when the Wi-Fi is on and in use it actually increases your battery life. I can only guess that the Wi-Fi radio uses less battery than the 4G LTE radio and so instead of all of the data coming across the LTE radio my Wi-Fi connection is able to download it more efficiently. Now I am getting on average about 24 hours out of my battery. My usage usually includes sending/receiving emails, sending/receiving text messages, browsing the Internet and Windows Phone Marketplace, playing a couple games, taking a few photos, talking on the phone, watching a couple of YouTube videos and listening to music. I might not be considered a power phone user, but I would probably lump myself into the category of average smart phone user.<br />
<h4>
Hardware</h4>
I know a lot of people like to make lists comparing the specs of phones. Phone A has a 4 core CPU , phone B has 2 core CPU etc... And in the case of Nokia Lumia 900 it would be easy to write off its lack-luster hardware when compared to the latest offerings from Android phones. But just like in the real world sometimes we need to look past what's on paper and see how it truly performs when used in everyday life. <br />
<br />
Before buying the Nokia Lumia 900 I was also considering the Samsung SII skyrocket. I held the two handsets side by side and played with them doing the same tasks to see which one would let me accomplish them faster. <br />
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I was amazed to see how much smoother and faster the Lumia 900 was. I was able to open applications faster, and in general accomplish tasks faster with the Lumia. It only goes to show that just because hardware says it should be faster doesn't mean it is. This was the deciding factor on why I went with the Lumia over the Skyrocket.<br />
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<h4>
Apps</h4>
Everyone talks about how many apps their Mobile OS has available. To me it isn't a matter of Quantity (or even Quality) it really comes down to what do I have to install on my phone so that I can use it for what I need. If my phone already does 95% of what I need and the other 5% is filled by apps and all of those apps are available to me then it doesn't matter if there are only 20 apps for my phone.<br />
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What I have found so far is that the Nokia Lumia 900 has most applications that I already use built in, and the others are all available in the marketplace. For instance My Scout, music, vision and voice search all tightly integrated into the search button. It uses Bing, which for some is a downfall, but so far I haven't noticed any glaring deficiencies (I usually use Google for all of my searching needs, but so far Bing has worked for me). In other phones OS's each one of these functionalities usually require a separate app, but not with the Lumia.<br />
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The built in image search can scan barcodes, QR codes, MS tags, books, dvd, and cd covers as well as scan text and translate it into most any language, which will be very useful for anyone who travels. You can point your phone at a sign in a foreign country and have it translate the text into your language<br />
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The phone also comes with the Microsoft productivity apps like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint as well as access to SharePoint and Onenote.<br />
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Of course its fun to search the Marketplace for some fun little app that are enjoyable for a bit, but the real meaty apps are all available for Windows Phone 7.5. In the end the applications count shouldn't matter as long as the developers keep making them at their current rate. I am certain that the app count will just keep going up (although it really doesn't matter as long as I can do what I need to)<br />
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The Nokia Lumia 900 also comes with a built in service that can be accessed at <a href="http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/find" target="_blank">Find My Windows Phone</a>. Once signed in with your windows live account, you are able to Ring, Lock, or Erase your phone from any browser. This is very useful when you cannot find your phone in your house. You click on the ring button and it rings your phone until you find it. The web page can also be used to locate your phone, pin-pointing the location of your phone (Within a degree of variance). Now you don't have to wonder "Did I leave my phone at the restaurant or at the gas station" In case you did leave it at the gas station and you don't want your sensitive data to be stolen you can select the "erase" button which wipes your phone clean. You can also lock the phone in the same manner with a message, perhaps a reward message with a way to contact you.<br />
I have always wondered why this type of functionality isn't included with all phones as a free service.<br />
<h4>
Photos and Video</h4>
I am not a photographer by any means but I can appreciate a well taken photo. From the photos I have taken with the Lumia 900 I would have to say according to the specs on the camera the auto settings are under performing. I have found that by playing with the camera settings and not relying on "AUTO" my pictures have turned out better. <br />
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I took two photos of the same object. One with my Nokia Lumia 900 and my wife's Samsung Infuse, and the Samsung's Infuse photo colors seemed more saturated, while the Lumia's appeared to be lacking definition. That was until I did the "auto-fix" option under the photos settings. That seemed to even things out. The following three photos were taken by the Nokia Lumia 900 before and after auto-fix as well as the Samsung's Infuse 4g. In the end I think it really comes down to preference.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt2P7rHgZeWNahRV7DY36___psaB8qDr6QbcXLu9pYfKNsBFnnYRwvkCIh6D4kvPlAP51UQDF7LC4v8EFpxs3TwBwbV9JZhQ0ChIlx_tpBtamcYDy5p32EfRER4y6s4MNZ3NYPTEWamI/s1600/before_auto_fix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt2P7rHgZeWNahRV7DY36___psaB8qDr6QbcXLu9pYfKNsBFnnYRwvkCIh6D4kvPlAP51UQDF7LC4v8EFpxs3TwBwbV9JZhQ0ChIlx_tpBtamcYDy5p32EfRER4y6s4MNZ3NYPTEWamI/s200/before_auto_fix.jpg" title="Nokia Lumia 900 Before Auto-Fix" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nokia Lumia 900 Before Auto-Fix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xDmJa_pXCrUO80VOxMQvtR-WosUsc-Hjb_EEmyoc5ihfpEGnnWzEAQACwMn42TVvtLLTlBsT1n9T5GhNsHs9lWAsf-5aHzlrlNSK0eLx2Hb_iK1R9Y3I3lVOrQ2JOOlWhBUczVCO6vA/s1600/after_auto_fix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xDmJa_pXCrUO80VOxMQvtR-WosUsc-Hjb_EEmyoc5ihfpEGnnWzEAQACwMn42TVvtLLTlBsT1n9T5GhNsHs9lWAsf-5aHzlrlNSK0eLx2Hb_iK1R9Y3I3lVOrQ2JOOlWhBUczVCO6vA/s200/after_auto_fix.jpg" title="Nokia Lumia 900 After Auto-Fix" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nokia Lumia 900 After Auto-Fix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWLRIeNNzHZ_WHzXieVCkW9N5_EJ8evGCzyQeAMJzOmSVudfadPE21irkkSUjFLudYzsQICqNZo9UVklcCNLp4X3mtKiZnJAHDyTXOOcimwnsDRDS6fhbCtl1DIDAkSEACcqyJJ7pNRE/s1600/samsung_infuse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWLRIeNNzHZ_WHzXieVCkW9N5_EJ8evGCzyQeAMJzOmSVudfadPE21irkkSUjFLudYzsQICqNZo9UVklcCNLp4X3mtKiZnJAHDyTXOOcimwnsDRDS6fhbCtl1DIDAkSEACcqyJJ7pNRE/s200/samsung_infuse.jpg" title="Samsung Infuse 4G" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samsung Infuse 4G</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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The phone can record video in 720p which by most of our standards will look awesome. Yes 1020p sounds better because the number is higher, but without the appropriate equipment to take advantage of it, and no I don't just mean a 1020p TV, the difference between 720p and 1020p are not going to be noticeable. In my opinion you won't notice the difference until some years form now when something better than 1020p is out and having a 10 foot viewing screen in our house is considered normal. The 720p video is nice, the only problems I have run into is the auto focus sometimes has a hard time focusing. I usually just turn it off and use manual focus.<br />
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<h4>
Music</h4>
The phone uses Microsoft's Zune to sync music to the phone. It is nice to have an established player like Zune, and for those who have the <a href="http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/zunepass/default.htm" target="_blank">Zune music pass</a> its a great tool to have, but having just come from using <a href="http://www.mediamonkey.com/" target="_blank">MediaMonkey</a> to sync up my music to my phone, Zune just seems incomplete. I must be old school or something because I like to group my music by folder, typically by year. Where I put all of my favorite music for that year into one folder. Then just import that music onto my music device. Now I have to import it into MediaMoneky, create a playlist and then save that playlist in a Music folder that is scanned by Zune. Then when I sync my phone it pulls in the playlist and all of its music.<br />
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Once your music is on your phone the player works very well. The feature I like the most is the auto pause. If I have my phone synced up via bluetooth to the car radio and I turn off my car, it pauses my music on my phone as well. Then when I get back into my car, the connection is picked up and it plays my music where I left off. It does the same things if you are using headphones and then unplug them.<br />
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The music player is also integrated into lock screen so I can change songs without having to open up the player. Another feature is that it also integrates all music apps into the player. So if I am listening to iHeartRadio or Last.fm both are integrated into the music player and I have the same controls over them as if I were listening to music from my phone.<br />
<h4>
Calendar</h4>
I use calendars extensively. I use my phone like a personal day planner. Its how I keep track of my life. If its not on a calendar then I don't know about it and probably won't remember it. The Nokia Lumia's calendar while fundamentally efficient leaves a few things to be desired when dealing with some features that for me I consider to be basic:<br />
<ul>
<li>Once I create an event I cannot change the calendar it is located in. </li>
<li>I cannot copy events between calendars (Sometimes I Need the same event in two separate calendars.)</li>
<li>The select for re-occurring events is very minimal. I am not able to say something like repeat ever second Sunday of the month.</li>
<li>No week view is available, only day or month.</li>
</ul>
Other than the above mentioned items the calendar functions as needed.<br />
<h4>
Messaging/Email</h4>
I have a love hate relationship with the email client. The hate portion came while trying to setup the folders to be synced through my companies exchange server. I organize all of my work emails in folders and sub-folders. I easily have 50+ different folders, because of this the initial setup was a long tedious process which could have been easily simplified with a mark/unmark option for each folder that I wanted to sync. Instead I have to click on the settings button "..." then select folders, then select "show all folders" Then select the folder I wanted to sync. Once it was open I was able to select "sync this folder". This process isn't really bad, but when you have to do this for every folder (remember I have 50+ folders I wanted to sync) it becomes a long process with a lot of extra steps. <br />
<br />
What makes it worse is that as you start to add folders you have to scroll to the bottom of your folders list to select the "show all folders" options. I ended up setting up my synced folders in three different sittings, I would get tired of selecting folders and would put it on hold until later when I had more energy again. <br />
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Now for the love part. Once the initial setup was finished and I was getting all of my emails (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, outlook, exchange...) navigating these different email clients was easy. I was able to pin each one to my homepage making it easy to access them. The email client itself is very well done giving me close to the same functionality as that of a PC email client like outlook. Emails are grouped in conversation threads making it easier to keep the context of the email. I can quickly mark/unmark emails just by tapping next to them when I need to move, copy or delete them. Overall the email client was done nicely with efficiency in mind (once you get it set up)<br />
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Messages are grouped together by threads so when sending text messages you can keep the context in which the message was sent or received. I think this is pretty standard now. For some reason the Lumia 900 doesn't have an option to delete all messages, but only to delete a certain thread. If you have a lot of messages cluttering up your phone this may take some time to remove them all. <br />
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I also like being able to save a particular text message that may contain information that I latter need to recall. I don't have any way to do this with the Lumia. I don't know how other OS's handle this but I find it disappointing that I cannot. Currently I have to copy the information and then save it to a Note using OneNote. Although in the long run this is probably better as its now saved offline, I just wish there was an easier way of doing it.<br />
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<h4>
Conclusion</h4>
In a world of phone clones the Nokia Lumia 900 will set you apart. Even though my review may look harshly on the phone because of some of the omissions in my opinion I still think its the most complete smart phone currently out there. Its a great cross between originality, function and design. Would I recommend it to everyone, NO, but I would recommend it to most everyone.<br />
People always ask me what computer they should buy and my answer is always the same. "What do you want to do with it" Then I tell them to find the cheapest computer that accomplishes that. My advice is the same with a phone. "What do you want to accomplish with it" then go out and find a phone that does that and does it the best. That's the beauty of the world we live in, there is always something for everyone and we always have a choice. Just don't let that choice be influenced by what others say you need, let it be based on what you know you need.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-2668004836061371602012-02-14T15:10:00.000-07:002012-02-14T15:10:31.690-07:00All I want for Valentines dayAll I want for Valentines day is this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=..." target="_blank">SDD</a>. The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=..." target="_blank">SDD</a> and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MVE52Q/ref=..." target="_blank">paddle game</a> that's all I need... And this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M5U5AC/ref=...." target="_blank">remote control</a> - The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=..." target="_blank">SDD</a>, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MVE52Q/ref=..." target="_blank">paddle game</a>, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M5U5AC/ref=...." target="_blank">remote control</a>, and that's all I need... And these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041O1R5S/ref=...." target="_blank">matches</a> - The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=..." target="_blank">SDD</a>, and these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041O1R5S/ref=...." target="_blank">matches</a>, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M5U5AC/ref=...." target="_blank">remote control</a>, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MVE52Q/ref=..." target="_blank">paddle game</a>... And this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LEGJHC/ref=..." target="_blank">lamp</a> - The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=..." target="_blank">SDD</a>, this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MVE52Q/ref=..." target="_blank">paddle game</a>, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M5U5AC/ref=...." target="_blank">remote control</a> and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LEGJHC/ref=..." target="_blank">lamp</a>, and that's all *I* need. And that's *all* I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one... I need this. - The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MVE52Q/ref=..." target="_blank">paddle game</a> and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018M0V6C/ref=..." target="_blank">chair</a>, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M5U5AC/ref=...." target="_blank">remote control</a>, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041O1R5S/ref=...." target="_blank">matches</a> for sure.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-62315782362480033282011-12-04T18:53:00.000-07:002011-12-04T18:54:53.089-07:00Tailgating - Its not just for football games anymore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinPwIpW12CXZru1LIO6qDtCc7o1cX72quz2hBnKMtif28IviyzL_oQ0o_q3by_5CO7ewLtlS8xlmwpEtyXwHm0uCVt1pJDx5gn-pTl-C_TLUse2U3JdFzpk5BVV30VgBRQoAV_zvL4as/s1600/q100.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinPwIpW12CXZru1LIO6qDtCc7o1cX72quz2hBnKMtif28IviyzL_oQ0o_q3by_5CO7ewLtlS8xlmwpEtyXwHm0uCVt1pJDx5gn-pTl-C_TLUse2U3JdFzpk5BVV30VgBRQoAV_zvL4as/s320/q100.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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For Christmas my wife bought me the <a href="http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/gas-portable/weber-q-100" target="_blank">Weber Q100 portable BBQ</a> grill. We were at Walmart late one night and they had the grill on discount for about 30% off . We have always had good experiences with Weber grills so we bought it. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>It didn't take long before I had the grill opened and being used (yes I know it was a Christmas present, but I couldn't wait that long.) We started using the grill at tailgate parties before the BYU football games and it worked great. It was small enough to easily fit in the trunk of my car yet provided enough cooking area to feed the tailgate group.<br /><br />
Because I was using it for the football games for tailgating all of the equipment was already in my car. This led me to a great idea. I usually bring a prepared lunch from home to work each day (well except Wednesday) so I figured why not tailgate at work by myself instead. It was just as easy to have a package of Brats and cook them up as it was to make a lunch in the morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrH23y70eHuZHD5elCGTXN9tQWvsOszcgvlK0G9OIexmpQmJyeTo5NOULcAXNg4OlNhfIkNbqKhyphenhyphenjm5XQ_i-9qWpjlOBWagF9J4dvk9nP-_bV-4N8xDTPgj3pZn7OptBA6wR__llF4kHM/s1600/10182011074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrH23y70eHuZHD5elCGTXN9tQWvsOszcgvlK0G9OIexmpQmJyeTo5NOULcAXNg4OlNhfIkNbqKhyphenhyphenjm5XQ_i-9qWpjlOBWagF9J4dvk9nP-_bV-4N8xDTPgj3pZn7OptBA6wR__llF4kHM/s320/10182011074.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What started as grilling lunch for myself ended up being an open invite every Tuesday with those in my office. The group got large enough that we had to bring in a second grill to cook all of the food. <br />
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Now that its been pretty cold here and the Holidays are among us we haven't had the chance to grill for lunch, but once the weather clears up we will be back outside cooking up our own food for lunch again.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-69470706267087262752011-12-02T14:01:00.000-07:002011-12-02T14:01:03.317-07:00Refinishing My Old Back Wood Door<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzO0TDvnIgzd2XoIfknPTU7-AgsYWdG8JPERKUUw6MVpxPXybrbdMjicHsEmRfR66Zoi6B7RAq2BgkAM7RqIwICm2qaX-nXw3pFFhcyBSxj386T7CdRyR145J1KOaBju16cK7EW4M_5A/s1600/DSC02662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzO0TDvnIgzd2XoIfknPTU7-AgsYWdG8JPERKUUw6MVpxPXybrbdMjicHsEmRfR66Zoi6B7RAq2BgkAM7RqIwICm2qaX-nXw3pFFhcyBSxj386T7CdRyR145J1KOaBju16cK7EW4M_5A/s320/DSC02662.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Once again I did something that when before I started it seemed like a great idea, but as soon as I started, it was "Oh no what did I do". Now that I am done I am glad I did it but the process to get there was not pleasant.<br />
<a name='more'></a>When I decided to strip the 200 layers (slightly embellished number) of paint and varnish off of my back door it seemed like it should be a quick and simple thing; Just sand down the door, put some polyurethane finish on and BAM you have a new door.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiC11YkinsRVqSdohXXOzM54Ml6pQO_d9NGIz-btk_FRnsX5KJljq_XKyeZdLGyMlqt3nGH0gwN7NAM-m9ZTfvWJvfpUA0XqxxXjkUHtiRZouLhvdPUQrGhAdq8FnFtX2fRFbBz7vC-8/s1600/DSC00292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiC11YkinsRVqSdohXXOzM54Ml6pQO_d9NGIz-btk_FRnsX5KJljq_XKyeZdLGyMlqt3nGH0gwN7NAM-m9ZTfvWJvfpUA0XqxxXjkUHtiRZouLhvdPUQrGhAdq8FnFtX2fRFbBz7vC-8/s200/DSC00292.JPG" width="150" /></a>It didn't quite work out that way in reality. I started by trying to sand the door with some 60 grit sand paper. After about 10 minutes I hadn't made it very far so I started to look for other ideas. I called a neighbor of mine who does custom furniture for a living and asked what he would do in this situation and I was told to buy some paint stripper gel. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj6oM2n85e9YbTZlcMkFPHrzRe_JiLlz3RGESvINxdyZy_buFG6uVJqeDvInofWDW6D1pRRG2YlRwR-nAUkVoa8LFYlO_fp2mM1elqUE2NP7cFEUqVSSgZmoDhFO7-c2TiF7nZQ_NDX8/s1600/DSC00294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj6oM2n85e9YbTZlcMkFPHrzRe_JiLlz3RGESvINxdyZy_buFG6uVJqeDvInofWDW6D1pRRG2YlRwR-nAUkVoa8LFYlO_fp2mM1elqUE2NP7cFEUqVSSgZmoDhFO7-c2TiF7nZQ_NDX8/s200/DSC00294.JPG" width="200" /></a>I went to the local <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/" target="_blank">Home Depot</a> and bought some <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100207981/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053" target="_blank">Klean-Strip 1</a> which came in both sprayable and gel form. I ended up getting the gel form that you wipe on with a paint brush. The stuff is pretty harsh so it recommends using chemical resistant rubber glove, everywhere it touched my bare skin burned. The results were amazing though. Within minutes after brushing on the gel I could already begin to see it working. The paint began to boil and after waiting the recommended time I used a plastic scrape tool and began to scrap off the paint. It actually came off pretty easy, but also left a pretty big mess. I had to re-apply the gel paint stripper multiple times before I was able to get all of the paint off. I actually ran out of the gel kind and decided to get the spray on type. I liked the gel a lot better because it seemed to cover better and was easier to apply.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnnoWxsJp3XBjriKsjJCFKW-rNp9VtBi2dGCKjeuRGBQGpPPoc_Fcsqh3tTdwRm58TqnJ2nVQyGLXc47LmlKckPp-EjFtUl2sygGeGNM_DbQKfDP7njkJJ9d2NO_KYAyrgnocwZ4lR4k/s1600/DSC00295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnnoWxsJp3XBjriKsjJCFKW-rNp9VtBi2dGCKjeuRGBQGpPPoc_Fcsqh3tTdwRm58TqnJ2nVQyGLXc47LmlKckPp-EjFtUl2sygGeGNM_DbQKfDP7njkJJ9d2NO_KYAyrgnocwZ4lR4k/s200/DSC00295.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmF6Lu57WixeJ_UZ3gvSf-9mt_iY1YEnjNb5OPBVTBUTTaWITIOWhsK7LLjKJF2mudU0zWZyE4jTFHEQuz9ql2WuPOfOrWDY5uuxhypwhDcUJ4YRJwZIchjS-Z_7QXbcL4C6x97kNoTg/s1600/DSC00296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmF6Lu57WixeJ_UZ3gvSf-9mt_iY1YEnjNb5OPBVTBUTTaWITIOWhsK7LLjKJF2mudU0zWZyE4jTFHEQuz9ql2WuPOfOrWDY5uuxhypwhDcUJ4YRJwZIchjS-Z_7QXbcL4C6x97kNoTg/s200/DSC00296.JPG" width="150" /></a>The door was pretty beat up and had all sorts of cracks in it that the paint had filled in, so I had to use the paint stripper and a wire brush to get it out. Once I was got all of the paint removed or just tired of trying to get all the paint removed, it was time to once again pull out the sand paper. Before I could do that I had to clean off the gel stripper using mineral spirits and a rough sandpaper. (I was able to tell after finishing the whole door, where I missed so I would recommmend you do a better job of cleaning the stripper off of the wood then I did because the stripper is not stainable and does not absorb the varnish the same as real wood)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUBaocmndTCGnWSTx_QX71NDkt1ZeFUZnJs2_q_D-M6KxKM_J_a5ujhfbeNdrqLLsiCWL8QxHV1pdnV3oJ7mnfNlT0vpWASDeSfqotfFTwjK8wXB7GrW0hkvFqeGWImemsm2vLvCc1Y4/s1600/2011+975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUBaocmndTCGnWSTx_QX71NDkt1ZeFUZnJs2_q_D-M6KxKM_J_a5ujhfbeNdrqLLsiCWL8QxHV1pdnV3oJ7mnfNlT0vpWASDeSfqotfFTwjK8wXB7GrW0hkvFqeGWImemsm2vLvCc1Y4/s200/2011+975.jpg" width="200" /></a>Because the door was so beat up I did have to putty some holes, the largest being where there use to be an old Mortise Lock (I just call them a skelenton key lock). Because the holes were so big I had to make small wood plugs to put in them first before putting putty over the top. I used <a href="http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-wood-putty" target="_blank">Minwax wood putty</a> in the pine color to try to match it up the best I could. With holes this big I wasn't going to be able to have it blend perfectly but I guess that is part of the charm of an old wood door.<br />
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<br />
The edges of the door were pretty beat up and uneven as well so I pulled out my craftsman electric planer and smoothed them down so they were even and straight.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatzlfc78irc-lsLnjYdzkSM1rhWWoK8Az9B6PWCYbkjgNAWVN5I20OGJskMjTkH4KznfgghvyUIf51Vfz8HTU6PqOnxSH7ZSGNnBGaqe3RdHnqP2ixjJJpHlrNQE_AyVUnHGeP1wp45U/s1600/2011+979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatzlfc78irc-lsLnjYdzkSM1rhWWoK8Az9B6PWCYbkjgNAWVN5I20OGJskMjTkH4KznfgghvyUIf51Vfz8HTU6PqOnxSH7ZSGNnBGaqe3RdHnqP2ixjJJpHlrNQE_AyVUnHGeP1wp45U/s200/2011+979.jpg" width="200" /></a>Now that all cleanup work was done I could finally get to the finishing work. I started off with a rough sandpaper and worked my way up to a very fine. I bought a package of Nortons sandpaper that contained a variety of grits, as well as a coupleof the <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Norton/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ12g/R-100051545/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053" target="_blank">Norton rubber sanding blocks</a>. They are wonderful. This time sanding was easy, with the paint off and the wood exposed it was just a matter of smoothing the door down and removing the blemishes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HP4KJLyys7OM-Rbk5Mt3sFNAFPDALNIMqZcE7m-ZsVtPM-drP1uUUWWEIMZHiqHnwny5I28WPBfmdPfMmxQhKdqrf72RleFfcKQRdMHNbdRZNUW29reDjhZ-Qx4Cz4zd8hWFCLqAOHc/s1600/2011+989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HP4KJLyys7OM-Rbk5Mt3sFNAFPDALNIMqZcE7m-ZsVtPM-drP1uUUWWEIMZHiqHnwny5I28WPBfmdPfMmxQhKdqrf72RleFfcKQRdMHNbdRZNUW29reDjhZ-Qx4Cz4zd8hWFCLqAOHc/s200/2011+989.jpg" width="200" /></a>Once the door was nice and smooth it was time to apply the polyurethane finish. I used <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100201939/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053" target="_blank">Minwax</a> that I had left over from when I refinished the cubboard. After following the directions of the polyurethan finish and sanding between coats the door was finally able to be hung.</div>
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One thing I did before hanging the door was to take the old hinges that were also covered in paint and I ran them over my 6 inch wirebrush wheel until they were nice and clean. They really did turn out pretty good. After they were clean up they had a nice rustic look them them that I love.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RPrDf9aowdQ-EWoJ2wTWdVibKnIialcADyq3VmxBRwNQitElxfNP10YwSpjX3jD8fyAN69RjAT1fJLorpKkcNwiC4F6DSxywUZMhSqAproWEnMw-IGLljRARPcN0BFec9XDnI2iBkV0/s1600/2011+982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RPrDf9aowdQ-EWoJ2wTWdVibKnIialcADyq3VmxBRwNQitElxfNP10YwSpjX3jD8fyAN69RjAT1fJLorpKkcNwiC4F6DSxywUZMhSqAproWEnMw-IGLljRARPcN0BFec9XDnI2iBkV0/s200/2011+982.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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You can see that they were covered in a thick coat of paint. One of my pet peeves is when people won't take the time to ether tape the hinge or remove it before painting. If you are going to do a job just do it right the first time so you or I don't end up wasting time fixing it later.<br />
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After days (and quite a few hours) later I was finally able to put my back door on again. While going through the process I often thought that I shouldn't have even started this job, or that I should have just bought a new door, but in the end I was happy with my work and glad that I was able to reuse my old door while saving money on the process. I guess its my own little way to recycle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfFohFJT6S67IeN2q7nBcJjtRFPj9Y6pSh-UwN8znzX3o9Y3ljQz250raGIwfYFPD76JZjU4-FZ5_e6XRVHwcu51ksXECdz7rhNy8Ii079hWy6L4HWTkpgNdJYZhB6L7bN3b5QSR9M-Q/s1600/DSC00315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfFohFJT6S67IeN2q7nBcJjtRFPj9Y6pSh-UwN8znzX3o9Y3ljQz250raGIwfYFPD76JZjU4-FZ5_e6XRVHwcu51ksXECdz7rhNy8Ii079hWy6L4HWTkpgNdJYZhB6L7bN3b5QSR9M-Q/s320/DSC00315.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-73780041233437494282011-11-21T10:51:00.003-07:002011-11-29T20:10:48.742-07:00First Fire of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAf4v5o8wVnnIRJX8CAWvKhmNJHu-A-tTqkUhR4FNLXogE2aMjVAnfKC3sVuR3Sm3pVIwUWQkK_FRfO4B7aVKWcNxm1l_fesKy5ipUi7Wza1OsMnaEkphU9SqDdeZPrw7JsvmuTgjoXc/s1600/11202011113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAf4v5o8wVnnIRJX8CAWvKhmNJHu-A-tTqkUhR4FNLXogE2aMjVAnfKC3sVuR3Sm3pVIwUWQkK_FRfO4B7aVKWcNxm1l_fesKy5ipUi7Wza1OsMnaEkphU9SqDdeZPrw7JsvmuTgjoXc/s320/11202011113.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the things I love about the winter season is being able to build a fire. There is something magical about a fire that demands my full attention, soothes my wandering mind and brings a warmth of joy to my soul.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Last night we decided to build a fire in the fireplace for the first time this year and make smores with the kids. Its amazing how something so simple can bring such joy to your kids. When I told them we were making smores in the fireplace their eyes lit up and we were able to use this bribe to get them to eat dinner and clean the house. Something that they don't do very often.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uy53CCjJNSaK25nGOd003TUMB3MTtR3POb1RXW1G8zu9ye5MjRULIZzQyBmuA_pmy25raXEC_4rORbqfliKw9ykh493NOuh-UErRVCbzdbLmsIbgiJgH98ZzdYa85qXsVdr1wBjLld4/s1600/11202011120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uy53CCjJNSaK25nGOd003TUMB3MTtR3POb1RXW1G8zu9ye5MjRULIZzQyBmuA_pmy25raXEC_4rORbqfliKw9ykh493NOuh-UErRVCbzdbLmsIbgiJgH98ZzdYa85qXsVdr1wBjLld4/s320/11202011120.jpg" width="320" /></a>After I got a blazing fire going we pulled out the old hotdog/marshmallow fire sticks and let the kids go to town with the mellows. Lucky for us our kids usually get sugar overload pretty quick so they really only ate one smore a piece (I think they actually enjoy eating them without putting them over the fire more.)<br />
<br />Even though its cold outside you can always still have fun inside. Making a fire, eating smores, and just relaxing with the family made for one great family night. I highly recommend it.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-58044463461488393302011-11-07T12:41:00.001-07:002011-11-07T12:41:09.427-07:00Fixing the Whine From My Ford Explorer V8 Engine.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeuPuMJFp1bQsqJQf-EFtvQspfLfLATUXRI1fTQwdTjvJjNXOmk0rP2UDOsCOp7oXq_c51zjfJRSDNu1mpV3v6qHSFPl4aUZkueoImilIHr_1yEmTO9Mw48f5iAbv_k-1TLG_qe2JbJY/s1600/FordV8Engine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeuPuMJFp1bQsqJQf-EFtvQspfLfLATUXRI1fTQwdTjvJjNXOmk0rP2UDOsCOp7oXq_c51zjfJRSDNu1mpV3v6qHSFPl4aUZkueoImilIHr_1yEmTO9Mw48f5iAbv_k-1TLG_qe2JbJY/s320/FordV8Engine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Friday I set out to finally fix the whine that was coming from my engine.
I had a couple of different shops tell me they thought it was the power
steering pump and the Fords are notorious for having loud power steering pumps.
So when I started to troubleshoot the problem I was a little bias towards my
problem and my pre-conceived cause.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I started by removing the serpentine belt from around the power steering
pump pulley, A/C pulley, tension pulley, idler pulleys, water pump, etc...
After the belt was removed I checked to make sure it wasn't my A/C pulley, top
idler pulley and tension pulley bearings by spinning them with my hand to make
sure they rolled smoothly. They all checked out.<br />
<br />
Now that I had done these checks I just assumed that it had to be the power
steering pump. I began to remove it. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard to get
out. I had to remove the return hose and the pressure hose, then I
was able to take out the four bolts that held it to the pump housing.<br />
<br />
After the pump was removed I flushed out the remaining power steering fluid
using a turkey baster and air compressor with an air nozzle gun. The power steering
fluid was dirty, and the bottom of the power steering reservoir was filled with
a black sludge. To clean out the sludge I used some carburetor cleaner and once
again saw a clean white filter on the bottom of the reservoir.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJ27QuMSgYi8Va7PcLMnNG5djijP-2tXmzdOtaw375-l7yCDqwMGTzAU0vcCr7-8bdU5_EnEw_WwVokE-0ENQVsAVwNL7iZs4qij-yM9-uFqKm93T5z_hewzDPXHLyCy_rciYqWkttK4/s1600/PowersteeringPUmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJ27QuMSgYi8Va7PcLMnNG5djijP-2tXmzdOtaw375-l7yCDqwMGTzAU0vcCr7-8bdU5_EnEw_WwVokE-0ENQVsAVwNL7iZs4qij-yM9-uFqKm93T5z_hewzDPXHLyCy_rciYqWkttK4/s1600/PowersteeringPUmp.jpg" /></a><br />
Now that I had made it this far I decided I had better find someone who sold
my power steering pump and had it in stock. I had made some calls earlier in the week and I had two
options. the A1 Cardone rebuilt pump or the Atsco rebuilt pump. I couldn't find
anyone in the valley that had the A1 Cardone in stock, but <a href="http://www.autozone.com/autozone/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Autozone</span></a> did have
the Atsco, so of course I decided to go with it.<br />
<br />
My wife was gone with my daughter to a birthday party so I didn't have a car
to go get the pump, and I couldn't get my motorcycle to start. I was going to
ride my bike but the tires were flat and I could find my tire nozzle for the
air compressor. So now I was stuck with a car that was torn apart and no way to
get the parts that I needed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SiO0ccYY3BZDSDsqaHRxfqMHfhf2Pz4FDc9EmZY98QHm14aNM3quzymFmEJo34mDSSMGTFlGiJFwlomNUoQvgdFS6e1az0hh3Ekez_e7p01s6hO0WXso1DPPamHUTWqzByJDF71H1-Y/s1600/2536DB751E7ED0BD72BB113596850763.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SiO0ccYY3BZDSDsqaHRxfqMHfhf2Pz4FDc9EmZY98QHm14aNM3quzymFmEJo34mDSSMGTFlGiJFwlomNUoQvgdFS6e1az0hh3Ekez_e7p01s6hO0WXso1DPPamHUTWqzByJDF71H1-Y/s200/2536DB751E7ED0BD72BB113596850763.gif" width="57" /></a></div>
I was able to get my motorcycle started with the help of a trickle charger (it was getting cold and my bike has
a hard time starting in the cold because of the battery) so I was pretty glad
that it started. I drove up to <a href="http://www.autozone.com/autozone/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Autozone</span></a> by my house only to find out they didn't have the
pump in stock, it was the one farther up the road that did. While I was there I
talked to the girl sales associate who knew a lot about Ford trucks and she
suggested that I check my idler pulley because they tended to go out a lot on
Fords as well. I told her I checked it but made a note to do so again. Off to
my second <a href="http://www.autozone.com/autozone/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Autozone</span></a>
to pick up my pump and some <a href="http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=273&catid=9&loc=show&headTitle=%20-%20Lucas%20Oil%20Power%20Steering%20Fluid%20w/Conditioners"><span style="color: blue;">Lucas
power steering fluid</span></a>.<br />
<br />
By the time I got home I needed to get ready for my daughters dance recital
so all of my repairs needed to be put on hold until I got home again. <br />
<br />
After getting the kids to bed I went back to work on my car. I checked the
idler pulley again and it was fine, but then I noticed there was a second idler
pulley on the bottom of my engine that I couldn't see from the top, but only
from underneath. I check this pulley and sure enough it didn't roll smoothly
and I could feel the bearings were worn out.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQymSHoaRTvhFd7E5vk9ivh12uD8RD8ntNPx-bh7PNqImw6Y5w0SZA-4CtQ2qcH0gRu8Jcdc5d1Y48VI0fuvETt6cHxpaG3M8NK0TFZGb3NJY4P3rx48auh8rqUZ8KVwMeItzpqT8A10g/s1600/IdlerPulley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQymSHoaRTvhFd7E5vk9ivh12uD8RD8ntNPx-bh7PNqImw6Y5w0SZA-4CtQ2qcH0gRu8Jcdc5d1Y48VI0fuvETt6cHxpaG3M8NK0TFZGb3NJY4P3rx48auh8rqUZ8KVwMeItzpqT8A10g/s200/IdlerPulley.jpg" width="171" /></a><br />
Now I knew that at least part of my problem was the worn out idler pulley. Lucky for me my wife was home now so I was
able to drive down to <a href="http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/home.oap" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">O'Reilly's auto parts</span></a> and pick up a new Gates idler pulley.
It was only $15 bucks, and while I was at it I also picked up a new <a href="http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=2389&location_id=3059" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Gates Serpentine belt</span></a>. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
To change out the bottom idler pulley and replace the serpentine belt it
took me about 15 minutes. I decided to put my old power steering pump back in
and let her rip rather than spending the $50 bucks on a new one just in case
the old one was still good. It took me about an hour to put the pump back
into my car. I realized there was probably a better order to install things than I
choose, but I was able to get the car back together. After bleeding the power
steering fluid to remove all of the air bubbles I was ready to test out my work
and to see if I found the culprit of my whiny car.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvka86ZGjsGpfp-KRfcHWKsOIqeYhe4ZkmsucOApeSW7VJyNevYgg_V4rT0diZ9c9Nj2QQvU9bHda5-AolaySTf8GohyphenhyphencB2BFqLPCGuMkZ2tzL_SPBz0Ege7Bl4cXUQT8noHJcGG1Vf8/s1600/GATES-K081264.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvka86ZGjsGpfp-KRfcHWKsOIqeYhe4ZkmsucOApeSW7VJyNevYgg_V4rT0diZ9c9Nj2QQvU9bHda5-AolaySTf8GohyphenhyphencB2BFqLPCGuMkZ2tzL_SPBz0Ege7Bl4cXUQT8noHJcGG1Vf8/s320/GATES-K081264.gif" width="320" /></a>I started my car up and sure enough it was silent. I could actually hear the
engine again. It had been so long since I could hear the engine that I forgot
what a lovely deep rumbling sound the V8 engine actually made. Sure enough it
had been the idler pulley the whole time, when I say the whole time I mean at
least a year. Sad thing is that I spent a good part of 5 hours (on and off)
working on my car, that had I just tested the pulley first I could have been
done in 15-30 minutes. <br />
<br />
Live and learn is what I always say. Sure I could be
angry about the time that I spent on the car that didn't need to happen, but
then I wouldn't have learned about power steering pumps and how they work, and
how to replace them.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The moral of my story is to always do your due diligence and don't let
pre-conceived notions distract you and lead you down the wrong path. I think
this can be applied in many areas of our lives.<o:p></o:p>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-68707791021782601332011-11-03T16:10:00.000-06:002011-11-06T16:13:01.203-07:00Today's plugged toilet was brought to you by the letter "H"<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SC7CE/ref=asc_df_B0002SC7CE1768352?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-1546-16-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395097&creativeASIN=B0002SC7CE" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCONBGkCqEfiamMqcvqV5OvjeTT3J_bptbh76m6QMtM4s2J5twykBlF3zw0KabyI00Kztb07_AzygHkbgqSEezzWt7ujxsem9HG5tLIrky_Yj0FSeITaq9xdYQjmOlBYWXGzhGxzheXc/s320/Unplugging+the+toilet+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once again I came home to a plugged toilet. Preston is the usual culprit but he wasn't fessing up to it this time, I never did find out who did it. After fighting with the kids to get them to bed, I didn't feel like taking care of the toilet so I ended up fixing it in the morning. In the situations where I cannot get the plugged toilet to drain with the normal tools: Toilet Plunger or a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100621924/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053" target="_blank">BrassCraft Homeowner Toilet Auger </a>it's time to pull the toilet and remove the plug from the bottom.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It really isn't that hard of a job, more disgusting in thought than anything. You only need a small wrench, a new toilet bowl wax ring (They are pretty inexpensive and a good thing to have just lying around), scraper, flashlight and I also use latex gloves, but that is my preference.</div>
<ol>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_S9RDQ5yCOG4yAmXHMA662-O1SJ8NAMfTHEv52NOlC3VIYN148mWmpDvsJRM-flB9Xc4m6hi1MIahJ_Hw_a5KfjixCPel7GY3YtmHNx1SV8XN7pWLzeco2NQE-DHRZatAFziKaGwjEI/s1600/Unplugging+the+toilet+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_S9RDQ5yCOG4yAmXHMA662-O1SJ8NAMfTHEv52NOlC3VIYN148mWmpDvsJRM-flB9Xc4m6hi1MIahJ_Hw_a5KfjixCPel7GY3YtmHNx1SV8XN7pWLzeco2NQE-DHRZatAFziKaGwjEI/s200/Unplugging+the+toilet+002.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li>Turn off the water to the toilet tank. This is usually just a 1/4 turn shutoff valve that comes out of the wall. </li>
<br />
<li>Once the water is off flush the toilet to drain the water from the tank.</li>
<br />
<li>You will need to drain the bowel of the excess water before removing the toilet and I find the best way to do this is with a common wet-dry vac. (Remember to remove the air filter first) </li>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYDciaNmbsRlU3PVh8iiektOKZkDteuzUld1d7KdPWzFP2tOD_iIvyo41XVNoVpOUyBCmFnmRW9ozPm7-UeZgba0dsQ69bIbb24wWdQb2com-t6OBGbzp5iCuFZqqm1N8zpNQSmqWOok/s1600/Unplugging+the+toilet+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYDciaNmbsRlU3PVh8iiektOKZkDteuzUld1d7KdPWzFP2tOD_iIvyo41XVNoVpOUyBCmFnmRW9ozPm7-UeZgba0dsQ69bIbb24wWdQb2com-t6OBGbzp5iCuFZqqm1N8zpNQSmqWOok/s200/Unplugging+the+toilet+006.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li>After the water has been drained from the tank, unscrew the water hose from the botton of the tank.</li>
<br />
<li>Once the water is removed from the toilet, pop the two caps off of the lower bowl that are covering the bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. You can use a flat head screwdriver or you hands. </li>
<br />
<li>Removes the bolts that are holding the toilet to the ground </li>
<br />
<li>Pick up the toilet (I try not to grab it from the tank, but from the underside of the toilet so I don't break the tank) and lay it on its side. I like to put towels on the floor to catch any water I might have missed in the tank or bowl.</li>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDMn4ypLHtfnQ0EZA8aTDoIv4OFyXfeDH6tr9Eukayuyr6vZR9wwOhNpcNOLumOTUjDge2vqofdf1XNkZ-2ZlT_QR69IHjPMb6dE2mSW6TIvUy6bG0G91lmxHVkj7SPFYqmc58B4DWxc/s1600/Unplugging+the+toilet+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDMn4ypLHtfnQ0EZA8aTDoIv4OFyXfeDH6tr9Eukayuyr6vZR9wwOhNpcNOLumOTUjDge2vqofdf1XNkZ-2ZlT_QR69IHjPMb6dE2mSW6TIvUy6bG0G91lmxHVkj7SPFYqmc58B4DWxc/s200/Unplugging+the+toilet+016.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li>Once the toilet is on its side you will be able to see the wax ring, the whole in the bottom of your toilet and the hole that leads to the sewer in the floor. With the hole in the bottom of the toilet exposed. Look in the hole using the flashlight to see if you can see the clog. I usually
can at this point. If you can see the clog remove it, if not use the toilet auger and push it through to the bowl. </li>
<br />
<li>Now that the clog has been removed, scrap off the old toilet ring from the bottom of the toilet and the drain piping on the floor. </li>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb3QTmHccgoTKAtF2CwQgIjUu4Az3Z0vHG-SDswX_Fk-erxQl5g8lQmDEe1lUtpofdv6raCs0Lp-W7duehHc8D6swwGXZMnxOhNq_zvPJAaRWfONrNDwqyckUht7tP51aKrDcAWNo6iQ/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb3QTmHccgoTKAtF2CwQgIjUu4Az3Z0vHG-SDswX_Fk-erxQl5g8lQmDEe1lUtpofdv6raCs0Lp-W7duehHc8D6swwGXZMnxOhNq_zvPJAaRWfONrNDwqyckUht7tP51aKrDcAWNo6iQ/s200/untitled.png" width="200" /></a>
<li>Apply the new toilet bowl wax ring according to manufactures instructions, and then re-install the toilet in reverse order you used to take it off.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<em>NOTE: </em>When tightening the bolts that hold the toilet to the floor, do not over tighten the bolts so you don't break your toilet.
<br />
<br />
It is sad that this has become a pretty common procedure for me at my house. This is a simple thing to do and can save you a lot of money.<br />
<br />
I have come up with a list of things my kids have plugged the toilet with over the last couple of years:<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266012" target="_blank"><strong>LeapFrog Word Jammer</strong></a><strong> letter H</strong>: (Pictured above) </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgyEXfvhkhzxwfBvweRytA8kGKaISixsgIYRJKkvDi-o4ABL1sjd1cQru_Qrd6FiYfKwZTlWqdrXaYm5ZUOmlo8MOWFGOYXspnrbuR9RmqXQDoyjRuqmNBZ5ir-WPJVBprrfVNPWnzjI/s1600/11042011101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgyEXfvhkhzxwfBvweRytA8kGKaISixsgIYRJKkvDi-o4ABL1sjd1cQru_Qrd6FiYfKwZTlWqdrXaYm5ZUOmlo8MOWFGOYXspnrbuR9RmqXQDoyjRuqmNBZ5ir-WPJVBprrfVNPWnzjI/s200/11042011101.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LeapFrog Word Jammer leter H</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266012" target="_blank"><strong>LeapFrog Word Jammer</strong></a><strong> letter U</strong>: These letters are just the right size to plug a toilet.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9RPICqolXMQ-tIsk5V_m0YdhKt1qZpWW4sS97UtHtgwQzqVa7EDJISXcpwNVfGExAd5SZCE1yli-CS0fowjvS10Lk5HHoGysP2LYG-JXrH3FJhqQUEynfpfiXKv4ashlaJceQ0NXODI/s1600/BigSuperBall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9RPICqolXMQ-tIsk5V_m0YdhKt1qZpWW4sS97UtHtgwQzqVa7EDJISXcpwNVfGExAd5SZCE1yli-CS0fowjvS10Lk5HHoGysP2LYG-JXrH3FJhqQUEynfpfiXKv4ashlaJceQ0NXODI/s200/BigSuperBall.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Super Ball </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A large super ball: This one plugged the toilet the best. Once it was in there nothing was going down, it was a pretty nasty one.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5NFZp4mnPoUTgfbL2dWxVEYUdBOuDvDg9ITW2CFon-E5w46xMfLiltB1UzewGuorImp2ptQlrw0rNaXHFVc0e0BVGilZ-49iD-LRaFwUJEy6xgFOaQH3qwsrqJfmf7CiVS5Z5kANlZc/s1600/buzz%252Blightyear%252Bbuddy%252B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5NFZp4mnPoUTgfbL2dWxVEYUdBOuDvDg9ITW2CFon-E5w46xMfLiltB1UzewGuorImp2ptQlrw0rNaXHFVc0e0BVGilZ-49iD-LRaFwUJEy6xgFOaQH3qwsrqJfmf7CiVS5Z5kANlZc/s200/buzz%252Blightyear%252Bbuddy%252B.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buzz Light Year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong>Buzz Light Year</strong>: He didn't want to go quietly in the night. He was clinging onto everything he could in order to not go down the drain.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TBVt8Ml982ItaTiFYucCe1TSa5DrN1JdWNa4J9sEhhXb84HHQiKGLgfut-UvxHoz6CGPxh_G7PLgeWCGolB9Iexe__-bL8BDDJEOSAGUFyafmXW3ucLPnBXOt356uZYTf8AhT_AFKh8/s1600/mini_cinderella_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TBVt8Ml982ItaTiFYucCe1TSa5DrN1JdWNa4J9sEhhXb84HHQiKGLgfut-UvxHoz6CGPxh_G7PLgeWCGolB9Iexe__-bL8BDDJEOSAGUFyafmXW3ucLPnBXOt356uZYTf8AhT_AFKh8/s200/mini_cinderella_.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinderella</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Disney-Princess-Favorite-Moments/dp/B002YVWMFO/ref=sr_1_7?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1320355548&sr=1-7" target="_blank"><strong>Cinderella: Disney Princess Favorite Moments Figure Doll</strong></a>: The poor girl didn't have a dream come true night at the bowl.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYqQnB8qfFBX8NlugkReSIWIHGzMfFcGmCs4DuBpwHutFs1cPmwZ0hbWOXokwvZy1RIFWbPc8mWirbgTXMYO-ey-5dYDc8cOBjhbdLaZJKvTcK6J11HzbysgyvPheI-JWEg8iWOeL22o/s1600/meat-thermometer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYqQnB8qfFBX8NlugkReSIWIHGzMfFcGmCs4DuBpwHutFs1cPmwZ0hbWOXokwvZy1RIFWbPc8mWirbgTXMYO-ey-5dYDc8cOBjhbdLaZJKvTcK6J11HzbysgyvPheI-JWEg8iWOeL22o/s200/meat-thermometer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meat Thermometer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong>Meat Thermometer</strong>: This was by far the worst thing you could flush down the toilet. It collected everything that was flushed down the toilet and it was very hard to remove. I am surprised I didn't break my toilet getting this one out.</div>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-64910223570323837212011-11-01T23:05:00.000-06:002011-11-02T23:07:39.589-06:00A Halloween repair - Adding a ceiling switch box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAJUNZFEcPLznUnyCRhAwPiH8THT9kqW8Xc0QavqP2kN-Ed8noIdsi75Q2ifdlBvpqWKGkHpGInzz1f5KpKddePPOtxur62v2UPPQXKkEICQas9jiEsewkwb1pYFn93Ygxra7s9ZTQz8/s1600/October+2011+105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAJUNZFEcPLznUnyCRhAwPiH8THT9kqW8Xc0QavqP2kN-Ed8noIdsi75Q2ifdlBvpqWKGkHpGInzz1f5KpKddePPOtxur62v2UPPQXKkEICQas9jiEsewkwb1pYFn93Ygxra7s9ZTQz8/s320/October+2011+105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The switch in my closet has been broken for some time now and I finally decided to do something about it last night. I figured I might as well take advantage of the sugar buzz and put the energy to good use.</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>For some reason I cannot leave good enough alone, so I decided to install a ceiling electrical switch box where my light was instead of just a hole in the ceiling for the electrical wire. Because my house is about 90 years old, which is pretty old for the community I live in, all of the walls and ceilings are made out of lath and plaster which makes easy jobs like this a bit harder.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XphQ0uK9pPYsPQLp3LNQHID3_H5lkImZo967didKuvNZuDy5O0u_flEwm0uH8wMXXzdQNwUa-_Zv-Sp1zKDGMrhYBQ-6RtWY9vhD4Qe9ZA2qdgqx-R-dAHMRYawuokrOK4zlApSr0V0/s1600/October+2011+106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XphQ0uK9pPYsPQLp3LNQHID3_H5lkImZo967didKuvNZuDy5O0u_flEwm0uH8wMXXzdQNwUa-_Zv-Sp1zKDGMrhYBQ-6RtWY9vhD4Qe9ZA2qdgqx-R-dAHMRYawuokrOK4zlApSr0V0/s320/October+2011+106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Before starting I made sure the power was off for this electrical run by flipping the breaker for it. I then put up some plastic to shield all of my clothes in the closet from dust (yes I was too lazy to remove them)<br />
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After the prep-work was done I marked the hole where the box was going to go using the ceiling switch box as a guide.<br />
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I used the hole in the middle as my plunge point and cut out the hole for my box using my<a href="http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?ID=891" target="_blank"> Makita 18V LXT Recipro Saw</a> with a <a href="http://dewalt.com/tool-parts/reciprocating-saw-blades-demolition-blades.aspx" target="_blank">demolition blade</a>. I used the demolition blade because it was supposed to handle more types of materials, but it still went dull on me pretty fast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaBiQbv1h3NNweBjywKu3UTXmBOIwfoJboKS7PyfBY5duTx315cDQq1oA04TaHP-_oIB2M0I5c-EUVkZitlnkt2AccINjku0twXxbcAu-4diHWBsaALiji0fhcGXb6djco_ABZOLdM9M/s1600/October+2011+108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaBiQbv1h3NNweBjywKu3UTXmBOIwfoJboKS7PyfBY5duTx315cDQq1oA04TaHP-_oIB2M0I5c-EUVkZitlnkt2AccINjku0twXxbcAu-4diHWBsaALiji0fhcGXb6djco_ABZOLdM9M/s320/October+2011+108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cutting a nice circle in lath and plaster has always been a challenge for me, and to be honest this is one of my better cuts. It really makes me miss sheet rock in a home.<br />
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Now that I had the hole cut out I inserted in my "<a href="http://www.goodmart.com/products/raco-3-1-2-in-round-non-metallic-cable-ceiling-box-old-work-gp-17-3-cu-in-7922rac.htm" target="_blank">old work</a>" ceiling electrical box. Make sure its an old work box because they come with little wings on the side that will flip out and over the sheet rock when you tighten them down. They don't work as well for lath and plaster because it is so much thicker. So I usually unscrew the wings as much as I can and then tighten them down and hope for the best. It is also helpful to remove the lath around the hole where the wings would be so they have somewhere to go.<br />
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Last I hooked up my pull switch up to the electrical wire, and screwed it into the box. I made a pretty good mess so I was glad that I put up the plastic to protect my clothes. After vacuuming up my mess and removing the plastic I was all done. The whole job took me somewhere between 30-45 minutes (probably really only about 15 minutes the rest was looking for my tools)<br />
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I am pretty excited to have a light in my closet again. As always, once I was done with my project I had to wonder why it took me so long to get around to doing it. Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-14125812765450104022011-10-20T22:31:00.003-06:002011-10-20T22:39:20.000-06:00Technorati - The Google of blog search enginesI have submitted my blog to <a href="http://technorati.com/">Technorati</a> which was founded to help bloggers succeed by collecting, highlighting, and distributing the global online conversation.<br />
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Read more: <a href="http://technorati.com/about-technorati/#ixzz1bO4yaRDJ" style="color: #003399;">http://technorati.com/about-technorati/#ixzz1bO4yaRDJ</a><br />
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Technorati is the "Google" of blog search engines.<br />
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W9AQJP3WGUD3Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-72900261294610479282011-10-18T10:45:00.002-06:002011-10-18T11:15:43.923-06:00Murray Moontlight Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past Saturday night my wife and I ran in the Murray Moon<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">t</span>light Run. Yes that is spelled right. I don't know why there is a t in the title, but there is so it makes searching for it on the Internet a lot harder (UPDATE, only some web pages have it spelled with a T, I think the actual web site has it omitted).<br />
<a name='more'></a>Some of you might say "But you hate running" and you would be right, I do hate to run, but I love doing things with my wife. So when my wife's aunt hurt her knee and was no longer able to run the race, I volunteered to run it with her. The only problem is that I haven't ran this far in a very very long time. So I planned to run as much as I could and just walk the rest (The older the I get the less pride I have, 10 years ago I wouldn't have given the thought of walking a second chance)<br />
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I think this was the first year they have done this race because it seemed a little disorganized. My wife didn't get a shirt her size, so now her large shirt has become my daughters nightgown. The concept of the race was fun. We got to run at night along the Jordon river parkway trail. I actually prefer to run at night so that wasn't so bad. Everyone had glow in the dark bands and paint on and they had black lights setup along the way to help us glow.<br />
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I am pleasantly surprised by how much running I actually end up doing, and my wonderful wife stuck by my side even though I know she could have kicked my butt.<br />
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I have to tell my brother thank you for baby sitting our kids while we were away at the race. It was a fun night and despite the running I still had a great time, one that I will never forget.<br />
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The run was to support the battle against cyber-bullies and online harassment <br />
For more information go to: <a href="http://www.murraymoonlightrun.com/">Murry Moonlight Run</a>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com01070 W 5400 S, Murray, UT 84123, USA40.6530592 -111.923010640.6515532 -111.92547809999999 40.6545652 -111.9205431tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-5532065539785869862011-10-10T12:07:00.000-06:002011-10-11T09:06:51.664-06:00Conner Show us the cheap mans way of waxingScout camp is always a fun and adventurous time where boys get to do dumb things. Conner was talked into wrapping duct tape around his leg, which from the sounds of the video (sorry for the poor quality) you can tell it was a cheap painful way of waxing your legs.<br />
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This is just one piece of tape that had Conner's hair on it. He had bald spots on his leg from where the tape was torn off.</div>
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Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com1Moab, UT 84532, USA38.5733155 -109.549839538.5484875 -109.58932150000001 38.5981435 -109.5103575tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-23209055434486388762011-10-09T15:39:00.001-06:002011-10-10T13:26:37.334-06:00Wifi Enabled Thermostat<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the longest time I have wanted to get a wifi enabled thermostat, but have never really needed one. This past summer my old thermostat went and I was forced to get a new one. While I was at Home Depot looking for a new one I noticed the various different types. First you have the cheap $20 - $30 ones with don't do much more than adjust your temperature. Next you have the mid range which do a little more and they run from $40 - $70. Finally you have the wifi enabled ones that run about $99. As I looked at these models I decided that its not that much more to go with the wifi one.</div>
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After several months of owning this thermostat, I can truly say that it is awesome. Install, download the app and bam you can set the temperature in your house from your phone no matter where you are. The app is available for your Android, iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone and from any web browser. </div>
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<b>Specifications</b><br />
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<li><strong>Assembled Depth (in.) </strong>: 1.7 in</li>
<li><strong>Assembled Height (in.) </strong>: 4.5 in</li>
<li><strong>Assembled Width (in.) </strong>: 5.9 in</li>
<li><strong>Automatic Heating/Cooling Changeover </strong>: N</li>
<li><strong>Backlit </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Batteries Included </strong>: No</li>
<li><strong>Battery Back-Up </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Battery Operated </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Battery Type </strong>: AA-Alkaline</li>
<li><strong>CSA Listed </strong>: No</li>
<li><strong>Color Family </strong>: Whites</li>
<li><strong>Daylight Savings Time Ready </strong>: No</li>
<li><strong>Depth (in) </strong>: 1.4 in</li>
<li><strong>Display height (in.) </strong>: 1.5</li>
<li><strong>Display width (in.) </strong>: 2.9</li>
<li><strong>ETL Listed </strong>: No</li>
<li><strong>Energy Star Compliant </strong>: No</li>
<li><strong>Height (in) </strong>: 11.3 in</li>
<li><strong>Item Package Type </strong>: Plastic Container</li>
<li><strong>Item Weight </strong>: .48 lb</li>
<li><strong>Lockable </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Low Battery Indicator </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Manufacturer Warranty </strong>: 5 year Limited Home Depot warranty</li>
<li><strong>Number of HVAC Zones </strong>: 1</li>
<li><strong>Periods per Programmable Day </strong>: 4</li>
<li><strong>Product Depth (in.) </strong>: 1.7</li>
<li><strong>Product Height (ft.) </strong>: 4.5</li>
<li><strong>Product Width (in.) </strong>: 5.9 in</li>
<li><strong>Removable Interface </strong>: No</li>
<li><strong>Returnable </strong>: 90-Day</li>
<li><strong>Shape </strong>: Rectangle</li>
<li><strong>Thermostat Type </strong>: Heating and Cooling</li>
<li><strong>Touch Screen Programming </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>UL Listed </strong>: N-No UL Code Rating</li>
<li><strong>Vacation Mode </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Voltage Rating </strong>: 1 millivolt to 24 volts</li>
<li><strong>Wi-Fi Capability </strong>: Yes</li>
<li><strong>Width (in) </strong>: 11.0 in</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Requirements:</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">All remote access features require working WiFi network with internet access and a "C" or common wire connected to the thermostat for power.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Installation:</span></b></div>
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Installation will vary for different thermostats, but I will give you a general walk through. Also before you start, you need to make sure you have a "C" or common wire as mentioned above. The easiest way to know if you have a "C" wire is if your current digital thermostat can run without a battery. When I say digital thermostat, I mean one that has a digital read out and not a dial or slide knob setup. If you have a dial type thermostat, it is going to be more difficult to know if you have a "C" wire. The "C" basically supplies the power to the thermostat.</div>
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<b>Step 1</b></div>
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Turn off the power to your thermostat. I flipped the switch on my furnace to power it down and then turned off my breaker switch.</div>
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<b>Step 2</b></div>
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Remove the face plate or thermostat from the wall. This will vary depending on your setup</div>
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<b>Step 3</b></div>
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I recommend taking a picture of the current wire setup, so you can remember how it all was.</div>
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<b>Step 4 </b></div>
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The new wifi thermostat comes with instructions to show you the wire conversion chart. I won't go into much detail on this because there are a lot of variations. Basically you just need to look up which wires are what and compare them to the current wiring on your thermostat. </div>
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<b>Step 5</b></div>
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Once you figure out all the wires, you can then label them with the provided labels that come with the wifi thermostat.</div>
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<b>Step 6</b></div>
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With wires now labeled, disconnect all the wires from old thermostat and reconnect them to the proper places on the new thermostat. </div>
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<b>Step 7</b></div>
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Insert the wifi card on the side and flip the switch, download the app and you are ready to go. </div>
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Now of course I am leaving a lot of steps out such as the wifi configuration and such but this is all covered in the setup guide that is provided with your new thermostat. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-77599476852109382902011-09-27T21:28:00.000-06:002011-10-10T13:21:43.412-06:00PVC Marshmallow Shooters - Linkin logs for adults<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I seem to be on a PVC kick. Maybe because it seems like adult linkin-logs I don't know, but today I decided to build PVC marshmallow shooters with/for my kids. (Yes really for my kids)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglual3Aeifow_7aaaFxZdDKnKFzYHhJZ1C52c70WJ6HQB1fvVL4yrzZ0bWiKKTvFQvH2gHz5jP2S3vIcfa10MHHHk_wWU5D4MzdLodl-WyS4IzVcCvI8JjDmPH0dLUK5z0QdxYtX3L-U0/s1600/PVC-Pipe-Cutter-ANT-PC-301-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglual3Aeifow_7aaaFxZdDKnKFzYHhJZ1C52c70WJ6HQB1fvVL4yrzZ0bWiKKTvFQvH2gHz5jP2S3vIcfa10MHHHk_wWU5D4MzdLodl-WyS4IzVcCvI8JjDmPH0dLUK5z0QdxYtX3L-U0/s200/PVC-Pipe-Cutter-ANT-PC-301-.jpg" width="200" /></a>Building the guns are really easy and require very few tools. The only real tool needed is a way to cut the PVC pipe. A PVC pipe cutter makes life easier, but you could use anything that can cut through PVC. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC0eQ6sc9eGLFEa89RTa9w7-yRKdx8clTuA6_FbYEkfGrSEOMKxP9oy0907ZRTmt0_Ib7iFc7OhYpKoYMxR_pqyN5l4XPmwJxP7HdSkABqnDIldDRi3c8wgw7NO824RqscKxXFPOMjN4/s1600/DSC00269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC0eQ6sc9eGLFEa89RTa9w7-yRKdx8clTuA6_FbYEkfGrSEOMKxP9oy0907ZRTmt0_Ib7iFc7OhYpKoYMxR_pqyN5l4XPmwJxP7HdSkABqnDIldDRi3c8wgw7NO824RqscKxXFPOMjN4/s320/DSC00269.JPG" width="320" /></a>For the guns that I built I made the following cuts:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pieces needed:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>24 inches of 3/4 inch PVC pipe</li>
<li>2 3/4 pvc endcaps</li>
<li>2 3/4 pvc tee</li>
<li>2 3/4 pvc 90 elbow</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">Cuts needed:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>5 2" x 3/4 pvc pieces</li>
<li>1 7" x 3/4 pvc piece</li>
</ul>
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Once you have made your cuts put the gun together as the following pictured shows:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CYmi3RIv4vdWCNMIJSDGZZe1bI2q_Al8tOoOiz6kDGOwlM7DiXJZplOFDlcaXDGkrfxjUB449MA8n5pAL2ipD5sFRObBLflTZUwhLNHxhW2nfIaViQ_T7WBXW6DAL3mwsazWhSOuR1E/s1600/DSC00271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CYmi3RIv4vdWCNMIJSDGZZe1bI2q_Al8tOoOiz6kDGOwlM7DiXJZplOFDlcaXDGkrfxjUB449MA8n5pAL2ipD5sFRObBLflTZUwhLNHxhW2nfIaViQ_T7WBXW6DAL3mwsazWhSOuR1E/s320/DSC00271.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There really isn't a wrong way when building your marshmallow shooter. As long as you can put a marshmallow in one end and blow it out the other, any thing you do will work out just fine. This is why I call them linkin logs for adults. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidITeHOmPHfN_RkZM8UHK1oFValfizC8PNDUw5jUS6yTfX58p6l9RK4OwBxDsMen-RvzLRj32zC0jOFW-RIvqJJSbY13ZNrHfJ5VgJkDmXiVGqgsmoJo06-nDkP3b8rEmVGHENkBbSkkE/s1600/DSC00272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidITeHOmPHfN_RkZM8UHK1oFValfizC8PNDUw5jUS6yTfX58p6l9RK4OwBxDsMen-RvzLRj32zC0jOFW-RIvqJJSbY13ZNrHfJ5VgJkDmXiVGqgsmoJo06-nDkP3b8rEmVGHENkBbSkkE/s320/DSC00272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once my shooter was all assembled and my kids were done with theirs we had a marshmallow war. Each gun only cost a little over $2 dollars and my kids loved the shooters, and you will too.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-61257361359382269642011-08-25T14:05:00.000-06:002011-08-25T14:05:01.400-06:00ksl.com - S.L. County begins weekly recycling pickups to preserve landfillCome on Provo City, get with the program already. Weekly pickup is the key, so people will stop throwing away their recycalbes because the blue can is full. <br />
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<a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=16963551#.TlaqSRPln0Q.blogger">ksl.com - S.L. County begins weekly recycling pickups to preserve landfill</a>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-12792655257807823942011-08-23T08:55:00.000-06:002011-08-23T08:55:34.987-06:00Finally a discount on Thai food near where I live.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.groupon.com/r/uu30748303" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://assets1.grouponcdn.com/images/site_images/1510/1899/Pad-Thai-Siam_grid_6.jpg?OuCBfeoD" width="200" /></a></div>I love Thai food, so when I saw that Groupon had a deal on for Pad Thai Siam I had to write a post about it. This deal seems like it would work best for dinner (maybe a date) rather than lunch, since they have a pretty good lunch special already.<br />
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<a href="http://www.groupon.com/r/uu30748303">Paid Thai Siam Groupon Deal</a>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0934 N State St, Orem, UT 84057, USA40.3146063 -111.7026151999999740.3146033 -111.70262619999997 40.3146093 -111.70260419999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-67702372318492128342011-08-20T12:02:00.000-06:002011-10-20T21:51:18.933-06:00Pixy Stix ChallengeThe challenge: Pour half of a large pixy stix into your rootbeer/applebeer and chug it as quickly as possible! <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyP6C2-7iABYF-BJYDk3WaPJGU70yauuI7Y1988Ji23P6ZUUma6YcPV2zjkChIVYluEB_tsJoq0nWsbCvamig' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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It is hard to say who won this contest. Conner played by the rules, but Stephen did finish first.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-12565778971043337342011-08-16T13:57:00.000-06:002011-08-16T13:57:23.775-06:00BYU Cougar Club—Salt Lake Chapter: Holmoe, Morris, Cahoon, Kariya, & Kaveinga to Spea...<a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4106090/BYUBigBlueBash2011.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4106090/BYUBigBlueBash2011.png" width="246" /></a><a href="http://byucougarclubsaltlakechapter.blogspot.com/2011/08/this-saturdays-6th-annual-big-blue-bash.html?spref=bl">BYU Cougar Club—Salt Lake Chapter: Holmoe, Morris, Cahoon, Kariya, & Kaveinga to Spea...</a>: "This Saturday’s 6th Annual Big Blue Bash, a pre-season BYU football party, will feature past BYU greats and current players including Tom Ho..." <br />
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Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com075 SW Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84144, USA40.7674606 -111.89357888.1667005999999986 -171.6592038 73.3682206 -52.1279538tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-10278162912112184082011-08-08T09:33:00.002-06:002011-08-08T09:54:49.210-06:00Rocky Mountain Wingshak - Groupon Deal (52% off)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets1.grouponcdn.com/images/site_images/1437/3745/Rocky-Mountain-Wingshak_grid_6.jpg?l4OSsArr" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://assets1.grouponcdn.com/images/site_images/1437/3745/Rocky-Mountain-Wingshak_grid_6.jpg?l4OSsArr" width="200" /></a></div>If you are like me then you love the wings at the Rocky Mountain Wingshak. Groupon currently has a deal for 52% off the chicken-wing meal for two. This is the first time I have seen a deal for the wingshak, but you had better act quick. The deal will not last long.<br />
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If you use this link, I can get a referral bonus (SO USE THE LINK) <a href="http://gr.pn/ni573Y">The Daily Man Shows Groupon Link</a><br />
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Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0456 E State Rd, American Fork, UT 84003, USA40.373391 -111.786611999999997.619295000000001 -171.552237 73.127487 -52.020986999999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-36591295216611770982011-07-18T14:53:00.000-06:002011-07-18T14:53:03.592-06:00ksl.com - UDOT wins management awardOK I don't usually post this kind of thing on my blog. But are you kidding me? If <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">UDOT</span> won this award for management I would hate to see their competition. I think <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">KSL</span> must have misprinted this. It was supposed to say "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">UDOT</span> wins mismanagement award"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=16424594"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">ksl</span>.com - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">UDOT</span> wins management award</a>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-15181706379903027882011-07-11T08:00:00.007-06:002011-07-17T21:35:14.877-06:00Judging a Book by Its Cover - Restoring a Cabinet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3elR6eif4Oh3QfabD9Ye0IZVoefoohLoovvL8QJy6psTmLzimeTDABEE22CTnPtoKtGiTwE2Vz6TlUa-Srz27svnt2fIaZyhZtYId8LR7GdGwfW0hn7PoBg9N8GOmXIzhdg7y9krKgg/s1600/05082011500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3elR6eif4Oh3QfabD9Ye0IZVoefoohLoovvL8QJy6psTmLzimeTDABEE22CTnPtoKtGiTwE2Vz6TlUa-Srz27svnt2fIaZyhZtYId8LR7GdGwfW0hn7PoBg9N8GOmXIzhdg7y9krKgg/s200/05082011500.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A few years ago I accepted some old cupboards that came out of a local daycare. My intention was to hang them in my garage, but as everyone knows the world is filled with good intentions. As the years passed by the cupboards just collected dust in my garage. Slowly I would hang a single cupboard until all of them were hung, except the smallest one which was intended for my laundry room.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My wife wanted to refinish the cupboard (they were pretty beat up and painted an ugly brown), but once again it was just a good intention. As the years continued to go by the small little cupboard was kicked around, left outside, filled with sand by the kids, and finally moved back inside. By this time the cupboard was in pretty bad shape.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMiBHi-83xYhQeU-dFavdv63oRVr9T66LAOXZ3lT4h4SxZiWD-vrmNGQVBEy1Cty9IKvR749p5tOmZOGig_ueKxH5Dfzngt1L8g62o9hHIhHDcJRtyi4Moua-4jHuqDKhTxkor2c9Glg/s1600/05082011497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMiBHi-83xYhQeU-dFavdv63oRVr9T66LAOXZ3lT4h4SxZiWD-vrmNGQVBEy1Cty9IKvR749p5tOmZOGig_ueKxH5Dfzngt1L8g62o9hHIhHDcJRtyi4Moua-4jHuqDKhTxkor2c9Glg/s200/05082011497.jpg" width="200" /></a>One day my wife decided enough was enough and figured it was finally time to refinish this cupboard so it could be hung in our newly refinished laundry room. She started out using the sandpaper that was on the palm sander (it was 220 grit) and it produced little results so I bought her some 60 grit sandpaper and in no time she had the old ugly brown paint removed to reveal a lovely solid wood cupboard below.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH-mmbrAYesna3DtBO3qAAQFkXetBuIJ40MNlip4O-cs81xglRp_QwfpokbFFq7ts4OMMMcnM3zrnMJru2e4neuBjTorNfWzwFv0ITyKaH3ybwqcEFUG-4Gl-yIqTGcOHkDWbNqGWfBA/s1600/05072011496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH-mmbrAYesna3DtBO3qAAQFkXetBuIJ40MNlip4O-cs81xglRp_QwfpokbFFq7ts4OMMMcnM3zrnMJru2e4neuBjTorNfWzwFv0ITyKaH3ybwqcEFUG-4Gl-yIqTGcOHkDWbNqGWfBA/s200/05072011496.jpg" width="200" /></a>By the time she finished the outer doors and walls of the cupboard her ex<br />
citement had worn off, and it was up to me to finish up the project. Once the sanding was done I cleaned the cupboard with mineral spirits to remove all the left over sawdust. We were not sure at this point how we wanted to proceed. Should we stain the cupboard a dark color, should we paint it, or just clear coat it.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9V0oq3yG1iRwu4wwO_m_O-xZ9O3DA7VTuolS3svftCaNSQBT24g5Mv-swbHi28dfOGFQAAuUi48JwOz3IIPYd0BpHiw5xIaxYEDwsKH4bG81-o_5p9VyHTOd_EKQB_PeUHix6K6WQic/s1600/05092011501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9V0oq3yG1iRwu4wwO_m_O-xZ9O3DA7VTuolS3svftCaNSQBT24g5Mv-swbHi28dfOGFQAAuUi48JwOz3IIPYd0BpHiw5xIaxYEDwsKH4bG81-o_5p9VyHTOd_EKQB_PeUHix6K6WQic/s200/05092011501.jpg" width="200" /></a>We decided on putting a clear coat and so I pulled out the Miniwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane clear coat and went to work. It really was amazing to see the transformation of this once dark dirty and dingy cupboard turn into something amazing once again.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Those who knew the cupboard from the before days were amazed that, first it was actually wood and second that it could be cleaned up to look so good. It only goes to show you that you cannot judge something by its cover, and that many of the things we throw away can be reused to make something beautiful and useful.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdwfKO1gy6PK_362uxZapvg_D7oX_tHglcD4Xchtkv__ChYzfyAmXkT4sXcah7EVkWRagPxUGnGmpOm8NouZtbZN-xmQibdQC62RGhh_aa6FCFFI8w99rXUBExqRwIXydrX8pvEiPmtQ/s1600/DSC03832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdwfKO1gy6PK_362uxZapvg_D7oX_tHglcD4Xchtkv__ChYzfyAmXkT4sXcah7EVkWRagPxUGnGmpOm8NouZtbZN-xmQibdQC62RGhh_aa6FCFFI8w99rXUBExqRwIXydrX8pvEiPmtQ/s320/DSC03832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-10554038430511691682011-07-06T10:34:00.007-06:002011-07-08T10:55:16.249-06:00Every Thing is Better in the Rain - Including Running<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCeZtkU8_RA_fbjFln00cACMh0xXA9hyphenhyphen-AdQVsiR_zncCe3Nzz-ytSWb0hHt_Hp9DwcR4qwRrabem8xV_J19P8ViZGeIxDj3ajshcE4rdOkQcdhslnmvo9P7mSv9xXFPkG6kQpCJMRw0/s1600/185785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCeZtkU8_RA_fbjFln00cACMh0xXA9hyphenhyphen-AdQVsiR_zncCe3Nzz-ytSWb0hHt_Hp9DwcR4qwRrabem8xV_J19P8ViZGeIxDj3ajshcE4rdOkQcdhslnmvo9P7mSv9xXFPkG6kQpCJMRw0/s200/185785.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="storyBody">Photo by: Patrick O.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
For those of you who know me, you know that I hate running. I just don't get that euphoric reaction from it that others (like my wife) seem to get. Usually while running all I can think about is that I intentionally ran to this point, and now I have to run back.<br />
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I didn't have time to run yesterday morning so last night I decided to get out and run in the rain and lightning storm. In case you missed it I am preparing for a 10k race: (<a href="http://www.thedailymanshow.com/2011/06/dirty-dash-death-by-mud.html?spref=bl">The Daily Man Show: The Dirty Dash - Death by Mud!</a>) <br />
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<a href="http://brokenheartedrunner.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/running-in-the-rain/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDCdPkschhf4ugmXAmygyI4GcQhLNSxWBzRhZMpJxUPegCD4A1QbigCwveaKmExOTLG7V84WVKNned8fXG17JkM1YHMRKX3mloizQOk9d6lFsDAKHBRok7xyTH8-PPgYfNuCMR68Sdzs/s200/rain2.jpg" width="200" /></a>I don't know if it was running at night, or running in the rain, or running while lightning danced across the sky, but I actually felt pretty good running. I wasn't thinking to myself the normal barrage of complaints as I ran. It still wasn't the "euphoric" feelings others seem to have when running, but I actually didn't hate the experience. <br />
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When I finished my run I still felt pretty good, not winded and tired like I usually do. Now if I could just figure out a way to get a nice desert storm like this every time I run, it just might make a runner out of me.<br />
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UPDATE:<br />
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I ran again last night after a huge rain storm. It just wasn't the same, and to make it worse it was hot, muggy and the mosquitoes were out in force.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-46044909439798567202011-07-04T21:40:00.001-06:002011-06-30T10:58:50.125-06:00Be the Handy Man - How to Replace the Motor on your Dryer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4gH7UvMGnV3J5UIPd1o6a5qAvw7q8b7CtYJ5LsGG1ly_o0xf62ASTzYcOJVYToozRGiUIkXs8VjGS03v2Q0ukKEaxE0yebNl13Qd88A2dFXHZYDhzeclt3Qdsm3xk5dvoBZJq4V97Yc/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4gH7UvMGnV3J5UIPd1o6a5qAvw7q8b7CtYJ5LsGG1ly_o0xf62ASTzYcOJVYToozRGiUIkXs8VjGS03v2Q0ukKEaxE0yebNl13Qd88A2dFXHZYDhzeclt3Qdsm3xk5dvoBZJq4V97Yc/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>When the dryer stopped working after 8 years of service I was at a cross-roads. I could ether have a technician come out and fix the dryer or I could replace it with a new one. I didn't really have $500 bucks to spend on a new dryer, and sad as it may seem it was almost that much to have a technician come out and fix it. <br />
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Instead I got on the Internet and started to do some research into dryer maintenance and how to troubleshoot a non-working dryer. It wasn't very long (or hard) to figure out that the dryer wasn't working because of a bad motor. To verify that this was the problem I was going to need to tear the dryer open and test the motor out. Prior to this experience I always viewed the dryer as a complicated piece of machinery, but after opening the dryer case up and seeing the insides I realized this wasn't the case. The dryer was surprisingly simple instead. You have a motor attached to a belt that turns the drum. There is also a heating element with a blower fan attached that spins by the motor that causes hot air to be drawn into the drum. Plus a couple of safety devices and a timer switch to run the motor, that is pretty much the whole dryer.<br />
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The hardest part for me was figuring out how to get into the dryer itself. Lucky for me my dryer was a pretty common dryer and I was able to find some help online in doing so.<br />
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1. Turn off the power to your dryer. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">(VERY IMPORTANT)</span></b>. You can ether unplug the dryer, or turn off the breaker in the circuit breaker box for your home (It will be a double breaker switch because your dryer runs on 220v) <br />
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2. Remove the top side panels from the both sides of the control panel. They are a press fit and will pull off. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f5dyXxW4ZtDJVyeTik74hRwI0S2G_yvxd4_FE1V4XxRAHBoR0yWz-3I1GjW_mjnXc3P_zZ-dfHFh_eHHiaKj85mCg_4kMVHT_coDRYjZpmoVE_VORaqU2FOFvx2ItPo52PsuRFJ00pY/s1600/GEDC0603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f5dyXxW4ZtDJVyeTik74hRwI0S2G_yvxd4_FE1V4XxRAHBoR0yWz-3I1GjW_mjnXc3P_zZ-dfHFh_eHHiaKj85mCg_4kMVHT_coDRYjZpmoVE_VORaqU2FOFvx2ItPo52PsuRFJ00pY/s320/GEDC0603.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
3. Removed the 2 screws under the end caps holding the control panel, and lift the control panel backwards (There are some plastic clips on the back that will act as a hinge) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQAd29y8RMbZMrSZfbhD3lIil5opF1uTJCrOori4Ui1wuMnPbSx129oV9DYmvn1tJr-UeF36EZW7roxgql_H2iDlLccEg-ckXZ7_PpnJmC9OxL88aCEGOFMhFrVJEFHktL3pj4waFuPQ/s1600/GEDC0604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQAd29y8RMbZMrSZfbhD3lIil5opF1uTJCrOori4Ui1wuMnPbSx129oV9DYmvn1tJr-UeF36EZW7roxgql_H2iDlLccEg-ckXZ7_PpnJmC9OxL88aCEGOFMhFrVJEFHktL3pj4waFuPQ/s320/GEDC0604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
4. Remove the 3 screws that were hidden by the control panel, and slide the top of the dryer forward towards you.<br />
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5. Take the wires off the door switch. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wweJd34neqJBob5kgLmsPYe2DSsKJG1GhhRwqyPlMp4NZB4refekHBohEJf23mLU4-j6K_SeGMN2esHIjtBbc9DkvngQ5dapiEkxrZOb9w4PB8mqoK2ucO87yR9P6veLPduK-yNAUsw/s1600/GEDC0608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wweJd34neqJBob5kgLmsPYe2DSsKJG1GhhRwqyPlMp4NZB4refekHBohEJf23mLU4-j6K_SeGMN2esHIjtBbc9DkvngQ5dapiEkxrZOb9w4PB8mqoK2ucO87yR9P6veLPduK-yNAUsw/s320/GEDC0608.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
6. Remove the bottom front panel of the dryer. This is done by using a putty knife or a small flat head screwdriver and pressing down on the two clips which are at the top of the panel about 4 inches in from the side.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q1qlwhNeNFYEeKr5psL0b5mLMObDONkSiJHVIrUKHochG6ES7gEuTyQKsQ4igJtiZ2BqCtS08YzjGw4uaynl7g4VD9MOH0i7IFtbGRKb732M3hQuY7u0IXUo9lpGcd2AGrA156YAjEg/s1600/ldrwp4r-panel-off2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q1qlwhNeNFYEeKr5psL0b5mLMObDONkSiJHVIrUKHochG6ES7gEuTyQKsQ4igJtiZ2BqCtS08YzjGw4uaynl7g4VD9MOH0i7IFtbGRKb732M3hQuY7u0IXUo9lpGcd2AGrA156YAjEg/s320/ldrwp4r-panel-off2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
7. Press, on the clips and pull out on the panel, lift it off of the bottom clips. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMdu4cDbYPbGr0JQlef9wuELEFP0KmxxLPQET4Gnp21ZV3NtiJtiD3e42NtmpVfg9R9oOtYV0h8wgSNbixOCotiBvFxDQesJSbr3TYaeEV55auFRCg3E5sVJLWqh3oy4G0UKiMGOOKtY/s1600/GEDC0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMdu4cDbYPbGr0JQlef9wuELEFP0KmxxLPQET4Gnp21ZV3NtiJtiD3e42NtmpVfg9R9oOtYV0h8wgSNbixOCotiBvFxDQesJSbr3TYaeEV55auFRCg3E5sVJLWqh3oy4G0UKiMGOOKtY/s320/GEDC0595.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
8. Remove 2 screws holding front to top of the dryer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWCESCbbX9UJu8Ok_rm2L6KPTf-tiiA84jgw89qUprGVpG1RzVR7JcKq1L-mXOFLFY08h_XDzJRSUotA5o48OfKAQFxVQh6RYzCrjEF47MxS6LsTpB0wLCHARBd4xncOXH4BCtOW9FFw/s1600/01182010193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWCESCbbX9UJu8Ok_rm2L6KPTf-tiiA84jgw89qUprGVpG1RzVR7JcKq1L-mXOFLFY08h_XDzJRSUotA5o48OfKAQFxVQh6RYzCrjEF47MxS6LsTpB0wLCHARBd4xncOXH4BCtOW9FFw/s320/01182010193.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
9. Remove 2 screws below the door holding front to dryer. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiZnZdWviPecTiepgFNNwiKpDcNCbFKXBKNgxaCrXEHp2kECl2E-5UZluWRTchTSAPEHyMUnB-uRJEFe4hK19ND2GfIGeYm0Ryh4zdYHJcAVWIrQs0-Hx5s-QajuHluNpQvMIav88ndk/s1600/01182010194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiZnZdWviPecTiepgFNNwiKpDcNCbFKXBKNgxaCrXEHp2kECl2E-5UZluWRTchTSAPEHyMUnB-uRJEFe4hK19ND2GfIGeYm0Ryh4zdYHJcAVWIrQs0-Hx5s-QajuHluNpQvMIav88ndk/s320/01182010194.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
10. Disengage the clamp holding the air duct to the blower housing. <br />
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11. Take the wire off the auto dry sensor. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAl9R-5QPgUfvM2F1gLTrL1CuLn4wm7dUyf9sX9iySXR0j-bJGT7q0gexoyI3t0yaOSue6Gx5JRidFC09WUMpStUp2YBmZumYuNiq9TD7chbU2qCNlUI6SN9lZPIHmhHfXWy8RWkbXnk/s1600/01182010195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAl9R-5QPgUfvM2F1gLTrL1CuLn4wm7dUyf9sX9iySXR0j-bJGT7q0gexoyI3t0yaOSue6Gx5JRidFC09WUMpStUp2YBmZumYuNiq9TD7chbU2qCNlUI6SN9lZPIHmhHfXWy8RWkbXnk/s320/01182010195.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
12. Remove the front of the dryer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipc9vmNplmRiJ07YmLW0gr9Xl3bPKK1xvkSSYuAbrI8_wurY10C6jsLBo6Xpy6HxRVgaiwrolTq9PuRFaxBJ3RpclihgWDW0jnxF1jhr8yvqVVm5j1WqxhXKo-1wxDneDSkHZGyGS79FI/s1600/01182010196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipc9vmNplmRiJ07YmLW0gr9Xl3bPKK1xvkSSYuAbrI8_wurY10C6jsLBo6Xpy6HxRVgaiwrolTq9PuRFaxBJ3RpclihgWDW0jnxF1jhr8yvqVVm5j1WqxhXKo-1wxDneDSkHZGyGS79FI/s320/01182010196.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Now with the front and top of the dryer removed you will be able to gain access the dryer drum, motor, and other parts that may need fixing.<br />
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In order to get to the motor you will need to remove the dryers drum and belt. First disengage the belt from the from the idler pulley, and then the belt from the motor pulley. To do this put both hands into the area of the motor and feel for the idler pulley, it is spring loaded, so simply pull the pulley until the tension in the belt is released. Take the belt off the motor pulley.<br />
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When the belt tension has been released and the belt is removed from the motor pulley, you can use it to pull the dryer drum from the dryer. Now is a good time to also replace the belt and the four rollers that support the drum.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ceYalzhTfGwx1wgg0DA0bXTKj7BM1NPkAoKdQ1haXiDqQewmQfz8uHuglLBA30KOFRfsTnaqeiTIV0cpdlYKIO5SbTaZEwQQyvb4w4cFgVJOYOJ600DNGHsviogsm5DqCqYgMRPqP_o/s1600/DSC03138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ceYalzhTfGwx1wgg0DA0bXTKj7BM1NPkAoKdQ1haXiDqQewmQfz8uHuglLBA30KOFRfsTnaqeiTIV0cpdlYKIO5SbTaZEwQQyvb4w4cFgVJOYOJ600DNGHsviogsm5DqCqYgMRPqP_o/s320/DSC03138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It is also a very good idea to clean and vacuum out the dryer to prevent any dryer fires (caused by excessive lint built up)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNWWgl9R0f-phxBjo1MHFoqZi9SPWmFddT5X4-Vq5qOHS3DC3jXwVDQ92hKwmO1O-tYkTWfZJTEP8_qjmsd-iWEr88ziNddbO_qe1d77LPkmtvuJxP5oQDlyc1BNVpov3XRap8fSluHs/s1600/DSC03143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNWWgl9R0f-phxBjo1MHFoqZi9SPWmFddT5X4-Vq5qOHS3DC3jXwVDQ92hKwmO1O-tYkTWfZJTEP8_qjmsd-iWEr88ziNddbO_qe1d77LPkmtvuJxP5oQDlyc1BNVpov3XRap8fSluHs/s200/DSC03143.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuDO0BDPx0p5T4iyIVPqJ1J8HeZ5Sw05D2h6yi72NMrTaLrI6-TLFSiCQVGcFWll7qYbooJvzTUJ6_c5uZ3JZp1-TokTD2HoGf8HFOtsyQLrl6SCJCbsziQfDooNhfItWBbPJ59LaXSA/s1600/01182010202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuDO0BDPx0p5T4iyIVPqJ1J8HeZ5Sw05D2h6yi72NMrTaLrI6-TLFSiCQVGcFWll7qYbooJvzTUJ6_c5uZ3JZp1-TokTD2HoGf8HFOtsyQLrl6SCJCbsziQfDooNhfItWBbPJ59LaXSA/s200/01182010202.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The motor is attached to the housing of the dryer by four screws, as well as the blower. In order to remove the blower from the motor you will need to hold the pulley end of the motor shaft to get the blower off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYjef0HSNUlY3OEJXyKCfbeoeg-Rzvh49SDOFCKJfjVg5_E4cFklOKOShusMUv5Rkbu-tghE0zhaYRY0wAGyUiUxzLIHIL9N5WzlHG19hzcpAnpXXW2FRRonSM759BaxWQ8LiS9JZEOI/s1600/01182010201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYjef0HSNUlY3OEJXyKCfbeoeg-Rzvh49SDOFCKJfjVg5_E4cFklOKOShusMUv5Rkbu-tghE0zhaYRY0wAGyUiUxzLIHIL9N5WzlHG19hzcpAnpXXW2FRRonSM759BaxWQ8LiS9JZEOI/s200/01182010201.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Using a 1/2 inch socket extension will fit right into the center of the blower. On the other end of the motor shaft a 1/2 socket will hold the shaft in place while you loosen the blower. Turn the ratchet clockwise to loosen the blower wheel. (Reverse to tighten)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRQxU0Dr6FiJwklCquPLfftHxnQcN2pWgzC9Tb2ClGlA8B65wXsvjaxvCSgPt_Qvq-N568IJHNnzG8EkHQGELfcYd01LdWABC5NxQv0A3PGcGePfNcqHmLb8qzTQ1aqRJmv0aSYxJd3g/s1600/01182010200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRQxU0Dr6FiJwklCquPLfftHxnQcN2pWgzC9Tb2ClGlA8B65wXsvjaxvCSgPt_Qvq-N568IJHNnzG8EkHQGELfcYd01LdWABC5NxQv0A3PGcGePfNcqHmLb8qzTQ1aqRJmv0aSYxJd3g/s200/01182010200.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Once the blower is off, and the screws are removed. Remove the wire harness from the motor and swap it out with the new motor. <br />
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Follow these steps in reverse order to put the dryer back together. I find it always helpful to take picture along the way for reference in case (especially when dealing with wires) I don't remember where things go. <br />
Since replacing the motor in my dryer I have also needed to replace the heating element, and thermal cut off fuse. You can follow these steps to get to those parts as well.<br />
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It always surprises me how much easier things are to repair then we think, and in the process I have saved hundreds of dollars by doing the work myself. Nothing makes you feel like a man more than taking something that was broken and making it work again.Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7365607239041699054.post-50745965833966132232011-06-28T20:47:00.003-06:002011-07-10T13:42:23.218-06:00The Dirty Dash - Death by Mud!Am I crazy to think that I can go from being a couch potato to running a 10K (while wallowing in mud) by September 24th?<br />
<a name='more'></a>The last time I ran was almost 4 years ago and I was in much better shape then. My wife did the 5K earlier in this summer and it honestly seemed like a lot of fun. Something about playing in the mud just peaks my interest and might just make running worth it. We shall see.<br />
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If this sounds like fun to you, you can find more information at the following link:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thedirtydash.com/default.aspx">http://www.thedirtydash.com/default.aspx</a><br />
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<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EV8DbIrFbq4?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EV8DbIrFbq4?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>Xylenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11048238244039762374noreply@blogger.com0