Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Wood is period correct and needed in historic preservation districts but if you are not in such a district then plastic/vinyl or seamless aluminum are good options.
Plastic/vinyl don’t dent and don’t weather quickly. The color is through and through so scratches and nicks aren’t as noticeable. However they can crack when cold and sag slightly in 100 degree heat. They also expand and contract depending on the temperatures so they have to be mounted properly to allow them to slide a little. There are limited colors available.
Seamless aluminum is normally painted with a very tough baked on finish but they bend, dent, and scratches and nicks will show the shiny metal. They also expand and contract with temperatures but not as much as plastic/vinyl, so they also have to be mounted to allow movement. There are generally more color choices for these gutters as the paint is fairly inexpensive.
The cost of either is determined by your market but neither is as costly for installation or maintenance as wood gutters. I would suggest going to as large a gutter and downspout as they can put up. Going oversized on them is not a bad thing. 3″ by 4″ gutters are generally too small for heavy rain. Go to 4″ by 5″ if you don’t mind the look. If the gutters and downspouts are matched to your basic house color they won’t be as noticeable.
The choice is yours. You have to balance the cost with your needs and find one that fits.
http://www.ozarkwoodworker.com/item/rockwell-46-111-lathe-operator-part-manual/
Parts are a little difficult to find but are available if you look hard enough. It was a rugged, well built, and heavily used lathe. There are thousands around in sheds and workshops so you should be able to find what you need if you do a Google search for the name and model number.
Good luck on rebuilding an old classic! Lots of oil and wire brushes and you should be spinning wood soon.
that’s killing the spark or a bad module again. Check the wiring to make sure things are good, no frayed insulation or disconnected connectors. My module ran fine for three years before the wife filled the tank with straight unleaded. 5 minutes later spark was the least of my problems. I heard the engine seize from my hospital bed two miles away. OK, maybe not, but I’m sure it wasn’t pretty.
Two bad modules would sort of disprove the “new and improved” claim. Still, there aren’t too many other options at this point. The spark plug could be shorted or cracked but that is about as likely as getting hit by a meteorite while mowing. Still, pull the plug and check it and then connect the spark plug wire to it and make sure the threads are resting on the head or some other metal part of the mower. When you try to start it you should see a nice bright spark. If not the module is dead again.
Fuel, air, spark. That is as long as you have used the correct oil/gas mixture in the mower and didn’t seize the engine.
The ignition module in the Lawn Boy mower is a fairly common failure. I had one fail on mine. There is an improved and upgraded one available now.
If the engine turns over easily and has fuel and a clean air filter then I would suspect the ignition module first. Either visit Lawnboy.com to find the number for your model or just call a Lawn Boy dealer to get the right part.
If you can use a wrench and screwdriver it can be a ‘do-it-yourself’ repair. The engine cover needs to come off. The module is bolted to the top of the engine by the flywheel and isn’t that difficult to replace if you are handy with tools.
Otherwise either pay a dealer to fix it or find some handy person willing to do it in your garage.
The module isn’t cheap. Mine cost $60, but they normally last a long time so it will be a one time repair.
to give you a hint. A model and serial number would be even better.
It is POSSIBLE that opening the drawer a little and sliding a thin metal or plastic piece over the top of the cups may let the drawer open completely. A ruler or something like that?
Without a model number at least there is no way to know what you have or how to help.
I certainly wouldn’t use it for gardens or flower beds. It was originally used for playgrounds, at least any tires WITHOUT steel belts. It’s soft, doesn’t decompose, and lasts forever, or nearly. For something under a swing set it’s fine but I wouldn’t use it any place else.
Any organic mulch actually pulls nutrients from the soil as it decomposes but eventually it all returns to the soil and helps it.
As the other poster said, they are trying to get rid of an unusable item, old tires. There are places for rubber mulch but not where you plant or grow things. Playgrounds, the area you store your garbage cans, maybe walkways, places like that.
Any organic mulch would work better and be better for the soil.
won’t hurt them either. Once the leaves are out and fully formed it’s harder on the tree, but certainly won’t kill it. Just don’t do a major pruning job where you take out half the tree. That should be done early in the Spring before the tree buds. Normal pruning now is fine. The tree will just put out bigger leaves and more vigorous growth to replace the branches lost to the pruning.
Most Big Box stores carry their own brand of fans and I was mis-thinking on that one! The basic idea was good, just the wrong store! Sorry about that.
of the fans. Basically it takes a screwdriver and matching wire colors. The important thing is to turn off the power at the breaker/fuse panel BEFORE you touch the fan.
The instructions are generally pretty clear about what to remove and what to replace. It might, maybe, be easier to take the entire fan down to work on it but it can be done using a ladder. Just make note of which wires connect where on the fan BEFORE you disconnect anything!
I’m not sure about the cost of the new receiver, I never looked. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a good $20-$30 or so. Just be sure to have your model number with you since not all receivers are the same or fit in the same place.
It’s not a hard or dangerous repair as long as you follow the instructions to the letter.
Go to Lowe’s and they have replacements. It’s not fun, but replacing the receiver isn’t bad if you follow the directions. The odds are that the driver chips for the fan and lights have burned out in the receiver so it doesn’t matter what you tell it to do, it just can’t do it anymore. More than likely a power surge took it out, but sometimes they just quit. Just take in the model number and pick up the right replacement and follow the directions in the package. An hour or so later you should be working again.
Basically the answer is “it depends”. There are two major varieties of Hydrangeas and they have to be pruned differently.
Read this article, it’s pretty good:
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/how-to-prune-hydrangeas.aspx
Hopefully you can figure out which you have from the descriptions.
and move the electrical boxes out or add an extension to them (available for just that purpose) but that should be about it. Full insulation in the walls should make life a lot more comfortable! It’s not a hard project. Depending on how thick the new drywall is you could find stock trim like screen molding or door stop molding that would space out the window and door frames without any custom ripping of wood to size. It would make the finish trim work a lot easier and quicker. A quick coat of paint and it would look fine.
At least one of the two switches is miswired. He has probably swapped the common and one switch leg. Which is which? There is no way to know since we can’t see the wires and there are no standard colors so we can’t say “Switch the red and black wires on the switch at the kitchen door.”
There are as many ways to get the proper connection as there are electricians. There is only one way the circuit will work properly but the actual connections and wire colors are almost infinite. There is no standard for the connections on the 3-way switches either, so that adds even more confusion. Some have the common on one side and the switched connections on the other. Some have all connections on one side. There is no way to know what the wiring on the switches is without seeing them or reading the instructions for them.
Just have the friend come back and figure out what he did wrong last time. It’s easier than us trying to guess at what he did.
but if you have a serious water infiltration problem it HAS to be done. You can pretty much kiss any plantings within 6 feet of the foundation good-bye but it’s either that or swimming in your basement. If done carefully the shrubs can be moved, balled and burlaped, or planted somewhere else temporarily and then replanted when the work is done.
Doing it from the outside is the ONLY way to guarantee a dry basement. Just be sure the water proof membrane is installed properly. Generally it goes from about 8 inches above ground level to the footings. Normally there is a tar/acrylic base coat followed by a mesh for strength, another layer of tar/acrylic, and then a dimpled plastic membrane meant to supply the actual water proofing and water flow control to be sure the water flows down to the drain pipes instead of into the house. The drain lines have to be installed either level or slightly sloped towards either an outlet to a drainage area or to a sump pump pit to be pumped out. It depends on how your property is sloped.
A tightly woven cloth keeps dirt and debris out of the pipes and a thick layer of gravel over that allows rapid water flow to the pipes. The top foot or two can be regular dirt over more fabric so the foundation plantings can always be replanted after the work is done. Done professionally, in a year or two you won’t see any signs of the damage done to keep the basement dry and solid. It’s just the mess and cost to get there.
Be sure to do all you can to keep water away from the house. Extend the downspouts as far away as possible. Build up curbs or swales for the driveway or sidewalks. Anything that will keep the area around the foundation as dry as possible. It will help but it won’t cure the entire problem.
Anyone that guarantees a water-proof basement with a paint or some other fix to the inside of the walls is just blowing smoke. Like I said, trying to control the water AFTER it has come through the walls is a waste of time and money because the foundation damage has already been done. Sometimes it’s the best you can do but it’s certainly not the proper fix.
Good luck on the work! It will be worth it in the end.
from the foundation some how or other. If you can’t divert the water away from the house then your only option is to tackle it at the foundation. Surface drains won’t do much. The drains have to be all the way down to the footings to keep water from entering from under the foundation.
Properly done with water proof foundation covering going all the way up to the siding and all the way down to the footings, coupled with a good, well designed french drain at or below the footings, will keep your basement dry no matter how much rain you get.
Anything less might help a little but is generally a waste of money. Sump pumps in the basement only takes care of the water after it has already entered the house and damaged the foundation and floor. Water proofing the inside of the foundation is generally a waste of time and money for the same reason. The water has already done its damage and it’s difficult to seal a wall against water pressure from the inside. The water proofing on the outside of the foundation actually gets better when the water is forced against it.
If you have water problems in the basement then it’s best to grit your teeth and have it done right in the first place. Like so many things, do it cheaply and poorly five times or do it properly once.
