Too Many Yellow Postcards

Yellow postcards now arrive about once every two weeks.  Twenty years ago, I'd get two each year to coincide with Thanksgiving and with Spring Cleaning.  The yellow postcards are from charitable organizations who offer to pick up your donation from your home.

More and more organizations are soliciting curb-side donations more frequently.  We're requested to place gently used clothing in boxes or bags, attach the bright yellow postcards, and place them at the curb in front of our homes.

But listen up -- I need my clothing!  That's what I wear.  And I continue to wear each item even after holes develop, or stains fail to disappear in the laundry.  And then, after an item gets so incredibly worn out and disgusting-looking that it's no longer fit to be worn in public, it becomes the uniform I don for home repairs, gardening and yard work.  And then, I might cut out whatever material is still fairly decent for use in crafts.

Charities are starting to request appliances via the curb-side pickup method.  As a tinkerer and handyman, I manage to keep my appliances functioning long after their warranties expire.

Currently, the handle on the dishwasher that releases the door latch is almost completely broken.  When it broke, I was worried that I'd never get it open again, and that most of our clean dishes and utensils would remain trapped inside.  But I managed to open it, and now I install a loop of sturdy string around the inner latch mechanism before I close it.  I simply pull up on the string to open it again.

The inner elements on the toaster fail to heat up unless I press the "Bagel" button.  I think it's stuck in some sort of Englishman's Toasting Mode, because, according to Sting, Englishman prefer their bread toasted only on one side.

The laptop power adapter stopped working.  I opened the module and discovered a bad solder connection.  I resoldered it, glued the module closed, and put it back into service.  Speaking of laptops, the screen went dead on the older laptop.  The inverter board that I bought for it also didn't work, but I can still use the laptop if I plug in a desktop monitor.

When the plastic handle broke off the lid of the crock pot, I bought a wooden cabinet knob from the hardware store and screwed it in.

These are just the most recent examples of the appliances I've been able to keep working.

So charities, You won't want my clothes or appliances.  So don't bother sending those yellow postcards to me.  All I'll do with them is hold them behind the cats' bottoms to keep their streams of piss inside the litterbox.

Confessions of a Quirky Shopper

Sometimes a product's container influences me to buy the product that's in it.  There are a few different reasons for this.

On the practical end of the spectrum, a certain container might be easier to grip, operate or store.  One example is stick deodorant.  I prefer containers whose covers are flat on top so that I can store them upside-down on the shelf.  When there's only a small amount of deodorant left, the upside-down orientation has a lower center of gravity, so it is less prone to toppling over.  Mennen Speed Stick gets this.  Secondarily, the mechanism to advance the deodorant needs to be easy to turn.  Most containers provide a round knob that's shrouded by the base of the container.  However, a few, such as Degree or Dove for men, are set up so that the entire base can be turned to advance the deodorant.

More quirky is my habit of buying things in order to get a container to reuse for another purpose.  I prefer to buy food that comes in glass jars whose openings are as wide as the jar itself.  It's easy to fill jars like this with leftovers or homemade ghee, or to use them as vases.  The Bonne Maman fruit preserve jars (see picture) are ideal.  There are sauerkraut jars that are just as wide on top yet twice as tall to hold more.  (In fact, the lids are interchangeable.)  The jars for almond butter are pretty good, too.  They are just large enough for a batch of ghee made from one pound of butter.  So I keep on hand a small collection of empty jars from jam, sauerkraut and almond butter.

Empty soda bottles are easy to "repurpose," too.  You can cut one in half and use the top as a funnel, and the bottom can be used under a small houseplant to catch excess water.  Make the cut angled, and the bottom becomes a scoop.  An even better scoop can be fashioned from an empty gallon (or half-gallon) jug from milk, water or bleach.  Here's how: Hold it upside-down by the handle. Then lower it as you would a clothes iron so it's horizontal.  Cut away the part that's now the top.  The Instructables website shows many ways to repurpose ordinary throw-away items.  Altoid mint tins seem to be favorite boxes for projects -- they're the ideal size for a set of AA or AAA batteries plus some small electrical components.

Even those annoying blister packs can be useful.  The frustrating slipperiness and seeming indestructibility of of the material can be exploited for use as shims, drawer slides or furniture glides.

What are your favorite containers and what do you use them for?

The Energy-Saving Myth of LED Holiday Lights

If you use strands of lights for holiday decorating, you may be wondering whether you should trade in your sets of traditional incandescent lights for the new LED lights that have become popular.

The answer is no if:

• Your incandescent light sets are in good condition.
• You have (or know how to get) spare bulbs for your current lights.
• You use the lights sparingly...
• Only a few hours per day.
• Only a few weeks per year.
• You use the lights indoors only during cold weather days when you heat your home.

Understand that the incandescent lights you use now convert most of the electricity into heat.  So that any energy savings you might realize by switching to LED lights will mostly be offset by an increase in the energy you'll use to heat your home.  And if your home uses electric heat, you'll never re-coup your savings.

So by all means trade in your traditional incandescent lights for the new LED lights if:

• You use the lights outdoors or in unheated areas.
• You use the lights when the weather is warm.
• You can't find replacement bulbs for your current set.
• The wiring in your current set has cracked or missing insulation.
• You use more lights than your house wiring can handle...
• When you turn them on a fuse blows (or the breaker trips).
• The outlet or extension cord feels very warm.

I continue to use two sets of incandescent lights that are rated at 75W each.  They use special C7 bulbs that are designed with an internal bimetallic strip.  When the light is on, the strip heats up and bends to interrupt the current flowing to the filament.  This enables each one to blink on and off randomly independent of the others.  It's a lovely effect, one I've not seen duplicated with LED sets.

Besides, the LED light sets that I've seen have an annoying flicker to them.  LEDs turn on only when current flows in one direction.  They remain dark for half the cycle unless a special "full-wave rectifier" has been included in the design.  Unfortunately, the packaging won't tell you anything about the design, so you have to take your chances.  Be sure to buy light sets at a store with a good return policy and save your receipt.

I hope this helps you in some way!

The Other Washing Machine Idea

The other washing machine idea I had was this: I wish my washing machine didn't have an automatic transmission.

Here's the context, in case you don't want to read the previous post that this is a continuation of.  My washing machine's spin cycle is weak due to a faulty transmission.  So I was using my bare hands to wring water from my freshly washed clothes before I put them into the dryer.

I wouldn't mind a simple transmission design that would let me choose the gear or pulley for the cycle that needed to run.  Sure, I wouldn't be able to start a load of laundry, go out for an hour, and then just come back and expect to transfer the completed load over to the dryer.  But I'd expect such a machine to last much longer than eight years, or at least be much easier to repair and maintain.

Actually, this wasn't the first thought I had along these lines.  I was actually wishing for a simple wringer that I could use to easily squeeze out excess water from my clothes.  Then I thought of the manual transmission.

Lastly my thought was this: why bother with a machine at all?  Why couldn't I revert back to the days when we would agitate the tub of clothes with a large wooden paddle or a hand crank?  Then I'd be able to wash clothes and get in a good workout at the same time.

But today, things are different.  We buy time-saving appliances that enable us to go off to work at a job to earn enough money to pay for them and repair them.  Now I know why today's typical household needs two wage earners to make ends meet, whereas fifty years ago, a single income was all that was needed.

In researching wringers, I came across this wonderful blog post of a washing machine soul mate.  I would love this, but, of course, my wife would shriek at me with so much intensity, it would blow the clothes right off my body, and there'd be nothing left to wash.

About Washing Machine Water Use

Our washing machine hasn't been spinning out the water too well lately.  The repairman said that the transmission was shot.

We can still use the machine, and we do.  But at the end of the last spin cycle, the clothes are soaked with water.  They're not quite dripping, but I can wring out water from the items.  I get the most water from a towel that's at the bottom of the load.

I was wringing out the clothes last night when I had two ideas about washing machines.  I'll write about just one of them in this post.

The first idea came about because I decided to wring out each article of clothing into a bucket right at the machine rather than at the sink five feet away behind me.  Lately I've been getting dizzy and off balance from making such short abrupt movements.  So at first, I just wanted to eliminate moving back and forth the between the washing machine and the sink.  But then it occurred to me that I could pour the wrung out water back into the washing machine and use it for the next load.  (I already pour in water from the dehumidifier.)

Then it occurred to me that the last tub of water in the machine is essentially clean water or at least a little soapy.  So rather than discharge that water into the drain, it could be diverted into a reservoir near the washer.  Then you could pump that water back into the tub at the start of the next load of laundry.  That would save
one whole tub of water each time.  One caveat is that you wouldn't want to use liquid fabric softener -- it would neutralize the detergent of the next load.

The same idea could work with the dishwasher, too.  But there would need to be a way to heat the water efficiently.  That would entail another hot water heater in the house.

Even if you don't want to reuse the water for your dishwasher or washing machine, it could be used to flush the toilets.  That would also entail an investment in plumbing.

Probably the easiest way to reduce water use is to divert rainwater from the roof and collect it in rain barrels.  And have I done that?  Regrettably I have not.

Wall-Mounted Planter

The wall-mounted planter that my wife bought when we first moved in fell off its nail and smashed into at least a dozen pieces.  I decided to get a replacement rather than glue it together.

Unfortunately wall-mounted planters are not common, at least not those made for indoor use of a certain size and color.  So when I saw a white vase with rectangular base, I decided I'd figure out a way to hang it on the wall.  True it doesn't have drainage holes, but I figured this was a close as I was going to get.  Besides, the previous planter seemed to work out well.

White Vase -- 10" x 4" x 12"

 I shopped around for plate holders, shower caddies, and shelves, but I ended up making my own hanger from the heavy steel wire I saved from a turkey roasting pan, as shown below.

Wire Handles From a Turkey Roasting Pan

The wire is heavier than that of a standard wire coat hanger.  I could bend it properly only by first locking it into a vise.  I knew it would be strong enough to hold the planter.  What I ended up with is something that looks a lot like a plate holder.  But there is a very important extra piece of wire that I bent to clip onto the vase from behind the main piece of wire.  It prevents the vase from toppling away from the wall.  Since the wire is steel, and since it will be used in a bathroom, it will be important to paint it to keep it from rusting.

Wire Bracket For Mounting Rectangular Vase on the Wall

While I was taking pictures, I figured I'd include a shot of a miniature trellis I made from green-dyed bamboo.  I tied the four pieces together with green twisty-ties.  Our first cat's hindquarters can be seen in the upper left of the photo.

Green-Dyed Bamboo Trellis

Here's a shot of the finished result.  I chose to plant several cuttings of Golden Pathos, a plant that I've had in my living areas since the mid 1980s.  The plant is hardy and fast growing.  It will not only tolerate cramped root system, it actually prefers it that way.  Which is important, given that I don't want to repot this planter for a very long time.

There is a white plastic shield juttng out from the bottom of the planter.  I formed this from a large container of cat litter.  It has two purposes.  First, it prevents the wire from scratching the planter.  Second, it hides the wires so that my wife can't tell that I used scrap materials to make the hanger.

Now, actually, my wife's reaction was that it looks like a paper towel holder, especially with the white shield in place.  So I took it off, and she saw the wire, and she actually preferred it that way.  But I had put away the camera, so I don't have that picture handy.

Leaky Toilet and Lousy Repair Guide

Our toilet has had a leaky flapper valve for several months, maybe even a few years. The symptoms are a toilet that runs briefly every fifteen minutes or so. The one and only comprehensive home repair guide that I bought 15 years ago offers only two fixes for this.

The first fix is simple -- a five minute job requiring no tools. You just lift off the flapper valve, coat the seal with a layer of petroleum jelly, and put it back. Of course you have to shut off the water (and lift off the tank lid first), but that's easy if your supply valve isn't frozen. This simple fix worked. But it lasted for only about three weeks. Then the stuff needed to be cleaned off and reapplied.

The second fix is only for the serious DIYer. It recommends replacing the flapper valve and seat. That involves first draining the toilet completely, disconnecting the water supply line, and removing the tank. After that you can remove the valve and the seat, and put the new ones in.

I've been too lazy to reapply petroleum jelly to my valve every few weeks, and so I've been suffering from the mysteriously running toilet, with its wasted water, unexpectedly weak flushes (and clogs) and sudden episodes of hot showers.

Until now.

I finally decided to search on the Internet for "how to fix a leaky flapper valve." I came across two interesting videos.

The first one is as simple as the petroleum jelly fix from the book. Except that it involves smoothing the flapper valve mating surfaces:



This didn't actually work for me, but it did give me the idea to replace the flapper valve without also replacing the seat, as shown in this video:



And that worked. The reason I didn't do it before is that I thought all flapper values were rigid and had to be installed with the seat when the tank was apart.

Here's another video that describes how to fix a different cause of a running toilet, such as when sediment gets caught in the flush valve, preventing it from closing completely:



And let me just mention that if for some reason your water supply is shut off, you can still flush the toilet by quickly pouring a bucket of water directly into the bowl. This is handy during extended power outages in homes that are supplied with well water, but only if you've prepared by filling the bathtub with water.

Weak Dishwasher Detergent

About a year ago I noticed that our dishwasher wasn't cleaning very well. My white ceramic mug was the canary in the coalmine. It would always come out gleaming white. But when the "after" tea stains were indistinguishable from the "before," I figured something was wrong.

First, I suspected the water temperature. It was early fall with summertime weather, and the boiler temperature runs lower in the summer. I tried adding boiling water after each drain cycle a couple of nights in a row. I was amazed that that did not help.

I then suspected the dishwasher. First I made sure the little door for the detergent was opening. In fact, I actually ran it once without closing it just to be sure. When that didn't help, I took out the lower spray arm and checked that the filter was not clogged. It was not clogged.

I had resigned myself to calling an appliance repair shop when I heard NPR do a story about how dishwashing detergents were reformulated to remove phosphates. As a result, a lot of people's dishes and glasses were not getting clean.

So I did like Sandra Young and bought TSP from the hardware store. After I started adding about 1 teaspoon to the regular detergent, things returned to normal.

I really don't like to fool around with the dishwasher. We wash our cats' food dishes in it. We also rely on it to clean our cutting boards, mixing bowls (coated with the residue of batter and dough that was made with raw eggs). We do use the "Accu Temp" feature that heats the water if it's too cool, but I like having a good detergent that will get everything off of everything.

SDP: Low-Cost Monopods / Tripods

I've been putting off getting a camera tripod or monopod for a long time. Mainly, I can't imagine myself carrying something like that anywhere. I'm sure that by the time I'd get it set up, the cats would have wandered off or stopped being cute, or the sunset would've lost its intensity.

So when I came across a couple of tutorials on Instructables, on how to make a low-cost tripod, I got very excited.

The String Tripod tutorial is very well done and made a lot of sense to me. So I tried it, or something a lot like it. I decided to make use of my SLR's camera strap mounts to connect the string to rather than the eyebolt. I figured this would provide even more stability and prevent the camera from rotating. I used about 14 feet of 20lb fishing line terminated on each end with swivel hooks, which attach to the camera strap mounts. It was a breeze to do. But the testing didn't pan out. I was unable to take clearer pictures using a bipod configuration. In fact, because I was applying an upward force to the camera, my arms shook and caused more camera shake than when I relaxed. The strings didn't prevent the camera from rotating in two axes, resulting in up-down and left-right motion of the lens.

But I think the camera shake could be mitigated by using a weight attached rigidly to the tripod mount. Even attaching a bungie cord between the eyebolt in the camera and the fishing line on the ground would limit the up-down movement of the lens. So I might try that next.

Also interesting is the instructable on making a monopod from a flag pole holder and a broom stick (or other staff or pole). That looks worthwhile. And I do need to replace our flag pole holder anyway, so if it doesn't work out, I won't have wasted anything.

Creative Plumbing

Creativity is clearing a partially-clogged toilet using only a few buckets of water and the plastic tear-off strip from a 27 lb container of Tidy Cat scoopable Cat Litter.

I do have a snake for sink drains, but they tend to scratch toilets.

And I don't care if your tampons say they're flushable -- don't flush 'em!