Another One Bites the Dust

My apologies to Queen.

I've been characterized as one who repairs times way too many times instead of tossing and buying. This is true even though the cost of the item is 15 bucks or less.

Yesterday I tried to salvage a vacuum cleaner that had been my parent's. It was an older Kenmore canister model with a power head. Most likely it was manufactured on or before 1978. Still, it had given me great service over the years since my Mother's death in 1992.

The last several times I used it, the motor was making very loud noises, as if the fan was scraping against a shroud. "Hmmmmmmmmmm?", I said to myself. "It might be an easy fix." Nothing could have been a more false statement.

It only took a few moments to have the patient upside down on the operating table, opened up, and its motor removed. Gently rotating the armature by hand produced the familiar scraping noise. Peering into the shroud opening showed the top disc of the fan resting on the bottom of the shroud.

For those interested, here is a more technical description of the fan's construction.

The fan for this design consists of two parallel disks with curved fins mounted between them. The one disk has a very small hole at its hub for mounting it on the motor shaft while the other has a hole about one and one-half inches in diameter in the center where the air enters it. Typical dimensions are six inches in diameter with one-fourth or three-eighths inch wide fins. It spins at a very high speed, creating stronger suction than its cousin but is more limited in the amount of air-flow it can handle efficiently.

A closer inspection of the fan showed radial cracks in the lower disk (the one mounting the fan assembly to the armature shaft.) These cracks (which I believe were stress cracks) allowed the lower disk to distort, curving upward toward the upper disk. This changed the relative position of the upper disk, displacing it upwards until it was in contact with the underside of the shroud. The disk/shroud contact then caused the noise as the two surfaces rubbed together when the motor was turned on.

This did not look to be an easy fix without a new fan and removing the shroud. So off to the web site for Fears and SlowBuck parts. After entering the model number, I zeroed in on the exploded parts diagram and located the number of the fan assembly. Scrolling down the page there it was, "Part discontinued. No longer available." Sigh! Very Heavy Sigh!

"Hmmmmmmm? Maybe I can remove the shroud and make a new lower disk?"

An inspection of how the shroud was pressed onto a cast housing was not encouraging. Without destroying the shroud, I could not remove it to get to the fan and repair it. There was no way I could make another shroud.

"Curses. Foiled again."

The motor was placed back into the patient and closed up. I left it on the operating table for the night. This morning, without the dignity of ceremony, the vacuum cleaner and its accessories were placed in the 90 gallon green wonder for pickup and burial next week.

Another one from our disposable society will no longer bite the dust.

import fam.davis.stdDisclaimer;

I Must Have Angered the Transportation Gods

I must have really angered the Transportation Gods yesterday.

Normally it takes me about 30 - 35 minutes to travel from home to work. Most of the time is spent wandering through the streets of Norfolk. But once through the mid-town tunnel, its easy sailing.

Not so on Monday. The trip took almost an hour. Let me explain.

I was stopped by the full cycle of every traffic light between home and the Llewellyn Avenue. Then as I turned of Granby Street onto Llewellyn, I noticed the orange cones were out. Oops! The river hath overflowed its banks and Llewellyn was blocked. So I diverted back onto Granby Street and proceeded to 35th Street. Slow traffic and traffic lights hindered my progress once again.

Once on 35th Street, I remembered why I stopped taking this route. Duh, the traffic lights are timed against going from east to west. OK, so I kept going. It faster than yet another detour, or so I thought.

After crossing Colley Ave, I turned left at Killam Ave to cut over to 27th Street. When what to my wondering eyes appeared, but a flag man waving me to stop so an asphalt truck could position itself. Sigh!

Onward then to 27th and my left turn onto Hampton Blvd. Once again stopped for a traffic light. Then the wait got longer as an ambulance keep the light red whilst it approached the 27th and Hampton intersection from the North.

Finally, I'm onto to Hampton Blvd and heading toward the mid-town tunnel entrance. I noticed a lack of traffic Northbound but thought nothing of it. Rounding the turn by Redgate Avenue, there they were, brake lights and stopped traffic. The tunnel has a disabled vehicle in it and both lanes were closed while the tunnel was cleared.

After a bit, traffic started again, but slowly. Loaded tractor trailer rigs do not come up to speed quickly.

Once on the Western Freeway, traffic moved along quickly 'til I turned onto College Drive. Then once again, it was slow going as I had to stop for each traffic light.

At long last, 1 hour after leaving home, I arrived at work.

Surely I must have really pissed off the Gods of Traffic.

#!/usr/bin/perl
require StdDisclaimer;

The Demise of Zeke 3213

A bit of background first. A couple of years ago, I started noticing Palmetto Bugs in the house. Never before had one crossed the threshold. Last year my son killed one during the night. When I entered the kitchen the following morning, a note on the whiteboard read something like, "Zeke splinter cell 234 was eliminated." Since then, these unwanted visitors have been called Zekes. For a while we kept track with each bug named Zeke.... followed by a number.

I went walking in Williamsburg last night. It was a typical hot, steamy coastal Virginia night. My feet were hot, wet and uncomfortable in my shoes, so off the shoes came for the drive home. What a relief that was. Upon arriving home, I gathered my belongings in the car (shoes still off) and proceeded to the front stoop.

There in the dim light I caught a quick sense of movement. Putting down my things, I took a shoe in hand. With a quick downward swing, I smacked the last place movement was noticed. Thrice more the shoe came thundering down. Then I picked up my belongings, opened the door, unencumbered myself, and turned on the porch light.

Peering out the door, what to my wondering eyes appeared, but a smashed and very dead Palmetto Bug. In my mind I shouted, "Yes, the shoe is truly mightier than the Zeke."

Thus endeth the tale of Zeke 3213.

require std_disclaimer.pl;

All Good Things Come to those Who Wait

The weekend was a busy but productive one. At long last I finished the trim in the upstairs. And there was great rejoicing! Yea! There are flaws but I can live with them. Then it was tote all the tools and leftovers downstairs and into the garage. Finally the shop vac and I spent a couple of hours removing the saw dust and other debris. Now to put the tools and leftovers away in the garage.

The bummer was, because I had earlier moved an old chest that lives under the workbench, there was not enough room for the shop to regain its living quarters. The casters on the bottom of the chest were missing their wheels and it would not budge. Oh well, knock them off, afix a board to each end on the bottom and shove mightly. Now the vac has reclaimed its rightful place.

I was also able to re-screen two screens for the storm windows and replace the lights in one of the front trees. Christmas in June! How wonderful. There should be a bit of Christmas in every day.

But it was hot and humid. I drank and drank with almost no out flow. By days end I was tuckered out. But I felt good for getting the trim done. Now for carpet and moving on to the stairwell.

On Sunday I went to the red head's to fix her roof. She had it reshingled a couple of years ago but there was a leak. I think the roofer must have been blind to miss this. The "H" clip between two pieces of plywood was bent up on both ends and poking through the felt and all layers of shingles. I removed the damaged shingles, beat the "H" clip into the proper position and replaced the shingles. A little bit of roof cement in stratigic places and the job was done.

Her neighbor was the beneficary of several length of DWV pipe and fittings for his sewer line to his garage he is building. And a couple of more things out of my garage. Although you wouldn't think anything was removed. Its a blivit.

The day ended with nachos and a movie ( "Grand Torino" ) at my eldest daughter's for Father's Day. Both my son and other daughter were there. Could not have asked for a better end to the weekend.

Murphy Was an Optimist

O'Toole's Commentary on Murphy's Law states: Murphy was an optimist. And today that fact was proven. Bear with me.

Today has been a pretty good day. I fixed the overhead garage door to the tune of $3.12. One of the wire rope cables rusted and broke. Luckily for me the neighborhood hardware store (3 blocks away) had cable and a swedge clamp. In thirty minutes it was fixed. Ta Da!

Next, I managed to cut down the bulk of the ginormous Bradford Pear in the backyard. It has been dropping large limbs over the last few years. A micro-burst several weeks ago took out another big limb and I decided the rest had to go. Now all that remains is the trunk about 5 feet high. But, its also about 20 inches in diameter. Told ya it was a big tree.

Next on the list was finishing the trim upstairs. Its been a long project and I was looking forward to being able to put all the power and hand tools away, clean up, and store the left over materials. But here's where O'Tool comes into play. I was one, that's right, one blooming piece of lattice trim short. Now its a trip to the Blue Box (Lowe's) or the Orange Box (the Homeless Depot) tomorrow night whilst on my way home from work. The trim also needs to be stained and have three coats of varnish applied. So maybe next weekend the trim will be completed.

Put another way, in the words of Robert Burns in "To a Mouse",

But, mousie, thou art not alane,
In proving foresight may be in vain,
The best laid schemes of mice and men,
Go oft astray,
And leave us nought but grief and pain,
To rend our day.

Thus endth the 6th epistle of MGA 1958.

Hallelujah. Holy Crap. Pass the Tylenol.

A Bla Sort Of Saturday

Saturdays are supposed to be those days we look forward to, especially when the work week has been long and rough. Those conditions apply, but why then am I in a bla mood?

• So I didn't get home 'til 10 most evenings after starting at 8 in the morning.
• The van leaked twice in downpours adding to the mold problem in the duct work. Chrysler has a really, really bad design for the vent system and woking on ducting under the dashboard is never easy.
• I spotted a leak in the recently replaced roof. and the new ceiling upstairs now has a water stop on it. At least the roofer is coming by today and hopefully it will get repaired.
• Several weeks ago, a micro burst took out another portion of the Bradford Pear in the back yard. The remainder of it needs to come out.
• My daughter's laptop hard drive went South and the restore image does not seem to take on the new hard drive. Maybe I need to install WinDoze first. It is a Radford University Restore image after all. Does not say a thing about the underlying operating system.
• Taylor Raine (great niece) has her first birthday party today. I should be looking forward to it, but instead I think of it as an imposition taking me away from the maintenance chores I expected to accomplish.
• There is a din-din this evening with college friends I'd been looking forward to until yesterday. Now I don't really want to go. maybe I am a HumBug.
• My son found out it will be June 29 until he van re-apply for a driver's license instead of June 9 as he thought.

But on the other hand, I had dinner with a very close friend Wednesday night. I had not seen her since February and we really haven't talked much since the end of last year. Our not being closer is from me pulling away over the last 18 months or so. In retrospect, maybe I have passive/aggressive tendencies.

Why is it so difficult for me to express myself. Even in this forum, the time between postings is loooooooog. Is it a guy thing? Do I really want to do it? I'm not sure how folks like Army of Mom post on almost a daily basis.

But the coffee this morning is really good. I'm trying to end on a high note.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Today was a day to celebrate. I finished replacing the ceiling tile upstairs. (Insert pause here whilst I pat myself on the back.) The electrics on the left side are also connected. Now, through the wizardry of modern science, we can turn the ceiling fan on with a switch and the new recessed lights. No longer will it be a dark, cavernous, place for spiders and things that go bump in the night.

What next you ask? Finishing trim needs to be applied at the ceiling/wall intersections in addition to shoe molding. Then its carpet time, clean a good bit (lots of saw dust and other debris all over), and move the furniture back in.

Some time later this Spring, I'll remove the upstairs electric circuit from the bathroom/hall circuit. Then run two (2) circuits for the upstairs. Oh, I almost forgot. The door leading to the storage places under the eaves need to have catches installed upon them.

import com.blogspot.writeoncereadnever.StdDisclaimer.*;

Its Never a Bad Weekend When ...

Friday night my son and I went shopping at WallyWorld. Some things its difficult to do without especially if one wants to not be offensive, i.e., smell well. Whilst we we there we also picked up a new DVD player. The Magnavox bit the dust after about a year of use. Maybe this Sony will do better. We also picked up a three pack of Chuck Norris Movies for five bucks. Zowie, its never a bad weekend when you get to watch three Chuck Norris movies.

And now, some Chuck Norris Facts (as if you didn't already know them):

• Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.


• There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.


• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.


• When Chuck Norris gives you the finger, he's telling you how many seconds you have left to live.


• The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain.


• There is no chin under Chuck Norris' Beard. There is only another fist.


• Chuck Norris has two speeds. Walk, and Kill.


• The leading causes of death in the United States are: 1. Heart Disease 2. Chuck Norris 3. Cancer


• Chuck Norris once punched a man in the soul.


• When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.


• Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.


• Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.


• If you spell Chuck Norris wrong on Google it doesn't say, "Did you mean Chuck Norris?" It simply replies, "Run while you still have the chance."

And There Was Great Rejoicing!

Hurray! Once side of the upstairs has been completed with the exception of trim around the knee walls and ceiling. This has been a long time coming. I've learned a few things from my son during this exercise, especially about marking tile (ceiling that is.) I've aslo learned I'm not as young as I used to be and the recovery period is longer.

Today was spent removing furring strings from the next section and appling more insulation. Plywood on the corresponding ceiling area was replaced covering the entire area. Why oh why the previous contractor left gaping voids between pieces of plywood is a mystery. That is the story of "this old house." I seen to spend more time correcting other people's poor work than I do the project I started.

Old houses are similar to boats. You sink money into them on a continuous basis, projects always take longer and cost more than estimated, and you forgo maintenance at your own peril. At least they appreciate in value ( well, present epoch not included.).

#include <std_disclaimer.h>

Old Dog, New Tricks

Sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks. Although I've been in the IT business since 1984 and used computers since before The Late Great Unpleasantness, I've recently embarked in new directions. Having lost all my bookmarks when my Mac died ( I know, back things up ), I started saving book marks to Delicious in addition to the browser.

Today, its creating a blog whilst taking a break from renovating the upstairs of my house. Who knows about tomorrow; however, I don't believe it will be bungee jumping.