Handy-Man Corner

[Iowanian]

I'm tired of bad Chiefs news.....


I thought it would be a good idea for a thread on the Handy-Man.

Do you have any Home remedies, gadgets you've made, advice on car repair, home maint, sollutions to kill weeds in your yard, bugs in your garden?

Use Coke to clean your batteries? That type of stuff.
Home made floor dry?

[displacedinMN]

Our deck is a year old and slightly discolored. I want to seal it this summer AND keep the natural color

What is the best way to turn it to brown instead of slightly gray.

Bleach/water? Power wash? Sander?

[Bugeater]

Power wash will do the trick. Just be careful, you can tear them up if you use the wrong tip. Try the widest pattern first and work your way smaller. Just leave the 0 degree tip in the machine. Allow to dry then stain with the finish of your choice and enjoy.

[stlchiefs]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

Our deck is a year old and slightly discolored. I want to seal it this summer AND keep the natural color

What is the best way to turn it to brown instead of slightly gray.

Bleach/water? Power wash? Sander?

I listen to this guy: http://www.askthebuilder.com/deck-cleaning-and-sealing/

The oxygen bleach stuff he sells works. I used it to clean a swing set and it did an amazing job of taking dirt, algae/mold growth off of it and prepped it to stain.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by stlchiefs

I listen to this guy: http://www.askthebuilder.com/deck-cleaning-and-sealing/

The oxygen bleach stuff he sells works. I used it to clean a swing set and it did an amazing job of taking dirt, algae/mold growth off of it and prepped it to stain.

Sure, if it's a 20 year old deck that's been neglected, you can tear it up real good with a pressure washer, especially if you don't know what you're doing. But as long as it's in good condition and you don't get too aggressive it will do an adequate job.

[ghak99]

Help me not die...

I have a 1/2hp single phase 230v 2 wire submersible pump that the previous owner says worked fine. When I say 2 wire, I mean 2 wires, not 2 wires and a ground wire like most I've been around. I went ahead and put a leg to both wires and threw the 30a and it pumps like a champ out of a tank. Before I throw this thing down a well, why does it not have a ground wire and is there anything I should do to a true 2 wire pump to avoid death?

[Rooster]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I realize we haven't cleaned our dryer vent for a few years. It's a vent that goes to the roof. What's my best bet for cleaning this?

You'll need a leaf blower, a plastic grocery bag and duct tape.

[FlaChief58]

Originally Posted by ghak99

Help me not die...

I have a 1/2hp single phase 230v 2 wire submersible pump that the previous owner says worked fine. When I say 2 wire, I mean 2 wires, not 2 wires and a ground wire like most I've been around. I went ahead and put a leg to both wires and threw the 30a and it pumps like a champ out of a tank. Before I throw this thing down a well, why does it not have a ground wire and is there anything I should do to a true 2 wire pump to avoid death?

I'm not an electrician, but I would think anything sucking 230v should have a ground wire.

[Rooster]

This lawsuit seems a little farfetched to me.


MILWAUKEE — Two home improvements stores are accused of deceiving the buyers of four-by-four boards, the big brother to the ubiquitous two-by-four.

The alleged deception: Menards and Home Depot (HD) market and sell the hefty lumber as four-by-fours without specifying that the boards actually measure 3½ inches by 3½ inches.

The lawsuits against the retailers would-be class actions, filed within five days of each other in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. Attorneys from the same Chicago law firm represent the plaintiffs in both cases. Each suit seeks more than $5 million.

“Defendant has received significant profits from its false marketing and sale of its dimensional lumber products,” the action against Menards contends.

Defendant’s representations as to the dimension of these products were false and misleading,” the suit against Home Depot alleges.

The retailers say the allegations are bogus. It is common knowledge and longstanding industry practice, they say, that names such as two-by-four or four-by-four do not describe the width and thickness of those pieces of lumber.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...uit/415874001/

[Bugeater]

Good lord. Wonder how many tax dollars are going to be wasted on that shitshow.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Rooster

This lawsuit seems a little farfetched to me.


MILWAUKEE — Two home improvements stores are accused of deceiving the buyers of four-by-four boards, the big brother to the ubiquitous two-by-four.

The alleged deception: Menards and Home Depot (HD) market and sell the hefty lumber as four-by-fours without specifying that the boards actually measure 3½ inches by 3½ inches.

The lawsuits against the retailers would-be class actions, filed within five days of each other in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. Attorneys from the same Chicago law firm represent the plaintiffs in both cases. Each suit seeks more than $5 million.

“Defendant has received significant profits from its false marketing and sale of its dimensional lumber products,” the action against Menards contends.

Defendant’s representations as to the dimension of these products were false and misleading,” the suit against Home Depot alleges.

The retailers say the allegations are bogus. It is common knowledge and longstanding industry practice, they say, that names such as two-by-four or four-by-four do not describe the width and thickness of those pieces of lumber.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...uit/415874001/

I feel like this lawsuit has been attempted before without success.

[Beef Supreme]

Originally Posted by ghak99

Help me not die...

I have a 1/2hp single phase 230v 2 wire submersible pump that the previous owner says worked fine. When I say 2 wire, I mean 2 wires, not 2 wires and a ground wire like most I've been around. I went ahead and put a leg to both wires and threw the 30a and it pumps like a champ out of a tank. Before I throw this thing down a well, why does it not have a ground wire and is there anything I should do to a true 2 wire pump to avoid death?

Is the 30a breaker a GFCI breaker? I wouldn't submerge anything electrical in water, ground wire or not, without a GFCI outlet or breaker in the chain.

[Iowanian]

Any appliance repair gurus in the house? I have a Samsung dw80f600 dishwasher Thant runs constantly and won't shut off or drain without pushing cancel and drain button. Upim not seeing an error code and getting mixed results online. Turbidity sensor or control panel?

[Bugeater]

Appliances, furnaces, air conditioners, whatever, if it's acting erratically, and it has a control panel, it's more than likely the control panel.

[Iowanian]

That's what I though got to but I keep seeing things about a turbidity sensor being dirty our out.

I've seen the control board online for $200.
It's 3-4 years old and I figure a new one is going to be 600 or maybe 800 if I splurge on a Bosch.

Appliances don't seem to last at all these days. Already been through a washing machine.


Does the smart guy fix the 4 year old appliance for 200 or just bite the bullet. The repair looks like a 5 minute fix with a 200 part if it's a control board

[Bugeater]

Never heard of a turbidity sensor, is that some high end unit? Most of my experience is with apartment grade appliances, they're pretty basic.

4 years old? I'd probably fix it if I was happy with it otherwise and it's in good shape.