Fixing the flute

JJ dropped his flute on the steps of his teacher's house a while back. I tried to fix it since he had a concert before we could get a repair. It was still not right so I have tried again.

Fisher and Paykel Washing Machine blocked diverter

Our trusty "made in New Zealand" Fisher and Paykel washing machine wouldn't drain today. A little bit of help from an internet video and now it works (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j1as-nyQGE). I went through all the diagnostic codes and it showed "pump blocked." But the pump was working, just pumping the water back into the washing machine. Nobody wanted to empty the load of washing out of the machine to turn it upside down, but it had to be done. I managed to get most of the water out first by bailing, then pumping the water into my bail, then using a wet vacuum cleaner. Only a little spilled on the floor when I tipped it over.

When I looked into the diversion valve, I saw a moving part, but thought it was part of the valve. When I couldn't find any blockage in the hoses or pump, I went back to the valve and took it apart. The mysterious moving part fell out. I wondered if I could get it back together. But as I stared at it, it began to look more like the end of a pen (like the boots that looked like an opossum eating something in the dim dawn light at Piha camp years ago!). It even had "BIC" set into the molding. So out it came, back together went the washing machine; I added some caulk where the floor meets the wall behind the machine, and the clothes are washing as we speak.

Staple Gun Rusted

So.... I left my staple gun out in the rain ages ago. It rusted shut and the simplest solution was to pick up another for a few dollars at a garage sale (a Bostitch). But when I needed it to cover a chair, I ran out of staples. So a new pack of staples would be about $13 and a trip to the shops. Instead of waiting, I had a go at unrusting the old yellow. Penetrating oil sprayed in all over got it freed up. But when the staple gun fired, it did not load another staple. There was enough rust in there to stop the spring from advancing the next staple. So....I had to take it apart, and sand the rust off the channels. Now it works like a charm!

Button up that Loose Hair!

"Marketplace Day" is coming at school. The 3rd graders are expected to design, make and market a product to sell to their schoolmates, proceeds going to a charity. As we have collected jars full of old buttons, J. elected to use them to make decorative bobby pins. It was a simple matter of hot gluing buttons to the bobby pins. The buttons with the (what is this thing called?) piece added on the back with the hole for the thread (as opposed to holes on the face of them), worked best, as they could be threaded onto the bobby pins and then glued. They came out quite lovely. Our little ladies have been wearing them to school the last few days (before the Marketplace Day)--excellent marketing ploy, as their classmates have grown covetous of them and now plan to purchase some!
--Danger, Mom at Work

Basement Bedroom 3

Ceiling: The old hanging ceiling stopped short of the wall, so I put some gibboard between the joists to make an exposed beam effect for the part that is exposed. This required a team effort to get the long pieces of gibboard secured. There is a sliding piece to allow access to the electrical junction boxes.

Closet: the closet in the southwest corner came out (it was reducing the room size). And the closet in the northwest corner was enlarged.

Hot water heater was covered with a blanket and copper pipes insulated.

Basement Bedroom 2

After the rotten sill was replaced, the window could go in. Concrete blocks also went in around the window well to prevent the dirt from falling back in. These blocks came from a house demolished by the hospital across the street. They have been behind the shed for several years. When we got them out a surprise solution was found to a mystery: my van keys were back there buried by the stored blocks. They must have fallen out of my pocket when I was stacking them. I never replaced them because a new set costs $100 (thanks Ford!).

The closet in the corner came out and the tile floor began to go in. A wooden (oak) trap door was made to go above the sump cover.

Next: electrical work. Doug Ballantine helped and added all the new circuits. The two plugs in the master bedroom (southwest) were replaced and two more added. Three plugs were set into the concrete on the southern wall of the basement bedroom. Plugs were also added to the boiler room and basement office (northwest). The plugs under the basement window are one circuit (to accommodate an air conditioner). The other plug is double and has two circuits, one for each pump (in the same sump). Then the pumps in the boiler room sump were put on two different circuits. So for the pumps to fail, both circuits have to trip, or both pumps have to fail and the pumps/circuits in both sumps have to fail (because they are connected by underground pipe). But... if the electricity goes off, then the generator is needed (within five minutes of power outage, if there is heavy rain). So we still could get a flood, but it won't be because a pump failed or circuit tripped. And there is now less wooden floor and wall to get soaked.

To make the sump pump in the bedroom less conspicuous the pipes were renewed so that PVC pipes go close to the wall. A drain for the dehumidifier was incorporated. Removing the old exit pipe revealed a hole in the wall that was letting mice in. To improve the drainage the existing outside pipe (4 inch) was renewed. This was a great deal of digging (to make it fall down hill!) which was done by the boys and mum. Four loads of 3/4 inch trap stone was transported in van... more shovelling by the boys. I also added a perforated black pipe on top (4 inch). This is a pipe I bought for $10 from Hudson Valley Materials Exchange (now closed). It has been on the shed roof for years.

Basement Bedroom 1

It all began in the summer 0f 2010 when DD realised he could get his room to himself if he helped JJ get a new room in the basement. The first thing was to dig access for a new escape window (two exits are required for all bedrooms). DD got off to a good start but lost steam when he realised that the room would not be ready until well into the year (now it's May 2011 and the room is still not ready!).

The next step was to cut out the concrete block wall for the new window; first, a hole in the gibboard. This hole allowed a look at the conrete wall behind the gibboard wall. This revealed mold about a foot from the ground. So the gibboard wall had to be taken out and the wooden floor was soaking wet and moldy too. So the floor had to come out too. Neither wall or floor would be replaced. The wall would remain painted concrete and the floor finished with ceramic tile.

While the floor was uncovered it made sense to cut drainage ditches into the floor for perforated pipes. The moisture under the floor made this important too. Last time I did this in the boiler room I borrowed a jack hammer from Chris, my neighbour. But he has shifted. So I bought a similar jack hammer for this job. The pipe along the west wall was connected to the existing pipe in the boiler room. This means that if either pump fails (the new bedroom or the boiler room) the water will run to the other pump and there will be no flood. Also I put a 2 inch output pipe from the boiler room pump in the ditch last time. So this time I connected that to a new output pipe so the boiler room output pipe can go underground instead of running over head (I haven't connected it yet).

I cut the concrete blocks for the window, then knocked out the hole with a heavy hammer. Once the blocks were out to the way, carpenter ant damage was revealed in the south wall sill. About 8 feet of sill had to be replaced. Then the window went in. This window was bought new for the bathroom upstairs several years ago. It was a stock size smaller than the existing window. It never quite looked right so we took that out for the basement, and bought two new custom size windows for upstairs (bathroom and east bedroom). Those windows went in before the work began downstairs.