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whc

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Oops!	[Jun. 30th, 2010\|09:05 pm] whc
We just got back from dropping the Subaru off at the shop that changed the timing belt a month ago. It seems that they forgot to tighten the bolt that holds the crankshaft pulley on! I was driving along US 1 when I noticed the air conditioning had stopped working. Then, I noticed that the alternator light was on! After checking the temperature gauge and remembering that the water pump is driven from the timing belt, not the alternator belt, I decided to drive on. As I got off the highway I noticed that the power steering wasn't working either. When I got to my destination, I opened the hood and saw that there was no power steering belt and that the alternator/air conditioning belt was out of place, and the main pulley, with bolt still through it, was hanging from the belt! I brushed my hand against the pulley and it fell to the ground! It looks like they can just clean up the threads on the bolt and put things back together, but it would be nice if they installed a new bolt and pulley.
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Flipping house update	[Jul. 23rd, 2009\|07:16 pm] whc
It's been a while since I posted anything about the flipping house, so here's a list of everything we've done to it (that I can remember!): -Removed paneling in basement and parts of upstairs -Cleaned bathrooms -Removed 12x12 foot covered porch (too much termite damage and rot to save it) -Removed kitchen floor and first layer of sub-floor (lots of water damage) -Installed new sub-floor -Removed kitchen cabinets, countertops and sink. -Removed "saloon" doors -"sistered" broken floor joist under kitchen, after jacking up the floor that it supported. -Turned off ice maker water supply that had been shut off by folding over the copper tube! -Replaced sink and dish washer water shut off valves -Ran new electrical circuit for dishwasher and garbage disposal -Ran new electrical circuits for kitchen outlets, microwave, bathrooms, and outdoor outlet -Removed tile around bathtub -Repaired both layers(!) of sub-floor between tub and toilet -Removed bathtub by cutting out two studs in the wall between the kitchen and bathroom -Installed new bathtub, repaired studs -Replaced missing mailbox -Received property tax bill -Replaced main heat/AC duct (something chewed a large hole in the original!) -Repaired ductwork that fell apart while replacing main duct -Cut access hole into attic over the single story portion of the house -Found one inch of insulation in places :( -Installed new bath/shower controls -Removed asphalt and vinyl floor tiles in bathroom. -Installed tile backer board around bath tub -Removed junk from mechanical room -Removed water heater and secondary solar water heater -Installed new water heater (gas and vent still to be connected)
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Water on mars	[Feb. 22nd, 2009\|09:40 pm] whc
Photos of water droplets on mars: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/17161866.html
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New oven	[Feb. 15th, 2009\|09:04 pm] whc
A half hour at 350 degrees F, or 20 minutes on broil and the door glass is cool to the touch! It seems to have some sort of coated low-e glass.
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(no subject)	[Feb. 11th, 2009\|11:53 am] whc
Wow, the gout drug is really helping! I'm not in any pain unless I try to walk and it seems to be getting better as the day goes on. Compared to last night when I was in constant pain in spite of taking a vicodin, that's a huge improvement!
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A bout with gout	[Feb. 10th, 2009\|05:40 pm] whc
I woke up Sunday morning with a lot of pain in my right big toe. Taking lots of ibuprofen made it bearable, but hard to walk. Monday was about the same in the morning, but by evening I couldn't get my sandal back on. Today was even worse. Monday morning I made an appointment with a podiatrist for today at 3:30. He confirmed that it was gout and gave me a strong anti-inflammatory and a pain killer. Things should be better in a few days.
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(no subject)	[Feb. 5th, 2009\|02:49 pm] whc
After I made the permanent power connection to the oven I realized that it was easy to tip the oven side to side, even if it is insanely heavy. So, I tipped it one way, slipped a concrete block under one side, tipped it the other way, slipped in a block, and repeated with 2x lumber until it was nearly the correct height for installation. Then, I tipped it forward a bit, so the back was high enough, and pushed it into place! So, the oven is complete (except for some minor work at the breaker panel after we remove the old range).
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(no subject)	[Feb. 5th, 2009\|09:03 am] whc
When we first made plans for the kitchen remodel, we bought a double wall oven on ebay. It was a $2500 oven that had been a demo at a local appliance shop, that we got for about $500. (similar to this one: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=299257-46-GBD309PVQ&lpage=none) It's been out in the shed ever since. Yesterday, we hauled it inside, which wasn't an easy task. (one web site lists a weight of 300 pounds for a similar oven) Today, I hooked it up to power, and it seems to work fine! I'll make the permanent electrical connection and then we can lift into place.
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Kitchen progress	[Jan. 29th, 2009\|10:42 am] whc
I'm taking a van load of old kitchen to the dump today. After that, the van will be empty so I can pick up the countertop for the part of the kitchen we're working on. I was all set to do the final prep for installing the cabinets when I found more water damaged sub-floor, probably from an old leak in the icemaker connection. Between the water damage in the old part of the kitchen and the dog damage in the room the kitchen is being extended into, we will end up replacing about 3/4 of the sub floor in the kitchen! I don't understand why anyone thought particle board was ok for subfloor in potentially wet areas. There's no fire damage to the original floor in this area, but it seems to be covered in old cooking grease! It looks like the original owners put a new layer of vinyl down instead of cleaning the floor!
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Kitchen Cabinets	[Jan. 20th, 2009\|08:46 am] whc
I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of the kitchen cabinets. First, here's one of a cabinet that I had just glued together: Here are the cabinets installed, but without the countertop: I don't have a shot of the entire corner with the countertop installed, but here's one showing the prep sink installed in the end cabinet: And, a close up of the cabinet under the sink: It's a bit crowded under there, with a reverse osmosis water filter, controller for the automatic faucet, and the leak frog keeping watch for plumbing problems. Today, we start ripping out the other corner of the kitchen.
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