What kind of projects can you do around your house?

knapplc said:
How do you mix it?
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For an example. A few times a year I get called by a company that has rentals to install a tub surround on a tub. Often times it has seen some abuse but if the finish on the tub is just hidden under soap scum and lime stains I will, after getting the new surround on, plug the drain and pour 2 gallons of white vinegar in the tub and let it sit a few hours, occasionally splashing it up on the sidewalls. Then I take a box of baking powder and pour it onto the vinegar and wait for the reaction. It doesn't take a lot of scrubbing to get that old tub shiny and looking good again. It doesn't hurt fiberglass either. It also works good on drains that have a bad odor.

 
Ugh!  My lawn is about a week overdue for the first mow.  So I finally got the mower out yesterday afternoon.  Dang thing wouldn’t start.  I tried everything I could think of:  Drained the gas tank and put in new gas.  Fiddled with the kill switch pull wire.  Cleaned the spark plug.  Gapped it.  Got a new spark plug.  New air filter.  Tried it without an air filter.  Took apart the air filter bracket and blew out the carburetor with an air hose.  (I had to make a new carb gasket because the old one tore.)  Finally, after a couple hours of fooling around with it, I gave up. 

As I was getting ready for work this AM, I thought I’d try one more thing:  I used a pair of Vice-grips to tie the kill switch lever forward at the engine.  First crank it fired right up!  I hate lawn mowing. 

 
NUance said:
Ugh!  My lawn is about a week overdue for the first mow.  So I finally got the mower out yesterday afternoon.  Dang thing wouldn’t start.  I tried everything I could think of:  Drained the gas tank and put in new gas.  Fiddled with the kill switch pull wire.  Cleaned the spark plug.  Gapped it.  Got a new spark plug.  New air filter.  Tried it without an air filter.  Took apart the air filter bracket and blew out the carburetor with an air hose.  (I had to make a new carb gasket because the old one tore.)  Finally, after a couple hours of fooling around with it, I gave up. 

As I was getting ready for work this AM, I thought I’d try one more thing:  I used a pair of Vice-grips to tie the kill switch lever forward at the engine.  First crank it fired right up!  I hate lawn mowing. 
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Get an electric mower. I recommend picking a brand and trying to get tools that all use the same batteries. (Although corded mowers are pretty great in a small yard where the cord doesn't snag on anything.) I've gotten rid of all my gas tools and it's so much better.

 
I can mow the lawn.  Let me back up...

My 24 year old Toro decided to quit working Saturday morning. I skipped mowing last weekend so the lawn was quite a few days past needing to be cut. It's an older style where you pull the handle back to get the blade turning. But now the slightest resistance would kick out the blade clutch and nothing. So I tore it apart and found the blade brake idler pulley bearing was gone. I mean totally destroyed. Literally only one ball from the bearing remained in the pan below it. Ran all over town Saturday morning and couldn't find the correct part. So I went out and bought the Toro 60v battery powered mower I've been thinking about. It is so sweet. Very light, has the Personal Pace drive that makes it go whatever speed you walk. Much quieter and won't require any gas. It pushed so easy, didn't even feel like I was mowing. Like it a lot.

Oh I ordered the pulley I need from Amazon and when it arrives I'll fix the old gas mower as that thing has been nothing but reliable. It still starts on first pull everytime, even in the spring after sitting all winter. Not sure if I'll keep it as a backup, give it to one of the kids or sell it. But I definitely will be using the 60v mower from here on out.

 
Well, I'm a failure.  

Late last week, I figure out that my garbage disposal needs replaced.  It was leaking out the bottom and that's a clear indicator the inside is shot.  So, I went and bought one. I've installed numerous disposals.  But, some idiot engineer decided to redesign how it attaches on the bottom of the drain.  I worked all Friday afternoon trying to get it on and by 6:00 I was pissed off at the world.

Time to call someone who actually enjoys doing these things.

Installing a garbage disposal might be one of the most pain in the a$$ things to do around the house.

 
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BigRedBuster said:
Well, I'm a failure.  

Late last week, I figure out that my garbage disposal needs replaced.  It was leaking out the bottom and that's a clear indicator the inside is shot.  So, I went and bought one. I've installed numerous disposals.  But, some idiot engineer decided to redesign how it attaches on the bottom of the drain.  I worked all Friday afternoon trying to get it on and by 6:00 I was pissed off at the world.

Time to call someone who actually enjoys doing these things.

Installing a garbage disposal might be one of the most pain in the a$$ things to do around the house.
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I've installed literally dozens of garbage disposals. The only times it has not been extremely easy is if the disposal was not an Insinkerator brand. Did you buy an Insinkerator disposal? Or did they change how they attach? It's been prob 3+ years since I last did one. If they effed that up, I'll be pissed too.

 
JJ Husker said:
I've installed literally dozens of garbage disposals. The only times it has not been extremely easy is if the disposal was not an Insinkerator brand. Did you buy an Insinkerator disposal? Or did they change how they attach? It's been prob 3+ years since I last did one. If they effed that up, I'll be pissed too.
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I’ve done it probably 6  or 7 times with no problem other than being a pain in the a$$ working under the sink.  
 

I bought a Waste King because that’s what the lumber yard had.  
 

This one has a large rubber gasket that slides on the bottom of the drain. Then, the disposal is supposed to slide up and lock onto the ring. 
 

Problem is, the gasket doesn’t allow the disposal to fit into the lock ring. 

 
I've got 8 fluorescent light fixtures (two 48" T8 bulbs each) in the basement. I've been debating whether to switch to LED because disposing of the  fluorescent tubes responsibly is a PITA, but matching the correct LED bulb to the fluorescent fixture/ballast is like rocket surgery. Well, the ballasts started failing, so I bought a bunch of LED fixtures to replace them (fixed LED, no replaceable bulbs). They should have been super easy to swap out, but it turns out the existing fixtures have a knockout in a place where the new ones don't, so the existing ROMEX was about an inch too short. Long story short, took me about 3 hours (not counting several trips to the hardware store) to figure out how to position the new fixture and a new junction box in just the right spot so all the wires can be connected. The other 7 lights took me less than 2 hours after that first one was uber frustrating.

 
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