DIY Dumbbell Add-on Weights

Hat tip to the body building forum that gave me the instructions to make my own "PlateMates(©)" which are 1.25 or 2.5 lb magnetic plates that you can add to your dumbbells to incrementally increase your free weight weights. My cheapness prohibited me from purchasing the real deal, and Google took me to the afore mentioned forum that said some rare earth neodymium magnets (usually available at your local hardware store) and Gorilla Glue to turn my 2.5 lb plates into magnetic add on weights that secure to the end of hex dumbbells. The glue is to attach the magnets to the plates so you can slide the plates on and off the dumbbells because these suckers attract hard, and I mean hard. You have to re-glue the magnets every once in awhile. Plus they are brittle, so you don't want to be smacking them on there or they will break. They seem to stick fine, just have to leave my wallet out my pocket lest my credit cards get erased. I've used these on 55 lb hex as well, but use at your own risk. 

DIY Fix for Frozen GE Refrigerator/Freezer Water Dispenser

If your water dispenser keeps freezing on your GE side by side refrigerator/freezer, a quick look at the always trustworthy internet indicates that you should NOT 1) call for service, 2) install a heater(!) in your freezer, 3) replace the door. Number two is my favorite, because installing a heater in your freezer makes the most sense...and numbers one and three will set you back a few hundred dollars and may not solve the problem. Instead, some folks have had success installing insulation on the back of the freezer door, right where the water line is freezing up as pictured below. Apparently, you cannot access where the line is freezing as that part does not come off (I am sure you could make it come off with a sledge hammer). I used some self-adhesive pipe insulation wrap with foil backing on mine. I tried the duck tape route with some simple styrofoam I had laying around, but it didn't hold. The pipe wrap has good adhesion, even at low temperatures. At one layer deep, the water line remained fluid for 6 hour stretches (without insulation, it would freezer in about 3 hours). Overnight, the line froze up again, but definitely not as bad as before. Therefore, I am adding another layer of pipe wrap over the seams, or maybe horizontally, since it is only a 1/8 inch thick and will report back. Make sure you check out this post as well to keep from having to thaw the line out if it is repeatedly freezing. UPDATE: Adding another layer of the same pipe insulation wrap horizontally has kept the line thawed overnight for several days. I am now a spousal hero until the next appliance breaks.

Washing Machine Safety Catch Repair

So I am trying to check a screeching belt on the washing machine, which must be over a dozen years old by now, and I accidentally break the safety catch when the lid closes. The safety catch is the thingy that tells the washing machine the lid has been closed and it is safe to spin. The plastic piece broke right in sweet spot. There were a couple of places on line where you could buy one, but being so old, it was kind of expensive and I had my doubts about them. I could have taped the catch down or something, though then someone could get hurt. I ended up taking a metal bracket, and twisting it 90º so that I could screw one end to the catch, and the other end would be in position to be pressed down by the lid when it was closed. By some miracle, this worked and has had no problems. Mechanical attachment is always the way to go in situations that require force. Glues just don't do well in that arena. 

Makeshift Home Eye Wash Station

Awhile back, one of my kids had a run in with some "bathroom refresher" spray. It was my fault as she saw me using it and I did not give any warnings nor provide any training because I didn't think any was needed. Inevitably, she sprayed some right into her eyes and I immediately tried to get some water into her eyes. Well, thanks to panic and screaming, I wasn't thinking right and when simply splashing water in her eyes was not enough, I flipped her upside down and proceeded to basically water board her under the kitchen faucet, nearly drowning her in the process. The water she inhaled may have contributed to her puking later; we'll call it a push. Well, after reading the label on the spray and seeing that I did do the right thing with water, I just did it incorrectly. If I had thought this through logically (or thought of something happening like this in advance), I could have flipped the removable water faucet handle upside down and created a "home eye wash" station that would have certainly been more effective than what I did. So next time someone you know gets something in their eyes, read the label to make sure water is the recommended treatment, then use your faucet in the following manner (if you have one that does this).

Dirty and Clean Whole House Filters

Air filters make the most sense to me, after all, there is no choice but to breathe all day long, and if you are shut up in a house because of the cold or heat, better that your air be filtered. Our heat pump came with a blue mesh filter that you could supposedly rinse every month and reuse. I thought that was the greatest thing ever since it meant the heat pump would be paid for in like 100 years since I didn't need to spend money on filters. Well, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and that filter just doesn't do the same job that this paper filters can. I use them both. What the hell. I hope that it just isn't making the fan work harder. As you can see, the used filter at the top grabs dirt that would otherwise end up in who knows where. 

Refrigerator/Freezer Water Filter

I never used a Brita if I didn't have to, but when we bought this fridge, it had the water filter in it and now I am forever thinking it needs to be changed and that my children are being poisoned. At lest it doesn't have an indicator on it, and I thought they sold a bypass. However, it keeps dispensing water no matter how old it is. The filter is rated for only 300 gallons which is gone in the blink of an eye if you like drinking water. I think they average around $40. Is filtration really needed, I mean except for areas with high lead concentration? The United States water system has been hailed as an engineering marvel, and everyone is filtering his or her water or using bottled water that usually comes from a tap anyhow. Pardon me while I go change my filter.

DIY Solar Powered Car Exhaust Fan

This is my current home-made solar powered car exhaust fan for my car which has been without air conditioning for the last couple of years (thank you, Honda, for offering me a whopping $100 towards my $4000 in needed repairs). What this does is expel air from the car through the cracked sun-roof or side window when the temperatures are the hottest which, coincidentally, corresponds to when the sun is out. You can fool yourself with those Mylar sun shades. What you need is technology with the right amount of juice. The cheap, as-seen-on-TV model that has a solar panel the size of credit card just can't provide the energy needed to move enough air in your vehicle. This 5-watt panel is only $40 (usually used to "trickle charge" a car battery) and kicks out at least a half-amp, obviously depending on the solar conditions. However, even in cloudy weather through a tinted car window, it still powers the dual fans I reclaimed from an old computer. All you need to do is attach the clamps to the color matched wires of a 12 volt computer fan and now we are in business. There might be enough power from this panel to operate a freezer that uses a Stirling engine, though I don't know where that would get me exactly. Being a worry wart, I wondered about risk of sparks or something like that, but the panel has an automatic trip if the red and black cross that shuts down all current. I've been running this set-up for a couple of months now, a couple times a week with no apparent ill effects. That being said, I divulge myself of liability and recommend you consult your doctor before beginning any exercise routine. I did make one improvement from this picture: the black panel casing gets hot in the sun (duh!), so I covered it with white duct tape all the way around. Or you could you use paint, but it has to be rated for full sun exposure and above average temperatures. I also switched back to a single 12V computer fan instead of the dual seen here.

DIY Attic Duct Work Insulation

Also a contender for worst place to put duct work ever. Why the hell there are ducts in peoples attics boggles my mind. The attic gets extremely hot in the summer, and extremely cold in the winter. Doesn't take a genius like me to figure that out. Thus the air return duct going through the ceiling upstairs then goes through the attic for a good 12 feet before shooting straight down to the air handler, essentially exposing the air to whatever environment happens to be in the attic at the time. Coincidentally, that environment is exactly the opposite of the temperature you are trying to achieve in your house. So while insulating the attic, I decided trying something was better than doing nothing, and added some of this Mylar bubble wrap to the top and sides of the duct (couldn't get to the bottom). You just leave the old, pathetic looking, fiberglass insulation on. It should reflect heat away in the summer, and keep heat in in the winter, I hope. It looks cool, and was easy to use. Plus, I got to use the best duct tape ever. Screw the people who came up with this idea.

DIY Attic Insulation

After many years, I gave up on the dream of using blown-in insulation to insulate my attic. After reading it really isn't that easy or that much cheaper, I found these fiberglass insulation rolls that looked like they would be fairly easy to install, and cheaper than batts. Why they call them batts I will never know. Upon closer inspection after getting into the attic, the little bit of blown in insulation that was there could best be described as inadequate and at worst as having a negative R rating, if that is possible. I wonder how much money was thrown away. Anyhow, my attic has many "joists" and the roof is at a low angle, making it hard to move around and get the insulation all the way in the corners. Turns out you shouldn't put it all the way against the edge of the roof anyway; something about ventilation. I wore a bicycle helmet with one of those LED lamps and saved my head some serious damage from the joists and nails sticking through the roof. I almost did a half-ass job, literally, since the rolls didn't quite fill in the space between the joists, however, in the end, I got some advice from some other do it yourselfer that used a serrated blade to cut the rolls in half (while still rolled up). That fit the gaps nicely and the attic looks like it has a nice blanket now. I kept track of the progress on this Google Doc. Tough to compare the temperature difference, but mentally, it makes me feel warmer in the winter. It doesn't really hep with the heat in the summer. Apparently I need to get some of the reflective stuff I used on the duct work and staple it to the rafters. Maybe next year.

LED Light Bulb Energy Meter

Light emitting diodes have been around for awhile, finding work illuminating indicator lights on switches and such that don't really need indicator lights. Now LEDs are quietly pummeling the competition in providing low-heat producing light anywhere you can shake a stick at. With solar power, it is a match made in heaven. I've gotten into a bad habit of leaving LED bulbs in my house on, counter intuitively thinking that this is somehow saving me money. Yes, you should turn off lights in rooms when you are using them. No, apparently you should not close vents and doors in rooms when you are not using them; something about the duct design and capacity of your house. Yes, you should keep your freezer full because it makes it more efficient although I don't have the slightest idea why even though I can recite the first rule of thermodynamics (coincidentally, there is a zeroth and negative one rule of thermodynamics because they realized after the fact that without those two, there could not be a one). If object A is in thermoequilibrium with object B, and object B is in thermoequilibrium with object C, then object A is in thermoequilibrium with object C.

Article from NYT on LEDs going mainstream.

Incandescent Light Bulb Energy Meter

The candle probably gets the worst lighting source ever, but in terms of using energy, the incandescent takes the cake, converting the majority of its energy into heat. What will Easy-Bake ovens do when they are outlawed? Don't get me wrong; I love the light it puts out since it is a steady light, as opposed to horrid florescent bulbs that cycle on and off ever millisecond or something, giving many people a headache of unknown origin. Fun fact: the US standard for light is still measured in foot-candles that correlates to the light given by one candle from a one foot distance. Antiquated? I think not.

Sod Installation

Nothing like a couple inches of grass to hide poor soil tilling. Nothing looks better than freshly laid sod. Then it starts getting used and abused and starts looking like a poorly shaven sheep. I don't even have a lawn mower, so I could be using the ghetto fabulous method of using a weed wacker to cut the grass. I used to have one of those push mowers, and thought about how green and eco-friendly I was, until I threw out my back and threw out the lawn mower (it was a dumpster dive anyhow). Well, let's hope this fine sod survives my dog, who is fenced off for three weeks in order to give the carpet a fighting chance. At least it rained on the day of install, score! Quick facts: 1 roll of this sod = 10 feet, wieghs 40-50 lbs, took 20 rolls to do the job, and fit 20 rolls in my minivan but forgot to take a picture of the "worst substitute for a pick-up truck ever."

Tilling Soil for Laying Sod

I don't think I have the requisite machinery to get this job done properly. The place I planned on getting the sod done said to till the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Are you kidding me? I do everything half-ass anyhow, so 3 inches it is. Now I was supposed to wet with 6-8 inches of water. What the hell does that mean? Are we talking about placing a measuring stick or cup somewhere and getting 6-8 inches. It may have said something about cans at each corner, and filling them halfway, or some bull like that. I was looking forward to pH testing since I imagine the dog peeing back here all the time created an acute acidic condition, however, it never happened for various logistical reasons. Apparently, it isn't even the acidity; it's the urea. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice, ya know? Anyhow, the sod worked great at first, then after the first cut about a month later, it all died. Next year I am seeding.

Aluminum Duct Tape

This aluminum tape is addictive. I was looking for the most microscope holes in my metal duct-work so I can could apply more. The tape part does not dry out and looks the same probably 20 years later as the day it was applied. I do have one pet peeve with the brands of this tape that have the brand and/or tape properties imprinted on the shiny part of the tape; I like the clean look. I've got to find other places to use this tape.

Matte Duct Tape

Time to end the myth of duct tape being this great material. Yes, it has niche uses, and the aura surrounding was intriguing at first, but now worn out just as this tape becomes over time. Many have pointed out the irony that duct tape is, in fact, terrible for metal ducts because it is cloth based and the glue on the tape side dries out and the seal is then gone. I did see the Myth Busters where they used about 100,000 rolls of tape to make a hammock, a house, and a canoe that all seemed feasible. Give me a bazillion toothpicks and I can make just about anything as well. I am done with duct tape, except for those cool colors they now have at places like Target. Damn those marketing people.

Patio Paver Sand Estimation

Maybe because the yard is slanted or my eyes ain't what the used to be, my estimate on the amount of sanded needed to complete the extension of our modest patio by a good 10+ bags despite the guide on how much you need on the bag. Typical man, not following the instructions. That last row on the far right is almost a sheer drop-off until I can get more sand. Plus, many of these are wobbly and will need to be reset. Fun.

Patio Paver Base Layer

Things started so promising. I figured adding to an existing patio would be easier than starting one from scratch. Too bad it had been 8 years since we laid the one down on the left, and colors are completely mismatched. Still, that first base layer looked great and I figured I would be enjoying a glass of vino by sundown. 

Water Heater Thermostat

Replaced it for $10 and figured out it was the reason we did not have enough hot water for 8 years. Turns out on the top thermostat and element were working, but power wasn't being transferred to the lower element since the thermostat was shot. What is supposed to happen is that the top element heats the water to satisfy the top element, and then the lower element kicks on to satisfy the lower element. A couple of electricians and the our home inspector, completely missed this.