Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium

[zmotorsports]

The cabinet is looking great Bob.

 

[sawduststeve]

I hate it when I cut something to short. Its really hard to put would back together.
Bret

You need more practise, I'm really quite good at it.

Steve.

 

[shortykorte]

Bob, that’s looking really good. I’ll trade you a hammer for a cabinet.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[ODIS]

Still a very entertaining thread! Thank you! You seem to keep super busy and always in good spirits too.

Thanks for all that you share here!

Our best to you and family.

ODIS.

 

[Bob Heine]

I'm going to save myself some typing...


The termites are back. Same windowsill but without the droppings. The termite service is getting a call tomorrow morning. I expect there's a nest up in the top plate and that's accessible from the attic. If they can't fix the problem with local treatment, we may be tenting the whole house.

May is a special time of year in South Florida. It's when termites swarm and for the fifth [EDIT - sixth] May in a row, drywood termites have swarmed in our laundry room. Each year Terminix comes out and "treats" the problem and we're good for a year. Except that the swarm means they are making a nest. For the first time, the nest has exposed itself.

Years ago my wife had me put a closet rod and shelf in the laundry room so she could drip dry dress shirts and blouses. Over time her blouses have become permanent residents on the rod that extends from the washing machine to the closet in the laundry room, blocking the window. When she saw a flying termite this year, she looked behind the 150 hanging blouses and saw this:

If you live somewhere where termites are not a problem, you may not recognize TERMITE $HIT! The really damaging Subterranean Termite can eat all the studs in a wall in a couple of years but they live inside mud tubes and require a constant supply of water to make the mud. Drywood Termites just make tunnels in the wood and don't need much water to survive. Once one of their tunnels breaks through a wall, their turds, which look like coffee grounds, start falling out and creating piles like this one:

I pay for two kinds of treatment annually and the contract for drywood termites covers tenting whenever a major infestation is detected. Drilling and injecting poison or setting out bait traps for subterranean termites is covered in the second contract. I want to have the house tented but my wife doesn't. For that reason, I'm going to be removing the drywall from the laundry room one stud bay at a time until I find the queen's nest. Then Terminix will treat the exposed area and I will replace the damaged wood (without tearing off the sheathing and stucco on the outside).

Wish me luck and if you don't hear from me again, the termites have won!

 

[drivesitfar]

Bob: while you are hiring the pros to get rid of termites I'm heading out to get rid of all the rotted wood to get rid of carpenter ants and I'll probably end up calling the pros too. while we are reading up on carpenter ants the articles say that carpenter ants only bore through wood to make tunnels, but temites EAT THE WOOD so hope you caught your group in the early stages.

best of luck and GEESH I really hope you don't have to tent the house.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Bob, that’s looking really good. I’ll trade you a hammer for a cabinet.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

DANG!! Why didn't I think of that?

You're cold, Bob. The way I've seen you chew up the wood I would think you would have more respect for professional wood chewers like termites. Instead of going ballistic why don't you befriend them. I bet they could teach you some neat tricks. If you just get to know them you won't dislike them so much, my older and wiser brother. (everyone knows he's wise guy)

 

[bcoke]

I feel for you guys up here in the arctic [well really vermont] we do not have bad infestations but they are around , I built three buildings on my property two houses and a barn [workshop] and swear by Boric Acid as I put it in all exterior wall cavities during construction no roachs ants termite etc........I know you don't have that option but any wall you open I would put some in even if it is just an outlet opening.....can't hurt!!!!!! bobbycoke

 

[1/2 Cup]

Bob, termites not nice.


I hope you get on top of the situation..

 

[Bob Heine]

Hey Bob,
Good work with the musical ice box and welcome to my club, measure twice cut once, measure again and cut a little bit more off, final measure again , and try to stick a bit back on. . I'll send you a millimetres only tape, it's quite exciting to cut things wrong on a different measurement scale.

If I only worked when it wasn't raining I'd only work for a month a year, if that.
Steve

Thank you Steve! I moved into a halfway house [er, halfway tape] based on one of Sakurama's posts. It has both metric and imperial scales, a pencil sharpener and a white board circle on one side. The whiteboard is nice because I can write down the wrong number, verify it's wrong and then make the wrong cut. I should have noted the wrong size and made the wrong cut in both scales.

The pencil sharpener is for a standard school pencil. In one of my rare moments of maturity in grade school, I neither commented nor giggled when the teacher said "Mark your answer sheet with a Number two pencil." I still believe a Number One pencil leaves invisible marks.

I normally work in this kind of rain. We usually get lightning with our rain and I hear it's bad luck to be holding on to long metal tools. This time it was the cold -- it was barely 70*F [22*C] and that's hypothermia for Floridians.

Karl, thanks for stopping by. I'm sure we aren't the only two but I'm pretty sure we're in the minority. Where are you in Boca -- East or West of I-95?/QUOTE]

East - about 1/2 mile west of Dixie. Been "re-organizing" the garage so haven't checked in for a while.

Karl, I'm also about 1/2 mile west of Dixie. We might be neighbors.

Cabinet looks good Bob. I hate it when I cut something to short. Its really hard to put would back together.

Bret

Bret, I'm tempted to take a break and cut some angle iron short, then weld some metal to patch it to size.

Bob, looking good.

Thank you Steve and you are in my thoughts. Maybe they will let you run a floor buffer at the hospital instead of wandering the halls with no purpose.

Hi Bob!

You need to reread your posts before you post your posts. Some of them come across as really funny. I know you don't mean it, but I love reading your stuff.

By the way, one of the skills you obtain in woodworking is recovering from mistakes. Sometimes it does involve a design change. "No, that's the way I planned it".

Andy, I will try to do better. I think you credit me with funny when I'm just clueless.

I have an extensive collection of "That's the way I planned it." projects that some mistake for mistakes. And yes, I fixed all our chairs so they rock.

He is very good company!

That's fantastic! Reminds of working with my son when he said "this is boring Dad, can't we cut first and measure later?"

Mat, I like the quiet ones. Your son makes me think we have some intertwined branches in our family trees.

My mom said if you can't say something good don't say anything. I left home at sixteen as a mute.

I think we all do that now and again.

I hope writing isn't the same as saying. A lot of what I write isn't good. I waited until I was seventeen to leave home as a mime (aka husband).

I do that again and again. Practice doesn't always make perfect.

Bob,
The cabinet is looking good!

Thank you Jon but it's no Lista.

Well it definitely looks like you have been busy, some very nice work there young man!

Thank you kind sir! Terrick, I really like how your place is coming along. Best part is it's yours, not leased from a bank.

The cabinet is looking great Bob.

Thank you Mike. There were moments when I thought it was getting heavy and then I saw your convict labor project laying rock in the rain!

You need more practise, I'm really quite good at it.
Steve.

Steve, it's amazing how helpful the distressed look can be. I'm referring to the look of the wood, not the look of the tool handler.

Bob, that’s looking really good. I’ll trade you a hammer for a cabinet.

Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Wait, Stewart, are you offering me a hammer or a cabinet? Mine have become like my own children (I think that's a good thing???).

Still a very entertaining thread! Thank you! You seem to keep super busy and always in good spirits too.

Thanks for all that you share here!

Our best to you and family.

ODIS.

Odis, you are one of the people on the GJ who lifts my spirits when you post. Your bathroom remodel inspired me to try a little woodworking and your work on the Porsche collection inspires me to keep working on my cars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to all of you for following along and posting.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob: while you are hiring the pros to get rid of termites I'm heading out to get rid of all the rotted wood to get rid of carpenter ants and I'll probably end up calling the pros too. while we are reading up on carpenter ants the articles say that carpenter ants only bore through wood to make tunnels, but temites EAT THE WOOD so hope you caught your group in the early stages.

best of luck and GEESH I really hope you don't have to tent the house.

Hi Drives! Thanks for stopping by. I have the pros on retainer are on first name relationships. John won't be able to come out this time but Steve gave me a call this evening to see how we were doing.

If you haven't had your house inspected by a pro recently, it might be worth the expense. I can spot a termite turd from across a room and know the difference between a flying ant, drywood termite and subterranean termite. That isn't a good thing but it helps me address a problem before it becomes a crisis.

Here in South Florida the fully tented homes are called weekend getaways -- you have to stay somewhere else.

DANG!! Why didn't I think of that?

You're cold, Bob. The way I've seen you chew up the wood I would think you would have more respect for professional wood chewers like termites. Instead of going ballistic why don't you befriend them. I bet they could teach you some neat tricks. If you just get to know them you won't dislike them so much, my older and wiser brother. (everyone knows he's wise guy)

Andy, now I feel bad. You could have a gigantic collection of cabinets and a bunch of Florida GJers could have HAndyammers.

I tried to make friends with the termites. I have a small sawdust factory just 100-feet from the house. Some of them stopped by but rudely took over one of my workbenches and left the sawdust alone. As soon as I taught Aldo how to cut a straight tunnel, he ran off with some floozy to a farm in North Carolina (that's what Liane told me). Now I have to explain his departure to his 247,000 kids. I'm certainly not going to tell them Liane gassed him.

I feel for you guys up here in the arctic [well really vermont] we do not have bad infestations but they are around , I built three buildings on my property two houses and a barn [workshop] and swear by Boric Acid as I put it in all exterior wall cavities during construction no roachs ants termite etc........I know you don't have that option but any wall you open I would put some in even if it is just an outlet opening.....can't hurt!!!!!! bobbycoke

Bobbycoke, as I recall from my summers further north in Rutland and Fair Haven (Glen Lake), even the dead trees took a long time to be consumed. Down here in the sub-tropics I had a stack of pressure treated wood disappear in three years.

Bob, termites not nice.

I hope you get on top of the situation..

Thank you so much Steve. At least they aren't eating my cars.

I'm talking to my people and they say I shouldn't worry (they aren't really "my" people but we are on frequent and friendly terms.

 

[Bob Heine]

Did a little re-digging and destruction today. The irrigation system has a brass gate valve and flapper-style check valve leading to the 24V electric control valve. The thing between the control valve and the green indexing valve is an anti-siphon vacuum break valve.

That anti-siphon valve has been a problem in the past. The cap has a lot of open space where small lizards like to go in and I assume have a drink. When the system turns on at 4 o'clock in the morning the valve snaps open and squashes the lizard. The lizard's revenge is to prevent the valve from sealing so hundreds of gallons of water spray out of the valve. It does that until the lizard rots away or I notice the gusher (it's pretty loud).

My previous fix a decade or so back was a piece of cloth and some tape. I decided to check on it's condition and it was no longer doing its job. I bought a square foot of stainless mesh for some project but I can't remember what. At least I remembered I had it and even where it was. Marked an oversize circle on the screening. You can see the rather large water ride entrance on top of the valve.

I cut the circle and used my plastic dimple-die kit to shape the screening.

A pair of mini-needle-nose pliers improved the shape with some final tuning using my tiny ball pein hammer and I have something that should block the lizards.

Drilled a couple of holes, clamped the screen down with the cover screws and zip-tied the screen in place.

I

Didn't take a picture of the finished valve with the cap back in place but you get the idea.

 

[bolensboneyard]

I feel for you guys up here in the arctic [well really vermont] we do not have bad infestations but they are around , I built three buildings on my property two houses and a barn [workshop] and swear by Boric Acid as I put it in all exterior wall cavities during construction no roachs ants termite etc........I know you don't have that option but any wall you open I would put some in even if it is just an outlet opening.....can't hurt!!!!!! bobbycoke

Never tried Boric Acid for termites but it sure does work well for the roaches. Come to think of it, I haven't seen many termites in the house since I started using it either? They sure do like my treated posts though!

 

[Terrick down Under]

1- slugs and lizards are mechanically minded, anything mechanical get to kill them! We have a slug around here that is small enough to slide inside the irrigator head for a drink, but they drink too much, and can’t get out. Then when the pump starts they get sqished inside the nozzle ( waiting for mr to clean out).
1- have you noticed that if you buy 10 tape measures within a week you can’t find any!!
Can you spray to keep the whiteants away? They cause so much damage.

 

[oldironfarmer]

1- slugs and lizards are mechanically minded, anything mechanical get to kill them! We have a slug around here that is small enough to slide inside the irrigator head for a drink, but they drink too much, and can’t get out. Then when the pump starts they get sqished inside the nozzle ( waiting for mr to clean out).
1- have you noticed that if you buy 10 tape measures within a week you can’t find any!!
Can you spray to keep the whiteants away? They cause so much damage.

Terrick: Steve could take some list making lessons from you!

1-I don't do irrigation so hadn't noticed the slug fest issue

1-I buy several tape measures every time I'm at HF, it's getting to the point I can sometimes find one but more interesting sometimes I sneak up on one of their parties where they're all gathered around trying to avoid work.

1-It was interesting that Bob's tape was labeled Metric/Standard. I know Metric is a standard, but they should have said something about imperial.

1-I'm learning to prioritize from your list making skills. Going to work on top priority items only from now on.

 

[Lyndon]

.
.
.
.
.
I normally work in this kind of rain. We usually get lightning with our rain and I hear it's bad luck to be holding on to long metal tools. This time it was the cold -- it was barely 70*F [22*C] and that's hypothermia for Floridians.

.
.
.
.

Bob

As the great Lee Trevino once said - "In a lightening storm hold up a one iron..... because not even God can hit a one iron!"

Sorry - had to throw that in.

Lyndon
Didn't think I was looking did you?

 

[xtremek]

Good luck with the 'mites. I'm glad we don't have that issue, knock on wood.

 

[drivesitfar]

Bob: congrats on the plumbing fix (hope it's fixed).

I saw on Bobby's thread you mentioned DUCT TAPE BOB and posted a picture and wondered if you might have already told that story here yet? do you go out on lakes by yourself now or did you? WOW you are amazing.........


cheers and have a great day while i wage war on Ants (are your termites gone?).

 

[Terrick down Under]

OIF, I have the same problem with Metric/Standard, especially because I did my apprenticeship they made us do everything in both.
25.4mm = 1" etc. drives me nuts at times.

 

[1/2 Cup]

OIF, I have the same problem with Metric/Standard, especially because I did my apprenticeship they made us do everything in both.
25.4mm = 1" etc. drives me nuts at times.

Bob, I found the easiest way when it comes to Imperial vs Metric is to use one only and do not convert as it does your head in..

 

[Bob Heine]

Never tried Boric Acid for termites but it sure does work well for the roaches. Come to think of it, I haven't seen many termites in the house since I started using it either? They sure do like my treated posts though!

Bobby and Bobbycoke, I have a bucket of Boric Acid left over from when we had a flea problem. I'm going to sprinkle some around the garage because I have Palmetto Bugs (American Cockroach) in the garage. They hang out in wet places so my garage sink is an attraction (I soak cooking pots out there). For those unfamiliar with the American roach, they are huge compared to their German brethren. German roaches are attracted to food prep areas.

When I had the laundry room wall torn down to the studs, the Terminix guy came out with a truck that had a 500-gallon tank in the back. He hosed the open cavities down with a liquid that didn't require a mask of any kind. I am almost certain it was Boric Acid but he wouldn't share his company's secret sauce. Since I don't have any children living at home, I would love to have some bootleg DDT -- I loved that stuff and clearly remember chasing the cloud behind the mosquito sprayer as a child.

1- slugs and lizards are mechanically minded, anything mechanical get to kill them! We have a slug around here that is small enough to slide inside the irrigator head for a drink, but they drink too much, and can’t get out. Then when the pump starts they get sqished inside the nozzle ( waiting for me to clean out).
1- have you noticed that if you buy 10 tape measures within a week you can’t find any!!
Can you spray to keep the whiteants away? They cause so much damage.

Terrick, I used to take the nozzle off the reel-mounted garden hoses but after the dozenth time a baby lizard crawled into the hose and my nozzle stopped spraying, I leave them on with the trigger clipped open a bit. Sounds like you have the nightmare slug because they would easily get into my hose nozzles and suicide block them.

I try to store pairs of tape measures together in the same place and I have three or four places (I think). Then when I go to grab a tape measure, there's a good chance one will still be there. Equally annoying is losing the bag full of stuff I brought home from the big box store. One time I got in the car to go back to the store and the bag was there on the floor of the back seat where I tossed it.

I do spray for white ants (termites) in areas away from the house, like the workshop. Because I have a contract to keep the house free of termites, the company does the spraying -- or drilling holes around the foundation to inject termaticide. My homeowner insurance doesn't cover insect damage so I pay Terminix and they guarantee their service with up to $1-million for repairs.

Terrick: Steve could take some list making lessons from you!
Andy, I like Terrick's list system a lot. When my To-Do list reaches triple digits I get depressed and throw it away. A binary list makes perfect sense.
1-I don't do irrigation so hadn't noticed the slug fest issue
From what I've seen of your property, getting rid of water on the ground seems like a higher priority than spraying it into the air.
1-I buy several tape measures every time I'm at HF, it's getting to the point I can sometimes find one but more interesting sometimes I sneak up on one of their parties where they're all gathered around trying to avoid work.
Those HF tape measures are priced right (FREE with coupon) but the screw that holds the clip seems to have only three threads so I have quite a few clip-less tape measures. They end up on the ground near my projects but without restraints they do seem to gather in gangs on the weekends.
1-It was interesting that Bob's tape was labeled Metric/Standard. I know Metric is a standard, but they should have said something about imperial.
Andy, this is AMERICA and we won't allow an Emperor or King.
1-I'm learning to prioritize from your list making skills. Going to work on top priority items only from now on.
Does this mean you don't have any 0 projects?

Bob

As the great Lee Trevino once said - "In a lightening storm hold up a one iron..... because not even God can hit a one iron!"

Sorry - had to throw that in.

Lyndon
Didn't think I was looking did you?

My other brother Lyndon, so nice to have you stop by.

My mother's condo was on a golf course and they often played through thunderstorms. Now I understand their thinking!
I could tell you were looking because I was getting good vibes whenever I logged on to the Garage Journal.

Good luck with the 'mites. I'm glad we don't have that issue, knock on wood.

Kirk, you should be glad! I do a lot of knocking on wood and hate it when it sounds unusually hollow (or coffee grounds fall out).

Bob: congrats on the plumbing fix (hope it's fixed).

I saw on Bobby's thread you mentioned DUCT TAPE BOB and posted a picture and wondered if you might have already told that story here yet? do you go out on lakes by yourself now or did you? WOW you are amazing.........

cheers and have a great day while i wage war on Ants (are your termites gone?).

Hi Drives, thanks for dropping by! The toilet is fixed so one plumbing job is done. The sprinkler system is a work in process. I am doing prep work in the air conditioned garage and workshop, waiting for drier weather. I can work in the rain but not when the hole in the ground is full of water.
I don't remember telling the story on my thread but that doesn't mean I didn't.

I discovered that paddling a watercraft was not relaxing for me. I believe I am a GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) attracted to loud sounds emanating from rotating machinery. My idea of a relaxing day on the water is making rooster tails with as big a V8 as I can afford.

OIF, I have the same problem with Metric/Standard, especially because I did my apprenticeship they made us do everything in both.
25.4mm = 1" etc. drives me nuts at times.

Terrick, I barely passed decimal arithmetic (much better with binary arithmetic) and I now have several very short 20-centimeter pieces of PVC pipe that should have been 20-inches. Those short pieces come in handy so there's a bin in the workshop almost full of them.

Bob, I found the easiest way when it comes to Imperial vs Metric is to use one only and do not convert as it does your head in..

Steve, I can't work on projects as long as I used to. When I have a PVC socket depth of 1-1/2" and a pipe length of 2-3/8", I have to convert to decimal, add up 1.5-inches and 2.375-inches to come up with 4.125-inches and then convert back to 4-1/8" so I can read it on the tape measure. I usually do the process twice and if it comes up the same, I move forward. If it doesn't come out the same I go in the house and log on to GJ. I spend a lot of time on GJ.

 

[Bob Heine]

This is the post Drives was referring to:

Bobby, your kayak is a work of art!. Glad you aren't going to cover all that beautiful framing.

In Bar Harbor, Maine I'm known as Duct tape Bob. My brother-in-law has been kayaking for decades but never offered to let me take one out on the water. He was concerned I would do the NASCAR thing and just make left turns. After he bought and assembled a kit for a two-person kayak and named it Big Bird, I suggested it would be a good vehicle to test my kayaking abilities.

I duct-taped a paddle to my forearm and got in the kayak. Now he's afraid I can't get out of the kayak with a paddle strapped on and he'll have to cut up Big Bird. After I proved it could be done, we went out on the water with his kayaking club. When we arrived at the destination well ahead of the others, it was another "how'd you do that" discussion. Main issue was "did you tape it on by yourself?" That long ago sign flashed to mind: "Institute for the Crippled and Disabled" where I got my degree.

This is a photo of "Duct tape Bob meets Big Bird," the basis for a kayaking article published in the local paper and a national magazine. Finally got my 15-seconds of fame.

The article appeared in the November 2003 issue of Atlantic Coastal Kayaker but they require permission to reproduce it here.
http://www.atlanticcoastalkayaker.com/

 

[oldironfarmer]

Hope you got your head down, Bob.

 

[sawduststeve]

Evening Bob,

I like your style, if you make 1-1/2 + 2-3/8 = 4-1/8 at least you'll have some spare to cut off to make it the right length.
Imperial, no Emperors or Kings, but you now have your own bona-fida genuine
Duchess of Sussex. Sounds like a boozer.
It's a ****** about the bugs, good luck with getting shot of 'em.

Duct tape Bob

regards
Steve

 

[BBChevro]

...(or coffee grounds fall out).

Wow! Free coffee!

... If it doesn't come out the same I go in the house and log on to GJ. I spend a lot of time on GJ.

Hey Bob, I've caught-up on your thread again - and I've learn't from experience to leave a comment so that I can find my place again.

The musical icebox is coming along nicely.

 

[Bob Heine]

Hope you got your head down, Bob.

Thanks Andy.

Evening Bob,

I like your style, if you make 1-1/2 + 2-3/8 = 4-1/8 at least you'll have some spare to cut off to make it the right length.
Imperial, no Emperors or Kings, but you now have your own bona-fida genuine
Duchess of Sussex. Sounds like a boozer.
It's a ****** about the bugs, good luck with getting shot of 'em.

Duct tape Bob

regards
Steve

Steve, if I were better at arithmetic, I would have questioned the answer my calculator gave me. I would also be scratching my head at the extra length.

I did hear something about a royal thingee but was not aware that Sussex, Wisconsin had a Duchess. Boca Raton has my wife, who is known by many as the Duchess of Boca.

It was a very small swarm, maybe 20 or 30 but the guy has to check with his supervisor as to what to do.

My CB handle was Thor and my wife's was Big Red. Made famous by the Hiney Wine radio commercials.

Wow! Free coffee!



Hey Bob, I've caught-up on your thread again - and I've learn't from experience to leave a comment so that I can find my place again.

The musical icebox is coming along nicely.

Hi Mark, I'd be happy to brew a pot but I doubt it will be hot by the time it gets to you.

My priorities changed (were changed?) so I'm back at the sprinkler system.

 

[Bob Heine]

It stopped raining for a couple of hours today so I re-dug the pit and went to work on the sprinkler system.

Since 1996 the sprinkler control has bothered me -- not enough to lose sleep or cause my heart rate to go up -- just a "sheesh" when I walk by. The original installers installed the indexing valve piping with a tilt. I was taught plumbing was supposed to be plumb unless you were tilting drain or sewer lines so the $hit would run downhill. When I replaced the indexing valve we were in a drought so it needed to be replaced and the tilted pipes had to wait. Now I see the setup is tilted because they chose off-the truck fittings. I have the Internet so I'm going to try to fix it. Here's the tilt (ignore the tilt of the adjustable wooden banana tree braces just above):

To move the indexing valve to the left, I need to get rid of the slack in the pipe fittings. Glued a cut off 1.25" ****** into an elbow and screwed on a 1.5" to 1.25" threaded reducer bushing on the exposed ******.

The 1.5" This shortened the plumbing by about 1". Saved another couple of inches on the other side of the air valve with a similar setup.

As a test, I dry fitted one of the pipes to check for plumb. It's almost plumb left to right but that gray fitting gap between the white PVC and the black indexing valve needs to go. It's even plumb front to back so I'm happy.

After cutting the six horizontal pipes to different lengths (so the couplings aren't next to each other), I can install the 1.25" to 1.5" reducers on each of the six pipes. Started gluing everything together and it was going great. Then I made a mistake cutting pipe #4 so I was going to quit.

By switching the #3 pipe in place of the #4, I was able to recover and decided (against my better judgement) to finish the remaining pipes.

I need to test the system but I'm going to give it overnight to cure.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Bob great work.

That would drive me nuts seeing that every day as well..

 

[Terrick down Under]

Yes, nice work there Bob. Sometimes those fittings can do your head in.

 

[jon72vega]

Very good work, Bob.
Plumbing always tests my patience to it's limits.

 

[bolensboneyard]

So nice it looks like yard art.

 

[jimreed2160]

Bob's Sprinkler Repair
Putting the plumb back into plumbing

Pretty catchy, huh?! Just flash a little crack and a business is born!!!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Great work Bob! Very tough little project. I guess you're going from a 1-1/4" diverter valve to a 1-1/2". I'm sure you said but I missed it (or forgot). You sure do good plumbing for a computer guy.

 

[njhoudini]

I was shocked to find a pair of suede slip-on steel-toed shoes for $19.99. Even more shocked to find them in EE width (the older I get, the more my feet grow sideways). I have been wearing them for a few hours and they are more comfortable than I expected. They are slightly smaller than other shoes I have purchased in my size so I ordered a second pair 1/2-size larger for those swollen extremities days (forget to take water pill).

I found the steel-toed shoes here:

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/br...steel-toe-work-boots#repChildCatSku=023867856

Bob, I have to thank you for sharing the link to these shoes. I'm sorry to hear that your shoes were a little tighter than expected as I found mine are looser than expected, but this is not a bad problem. Totally agree that they are comfortable for the price. Saved my toes this weekend when I replaced my front steps. Keep those great recommendations coming!

 

[drivesitfar]

Bob: thanks for posting up all your sprinkler repairs cause i'm going to have to do some of my own here in the future.

i might have to order a pair of those steel toe slip ons for $20 myself cause I just spent $90 and $140 for two pair. I did have a pair of steel toe tennis shoes a few years ago and i think Coleman (like lanterns and stoves) made them and my plantar faciatis really was bothered by them. so far my new steel toed boots are not hurting my feet, but one slip on pair is still a battle to get on my 10.5 EE foot especially the foot with the broken baby toe.

how do your shoes feel after a few days?

keep up the great work!!

 

[karl1672]

Karl, I'm also about 1/2 mile west of Dixie. We might be neighbors.

Could be, just off 18th

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob great work.

That would drive me nuts seeing that every day as well..

Steve, I really did have a WW1/2CD moment as I thought about the extra work. That's when I knew I had to fix the tilt while I was replacing the indexing valve.

Yes, nice work there Bob. Sometimes those fittings can do your head in.

Terrick, I had to take a break a couple of times to try to figure out what fittings I needed (and who had them). The local sprinkler supply place used to carry an amazing assortment but the last time I went in all they had was Home Depot stock.

Very good work, Bob.
Plumbing always tests my patience to it's limits.

Jon, I had a mentor when I was 18 who showed me the ropes. I will never achieve his level (he was a master plumber) of dribble-free sweated joints or lead-sealed iron waste joints but I do Zen out when I am doing plumbing.

So nice it looks like yard art.

Bobby, like most of my yard art, the majority is going to be buried.

Bob's Sprinkler Repair
Putting the plumb back into plumbing

Pretty catchy, huh?! Just flash a little crack and a business is born!!!

Jim, I think you're on to something. Maybe my business card could have a picture of my crack peeking out of the center vent in my suit!

Great work Bob! Very tough little project. I guess you're going from a 1-1/4" diverter valve to a 1-1/2". I'm sure you said but I missed it (or forgot). You sure do good plumbing for a computer guy.

Andy, I up-sized the valve for two reasons. 1) The larger (1.5-inch) 6-zone valve was cheaper. 2) I planned to use 1-1/2" schedule 40 PVC pipe, which has almost the same inside diameter as the 1-1/4" class 200 pipe in the system (1.590" versus 1.494"). This is 1.5" SCH40 on top compared to 1.25" CL200 on the bottom.

Bob, I have to thank you for sharing the link to these shoes. I'm sorry to hear that your shoes were a little tighter than expected as I found mine are looser than expected, but this is not a bad problem. Totally agree that they are comfortable for the price. Saved my toes this weekend when I replaced my front steps. Keep those great recommendations coming!

NJHoudini, glad to hear they worked for you. I suspect my feet are getting a little longer because I spend so much time barefoot. Even my bunions have subsided.

 

[Bob Heine]

Memorial Day weekend brought one of those unbelievable project scope creep events.

We bought a nice new American Flag to go up on the house. Costco had them for a reasonable price so I installed the mount right by the front door (so I wouldn't forget it was up).

I turned on the porch light, located nearby, expecting its photocell to turn it on at dusk and provide the light to allow me to leave the flag up overnight. Got up once in the middle of the night and the porch light wasn't on.

Discovered it was the bulb so I pulled it out and did a search. Looks like it's a discontinued bulb but I did find one on eBay for $16.99 plus $1,000 shipping (OK, it wasn't that much but it wasn't free).

The logical solution would be to take the flag down every evening. Yeah but then I would have to remember to put it back up the next day. Because I can't run out and buy a bulb locally, I jury-rigged a floodlight.

It's a 12-volt fixture with a 4-watt LED MR-16 bulb. Dug out one of the 12V bricks from the hoard, crimped the light wire to the transformer wire and connected it to a Dusk-to-Dawn timer dongle.



Problem solved and I like it so much I'm going to splice a longer wire to the 12V brick so I don't need an extension cord.

 

[Bob Heine]

Begin project scope creep....

I mentioned the light bulb failure and its rarity to SWMBO. "You'll have to buy another fixture" came the response. I had already found one that has two E26 sockets inside and is a modern design. Hopefully a standard socket won't go out of fashion in my lifetime. It's also my favorite color: stainless steel.

This is going to be easy. A few minutes and that light fixture will be up.

"You know the garage lights are white" said a voice from another room. Not a problem, those lights are available without the side slots for a little less money.

As I am adding the lights to the Amazon order, that voice says: "You know the front door hardware is all brass" and I'm searching for brushed nickel stuff for the front door.

Before I finish typing, the voice says: "What about those house numbers -- they're brass as well." I now have 5-inch numbers, a new handle and deadbolt set (may even accept Schlage lock) as well as a brushed stainless kick plate.

The garage lights arrived yesterday so I got to work this morning. It's hot and muggy but it isn't raining and I'm in the shade for the moment. Removed the first light from the garage face and remembered the clowns that repaired the termite damage. They didn't bother to put the electrical box back so they stuck a shallow box on the plywood and stuccoed around it. The light fixture has a very shallow mount so I have a 15-minute job turning into a 90-minute job.

The second fixture went up in the 15-minutes I expected so the first phase is done and dusted.

 

[Finallygotit]

Ah scope creep. I know thee well.


Looking good Bob! I like those light fixtures.