STORM: looks like you are keeping busy. as far as ratchets I haven't used my tools nearly as much as most members especially on my cars, but I really save the wear and tear on my ratchets when I use breaker bars and my Ryobi 18v impact wrench especially on the rusted ones. I rarely if ever spray Kroil or PB blaster on rusted bolts, but it might also be a good idea and let the spray work in a bit before you attempt to use your tools. that said ratchets will wear out and most of the older ones might have a repair kit to install so you can keep your favorite.
I'm guessing as we get back to fall type weather your heat wave might be over for the year and it's probably about room temp in your garage now? or is it still HOT?
cheers and keep up the great work!!
Drives – Busy, yes. Sometimes more so than I’d care to be, but such is life. Regarding the ratchets – I did look into the rebuild kits, but went with the shiny new tools instead. Wanted to try the larger tooth count as it seems like there is a lot of to-do about them. So far they are living up to expectations and I don’t regret the purchase. I tend to stick with what I know and make what I’ve got work, even if it isn’t all that great. Lately I’ve been thinking on this and of why, when there’s newer and better options out there that are relatively affordable. We all pay for our experience in one way or another. Oh, and the PB Blaster is my go-to for nuts/bolts that are even suspect of giving me a hard time. It is of my opinion that most things, and situations, are greatly improved by an appropriate amount of lubrication.
The weather here has finally broke and highs have been in the mid-90’s, which I’m afraid to admit has been really nice. Able to work outside and in the shop without risking a heat stroke. Time to buckle down and get some of those items off the To-Do list, and there’s quite a few…
Thanks for checking in and dropping a line!
Apologies in advance, it’s story time.
So it’s been an interesting couple of weeks. Two weeks ago today, got up early in the A.M., started the shower and heard the toilet “burp” a little. Last time that happened the main line to the septic tank clogged and flooded the laundry room, which is the lowest point in the house. We have a finished basement which is where the main bedroom, two bathrooms, and the laundry room reside. Sure enough, it’s happening again, but this time noticing it right away prevented it from being too much of a mess. Fortunately we have the shop bathroom as a back-up, as it has its own separate system. Last we called a plumber and they ran a snake down the clean-out in the front courtyard and cleared it without a problem. This time it didn’t go so smoothly. Kid showed up right after I got home from work and proceeded to get his line stuck in the pipes. Evidently the line got a kink in it, wedging it in there. He had ran it out all the way, so he wasn’t able to push it in farther to wiggle it around, much less pull it back out. He ended up having to call another truck in to attach another line to the original to push it further in before being able to pull it out. What normally should have been a quick fix ended up taking the entire evening. Because it was such a fiasco they ended up running their camera down there to see what’s going on, only thing they could tell was it looked like maybe there was something going on with the baffle in the tank and the water line was too high. Advised I call the septic folks.
It’s late Friday night, and of course all of the septic companies we were recommended are closed until Monday. So no using any drains in the house until then. Again, very thankful there’s a working bathroom in the shop, even if it’s a slight inconvenience to make the walk out there when needed. I was also glad I added a sink to the bar-b-que island, as that’s where we ended up doing the dishes. That little amount of water just drains into the rocks on the other side of the wall.
Anyways, Monday rolls around and I took the morning off to make sure things go smooth with the septic folks. I should have known better. They get there, have the county plans to the system, and it also turns out these guys serviced the shop septic some years back, before we moved in. All good news to me, seems like a good start. So the fun begins, whereas the previous homeowners put a courtyard over the septic tank. Had to pull up pavers and poke and prod to find the lid. Had some difficulties (this is the theme for the day) finding it, so broke out this sonar gadget to help find it. That’s when they realized it’s a basement house. Oh. Asked if I had a pump in the basement. Nope, sure don’t. Gravity fed, so that means the tank is below the basement level. Which is why their sonar gadget won’t work. So more poking and prodding and the finally found what they thought was the riser lid. I learned a lot of new plumbing (****) terminology that day. They dig down a couple feet and run into a metal lid, maybe three feet in diameter, which was attached to something by four bolts. Of course being buried in the earth for many years the bolts aren’t exactly in the best condition. Out to the shop I go to retrieve sockets, ratchet, and impact. With some persuasion was able to get the bolts out, pull the lid off, and to everyone’s surprise it’s not a riser, but a 10 foot hole in the ground.
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Oh, forgot to mention that the previous owners also put in an irrigation box on the other side of the courtyard and ran the water line right over the top/middle of this lid/opening. Yay.
At this point the guys weren’t sure they should even being going down in this hole to pull the tank lid off. Understandable safety concerns regarding gas build up in the confined space and what-not. They were really nice and decided to give it a go. Back to the shop for ladder retrieval. Guy climbs down there and inspects the tank lid. It’s concrete. It won’t budge. He says these lids are prone to deteriorating on the inside of the tank due to moisture and gases and often seals itself to the tank. They use plastic lids, these days. There’s a solid ring on the lid for lifting, maybe if he had a come-along to pull it up? Back out to the shop (noticing another re-occurring theme?) for come-along and a length of chain. Place a large metal pry bar over the hole and winch on the lid. Doesn’t even budge. Some head-scratching, staring into the hole, and finally one of the guys goes to the truck and grabs a large corded Makita demolition hammer tool with a shovel-type bit. Back in the hole and he goes to town on this lid. Sometime later, and with a whoop of joy he manages to break the lid free. Wraps the chain through the hoop on the lid and climbed back out of the hole. Took the two of them (I might have helped a little) to pull that lid out of the hole. And sure enough – “*******’s full, Clark”. So they confirmed it needs to be pumped. What I didn’t know, and I learned a lot about my septic system this day, was that there’s two lids to these tanks. The other one is a few feet away. In the courtyard. Under pavers. So rinse and repeat with the other side, but at least we know what we’re getting into this time. The bolts to the other metal lid are more stubborn (of course) and had to make another trip to the shop for a hammer and chisel to just break the head off. Another stuck lid, more jack-hammering, and grunting effort to get the lid out of the hole.
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So they proceed to pump out the waste, back-wash, and re-pump out both sides of the tank. While doing so they notice that the baffle going to the leach-pit was loose. Turns out who-ever installed it didn’t bother gluing it in, so they fixed that, too. They also noticed that a root was growing into the tank, between the main drain line and the tank itself, through the seal there. Great. I opted for new plastic lids, not wanting to deal with the concrete lid fiasco again. They advised it was optional, considering the giant metal lid was keeping anything from getting down there to begin with. Makes me feel better having it there, for some reason.
Oh, did I mention the previous owners thought it was a good idea to plant a Palo Verde tree almost directly over the tank? Not only that, but another tree a few feet away on the other side of the courtyard. Smaller roots had grown over each lid under the pavers. Not too difficult to remove now, but still a problem.
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So they thought the trees “might” be ok, considering the depth of the tank. But obviously it’s already causing problems and I’d rather it not cause more. So sooner rather than later I’m going to cut both of those trees down. The Mrs. is really bummed because she really likes the trees and the shade they provide there.
So they pumped the tank, buttoned everything back up (except the pavers, they don’t do that) and supplied me with small packet of free enzyme treatment and a hefty bill for their service. What I thought was going to be a pretty basic tank pumping turned into an all-day ordeal. And now I gotta cut two full-sized trees down and figure out some sort of replacement shade for the courtyard.
In the mean-time, while regularly using the shop bathroom I noticed the toilet was developing a leak from the tank to the bowl. Albeit a small leak, but pretty much running constantly. It still had the old-style big ball float set-up. I got a newer style replacement and while in there noticed the tank gasket was deteriorating upon touch, turning into black clouds of rubber in the tank. Figured I’d replace that seal along with the spud gasket, which was heavily cracked, not sure how it was still sealing anything. The supply valve to the toilet wouldn’t close all the way, no matter how tight I got it…so got some new quarter-turn valves as replacements. While I was at it, I might as well replace the ones to the sink as well, considering those were of the same vintage. Figured it was kind of like freezer plugs on an engine block – if one is leaking odds are the others aren’t too far behind. Also figured it would be easier to replace those valves if I just pulled the sink out, which it was, but because I’m an idiot I broke the drain pipe going into the wall. So now have figure out how to effectively fix that as well.
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Seems like I’ve been dealing with quite a bit of crappy things lately.
On the bright side, make some more progress on my buddy’s Scout. Fabbed up and installed new motor mounts. Original ones were 3/16 bent plate, nothing complicated. Figured we’d do something similar, maybe with some extra gussets and triangulation to compensate for the bigger motor. Sent him on down to the metal yard to pick up some material and he came back with 3/8 plate instead. “Your truck is going to weigh a little bit more now”. Plenty stout and hopefully it holds.
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I’m all typed out now.
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