matching tracksuits

fun in threes, sometimes fours

around the house

In the Yard, at the Desk

Sunday 11 May 2008 | 0 Comments

Soon to be replaced

Yard work is much like paperwork -- it tends to pile up and overwhelm. Unlike paperwork, though, I can't just toss yard work into some draw to make it go away for a while.

Yesterday, I played catch-up.

  • I finished digging out our antiquated, slow-draining, often-overflowing drain.
  • I mowed.
  • I trimmed.
  • I changed the oil in the car (for a change of pace, I guess).
  • I raked.

And then the oddest thing: I was filled with energy. That's another crucial difference between yard work and paperwork: working outside energizes; working inside drains.

Before trimming

Tomorrow, at school, I dig into the pile of work that awaits -- some of which I'd promised myself I'd do this weekend.

  • Make-up work to grade.
  • Reports to fill out.
  • APS plans to finalize.
  • Final exams to create.

And you'll find it, at 2:45 in the afternoon, when my last class has padded out, sitting at my computer, hardly able to hold my eyes open, dreaming of a shovel.

Home Improvement

Thursday 27 March 2008 | 0 Comments

There are some projects that have immediate visual results: replacing windows; remodeling the kitchen; adding on a sunroom. Very visible, and very expensive.

Other projects have immediate effects but might not have such a before-and-after feel -- installing a water filter, for example. Replacing a leaking faucet might be another.

And then there are a few projects that are neither immediately visible nor immediately effective. Blowing twenty bags of insulation in your attic falls into that category.

Before, R19:

After, approximately R40:

We'll see it but only next winter, in the gas bill.

Special thanks to Nana and Papa for the help.

And they all came tumbling down

Sunday 24 February 2008 | 0 Comments

Well, not quite tumbling.

We cut down a half-dead cedar tree yesterday, but it was so entwined with vines and such that it didn’t quite fall. It took some encouragement.

No, Really — Again

Saturday 23 February 2008 | 0 Comments

BurnerIt turns out that the whole time there has been a major malfunction with our gas pack that has been preventing it from firing correctly. "It probably came from the factory that way," said Shane, the technician.

Between six and eight technicians have looked at it, with one of them changing the gas regulator on the burner just inches away from the whole problem, and not one noticed it.

The problem -- highlighted in the white square -- was that the gas injectors, coming from the manifold (running along the bottom of the picture), should be in the burner, not hovering a centimeter away from it, or, as was the case with one injector, hovering a centimeter away from it and bent downward.

Once again, the technician said: "It probably came from the factory that way."

DSC_3216So, to review, the following parts have been changed in the unit itself:

  • Burner,
  • Gas regulator,
  • Control board, and
  • Some gas valve (not the regulator).

Within the zoning system, the following things have been changed:

  • Transformer,
  • Entire control board, and
  • One damper.

Folks, we basically have an entirely new system...

Never

Friday 22 February 2008 | 0 Comments

ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever buy a house with a gas pack. They're more delicate than your grandmother's hip.

To Do List

Saturday 16 February 2008 | 0 Comments

Rather, "Done" list:

  • chop wood
  • haul wood to storage location (i.e., corner of the carport)
  • carry unusable wood to the roadside
  • make a trip to Lowe's for various equipment
  • chop, cut, and pull large stand of thorn bushes
  • dig, cut, pull up half of the impressive root system of said bushes
  • take bushes and roots out to the roadside
  • rake up leaves formerly inaccessible due to the stand of bushes
  • vacuum car
  • wash car
  • work on clogged drain
  • do grocery shopping
  • drink beer
  • collapse

Test Smokin’

Thursday 14 February 2008 | 3 Comments

We did a test-burn yesterday.

The draw was almost too strong, Dziadek said.

The next step was to get the meat ready for real smoking:

Next step -- apply a carcinogenic coating to the meat.

Smokin’ (Part II)

Tuesday 12 February 2008 | 0 Comments

Whenever Papa comes here to help, I often end up helping him. It's always been that way.

It was no different with Dziadek and the smoker.

DSC_3575

So now the smoker's almost done, but not tested.

DSC_3573

That's tomorrow. And next weekend, the first adventures.

Smokin’

Sunday 10 February 2008 | 7 Comments

"There's no good sandwich meat in America!"

Dziadek has stated several times. And that's critical, for sandwich meat -- cold cuts, in other words -- is a cornerstone of the Polish diet.

What else are you going to eat for breakfast?

Nothing fills you up for the day like, say, a head cheese (which, for the uninitiated, is pretty much what it sounds like) sandwich with a cup of hot tea.

What are we left to do? Dziadek decided there's only one solution: make our own cold cuts -- which requires a smoker. Which requires a cinder block foundation and a 55-gallon drum. Yes, we're going high class.

Yesterday, we dug out the foundation, mortared the cinder blocks together, began making the necessary modifications to the drum, cut down a dead oak, and went to Home Depot at least half a dozen times.

Today, we build the fire pit and attach the drum to the base. And eventually paint it.

Aesthetic concerns aside (how much does that privacy fence cost again?), I'm looking forward to having homemade ham.

The Saga, Part III

Saturday 02 February 2008 | 0 Comments

Forced air heating systems are delicate. They're designed based on the cubic area of the home, and they push out a given amount of air (measured in tons, no less) depending on the size of the home. The bigger the home, the more air needed, and the bigger the unit installed. Simple.

Zoning systems work by shutting off air to particular parts of the home via dampers installed in the ductwork.

"The two," Mr. Accent Heating Tech told me, "are not compatible. The gas pack is forcing out enough air for the whole house, but it's not getting delivered to the whole house, and it's all not going into the house -- some of it is doubling back to the unit, making it think it's overheating."

Time to call TSC again.

DSC_3223

This time, they poked and prodded even more. And two problems were uncovered. First, one of the dampers was broken. This was when the tech said, "Oh, crap."

The second problem: the whole control board needed to be replaced.

"No problem," I thought. This is all still under warranty.

Parts were ordered, and TSC called to set up a time to come back out. "The total cost will be about $480," the TSC woman explained.

"Total cost?" I asked. "This is still under warranty."

"Well, that's the information I have from the owner," replied Ms. TSC.

"Well, I'd like to talk to the owner," replied Mr. Getting More And More Irritated.

Larry -- the owner -- explained to me that the part was still under warranty, but labor wasn't included.

"Ah, that's how you're going to do it," I said.

DSC_3216

"Excuse me?" Larry asked.

"Well, I knew you were going to get money out of me, I just didn't know how."

It seemed ridiculous: almost $500 of labor to replace two parts? Granted, the control board looks fairly complicated, but it should be a matter of disconnecting, reconnecting, setting, and testing. And the damper -- it slides right in to a pre-cut hole. Attach the control wire and viola.

At a price of $100 an hour, that's five hours' work.

I was still feeling frustrated about the whole thing, and I explained to him my concerns about zoning systems in general. "How much would it cost just to pull the whole system out?" I asked.

"I'll have to get back to you on that," Larry replied.

"Well, do," I said.

He never did.

However, TSC called back later to set up a time to come out and do the work, and we've yet to receive a bill. And the heating finally works.

So it seems Mr. Total Comfort was right. Too bad he made such a mess in the bargain...