Sooooo...
The Tundra went in to the shop to have the "Check Engine" light diagnosed. What they found was that there was "water in the secondary air pumps"--whatever and where ever they are. The cost of repairs? $1900+
The good news? Toyota recognized this as a defective design problem and extended the warranty on this particular case to 10 years or 150K miles. My Tundra is a 2007 model and has 126K miles so all it's going to cost me is time and $ for gas to go back and forth. Initially I was told the job would take 4 hours so if I wanted to go home, they had a loaner for me to use. A brand new red RAV with about 170 miles on the odometer--and very little gas in the tank. (I put $25 worth in there just to e sure I could get home Thursday and back on Friday. Came t-h-i-s close to filling the tank.)
I say I was initially told it would take 4 hours. In fact, they barely got started when they discovered they were missing one necessary valve. Why? Because 1) they have had a rash of similar repairs in the last week and 2) the strike/slow down in the west coast ports are delaying delivery of parts. So that valve is back ordered and expected the first week of May.
Unfortunately, they would not let me keep the RAV until then so I had to go retrieve the Tundra and return the pretty, red car. (Never had a red car before.) They said I could drive the Tundra but that the "Check Engine" light would be my constant companion. *sigh*
Except for that darn light, the Tundra is running fine. A little shimmy in the front end but that could be because of clay/mud from the dirt road in the wheels or elsewhere. I can live with it until I go back after they call to say the part is in. I'm hoping that will be in 3 weeks. Meanwhile the TUndra and I will continue our rehab routine. Together.
Showing posts with label Repairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Repairs. Show all posts
Friday, April 10, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Appliance Woes,
With a Happy Ending
--Sorta
A technician showed up at the Aerie today to look at the 8-year old dishwasher that suddenly stopped running yesterday. It worked fine on Tuesday but when Terry went to wash dishes on Thursday she got nothing; nada; zilch.
Anyway, the tech guy (When did they stop being called repairmen?) showed up about 4:50 PM. Guess we were last on his list for the day.
He looked over the dishwasher, entered the make and model numbers into his little computer, pulled off a couple of front panels w-a-y down by the floor and did a couple of preliminary tests.
"It's not getting any power," he says. "Have you checked the circuit breaker?"
Well, since I hadn't yet been cleared to go up and down stairs, Terry had gone down on Thursday to check the breakers and they all looked a-okay to her eye. Now that I have been cleared to go up and down stairs by the physical therapists (whose last visit to this no longer home bound boy was today, BTW) I went down to check again. I had the tech guy in tow.
All the breakers looked okay to me. The sheet that serves as a key to the 30+ breakers said the dishwasher was breaker #27 so we paid special attention to that one. It was fine.
Tech guy switched breaker #27 on and off a couple of times and then went back to looking at the dishwasher. He couldn't find anything wrong at the washer so went back downstairs to the breakers one more time. He left the washer in the "on" position. He flipped a couple more breakers and BINGO! the dishwasher switched on.
Seems the key to the box was mislabeled. The dishwasher wasn't breaker #27 it was breaker #29. And breaker #29 HAD been tripped although it looked like it was a-okay. DOH!
Having cleared that problem up, he checked the wires in the dishwasher (something tripped the circuit breaker!) and put the panels back in place.
"If it does this again, check the circuit breaker and replace it if need be. They do wear out from time to time."
$150 to discover 1) it was a circuit breaker, one of the easiest fixes in the world and 2) the circuit box key is not to be trusted. Now I have to figure out what IS covered by breaker #27.
Anyway, the tech guy (When did they stop being called repairmen?) showed up about 4:50 PM. Guess we were last on his list for the day.
He looked over the dishwasher, entered the make and model numbers into his little computer, pulled off a couple of front panels w-a-y down by the floor and did a couple of preliminary tests.
"It's not getting any power," he says. "Have you checked the circuit breaker?"
Well, since I hadn't yet been cleared to go up and down stairs, Terry had gone down on Thursday to check the breakers and they all looked a-okay to her eye. Now that I have been cleared to go up and down stairs by the physical therapists (whose last visit to this no longer home bound boy was today, BTW) I went down to check again. I had the tech guy in tow.
All the breakers looked okay to me. The sheet that serves as a key to the 30+ breakers said the dishwasher was breaker #27 so we paid special attention to that one. It was fine.
Tech guy switched breaker #27 on and off a couple of times and then went back to looking at the dishwasher. He couldn't find anything wrong at the washer so went back downstairs to the breakers one more time. He left the washer in the "on" position. He flipped a couple more breakers and BINGO! the dishwasher switched on.
Seems the key to the box was mislabeled. The dishwasher wasn't breaker #27 it was breaker #29. And breaker #29 HAD been tripped although it looked like it was a-okay. DOH!
Having cleared that problem up, he checked the wires in the dishwasher (something tripped the circuit breaker!) and put the panels back in place.
"If it does this again, check the circuit breaker and replace it if need be. They do wear out from time to time."
$150 to discover 1) it was a circuit breaker, one of the easiest fixes in the world and 2) the circuit box key is not to be trusted. Now I have to figure out what IS covered by breaker #27.
Friday, August 15, 2014
In which the SHTF.
Two weeks ago everything was coming up roses for Terry and me so you knew payback time was right around the corner.
The end of last week I discovered the 12-volt system in the Winnie wasn't working. I thought it might be the auxiliary batteries (some 7-8 years old) so I replaced them. Still a no-go. So I made an appointment up in Bath to have the system looked at and repaired.
We dropped the RV off and went to the Glenn Curtis Museum to look around. (More on that in the next post.) After a much too short a time at the museum, we got a call that the problem was fixed and returned to the shop to pick up the RV.
As it sat in the lot, we started to fold some bedding only to discover a momma mouse and four pink babies had made a nest in one blanket. *sigh* I removed the mice and we bundled up the blanket and bedding to be 1) tossed and 2) laundered. And, oh yeah, the 12-volt system stopped working.
The technician said he thought there was a problem with corrosion at the secondary shutoff switch and he had cleaned it, but perhaps the selenoid is bad. (There was considerable amount of water in the compartment where the selenoid was located.)
And, by the way, your tires are badly dry rotted and should be replaced.
So we left the RV in their care to have the 12-volt system taken care of and the tires replaced.
******
Got home and found the refrigerator was not working. Temperatures in the freezer compartment were rising as they were in the fridge compartment as well. Called for a repairman but they can't get here until Tuesday. Ate lots of ice cream (now more of a watery milkshake consistency) and moved what we could to the stand alone freezer and the two small dorm fridges we have from the kids. (Beer and soda were removed to boxes as they do not need to be chilled.)
Started shopping online for a replacement (just in case) but the space our current fridge occupies has unusual dimensions: 33" wide, 68" high. 33-36"deep. Most new fridges are wider and have ice makers/water dispensers--which we do not want.
*sigh*
******
It IS August, right? Then what's with the high temperatures barely in the 70s and the lows dipping into the 40s? Have we done anything to piss off Canada besides not completing the XL Pipeline? Why are they sending this cold, cold air our way?
My tomatoes will never ripen if this keeps up. And I can kiss any thoughts of okra or cantaloupes goodbye.
The end of last week I discovered the 12-volt system in the Winnie wasn't working. I thought it might be the auxiliary batteries (some 7-8 years old) so I replaced them. Still a no-go. So I made an appointment up in Bath to have the system looked at and repaired.
We dropped the RV off and went to the Glenn Curtis Museum to look around. (More on that in the next post.) After a much too short a time at the museum, we got a call that the problem was fixed and returned to the shop to pick up the RV.
As it sat in the lot, we started to fold some bedding only to discover a momma mouse and four pink babies had made a nest in one blanket. *sigh* I removed the mice and we bundled up the blanket and bedding to be 1) tossed and 2) laundered. And, oh yeah, the 12-volt system stopped working.
The technician said he thought there was a problem with corrosion at the secondary shutoff switch and he had cleaned it, but perhaps the selenoid is bad. (There was considerable amount of water in the compartment where the selenoid was located.)
And, by the way, your tires are badly dry rotted and should be replaced.
So we left the RV in their care to have the 12-volt system taken care of and the tires replaced.
******
Got home and found the refrigerator was not working. Temperatures in the freezer compartment were rising as they were in the fridge compartment as well. Called for a repairman but they can't get here until Tuesday. Ate lots of ice cream (now more of a watery milkshake consistency) and moved what we could to the stand alone freezer and the two small dorm fridges we have from the kids. (Beer and soda were removed to boxes as they do not need to be chilled.)
Started shopping online for a replacement (just in case) but the space our current fridge occupies has unusual dimensions: 33" wide, 68" high. 33-36"deep. Most new fridges are wider and have ice makers/water dispensers--which we do not want.
*sigh*
******
It IS August, right? Then what's with the high temperatures barely in the 70s and the lows dipping into the 40s? Have we done anything to piss off Canada besides not completing the XL Pipeline? Why are they sending this cold, cold air our way?
My tomatoes will never ripen if this keeps up. And I can kiss any thoughts of okra or cantaloupes goodbye.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Some Progress--
not much, but some
So, Mark and I spent about three hours last evening 1- testing every circuit in the breaker box to see what it turns on/off 2- tracing the remaining old canvas covered (aluminum!) wire to see if there's some magical place where we can hook into the new wire already in place in the upstairs bedroom and kids bedroom thereby saving us (but mainly me) from having to cut through sheetrock ceilings.
We made several discoveries which all lead to the same question: Why hasn't this place burned down before this?
The one canvas covered wire still originating in the basement apparently fed power to a gazillion outlets and lights in the kitchen, front porch, woodshed, utility/storage room kids bedroom, and upstairs bedroom. Why it didn't get overloaded ages ago--before dripping water and ice shorted out the switch in the woodshed--probably has to do with the way electricity was used. Seldom were there more than two or three of those lights/outlets ever in use at the same time.
We traced the path of that single wire up the side of the basement steps, up the side of the steps leading to the upstairs bedroom and into the attic crawl space. There, things got funky.
I've not yet pulled up all the floorboards in that crawl space, and so I've not been able to tell for sure where it goes but.... We did expose the box to which the kitchen ceiling light was attached. It has four (4!) wires running to/from it not counting the wall switch I ran over the surface of the ceiling/wall. What those four wires do has yet to be determined.
A single wire (canvas covered) runs up the wall of the crawl space from some as yet undetermined locale and into the ceiling of the bedroom. There's a small roof structure that I can cut away inside the attic and I'm hoping that will expose a junction box where the canvas wire joins the new and improved 12-2 wire that runs to all the outlets and lights in the bedroom. There are only two of each but if that canvas wire disappears into the pink insulation finding that junction box could be a royal pain.
The light on the front porch which we thought was being supplied by a wire running within the ceiling of the porch (a relatively easy fix once we breach the knee wall between the attic space and the space over the porch) is actually supplied through the switch in the kitchen. That switch, in turn, gets power from a wire that runs UP inside the wall which is nothing more than three planks covered on the outside by solid foam insulation and cedar shingles. The wire goes UP in the middle of the three planks in a hole just barely large enough for it's passage. There is no slack or movement when it is tugged so it may even be stapled to the plans somewhere along the way. I'll know more when I get into the attic and pull up some more floorboards but it looks like the porch light supply may be one of those four (4!) wires that comes out of the kitchen fixture.
We've yet to figure out where the power comes from for the kids bedroom (two lights--three if you count the one in the closet--and four outlets. It may be coming in from the attic and shooting to either the wall switch or the wall light. I pulled them yesterday and thought they had nothing but new wire, but I'm going to look again after I get into the attic.
There you have it. Still need to find the sources of power and the junction boxes that control it for the two bedrooms. Locating those junction boxes would save heaps of time and effort. I'd be able to run a new power source directly to the box, cut out the canvas wire, and be good to go in no time with a new circuit or two. Everything else we/I can rewire in different paths to join existing circuits that currently are blessedly enjoying very low demand. I mean two fluorescent lights on one circuit?
We made several discoveries which all lead to the same question: Why hasn't this place burned down before this?
The one canvas covered wire still originating in the basement apparently fed power to a gazillion outlets and lights in the kitchen, front porch, woodshed, utility/storage room kids bedroom, and upstairs bedroom. Why it didn't get overloaded ages ago--before dripping water and ice shorted out the switch in the woodshed--probably has to do with the way electricity was used. Seldom were there more than two or three of those lights/outlets ever in use at the same time.
We traced the path of that single wire up the side of the basement steps, up the side of the steps leading to the upstairs bedroom and into the attic crawl space. There, things got funky.
I've not yet pulled up all the floorboards in that crawl space, and so I've not been able to tell for sure where it goes but.... We did expose the box to which the kitchen ceiling light was attached. It has four (4!) wires running to/from it not counting the wall switch I ran over the surface of the ceiling/wall. What those four wires do has yet to be determined.
A single wire (canvas covered) runs up the wall of the crawl space from some as yet undetermined locale and into the ceiling of the bedroom. There's a small roof structure that I can cut away inside the attic and I'm hoping that will expose a junction box where the canvas wire joins the new and improved 12-2 wire that runs to all the outlets and lights in the bedroom. There are only two of each but if that canvas wire disappears into the pink insulation finding that junction box could be a royal pain.
The light on the front porch which we thought was being supplied by a wire running within the ceiling of the porch (a relatively easy fix once we breach the knee wall between the attic space and the space over the porch) is actually supplied through the switch in the kitchen. That switch, in turn, gets power from a wire that runs UP inside the wall which is nothing more than three planks covered on the outside by solid foam insulation and cedar shingles. The wire goes UP in the middle of the three planks in a hole just barely large enough for it's passage. There is no slack or movement when it is tugged so it may even be stapled to the plans somewhere along the way. I'll know more when I get into the attic and pull up some more floorboards but it looks like the porch light supply may be one of those four (4!) wires that comes out of the kitchen fixture.
We've yet to figure out where the power comes from for the kids bedroom (two lights--three if you count the one in the closet--and four outlets. It may be coming in from the attic and shooting to either the wall switch or the wall light. I pulled them yesterday and thought they had nothing but new wire, but I'm going to look again after I get into the attic.
There you have it. Still need to find the sources of power and the junction boxes that control it for the two bedrooms. Locating those junction boxes would save heaps of time and effort. I'd be able to run a new power source directly to the box, cut out the canvas wire, and be good to go in no time with a new circuit or two. Everything else we/I can rewire in different paths to join existing circuits that currently are blessedly enjoying very low demand. I mean two fluorescent lights on one circuit?
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Bolt Hole Report, October 7, 2010
It's been a couple of very wet days here at the Bolt Hole. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we had rain, rain, rain! But the night time temperatures did warm up a bit. Never got below the low 40s since the rain came from the south.
Today started much the same way as the previous three days: overcast and rainy. But the sun did finally make an appearance around noon and remained for most of the afternoon hours. Of course, that sun needed help in making its appearance. There was lots of wind pushing the rain away and that has continued through into the darkness of night.
******
I mostly lolled around the living room of the Bolt Hole the first three days of the week planning my attack on the electrical wiring in the basement. Today, I got enough courage to actually get to work. Having (nearly) all the material on hand, I strapped on my miners lamp and attacked the old system with gusto. I removed nearly all the old canvas covered, ungrounded wire that ran in the basement. There's still quite a bit of the stuff running through the old portion of the first floor living quarters but that would require dismantling walls, ceilings and floors to replace. Ain't gonna do that just yet. I ran some brand new 12-2 grounded wire to replace the old stuff. Set up two new circuits from those that were already pretty confused. I had to split one circuit in half since I thought there were too many lights/outlets on it. And I also put in a couple of new junction boxes so as to bring one lonesome light into the fold of another rather small circuit. (Why in the world was there just one (1) basement light on a 25 amp circuit all by it's lonesome?)
I only had three moments of uncertainty. One was when I accidentally brushed a ground wire across a live circuit and got a loud POP! and a puff of smoke as I tripped a breaker. Scared the bejeesus out of me! Another time I got a wild tingly feeling in my finger when I brushed that against a bare wire. Believe me when I say I have the utmost respect for electricians working around life current!
The third moment of uncertainty was when, having--I thought--wired the basement lights up correctly, I flipped the circuit breaker on only to have it go all snap, crackle and pop on me and flip off immediately. Four or five times, as I tried to remember how to wire a distant switch to the closer light. After trying a few different permutations (and replacing a GD burned out light bulb!) I finally got it to work. That the problem with doing things only on rare occasions; you forget how to do them. That and all my Time Life home repair books are at the Aerie.
Well, I survived. And it's been a few hours since I flipped the circuit breakers on and the place hasn't burned down--yet, so I must have done a decent job. Once more the Good Enough Construction Company has triumphed!
******
The rain and the wind of the last two weeks has knocked most of the leaves off the trees. all that's left are those that haven't changed yet or that are in the process of changing. Lots of bare trees on the way down the hill to the hardware and grocery stores. It's been a weird and fast fall.
The weekend is supposed to be sunny and a bit warmer with highs into the 60s. Quite a change from the 50 degree days earlier this week. Might be time to get outside and do some more fair weather chores.
I'll have to get up on the woodshed roof and tar the living daylights out of the seam where it meets the the cabin roof. Too much rain water getting through the ever opening gap and that's part of the problem with the back walls of the woodshed that I mentioned the other day. Water leads to rot. Replacing that shed is starting to look like a 2011 summer project. It's a miracle it's stood up this long with the heavy snow/ice load it gets.
Once the roof is taken care of, I'll be able to use the wheelbarrow to haul the firewood inside to cure.
Then there's the winterizing of the travel trailer.
Did I mention that it is bow hunting season? HA!
Today started much the same way as the previous three days: overcast and rainy. But the sun did finally make an appearance around noon and remained for most of the afternoon hours. Of course, that sun needed help in making its appearance. There was lots of wind pushing the rain away and that has continued through into the darkness of night.
******
I mostly lolled around the living room of the Bolt Hole the first three days of the week planning my attack on the electrical wiring in the basement. Today, I got enough courage to actually get to work. Having (nearly) all the material on hand, I strapped on my miners lamp and attacked the old system with gusto. I removed nearly all the old canvas covered, ungrounded wire that ran in the basement. There's still quite a bit of the stuff running through the old portion of the first floor living quarters but that would require dismantling walls, ceilings and floors to replace. Ain't gonna do that just yet. I ran some brand new 12-2 grounded wire to replace the old stuff. Set up two new circuits from those that were already pretty confused. I had to split one circuit in half since I thought there were too many lights/outlets on it. And I also put in a couple of new junction boxes so as to bring one lonesome light into the fold of another rather small circuit. (Why in the world was there just one (1) basement light on a 25 amp circuit all by it's lonesome?)
I only had three moments of uncertainty. One was when I accidentally brushed a ground wire across a live circuit and got a loud POP! and a puff of smoke as I tripped a breaker. Scared the bejeesus out of me! Another time I got a wild tingly feeling in my finger when I brushed that against a bare wire. Believe me when I say I have the utmost respect for electricians working around life current!
The third moment of uncertainty was when, having--I thought--wired the basement lights up correctly, I flipped the circuit breaker on only to have it go all snap, crackle and pop on me and flip off immediately. Four or five times, as I tried to remember how to wire a distant switch to the closer light. After trying a few different permutations (and replacing a GD burned out light bulb!) I finally got it to work. That the problem with doing things only on rare occasions; you forget how to do them. That and all my Time Life home repair books are at the Aerie.
Well, I survived. And it's been a few hours since I flipped the circuit breakers on and the place hasn't burned down--yet, so I must have done a decent job. Once more the Good Enough Construction Company has triumphed!
******
The rain and the wind of the last two weeks has knocked most of the leaves off the trees. all that's left are those that haven't changed yet or that are in the process of changing. Lots of bare trees on the way down the hill to the hardware and grocery stores. It's been a weird and fast fall.
The weekend is supposed to be sunny and a bit warmer with highs into the 60s. Quite a change from the 50 degree days earlier this week. Might be time to get outside and do some more fair weather chores.
I'll have to get up on the woodshed roof and tar the living daylights out of the seam where it meets the the cabin roof. Too much rain water getting through the ever opening gap and that's part of the problem with the back walls of the woodshed that I mentioned the other day. Water leads to rot. Replacing that shed is starting to look like a 2011 summer project. It's a miracle it's stood up this long with the heavy snow/ice load it gets.
Once the roof is taken care of, I'll be able to use the wheelbarrow to haul the firewood inside to cure.
Then there's the winterizing of the travel trailer.
Did I mention that it is bow hunting season? HA!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Bolt Hole Report, October 5, 2010
Enough Already!
Jeeze, Louise! Last week when I was preparing to travel from the Aerie to the Bolt Hole, the weather forecasters were talking about a chance of showers on Monday and Tuesday of this week, but their numbers were in the 30 and 40% range. So what happens? It's been raining pretty steadily since Sunday evening and they now predict showers for the rest of the week (at least through Friday) in the 70 and 80% range.
As of now, the weekend is looking nice. Hope it stays that way. No, make that: I hope the forecasters are as accurate with this short range forecast as they were last Friday morning. (That would mean the sun will come out this afternoon and stay out for a week!)
******
At least the wood got split last Saturday. Unfortunately, it's been sitting in a heap out there in this rain and will be soaking wet when I finally get to go out a stack it.
As for where it will be stacked...Sunday Mark and I spent the morning bracing up the roof of the woodshed attached to the house. Then I spent some time moving the wood that was already in there into a more accessible location (away from the back wall and closer to the door to the kitchen) so I can put the newly spit wood in there to season a bit longer while still having some "older" wood to burn this fall.
Moving the firewood away from the wall exposed some serious damage to the exterior wall and one of the corners in particular. The damn thing was constructed on rough-cut 2 x 6 sills laid directly on the ground. Carpenter ants love that stuff! As does all sorts of fungi. In one corner, where the rain ans snow melt comes off of two roofs in large quantities, moisture, fungi and ants have pretty much turned a non-pressure treated rough-cut sill into soil and a post into so much lace. I'll probably spend lots more time replacing this wood shed in the near future so, for now, I simply braced that corner up as best I could so I can get the firewood inside when the weather does finally clear.
I should have been ready for all these Bolt Hole repairs after years of watching This Old House but most of them still are coming as a surprise.
******
I guess I'll have to switch over to some rainy-day projects.
Put on my electrician's hat and do some rewiring. Lots of canvas and tar wires that need to be replaced and a couple of 25-amp circuit breakers to be switched out to 15-amp service so the breakers can do their job of tripping off when the circuit is overloaded instead of having the outlet or junction boxes fry and, maybe, burning the place down.
Then there will be a trip to the grocery store. And, probably, the hardware store.
As of now, the weekend is looking nice. Hope it stays that way. No, make that: I hope the forecasters are as accurate with this short range forecast as they were last Friday morning. (That would mean the sun will come out this afternoon and stay out for a week!)
******
At least the wood got split last Saturday. Unfortunately, it's been sitting in a heap out there in this rain and will be soaking wet when I finally get to go out a stack it.
As for where it will be stacked...Sunday Mark and I spent the morning bracing up the roof of the woodshed attached to the house. Then I spent some time moving the wood that was already in there into a more accessible location (away from the back wall and closer to the door to the kitchen) so I can put the newly spit wood in there to season a bit longer while still having some "older" wood to burn this fall.
Moving the firewood away from the wall exposed some serious damage to the exterior wall and one of the corners in particular. The damn thing was constructed on rough-cut 2 x 6 sills laid directly on the ground. Carpenter ants love that stuff! As does all sorts of fungi. In one corner, where the rain ans snow melt comes off of two roofs in large quantities, moisture, fungi and ants have pretty much turned a non-pressure treated rough-cut sill into soil and a post into so much lace. I'll probably spend lots more time replacing this wood shed in the near future so, for now, I simply braced that corner up as best I could so I can get the firewood inside when the weather does finally clear.
I should have been ready for all these Bolt Hole repairs after years of watching This Old House but most of them still are coming as a surprise.
******
I guess I'll have to switch over to some rainy-day projects.
Put on my electrician's hat and do some rewiring. Lots of canvas and tar wires that need to be replaced and a couple of 25-amp circuit breakers to be switched out to 15-amp service so the breakers can do their job of tripping off when the circuit is overloaded instead of having the outlet or junction boxes fry and, maybe, burning the place down.
Then there will be a trip to the grocery store. And, probably, the hardware store.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Wonderful World of Electricity...
...and old homes.
Well, we (Mark and I) survived our sojourn into the world of electricity today. After helping to wire the Aerie and doing the basement outlets and lights by myself, I must be getting more comfortable working with the juice.
We did make a discovery that made us wonder why the Bolt Hole hasn't burned to the ground long ago, however. Seems that there are 25 AMP circuit breakers in the box when there should be 15s and certainly nothing stronger than a 20. This explains why the outlet box, the extension cord and the router plugged into it fried without tripping the breaker. Weakest link and all that.
The refrigerator was plugged into a circuit that had three other outlets (one used occasionally for the coffee maker and/or the toaster oven) and an outdoor light running through it, while a separate circuit in the living room had just one outlet. Both had 25 AMP breakers and were wired with the old tarred canvas wire from ancient days. We pulled that wire out, replaced the two breakers with 20 AMP spares Mark had laying around, rewired both circuits with 12-2 grounded wire, set it up so the fridge had the solo receptacle...and lived to tell the tale. Took us a little longer than I thought it should, but, then again, working on old construction is never as easy as working with new.
There are still two 25 AMP breakers in the basement and two more in the garage that we'll have to swap out. Plus there's still some of the deteriorating coated canvas wire in the basement that we'll replace with more 12-2 and some wiring in the garage that looks to be 14-2 that should be 12 that needs to be done.
I remember watching This Old House with Bob and Norm and the frequent comments about how you never know what you'll find when you open up the walls of an old house. Now I know exactly what they meant. The core of the Bolt Hole was built around 1900. The wiring was an afterthought...probably soon after they ran wires out to the end of the road. (Prior to that they were using gas generated on sight to light the house. The remnants of that process are to be found in the side yard. Coal and, maybe, wood was burned to heat the place. I still use wood, but my gas of choice is bottled propane. (For the life of me I can not remember the type of gas that was often generated at remote locations fr use in gas lamps and even stove. I remember reading about it once and it was made by mixing some chemical--or maybe coal dust--with water. Happened, as I said, in remote areas in the late 1800s early 1900s before electrification.) (Of course, it's possible that the apparatus is from the 1920s and was used to process the apples in the extensive orchard that was here into a more...ahem...palatable and profitable potion.)
The thing that gets me about those 25 AMP breakers--which wouldn't tip unless every out let on the 110 volt circuit melted first--is that the master circuit board was done about 15 years ago by the guy who installed the wiring for my old well. He had taken a look at the old board, one using the old screw-in buss fuses, and asked--with a bit of a quiver in his voice--if I wanted to have it upgraded. Said he could do it with what he had on his truck. I said sure, since you're here anyway.... No building inspector of course, and I knew enough about electricity at the time to leave it the hell alone. If it's not broke, don't fix it, was my motto. Never thought about it until now.
******
Tomorrow I become a short distance hauler again...bringing the cut firewood out of the forest. After I cut myself a road into the woods.
We did make a discovery that made us wonder why the Bolt Hole hasn't burned to the ground long ago, however. Seems that there are 25 AMP circuit breakers in the box when there should be 15s and certainly nothing stronger than a 20. This explains why the outlet box, the extension cord and the router plugged into it fried without tripping the breaker. Weakest link and all that.
The refrigerator was plugged into a circuit that had three other outlets (one used occasionally for the coffee maker and/or the toaster oven) and an outdoor light running through it, while a separate circuit in the living room had just one outlet. Both had 25 AMP breakers and were wired with the old tarred canvas wire from ancient days. We pulled that wire out, replaced the two breakers with 20 AMP spares Mark had laying around, rewired both circuits with 12-2 grounded wire, set it up so the fridge had the solo receptacle...and lived to tell the tale. Took us a little longer than I thought it should, but, then again, working on old construction is never as easy as working with new.
There are still two 25 AMP breakers in the basement and two more in the garage that we'll have to swap out. Plus there's still some of the deteriorating coated canvas wire in the basement that we'll replace with more 12-2 and some wiring in the garage that looks to be 14-2 that should be 12 that needs to be done.
I remember watching This Old House with Bob and Norm and the frequent comments about how you never know what you'll find when you open up the walls of an old house. Now I know exactly what they meant. The core of the Bolt Hole was built around 1900. The wiring was an afterthought...probably soon after they ran wires out to the end of the road. (Prior to that they were using gas generated on sight to light the house. The remnants of that process are to be found in the side yard. Coal and, maybe, wood was burned to heat the place. I still use wood, but my gas of choice is bottled propane. (For the life of me I can not remember the type of gas that was often generated at remote locations fr use in gas lamps and even stove. I remember reading about it once and it was made by mixing some chemical--or maybe coal dust--with water. Happened, as I said, in remote areas in the late 1800s early 1900s before electrification.) (Of course, it's possible that the apparatus is from the 1920s and was used to process the apples in the extensive orchard that was here into a more...ahem...palatable and profitable potion.)
The thing that gets me about those 25 AMP breakers--which wouldn't tip unless every out let on the 110 volt circuit melted first--is that the master circuit board was done about 15 years ago by the guy who installed the wiring for my old well. He had taken a look at the old board, one using the old screw-in buss fuses, and asked--with a bit of a quiver in his voice--if I wanted to have it upgraded. Said he could do it with what he had on his truck. I said sure, since you're here anyway.... No building inspector of course, and I knew enough about electricity at the time to leave it the hell alone. If it's not broke, don't fix it, was my motto. Never thought about it until now.
******
Tomorrow I become a short distance hauler again...bringing the cut firewood out of the forest. After I cut myself a road into the woods.
Friday, August 13, 2010
GOOD NEWS!!!
I was wrong about the slide out motor. (And so was the first mechanic.) The darn thing was not 100% certifiably dead after all.
After a very restless night trying to sleep in somewhat cramped and very noisy quarters--the KOA in Rawlins is located at an exit from I-80 and jake-brakes on the semis coming off the highway make one hell of a racket--we got up early this morning and were on the road by 6:45 AM--along with three or four other couples camping next to us.
We drove for a couple of hours and then stopped just short of Laramie, WY to gas up and make some phone calls to possible suppliers of electric motors. I reached two and both said they didn't have the part in stock and it would take close to a week to get it. A third got me voice mail only.
Undeterred, we drove on to Ft. Collins via US 287. There we began to hit a couple of RV centers. The first had almost no parking and informed us that he too did not have the part in stock. I carefully backed out and returned to the highway.
The second, RV America at Johnson Corners was an immense place. There, the parts clerk checked his computers and found that he didn't have the part either, but he asked to take a look at it anyway so I lugged the motor in from the truck. He walked over to the battery display and put the motor's wires to the terminals and...IT'S ALIVE!!! The bloody motor turned! Why it didn't do that when still connected to the trailer, neither the clerk nor I had a clue. Then the clerk said something strange. He said that he could "feel" that the motor was pulling too many amps because his fingers (the ones holding the wires on the terminals) were getting warm. While he couldn't help us, he did suggest a place over in Loveland on State Highway 402 that deals in lots of Fleetwood products. It was in the opposite direction from which we were traveling but it was just five miles or so away so--what the hey!--off we went.
Loveland RV Service isn't the biggest or fanciest RV place around, but it was easy enough to find being just 4 miles east of I-25 on SR 402. The woman behind the counter listened to my story and then suggested that Nate, the head serviceman, might be better able to assist. He came out noted that the motor was a PowerGear and stated to tell me about his problems with the company! Great, I thought, this thing will never get fixed until we are home. Unwilling to let it go, however, Nate called out Nick, his coworker who, like his "boss" was only in his mid to late 20s but "he's had experience with these kinds of things on the Prowlers." (Prowler is a comparably sized travel trailer.)
Nick took the motor over to the battery rack and ran the same test as the clerk from RV America. However, Nick said, the wires felt cool enough to him. He didn't think the problem was the motor at all. Seems, hidden deep within the bowels of the trailer (actually under a plastic shroud beneath the bed in my case) there is a control box that is the brains of the slide out motor. A little gizmo that tells the motor how hard to push, when, and in which direction. Sometimes, Nick says, it simply needs to be reset. So, while I remounted the motor under the trailer, he ran a few tests on the "brains" of the outfit and pronounced them properly chastised for their errant behavior. We hooked everything up and then pushed the wall button inside the trailer.
VOILA! Out the slide went.
SHAZAAM! In the slide went.
It was a miracle! And no chocolate coated miracle pill was needed to resuscitate the bloody thing! And a bill of just $45 for time, knowledge and labor vs one for between $400 and $500 just to get the motor in a timely fashion can not be beat.
When we got to the Colorado Springs KOA this afternoon, Terry and I crossed our fingers...and our toes...kissed a little St. Christopher medallion and said a little prayer to St. Jude. (We were fresh out of four-leaf clovers and rabbits feet.) Pushed the button and out went the slide out! Very, very quietly. It hasn't been this quiet in ages. Perhaps it felt ashamed.
So here we are in Colorado Springs with lots of room in the trailer thanks to the work of Miracle Nick at Loveland RV Service. If you've got an RV problem anywhere near Fort Collins or Loveland, Colorado. I can highly recommend either the RV America just off I-25 on Frontage Road at exit 254 or Loveland RV Service (same exit but west on State Highway 402 about 4 miles).
Time for a dip in the pool before we head up to La Casa in Monument for dinner and margaritas with some good friends.
After a very restless night trying to sleep in somewhat cramped and very noisy quarters--the KOA in Rawlins is located at an exit from I-80 and jake-brakes on the semis coming off the highway make one hell of a racket--we got up early this morning and were on the road by 6:45 AM--along with three or four other couples camping next to us.
We drove for a couple of hours and then stopped just short of Laramie, WY to gas up and make some phone calls to possible suppliers of electric motors. I reached two and both said they didn't have the part in stock and it would take close to a week to get it. A third got me voice mail only.
Undeterred, we drove on to Ft. Collins via US 287. There we began to hit a couple of RV centers. The first had almost no parking and informed us that he too did not have the part in stock. I carefully backed out and returned to the highway.
The second, RV America at Johnson Corners was an immense place. There, the parts clerk checked his computers and found that he didn't have the part either, but he asked to take a look at it anyway so I lugged the motor in from the truck. He walked over to the battery display and put the motor's wires to the terminals and...IT'S ALIVE!!! The bloody motor turned! Why it didn't do that when still connected to the trailer, neither the clerk nor I had a clue. Then the clerk said something strange. He said that he could "feel" that the motor was pulling too many amps because his fingers (the ones holding the wires on the terminals) were getting warm. While he couldn't help us, he did suggest a place over in Loveland on State Highway 402 that deals in lots of Fleetwood products. It was in the opposite direction from which we were traveling but it was just five miles or so away so--what the hey!--off we went.
Loveland RV Service isn't the biggest or fanciest RV place around, but it was easy enough to find being just 4 miles east of I-25 on SR 402. The woman behind the counter listened to my story and then suggested that Nate, the head serviceman, might be better able to assist. He came out noted that the motor was a PowerGear and stated to tell me about his problems with the company! Great, I thought, this thing will never get fixed until we are home. Unwilling to let it go, however, Nate called out Nick, his coworker who, like his "boss" was only in his mid to late 20s but "he's had experience with these kinds of things on the Prowlers." (Prowler is a comparably sized travel trailer.)
Nick took the motor over to the battery rack and ran the same test as the clerk from RV America. However, Nick said, the wires felt cool enough to him. He didn't think the problem was the motor at all. Seems, hidden deep within the bowels of the trailer (actually under a plastic shroud beneath the bed in my case) there is a control box that is the brains of the slide out motor. A little gizmo that tells the motor how hard to push, when, and in which direction. Sometimes, Nick says, it simply needs to be reset. So, while I remounted the motor under the trailer, he ran a few tests on the "brains" of the outfit and pronounced them properly chastised for their errant behavior. We hooked everything up and then pushed the wall button inside the trailer.
VOILA! Out the slide went.
SHAZAAM! In the slide went.
It was a miracle! And no chocolate coated miracle pill was needed to resuscitate the bloody thing! And a bill of just $45 for time, knowledge and labor vs one for between $400 and $500 just to get the motor in a timely fashion can not be beat.
When we got to the Colorado Springs KOA this afternoon, Terry and I crossed our fingers...and our toes...kissed a little St. Christopher medallion and said a little prayer to St. Jude. (We were fresh out of four-leaf clovers and rabbits feet.) Pushed the button and out went the slide out! Very, very quietly. It hasn't been this quiet in ages. Perhaps it felt ashamed.
So here we are in Colorado Springs with lots of room in the trailer thanks to the work of Miracle Nick at Loveland RV Service. If you've got an RV problem anywhere near Fort Collins or Loveland, Colorado. I can highly recommend either the RV America just off I-25 on Frontage Road at exit 254 or Loveland RV Service (same exit but west on State Highway 402 about 4 miles).
Time for a dip in the pool before we head up to La Casa in Monument for dinner and margaritas with some good friends.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Another Leaky Faucet...and More!
And this is why we decided on a shake-down cruise at a local campsite.
Last night, I finished washing the dishes in The Trailer's galley sink and turn off the water. Only the hot water won't stop running. I had a similar problem with the bathroom sink and found that by just disassembling the faucet and then putting it back together, the problem was solved. Seems The Trailer sat a little too long and the rubber-and-spring assembly inside the faucet got "tired."
So I shut off the water and disassembled the galley faucet. Different problem. The rubber washer had a tear in it and there was no way to massage it back to life. It needed replacement. Of course, being a Saturday night, the closest RV places would not be open until Monday. The Camping World in Bath wouldn't open until 11 AM on Sunday, but the Wal-Mart in Painted Post is open 24/7.
I made the drive to Wally World this morning at 7 AM (could have done it last night, but I figured if Wally World didn't have a fix, I'd have to go up to Bath and why make two trips in that direction). I was disappointed to find that, although a Super Wal-Mart, the RV section was smaller than what we have in Mansfield. Same with the hardware and plumbing section. BUT, the plumbing section did have an inexpensive (under $13) replacement faucet that would do the job. I bought one, and a tube of silicon caulk, and headed back to The Trailer.
Out with the old and in with the new in no time flat. I was finished with the plumbing chores by 9 AM. Two hours including a 60+ mile round trip to get the materials. I'm feeling pretty good!
******
Weather: In a word: WET.
Over two inches of rain fell at the Aerie overnight and probably the same amount at Ives Run Campground where we had thunder, lightening and heavy winds. Scattered showers are still predicted for today. Many campers were pulling out this morning as I made my repairs.
At least the temperatures have been comfortable. They have been in the 70s which is good because the humidity, as to be expected has been even higher.
******
The cats will be going to Adam's this afternoon. (Don't tell them! 1) They hate to travel. 2) Adam has a Golden Retriever and, while it is accustomed to cats, the opposite is not necessarily true.) We've got their food, dishes, even their beds and litter box and litter ready to go. We'll take them out to the garage one by one to go into their traveling cases. I just have to find my gauntlets....
******
Two to go (Monday and Tuesday) before we go on the road.
Last night, I finished washing the dishes in The Trailer's galley sink and turn off the water. Only the hot water won't stop running. I had a similar problem with the bathroom sink and found that by just disassembling the faucet and then putting it back together, the problem was solved. Seems The Trailer sat a little too long and the rubber-and-spring assembly inside the faucet got "tired."
So I shut off the water and disassembled the galley faucet. Different problem. The rubber washer had a tear in it and there was no way to massage it back to life. It needed replacement. Of course, being a Saturday night, the closest RV places would not be open until Monday. The Camping World in Bath wouldn't open until 11 AM on Sunday, but the Wal-Mart in Painted Post is open 24/7.
I made the drive to Wally World this morning at 7 AM (could have done it last night, but I figured if Wally World didn't have a fix, I'd have to go up to Bath and why make two trips in that direction). I was disappointed to find that, although a Super Wal-Mart, the RV section was smaller than what we have in Mansfield. Same with the hardware and plumbing section. BUT, the plumbing section did have an inexpensive (under $13) replacement faucet that would do the job. I bought one, and a tube of silicon caulk, and headed back to The Trailer.
Out with the old and in with the new in no time flat. I was finished with the plumbing chores by 9 AM. Two hours including a 60+ mile round trip to get the materials. I'm feeling pretty good!
******
Weather: In a word: WET.
Over two inches of rain fell at the Aerie overnight and probably the same amount at Ives Run Campground where we had thunder, lightening and heavy winds. Scattered showers are still predicted for today. Many campers were pulling out this morning as I made my repairs.
At least the temperatures have been comfortable. They have been in the 70s which is good because the humidity, as to be expected has been even higher.
******
The cats will be going to Adam's this afternoon. (Don't tell them! 1) They hate to travel. 2) Adam has a Golden Retriever and, while it is accustomed to cats, the opposite is not necessarily true.) We've got their food, dishes, even their beds and litter box and litter ready to go. We'll take them out to the garage one by one to go into their traveling cases. I just have to find my gauntlets....
******
Two to go (Monday and Tuesday) before we go on the road.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Bolt Hole Report, March 30, PM Edition
Took the trailer to the shop today to get it thoroughly inspected and get the wheel bearings greased up. No problem getting there as it hadn't started raining here. In fact, it was 29 degrees when I left so frost on the windshield and mirrors was more of a problem. Going down the road from the Bolt Hole was also not a big problem even if I had to do it at around 20 miles per hour since the road is terribly frost heaved. Once on the main roads and thruway things went very well and I was able to maintain the speed limit or just slightly to either side.
Got to the Aspin Haus about 20 minutes early and parked the rig off to the side while I went in to let them know I had arrived. Since it had started raining by then, I chose to stay in the lounge to read and do crossword puzzles until they finished their work. Which took nearly five hours.
Upon completion, I learned that A) the furnace did not light B) the AC did not work and C) when they turned on one or more of the interior lights it blew a fuse--over and over.
I immediately asked that they set an appointment to make the necessary repairs. Their earliest opening was for this Friday. I asked--and was granted permission--to leave the trailer int heir yard so I would not have to haul it back and forth and so I could return to PA for a couple of days.
So, the Wilderness trailer is in the shop for at least a week. Maybe more if they have to order parts. They will call with any developments.
Having made arrangements to get the trailer repaired, I headed back to the Bolt Hole in what can be described as a monsoon. Heavy, heavy rains have been falling since about 11 AM without a let up. Flood warnings/watches have been given and creeks and rivers are fast rising. All except the Mohawk, Having opened the sluice gates located at all the locks for the Erie Canal, the river is very, very low. The flow is probably scouring the channel deeper and that means better sailing once the gates are closed and the locks open next month. Just mind the buoys! For the channel may be deep, but the shoreline has many, many shallow sand and gravel bars which are currently highly visible if not dry.
I'm heading back to the Aerie where Terry says it's two degrees colder than my 36 degrees and where it is snowing. At least the propane feeding the furnace in the Aerie keeps things a little more even temperature-wise than the wood stoves of the Bolt Hole. In the last 24 hours I've had an indoor high of 71 and low of 51 degrees. The latter being what I found when I got back and after the fires had burned out much earlier.
If the weather forecasts are to be believed (remember--block of salt!), it will be sunny and high 70s from tomorrow noon through Easter Sunday. Great birding weather! Unlike the rainy, raw, mid 30's I've had here since Sunday.
Got to the Aspin Haus about 20 minutes early and parked the rig off to the side while I went in to let them know I had arrived. Since it had started raining by then, I chose to stay in the lounge to read and do crossword puzzles until they finished their work. Which took nearly five hours.
Upon completion, I learned that A) the furnace did not light B) the AC did not work and C) when they turned on one or more of the interior lights it blew a fuse--over and over.
I immediately asked that they set an appointment to make the necessary repairs. Their earliest opening was for this Friday. I asked--and was granted permission--to leave the trailer int heir yard so I would not have to haul it back and forth and so I could return to PA for a couple of days.
So, the Wilderness trailer is in the shop for at least a week. Maybe more if they have to order parts. They will call with any developments.
Having made arrangements to get the trailer repaired, I headed back to the Bolt Hole in what can be described as a monsoon. Heavy, heavy rains have been falling since about 11 AM without a let up. Flood warnings/watches have been given and creeks and rivers are fast rising. All except the Mohawk, Having opened the sluice gates located at all the locks for the Erie Canal, the river is very, very low. The flow is probably scouring the channel deeper and that means better sailing once the gates are closed and the locks open next month. Just mind the buoys! For the channel may be deep, but the shoreline has many, many shallow sand and gravel bars which are currently highly visible if not dry.
I'm heading back to the Aerie where Terry says it's two degrees colder than my 36 degrees and where it is snowing. At least the propane feeding the furnace in the Aerie keeps things a little more even temperature-wise than the wood stoves of the Bolt Hole. In the last 24 hours I've had an indoor high of 71 and low of 51 degrees. The latter being what I found when I got back and after the fires had burned out much earlier.
If the weather forecasts are to be believed (remember--block of salt!), it will be sunny and high 70s from tomorrow noon through Easter Sunday. Great birding weather! Unlike the rainy, raw, mid 30's I've had here since Sunday.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
About Terry's Aveo...
Well there goes the balance of the tax refund!
The little yellow vehicle went in to have an oil and filter change and to have a general check-up. Terry was complaining of a little shimmy and some rough handling.
The verdict was that it needs four new tires, new rear suspension, and an alignment. The tires have been a P-I-T-A because they are an odd size. When they needed replacement, there was a limited (and expensive) selection. I say "have been" because that is not the case any more. Apparently there are more and more cars with that size tire out there and they are needing new tires. As a result, more companies are making that size and the price has come down while the miles they are rated for has increased. Cooper Tire now has an all season tire for $115 each that is rated to 60K miles. (Compare that to the 20K miles for $175 each we got the last time. And those took three or four days for our mechanic to obtain. The Cooper tires will be there tomorrow.)
Terry may have avoided needing the alignment/tires if she had avoided the curb down in Savannah. A right good thumping along the sidewalls/tires will put all sorts of things out of alignment.
Oh, well. This is the first major repair this vehicle has needed. What is galling, however, is that it has just reached 50K miles on the odometer and this is the last month of our payments to GMAC. Just as I was thinking about the savings of $230 a month in loan payments....
The little yellow vehicle went in to have an oil and filter change and to have a general check-up. Terry was complaining of a little shimmy and some rough handling.
The verdict was that it needs four new tires, new rear suspension, and an alignment. The tires have been a P-I-T-A because they are an odd size. When they needed replacement, there was a limited (and expensive) selection. I say "have been" because that is not the case any more. Apparently there are more and more cars with that size tire out there and they are needing new tires. As a result, more companies are making that size and the price has come down while the miles they are rated for has increased. Cooper Tire now has an all season tire for $115 each that is rated to 60K miles. (Compare that to the 20K miles for $175 each we got the last time. And those took three or four days for our mechanic to obtain. The Cooper tires will be there tomorrow.)
Terry may have avoided needing the alignment/tires if she had avoided the curb down in Savannah. A right good thumping along the sidewalls/tires will put all sorts of things out of alignment.
Oh, well. This is the first major repair this vehicle has needed. What is galling, however, is that it has just reached 50K miles on the odometer and this is the last month of our payments to GMAC. Just as I was thinking about the savings of $230 a month in loan payments....
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Repair Report
I was right but it's going to cost me $450. The clothes washer's pump was the culprit and we need to get a new one.
The repairman showed up this afternoon, listened to my experiment and conclusion and then said something to the effect that he thought I had hit the nail on the head. He then went about the task of cleaning out the trap. This is a simple enough job but it's something that is not even mentioned in the owner's manual but which, even I could see, needs periodic cleaning. He removed the lower front panel (three hex-head screws) and then proceeded to open the screw-out trap in the lower front. As he unscrewed it, water poured out as did lots of cat fur and lint (easily and wad the size of a small orange but smelling a lot worse), a couple of 2" long brads (picture hanging), a pile of coins (57 cents worth), and a half dozen miscellaneous metal parts that are interesting but which whose function we can not ascertain.
All this crap obviously blocked up the plumbing and caused the poor pump to die trying to get water to flow around it. When the tub filled with water and then had to be drained, the pump could not pull/push the water through. Once the obstruction was cleared, we cleaned out the pump in the hopes that it would be able to do its duty. Unfortunately, the several times the machine was left plugged in and full of water, the pump must have burned itself out trying to accomplish the impossible.
Al, the repairman, ordered a new pump ($262) to be delivered here and rescheduled us for next Wednesday so he can install it. (Although, after watching him carefully, I could probably do that job.)
Let us hope that that will be the end of the problem.
At least my "wealth" is being redistributed the way it's supposed to be done and not through some effing government agency.
The repairman showed up this afternoon, listened to my experiment and conclusion and then said something to the effect that he thought I had hit the nail on the head. He then went about the task of cleaning out the trap. This is a simple enough job but it's something that is not even mentioned in the owner's manual but which, even I could see, needs periodic cleaning. He removed the lower front panel (three hex-head screws) and then proceeded to open the screw-out trap in the lower front. As he unscrewed it, water poured out as did lots of cat fur and lint (easily and wad the size of a small orange but smelling a lot worse), a couple of 2" long brads (picture hanging), a pile of coins (57 cents worth), and a half dozen miscellaneous metal parts that are interesting but which whose function we can not ascertain.
All this crap obviously blocked up the plumbing and caused the poor pump to die trying to get water to flow around it. When the tub filled with water and then had to be drained, the pump could not pull/push the water through. Once the obstruction was cleared, we cleaned out the pump in the hopes that it would be able to do its duty. Unfortunately, the several times the machine was left plugged in and full of water, the pump must have burned itself out trying to accomplish the impossible.
Al, the repairman, ordered a new pump ($262) to be delivered here and rescheduled us for next Wednesday so he can install it. (Although, after watching him carefully, I could probably do that job.)
Let us hope that that will be the end of the problem.
At least my "wealth" is being redistributed the way it's supposed to be done and not through some effing government agency.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Sears: Bah Humbug!
Sears online got back to me to say I can't order just the cable for the snow thrower but have to order the entire 4-way control rig: joystick control, left and right cable, up and down cable, etc. The cost online would be around $90 plus tax and S&H and several days of waiting.
I went down to the Sears store and they (of course) don't carry parts for their machines in stock. (Understandable as it's a retail store and not a repair facility.) The guys at the store did point me in the direction of a shop that does do repairs on Craftsman throwers and who does have some parts in stock. His price, including tax, was $104 and I have the cable in place as I type. Plus a spare joystick and up and down cable to boot.
I don't understand why they can't sell the damn cable separately as it is the weakest link in the entire rig and the one thing that is likely to break.
If it breaks again, I may have to look into retrofitting a screw control instead of replacing the entire 4-way control again.
I went down to the Sears store and they (of course) don't carry parts for their machines in stock. (Understandable as it's a retail store and not a repair facility.) The guys at the store did point me in the direction of a shop that does do repairs on Craftsman throwers and who does have some parts in stock. His price, including tax, was $104 and I have the cable in place as I type. Plus a spare joystick and up and down cable to boot.
I don't understand why they can't sell the damn cable separately as it is the weakest link in the entire rig and the one thing that is likely to break.
If it breaks again, I may have to look into retrofitting a screw control instead of replacing the entire 4-way control again.
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