Refrigerator Diagnosis - You Can Do It

Most folks think of the refrigerator as just an unobtrusive part of the background, humming and chillin' out, if you'll forgive the pun. Until it fails, and all of a sudden they've got a couple hundred dollars worth of food hanging in the balance.

The first thought that comes to mind is, "Call the serviceman! Stat!" Well, that's the appropriate response if the thing is still under warranty, but if not, why not take a crack at refrigerator troubleshooting and repair yourself?


It's really pretty simple to fix many fridge issues on your own. Of course, if it involves refrigerant, you will have to call a kitchen appliance serviceman.

You can't even buy that stuff without an HVAC license. Right or wrong, that's the way the game is rigged.

But, (you knew that was coming didn't you? ;-) there are times when you might as well cut your losses and move on with the great roller coaster of life. Let me tell you a little story to illustrate...

A couple of years ago it was time for a new fridge, and since I happened to be flush with cash, I sprung for a brand spankin' new Maytag. My wife and I always bought Maytag gadgets in the past because of the quality.

Heck, I had to replace a clothes dryer heating element a few years ago on a Maytag unit and that thing is about twenty years old. Not too shabby.

Wrong! Maytag has sold itself and now boasts the name tag but sells junk. No, I didn't just buy a lemon; a Google revealed that folks all over were having the same ice maker and water dispenser problems for a couple of years and the company has made no moves to install upgraded circuit boards.

They just keep changing them until the warranty runs out. What a joke. Mine went out twice in the first year, which happened to be the extent of the contract.

Sure, I could have lived with that, but I also went through two compressors in that year. Customer service? They just blow customers off.

Too sad, but hopefully my experience will save you some grief when you go shopping? Let me know. If I get enough input, I'll post an article. Reach me at admin@icanfixupmyhome.com.

It's not Delivery, It's Homemade Pizza!

That's right, you were expecting the the DiGiorno commercial, yes? Nah, this is even better. You know I usually blog about home improvement topics, and that's all good; but believe it or not, I have other interests. And you should too!

Anyway, I've always liked cooking. Probably because I like eating. Doing DIY projects will give you an appetite. So will the things I used to be very active in: triathlons and marathons. I even completed six ultramarathons.

Glutton for punishment, I suppose.

Yeah, that stuff will give you an appetite! So for the topic I was leading off with, how about some homemade pizza? Making the pizza dough or crust is the first thing to do, but don't be intimidated; it's easy. The pizza crust recipe I dreamed up is whole wheat.

I first got interested in making my own pizza from a buddy of mine, a club mate in the Bay Area Running Club (the one in Clear Lake, Texas, not the one in California). Coye Jones was a fanatic about making and eating pizza.

My favorite was the "Eggs Benedict" special. I sit here salivating just thinking of it. Coye was also one of the engineers that ushered in some of NASA's ground (or rather, space) breaking accomplishments. Awesome dude.

Another one of my favorite things to cook up is Panamanian-style empanadas. I grew up on these things, both when I lived in Las Cumbres in the rain forest, in Panama City, and in the Canal Zone. (Long live Balboa HS Bulldogs, rah!)

The next recipe I'm going to write an article about is ceviche. Can't wait to get started on that one.

The Reverse ATM PIN Myth

This morning I got one of those send this important information to everyone you know emails. Sometimes these are indeed good advice, but sometimes, like this one, they're major bogus.

Real urban myth material. This one gives this tip: if a crook is trying to coerce you into withdrawing cash from the bank ATM machine, just enter your PIN in reverse. This sends a silent message to the police dispatcher.

Fast, quick, and in a hurry, here's comes the cops, swooping down like Barney Fife from Mayberry with his one bullet.

But I checked it out before forwarding it to all my friends, thereby saving their lives and earning lifelong appreciation and favor. Sorry folks, Snopes.com says, no no no, this one's BOGUS, unlike identity theft.

Identity theft happens every day, and unlike having a goon sitting next to you in the passenger seat, you bank account can be tapped out without your knowledge. Luckily, there are companies like LifeLock around who specialize on preventing theft before it happens. No shredder required.

It actually has a basis in fact. Joseph Zingher of Chicago (yeah, where Obama began his socialist regime), actually developed this system, dubbed SafteyPIN. He tried to market it, but to no avail.

The banks wouldn't pay for it, and as the police pointed out, the perp and victim would be long gone before SWAT (or good old Barney) arrived on the scene.

So don't believe this one, folks. If anything, the crook will go postal on you when he notices you trying to figure out your PIN backwards. After all (and be honest) how many among us learned scholars can actually recite the alphabet in reverse?

Camouflage Vinyl Siding?

Yo, Bubba! No, I thought it was a joke too when I first heard of it. But it seems that Style Crest, Inc., has licensed the Mossy Oak® Obsession pattern and come up with WildSide camouflage vinyl siding.

You've got to wonder who was on that product development focus group. Can it go on double-wides? I don't mean to mock, but...

I don't have anything against vinyl siding and I realize there are a whole lot of camo enthusiasts out there. Heck, I've got a pair of camo britches and ball cap too, but still...

Imagine Bubba, who lives in the East Texas piney woods, comes home late one night after hefting a few at the Dew Drop Inn with a few buddies and can't find his house. "Dang," he thinks, "I thought fer sure I left it behind that dang truck up on blocks!"

“While we would be thrilled to see a whole sub-division of homes in WildSide siding, we are focused on the outdoor enthusiast who has been hunting for a way to showcase their love of the outdoors on a grander scale,” said Brad Johnson, Vice President, Marketing, Style Crest Building Products.

Well, we'll just have to see where this one goes. Or not.

A Woodshop Full of Saws

In my shop the other day, it suddenly struck me how many saws I own. It's not like I'm obsessive-compulsive collector or pack rat, it's just that over the years they've accumulated.

Why? Because for one thing, of all the woodworking projects and on most of the remodeling contracts I've completed, almost all involved cutting in one form or another. You name it, siding, Hardiplank, fiber cement backer board, mitering baseboards, etc.

I've landed more than one contract through services like Angie's List.

Also, because if you want to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you have to start with a silk sow. In other words, the way the finished product looks and works depend on all the steps. It's all the summation of the small steps along the way.

In order to yield precise cuts, you have to use the right saw for the job. Sometimes only a coping or a dovetail saw will do, for instance. Or the DeWalt track saw I received a few months ago to do a review of.

Sometimes, it's a beautiful thing to be a freelance writer. I get lots of stuff to write reviews of. Books, tools, gadgets, and more. I only take those assignments if I think it's a quality product.

I'm always impartial, but I'm not going to set out to review something I can tell is junk right out of the starting blocks.

If this keeps up, I'm going to need a bigger shop...

I hope you enjoyed this post read more free tools and woodworking articles at my site.

Plumbing Repair with ACE DuraFlow

One of the principal problems with galvanized steel and copper residential pipes is one shared with humans: it doesn't last forever!

No solution for humans, I'm afraid, but there are two ways to fix corroded pipes. The first, and messiest, it to rip out the old ones and replace them. This is expensive because of the new pipe, opening and repairing walls, and the labor associated with all of that.



Listening to a local home improvement show on the radio last week, I learned of a better way. It's much less intrusive and it's a green remodeling or repair method, since the old pipes don't end up in the land fill.

It's a process developed by ACE DuraFlow. Essentially, the plumbing is opened up on both ends, the pipes are cleaned out, and then the insides are epoxy-coated.

Wait, it gets better! The walls don't have to be opened up. You don't have to buy new pipe. No drywall repair. And, the metal is now isolated from water, so future corrosion is reduced, if not eliminated altogether.

I might have to get this done on my own home at some point. I already know of one cancerous pipe. That EZ Weld isn't going to last forever either...

Beware of Tainted Chinese Drywall

I ran across this story in the St. Petersburgs Times out of Florida. It seems that during 2005 and 2006, some home construction companies decided that the lower costs that globalization brings was a good thing.

They went shopping for their drywall in China, unwilling to pay for higher quality domestic building materials. This effort to cut corners has cost them dearly, and some homeowners, unfortunately. It seems they didn't catch on with the Chinese toothpaste (with antifreeze, yum) and toys (painted with lead which injured American children).



This drywall, notably manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard, Tianjin Co., emits sulfur gasses. No health risks noted yet, but that doesn't mean it's not offensive. I don't think it comes with a supply of Febreze.

The principal issue is that the gas corrodes metal. This means residential electrical wiring, some plumbing pipes, and some central air conditioner components such as copper HVAC coils. The cost-cutting move may have put a few more dollars in contractors pockets, but it really hammered homeowners already in a bad economic position.

Isn't it bad enough that Americans can't even get construction jobs anymore because state and federal officials turn a blind eye to greedy contractors hiring illegal aliens? Oh wait, how un-inclusive of me; I meant "guest workers". My bad.

So far, the main afflicted areas are Manatee, Sarasota and Lee counties, Pinellas, St. Lucie and Collier. If you own a home built during the time this drywall was installed, and it was used, you certainly have my sympathy. Si, senor. Ya me voy.