Electric Range Diagnosis

Electric ranges and ovens are simpler than you might think. What does this mean to you? With nothing more than a digital or analog multimeter and a few other tools, you can troubleshoot and repair yours in many cases.

In most cases, there are actually two voltages associated with this appliance, 240 for the heating elements and 120 for the lights and clock. This means that before troubleshooting a stove you'll need to flip two circuit breakers.

If you don't want to tackle this project yourself, be sure to use a reliable appliance repair company. Like most services, there's a few bad eggs out there.

One problem I have had with my stove in the past is cleaning the oven using the locked-down self-cleaning feature. It gets so doggone hot in there that anything on the element will cause it to fry a hole.

That means replacing the element. It's an easy job, but it can be pricey. Add insult to injury; many appliance stores won't sell you the part. They want the labor mark-up and shun us DIY types. Bummer.

But this company has all appliance replacement parts with speedy delivery.

Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and tackle it? Just follow this stove repair checklist. Just don't forget to flip your circuit breakers! Bzzz! Been there, done that...

How's Your Homeowners Insurance Stack Up?

Mine is with State Farm and I'm pretty satisfied. Other than the little tidbit I heard on the radio yesterday reporting that the homeowners insurance rates here in the Republic of Texas are the highest in the nation.

What in tarnation did we do to deserve that? After all, Katrina hit Louisiana, not us. Wait, maybe it's because we took in the refugees? No good deed goes unpunished, as they say.

Many capital improvements can raise what you should increase your policy's value. Like replacing your central air conditioner with a more energy efficient one (higher SEER rating).

I just got a letter from State Farm today letting me know how important it is to keep up with how much my home is insured for. Makes sense; it covers the home's replacement cost, not the market value. Different animals entirely.

Like the difference between a horse and a zebra.

The cost of labor and construction materials keeps going up whether you make home improvements or not. This means the value of your policy must go up if you want to rebuild to the current standard if you should experience a catastrophe, God forbid.

Also note that your residential insurance policy does not automatically cover flooding. That's a separate rider. Get it or weep.

The last and only time I made a claim was when my house flooded from a burst bathroom sink cold water supply line. Man, what a headache. Not the insurance, the clean-up.

Oh yeah, that was covered by the regular policy because it was a plumbing issue, not weather. All flooding situations are not created equal.

So I pass on this wee bit of advice: get ye over to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up "burst-proof" hot and cold supply lines for your sinks and toilets.

Replace them or hire a handyman to do it for you. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Time for a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

It's a cool morning today, but the time of any more freezes are well behind us here. So I spent about an hour planting some more plants in my raised bed vegetable garden.

Sweet basil, lemon basil, lemon balm plants; and some red corn seeds. Already got 5 or so corn stalks that are doing well that I sprouted from seed. I had that many more, but I was a bit too aggressive and a cold snap got them. Argg!

I'm going to take a shot at organic gardening this year. I know, it's a bit more work, but I think it'll pay off.

My asparagus bed is producing well, sending up some nice fat spears; nothing like that skinny nonsense the grocery store carries (at premium prices, I might add). I took an opportunity to plant asparagus crowns about 5 years ago and the bed gets more productive all the time.

A single bed is supposed to last up to 15 years.

Something else I want to do, as Randy Lemon advises, is plant some herb companion plants for pest control. Randy is the Gulf Coast gardening guru.

The reason I planted so much basil is that I'm a nut for homemade pesto sauce. Since I'm amping up my running again, I can justify all the pasta consumption. I used to do a lot of long distance running, but fell by the wayside.

Now, it's time to get back to the old ways. That's what happens as we get older. Some go sedentary, and some don't. I choose not to. And hey, I've got to do something to build up an appetite for the garden harvest!

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.