Category Archives: Maintenance and Repair

Maintenance, installs, or repairs made during the project.

Spa Trouble

Posted on June 18, 2022 by ellen

Every couple of years there is a major expensive problem with the exercise spa. And another chance for me to make mistakes. I was happy to finally get the new spa cover and we unpacked it and installed it. Dave … Continue reading →

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Plan for the Summer

Posted on June 9, 2022 by ellen

We are taking the grandkids camping this week but then the family is leaving town for the rest of the summer. That gives us some unbroken time to do some finish work on the house. I have not made a … Continue reading →

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Last Push before LEED Rating

Posted on May 23, 2022 by ellen

We returned from our camping trip late Tuesday and I had about two days to finish several projects for the LEED final rating appointment on Friday. It was not easy to prioritize. I found an article that mentioned the 10 … Continue reading →

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A-B Polyurethane Spray Insulation

Posted on May 3, 2022 by ellen

It seemed that the best way to insulate the rear wall of the utility room would be spray on insulation. Most of the wall is below grade so I knew it was insulated on the exterior but the top 11” … Continue reading →

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Dryer Vent Debacle

Posted on May 1, 2022 by ellen

My next project was to close the leaky area in the utility room. I started by cleaning off dust and taping the Siga membrane to the back header. I had expected to get the drywall fixed on the ceiling but … Continue reading →

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Trombe Wall Panel Failure

Posted on April 29, 2022 by ellen

We were out of town for about two weeks visiting our daughter and family in Germany. While we were gone there were several days of high winds. Since I left the Trombe glass panels stuck on with just the butyl … Continue reading →

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Yuck, It Smells Terrible

Posted on April 25, 2022 by ellen

We first noticed that sewer gas was seeping into the house when my friend did a blower door test in December. The smell was from the master bathroom and it would come and go. I never could tell which fixture … Continue reading →

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Trombe Wall Glass Install

Posted on April 10, 2022 by ellen

The trombe wall in the front of our house was a classic non-vented passive solar installation. We removed the glass in 2015 because it was in the way when the new windows were installed. This was the second time I … Continue reading →

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Drywall Touchups

Posted on April 6, 2022 by ellen

We called our favorite drywall guy, Hector, to return and touch up the drywall. He has been very successful the last five years and we were glad he came back to do more work at our house. We had the … Continue reading →

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RV Flat Tire Saga

Posted on March 16, 2022 by ellen

We experienced a flat tire on our first day of RV travel to our son’s wedding. We have had Good Sam Roadside since we first owned an RV in 2009. Once before I called them for an overheating issue in … Continue reading →

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Tesla Called Again

Posted on March 10, 2022 by ellen

My Tesla team watches and maintains the solar roof without me having to do it too. Winter has been hard on production. Mine was so low it concerned them enough to make an appoinment to send a team to check … Continue reading →

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Resetting the Reset Boiler Set Points

Posted on February 2, 2022 by ellen

Back when we had visitors I reconsidered the boiler set points and thought I was setting the boiler to perform more closely to typical conditions. As it got colder this winter it appeared that the settings were keeping the boiler … Continue reading →

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Point of Use Water Softener

Posted on January 18, 2022 by ellen

We have used our SPT dishwasher now for about seven and a half years. I purchased it from a grad student at CSU to fit in the corner of our rustic kitchen. After a few years the inlet valve broke … Continue reading →

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Niagara Stealth Toilet Maintenance

Posted on November 11, 2021 by ellen

One of the Niagara toilets would not fill but just kept running so Dave took it apart. Dave figured out the problem. He said most internet sites dealing with the tank not filling blame the flow valve. This (fixable) problem … Continue reading →

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What is Wrong with the ERV?

Posted on September 22, 2021 by ellen

No air was coming through the vents. I noticed it getting stuffy when we kept the house closed up because of smoke from the huge wildfires in the west. I thought the filters just had to be replaced and the … Continue reading →

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Foundation Insulation Repair

Posted on July 11, 2021 by ellen

We finally completed the third section of the foundation insulation on the south “Trombe wall”side of the house. Another project completed due to guests arriving. This was the third section and it was a bit more complicated due to the … Continue reading →

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Cold Weather Call for Heat but No Boiler Firing

Posted on February 13, 2021 by ellen

I realized when the temperature got down to zero and hung around in the low single digits that the heating zone in the rear of the house was acting strangely. The thermostat would call for heat but the boiler would … Continue reading →

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Incomplete Sailrite Sewing Project

Posted on December 13, 2020 by ellen

I started a new vinyl cover for a spa section which broke my Singer 9960 sewing machine. I sent it out for repair and it is not yet ready. But I purchased a really heavy duty expensive Sailrite zig zag … Continue reading →

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Hoppe Lock Jam

Posted on December 2, 2020 by ellen

We first had this problem when one of the doors was new. There is a piece on the three point lock that is called a mishandling device. This is a latch that releases the top and bottom throw bolts that … Continue reading →

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Door Lock Issues

Posted on November 30, 2020 by ellen

When we returned from Indiana, our key did not work in the front lock. The mechanism would not turn. Fortunately one of the patio doors is keyed the same and we were able to get into the house without breaking … Continue reading →

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