Category Archives: Maintenance and Repair

Maintenance, installs, or repairs made during the project.

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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New Sailrite LSZ-1 Sewing Machine

Posted on November 1, 2020 by ellen

It has arrived! It shipped faster than I expected. The packaging was very secure and it is amazingly heavy and built like a Mack Truck as they say. The underside of the machine is also very stout! The machine came … Continue reading →

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The Wrong Tool

Posted on October 27, 2020 by ellen

Unfortunately I tried to use my Singer 9960 sewing machine to sew a spa cover with vinyl. I didn’t stop the first time the machine jammed. Just cleared the jamb and continued. Then it jammed again and I could not … Continue reading →

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Filters and Boiler Maintenance

Posted on October 18, 2020 by ellen

Fall is falling and some quick chores were completed. We have a Campbell filter on the whole house water supply. It takes a double charcoal filter and it relatively easy to change as long as the water turn off is … Continue reading →

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Packing the Pool

Posted on October 11, 2020 by ellen

I also packed the pool up for the winter. We had fun using it this summer with its jerry-rigged solar heater. But after reading the advice for and against I decided to take it down for the winter. We were … Continue reading →

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Fixed the Spa

Posted on October 11, 2020 by ellen

We are finally enjoying the spa again. It broke on January first and here we are in fall and it is back online. After installing the new Megatrol equipment, I had to wait for the new controller to get the … Continue reading →

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A New Porch in Spencer

Posted on September 23, 2020 by ellen

We built our first energy efficient house in the early 1980’s on 40 acres in the countryside outside of Spencer, Indiana. We have owned the property for over 40 years. But we recently decided that we should sell. This photo … Continue reading →

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Finally Repairing the Spa

Posted on August 26, 2020 by ellen

The story of the new spa equipment is a sad one. I unfortunately wired the first shipment of a new controller box incorrectly and blew out all the 110 volt connections by sending 220 to them. I sent everything back … Continue reading →

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Fixing Leaks in Pool Plumbing

Posted on July 2, 2020 by ellen

I’ve been spending a lot of time on the pool plumbing. I’ve had a couple of pipe blow offs including one that moved a lot of water out of the pool. Each one of these threaded pipes blew apart when … Continue reading →

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Solar Pool Set Up

Posted on June 7, 2020 by ellen

The extra parts arrived and all of the piping was finally connected with minimal leaks. Not without several issues however.I had the bypass valve assembly ready to install. Unfortunately the plastic that the reducers were made from did not hold … Continue reading →

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Solar Pool Heat

Posted on May 25, 2020 by ellen

Everything takes time and money. The solar pool heat project is no different. I have put together a system based on the old copper collector and a new stainless steel heat exchanger. This is the system design. I purchased a … Continue reading →

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Replaced Pool Valve

Posted on May 24, 2020 by ellen

The used pool filter had a big crack in the valve that I tried to repair with silicone goop and tape. It was good enough to run for awhile while the new valve was ordered from Intex. Because of COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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Pool Problems

Posted on May 8, 2020 by ellen

Seems like nothing I do lately is without issues. The pool was leveled but not very well, so that when the water delivery happened it was about 3″ out of level. Not too bad, water guy said he had seen … Continue reading →

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