Wendy's Restaurants vs. Working Poor Tomato Harvesters

If Wendy's Restaurants would pay the extra penny per pound for tomatoes to help ensure laborers' safety and otherwise well-being, which I estimate would cost them about a tenth of a penny per sandwich, I might consider becoming a customer of theirs again.

Absolutely disgusting behavior. Dave Thomas would be embarrassed by such disgusting corporate greed, God rest His Soul, and God deep-fry the souls of the current controllers of the company.

Faucet Diverter Valve Replacement how-to DIY tips

I once changed a faucet diverter valve in a shower/tub.  It was not too difficult.  15 years or so later, it started leaking. 

I think I forgot to apply plumbers' silicone grease to the O-rings.

I bought a cheapo replenishment kit, and sprayed copious quantities of silicone lubricant spray, repeatedly, while diligently trying to pull out the diverter valve assembly without laying out for a $100 specialized tool for the job.

I could not pull it out, but it began to budge sideways a bit as I tried to gently use the cheapo plastic thingy in the cheapo replenishment kit to break some bonds.

Cor'n'Blimey! Lo and behold!  The copious quantities of silicone lubricant spray appear to have rejuvenated the O-rings and/or dislodged some grit.  No more leak.  That's all I can say about it for now.

Maybe worth a shot.

Grain / Meal Moth Extermination Pheromone Traps

How to: Use Grain / Meal Moth Extermination Pheromone Traps

These traps work pretty fast, but be patient -- the larvae-to-adult phase takes some time.  If memory serves, several months is what it takes to eradicate an invasion.

The moths' adult phase, I think, is quite brief, and that's when the traps work their good stuff.  (I'm a customer of this provider -- not a shill.)

Flying pests tend to have short adult lives if memory serves -- the larval phase is when they do serious damage to human well-being.

These photos were taken just a few days after I installed the traps:

Replaced the Fuel Lines on a Craftsman 358360180 (358.360180) Chainsaw (42cc, 18-inch bar). May also apply to some Poulan chainsaws.

How to:

Many thanks to fixya.com contributors for info (not all appears correct to me -- but special thanks to Lou and Andrew -- that helped!).  Here are some photos & notes from my particular experience that may be interesting.

I guess my saw (Craftsman 358.360180 / 358360180) with Walbro WT-624 carburetor is about 15 years old with lots of hours on it.  Anyway, it just stopped working this summer -- the fuel lines inside the fuel tank had disintegrated so badly that the carburetor couldn't get fuel, and it took a lot of research to figure out how to replace the lines, which had broken up inside the fuel tank.

-------Sidebar-----------
I didn't document it here, but you can see youtube videos explaining how to get the new narrower fuel-line from the upper fitting (fuel-pump) on the Walbro WT-624 carb (other carbs may be set up differently) through the smaller hole into the fuel tank and onto the fuel filter.  Long story short:

1.
I cut a long (~one-inch) slant-cut into the lead-end of the narrower fuel-line;
2.
used a sewing-needle to thread some high-test fishing line (doubled-over, as this is a doozy of a pull) through the lead-end of the fuel-line a few millimeters from the lead-end tip;
3.
used needle-nose-pliers to push-and-pull the narrower fuel-line itself through the smaller port into the fuel tank as far as I could via that method;
4.
slowly pulled it the rest of the way in with one hand pulling the fishing line and with one other thumb inside the fuel-tank to lower the angle to try to keep the pulling-through force as close to 90-degrees as possible so as to not break the fuel-line with excessive force on the fishing-line thru the needle-hole;
5.
snipped the lead-end of the fuel-line to square;
6.
forced the fuel filter into the now-squared-off lead-end of that narrower fuel-line;
7.
gently pulled some of that narrower fuel-line back up and out of the tank so the fuel-filter rests at the back/bottom of the fuel tank
8.
snipped that narrower fuel-line long enough to reach the upper fuel-fitting on the carb and short enough to not hog-up too much space under the carb
(saving the rest of the fuel-line for another replacement in 2033? -- one can hope!)

-------End-Sidebar-----------



I bought a kit on amazon or ebay with two lengths of fuel-lines of two different widths, a spark plug, air filter, fuel filter, and primer bulb for about $8.  I've only replaced the fuel lines as of this writing.

 

The nib -- I think it's just put in there to keep the (wider-size) return line from popping out of the tank:

You may be able to see the old (wider-size) return-line going into the tank.  I got the nib off and out of it with a pair of VERY long, thin, needle-nose pliers, and then I yanked-out the old return-line: 

The old (wider-size) primer-bulb-to-tank-return-line (with the nib put back in) for estimating the length for the new replacement (wider-size) line:

(I had hoped to reuse the old return-line,

but it had become too loose -- it kept popping off the primer-bulb.)

Pulling the lines into the tank is not too hard if you have LONG, NARROW needle-nose pliers (I bought "11 in. Long-Reach Needle Nose Pliers" $3.99 from Harbor Freight Tools -- they worked fine), but it is slow work, especially until you get a feel for it.  I cut a 1-inch-long slant cut at the lead-end of the line as generally suggested.  Some suggest a bit of motor oil applied to the outside of the line can help.  I didn't have any clean motor oil, so I used the 40:1 gas/oil mix from the chainsaw's refueling supply.  (Edit: in retrospect, I wonder if a light coating of silicone spray might have worked much better.)  Even so, I had to leverage the pliers on the upper edge of the fuel-filler mouth to tug-in the wider, return/purge fuel-line a half-inch or so in at a time.  (I wish I had first cut the line itself to 8-inches or so; the line is so cheap, and it probably would have saved me 10 minutes or more.)

I had to lever so as to get almost 180-degree force on the line being pulled down through that VERY-tight hole, hoping to not break the new return-fuel-line.

Here you may be able to see the new replacement return-fuel-line just poking through the roof of the fuel tank:

Here you may be able to see the new replacement return-fuel-line pulled out the the mouth of the fuel tank (with the tail-end plugged onto the primer-bulb for me to get a feel for how things might go):

Nib and new replacement return-fuel-line pulled back into tank GENTLY! until nib just hitting the roof of the fuel tank:

I had cut the new return-line a bit too long:

("Snip!")

New narrower fuel-line
from: the primer-bulb-suction-nipple labeled "CARB" on back-side of primer-bulb housing
to: the lower nipple on the carb

and
new wider fuel-line from primer-bulb-purge fitting labeled "TANK" on back-side of primer-bulb housing through roof of fuel tank (and unseen nib inside the tank):

Oops!!  See the fuel lines are above the wire to the on/off switch.  That ended up pinching them too much when I put the carburetor back on the studs (I could tell because the primer-bulb was not moving in-and-out freely):

I removed the fuel lines from the primer-bulb and re-positioned them below the wire to the on/off switch:

Before I put everything back together, I made sure the primer-bulb was moving in and out freely (that is: no fuel lines were pinched too tightly) and that the throttle trigger moved smoothly to open the throttle and allow it to close.  I didn't forget to make sure the choke knob was positioned properly and moved smoothly.

It took me several tries to get everything back together and working smoothly, but everything worked well in the end.

And so... as regards the fixya.com post, someone mentioned running fuel lines on this Craftsman model a different way than I did -- I think they made a mistake (That is:

1 >> the narrow fuel-line from the fuel filter in the tank goes to the top of this carb and

2 >> the narrow fuel-line from the bottom of this carb goes to the suction-fitting (labeled "CARB") on the back-housing of the primer-bulb, and

3 >> the wider, return-fuel-line goes from the purge-fitting on the back-housing of the primer-bulb back into the tank and should probably be given back the nib in-tank to discourage the line from popping out of the tank (as was designed, I think, by the manufacturer).  

Thanks again Lou and Andrew!!  It works again!

(After the fuel lines were replaced, I also had to tweak the carb settings (lean/rich L/H & idle speed screws.  I got some info on youtube, but probably would have been better-off having a knowledgeable friend or my local small-engine shop tweak it for me.  This YouTube video was the most helpful to me, and this video was also very informative, as well as this third one.)  My carb only had spline-screws to adjust Low and High, but I was able to use a small rotary tool with a mini cutting disc to grind out flat-head screwdriver notches in the middle of their ends which worked out great so I saved a few bucks instead of buying a spline driver.

(Gentle reader, please, kindly let me and others know if you think I made any unnoticed mistake here.)

Old Dishwasher was Leaking -- not from the Rubber Seal, but from the Steam Vent

Our 20+ year-old dishwasher developed a leak at the front that I assumed was a worn-out rubber seal, but the seal looked fine.

Eventually I figured out that the problem was that the steam vent was clogged with some mush (I assume 20+ years of paper label bits from re-used jam jars, etc.).  The mush was inhibiting the return-flow of the water jets shooting into the vent, so the water came out the steam vent in the front door.

(I cleaned out the gunk before I took the photographs.)

I used a flat-head screwdriver to pop out the vent cover (ours has snaps on both sides).

The vent and the cover were super-gunked-up with some unknown mushy stuff.  The photos are only after I had already cleaned most of it out.

After removing most of the mushy gunk, I snapped the vent cover back in.


No more leak!  :-)

(If you are doing dishwasher maintenance, you might want to check for clogged jets in the spinner arms.  I make a very small (maybe 1/8th inch) hook at the end of a paper clip with a needle-nose pliers to pull out clogs from the jet holes.)

God's Glorious Gift of a Colorful Lawn Carpet Gets More Gorgeous Every Spring

In SE PA, I think you will not find much of a better approximation of an Alpine Meadow in Spring-time.

OK, so I love dandelions in the lawn.  Not only are they beautiful, they are extremely nutritious for humans and the bees that keep us in business.  I once visited friends in Lausanne, Switzerland in early Spring, and almost all the cafés and bistros had signs outside celebrating (and advertising) the Dents-de-Lion ("Teeth of the Lion") salad coming in fresh.

Are You Looking to hire a Technical Writer? Besides this Blog, I Can Offer Some Other Excellent Examples of my Extraordinary Work.

I have a genuine knack for explaining things in written form.  (Two critical-but-kind "letters to the editor" printed in the Wall Street Journal before I hit 40.)

I can offer some excellent examples of my work, which includes some intuitive GUI / UX design for a cork/rubber flooring manufacturer, and color "recipes", amongst maelstroms of other talents on loan to me from God.

Documentary of Installation of a 5-2-1 Hard-Start Capacitor & Relay Switch into a 3-ton Carrier Heat Pump

I got sick of the lights constantly dimming every time our Heat-Pump kicked in.  I read somewhere that a "hard-start" capacitor could not only ameliorate that, but also extend the life of our HVAC system and return the cost (about $30 on ebay) every few months just in electricity savings.

I had to give it a try.

This is potentially life-threatening stuff!!!

I ought not to have performed the work myself, as I am untrained.  This is only a documentary of my foolhardy behavior.


Hire a professional.

---

Carrier-brand heat pumps use wiring colors that appear to be outside the industry standard, so I wanted to share my experience in case it might help someone.

(Kinda funny, considering Mr. Carrier is credited as a founder of modern air-conditioning. Also there have been murmurs of his work elongating Congressional meetings that the Founding Fathers did not foresee happening in humid Washington, D.C.)

The photographs and video are of an old-ish (maybe 2002?) heat pump that has seen some non-standard replacement parts in its day.  The contactor is a replacement part and, I think, mislabeled (it appears to me that L1 / L2 (thus, also, T1 / T2) were switched according to my limited understanding of the schematics and wiring diagram provided by Carrier Corporation).

The fan motor was replaced.  The technician apparently installed a secondary run-capacitor for it, rather than replacing the 3-pole run-capacitor.  I don't know why he chose to do so, but as our capacitors tend to degrade below spec every 2-3 years (we have near-max-allowable voltage from the mains, plus we're in a lightning-prone area), it does save us some money to replace the little guy for $6 vs. $20+ for a new 3-pole capacitor.

1 Thermostat turned to OFF

2 Heat Pump Circuit-Breaker turned to OFF

3 Heat Pump Power Physically Broken

4 Rear-View of Carrier-Provided Extra Mounting Screws

5 Carrier Label

6 Aftermarket Possibly-Mislabeled Contactor

7 Heat Pump Before Start-Capacitor Installation

8 Run-Capacitors Before Start-Capacitor Installation

Please note that in that photograph the blue wire is incorrectly connected to "C" and the yellow wire to "HERM" on the larger capacitor (it ran fine that way for quite a few years, but as following photographs will show, I put it back to normal wiring, that-is, blue-to-"HERM" and yellow-to-"C" for posterity's sake).

9 Two Screws Removed for Mounting the Relay and the Start-Capacitor

10 Relay Mounted

11 Start-Capacitor Finagling

(Please notice the small foam adhesive pad I stuck on the Start-Capacitor.  As the heat-pump did not offer a convenient spot upon which to rest the the Start-Capacitor, I was concerned that vibrations might cause it to slip out of the mounting strap.)

12 More Finagling of the Start-Capacitor

13 Even More Finagling of the Start-Capacitor

14 Start-Capacitor Strapped-In and Screwed-In

14.2 Start-Capacitor Strapped-In and Screwed-In / alternative view

15 Stripey Wire to the "HERM" terminal of the compressor's Run-Capacitor

16 Red Wire from the Start-Capacitor to the "C" terminal of the compressor's Run-Capacitor

17 Black Wire from the Start-Capacitor Relay to the Black Wires Terminal on Contactor

Here is a youtube Video of the Follow-Up.

Sorry I don't have a clamp-on amp-meter.  I do think it's running more quietly now.