Adding two simple shelves in garage

Last week, I finally received my long awaited Weller soldering iron WES51. After going through some cheap soldering irons that ended up doing more bad than good, I decided it was time to spend some money for a decent soldering iron. This one is actually a "soldering station" so it takes more space than the typical soldering iron, see the picture below.

Weller WES51 Soldering Station

Question that comes up when a new toy arrives: Where am I going to store it? This is something that I use quite often for working on electronics, so I need it accessible and ready, but I have pretty much all my shelf space around my workbench used. Or not? I have some empty space on top of my water softener, and I think there is enough space for a couple of shelves.

Since I always keep leftover lumber from previous projects, I had a few pieces of 2x2s and a big piece of plywood that could be useful for the shelves. I started by cutting the 2x2 with a circular saw to fit the empty space.

The 2x2s are cut to fit the space

I used zinc plated wood screws of 1-1/4 length for fastening the 2x2s to the sides.

Then I cut the plywood to serve as the actual shelves, again with a circular saw.

The 2x2s with the pieces of plywood

Note how the plywood shelves are surrounding a PVC water pipe used by the water softener. I made this opening by using a 1" spade on a drill.

These shelves were fastened to the 2x2s by using three wood screws on each shelf. 

Drilling pilot holes for screws

I used a level at all times to ensure the shelves are properly leveled. Note the 2x2s that support the plywood are at the front of the shelves, so the back of the shelves are not supported yet. For supporting the back of the shelves I used "L" brackets that are fastened to the bottom side of the shelf and to the sides, see photo:

Use of "L" brackets for shelf support

Once the shelves are properly secured, it's time for painting!

Final look after painting

And this is what it looks like ten minutes later:

Shelves are getting full already

Already need more space!

Replacing a sprinkler

Last time I mowed my lawn I noticed one of the sprinklers was way too low, take a look:

Sprinkler below ground level

This sprinkler needs adjustment before grass completely covers it.

I have been using the Toro 570Z Pro Series sprinklers and have been very happy with their performance and their range of available sprinkler nozzles, so I would like to stick with this series. I only need to get the sprinkler higher, for example with a 1" extension or get a 3" sprinkler instead of the current 2". The benefits of having a 3" sprinkler instead of using an extension is that the sprinkler riser (the barrel where the sprinkler nozzle screws to) will be longer and will be able to throw water at a longer distance, so I am going to get this replaced with a Toro 570Z 3" sprinkler.

Update: The first thing one REALLY wants to do is to make sure your sprinklers won't turn on while you are working on them! So turn your sprinkler valve off or main water supply off before you continue! And don't ask how I figured this out :)

First thing I am going to do is to remove the dirt and grass out of the way so I can get the sprinkler out without allowing dirt into the water pipe.

Sprinkler is now ready to be removed

Once I unscrew the sprinkler from the pipe I have an open water pipe waiting for any debris to get in, so I like to put a cloth to cover the open pipe, like this:

Cover the open pipe while working to avoid debris

Now I go pick up the 3" sprinkler and I decide to put both sprinklers side to side to compare their lengths and make sure everything looks right.

Toro 570Z Pro Series sprinklers

Only one year after installation, the old sprinkler looks like it's been there for decades. By the way, in the previous picture I had the PVC adapter removed from the old sprinkler. That's the male-male adapter that allows you to screw the sprinkler to the pipe. Now it's time to get that adapter in the new sprinkler, and I strongly recommend the usage of Teflon tape here. Take a look at the new sprinkler with the adapter in:

New sprinkler is now ready for installation

Now it's just a matter of screwing the new sprinkler and putting everything back as it was, dirt, grass, etc. if you have been careful enough you can even put the old grass back and wait till it grows new roots. This is what it looks now, after grass has been growing in the area for a few weeks (it looks lower than it actually is because grass has not been cut yet):

New look of the replaced sprinkler

One more thing, the Toro 570Z sprinklers come in two versions: With and without nozzle. If you buy the sprinkler without the nozzle (sprinkler body only), you can purchase a wide range of nozzles from the 570 series, including variable arc nozzles, and the 570 MPR+ nozzles which include a pressure compensating device. The ones that come with the sprinkler are the cheaper (but still good) 570 MPR nozzles. You can compare the 570 MPR and MPR+ nozzles here:

Click here for information about Toro 570 MPR nozzles.

Click here for information about Toro 570 MPR+ nozzles.

Hope you enjoyed this project!

A two-year-old cooling problem fixed

Finally, after two years I figured out the cooling problem that was affecting my car's performance. It turns out the problem started with a bad fan clutch and I made it worse with a defective thermostat. Shame on me! This summer, I decided it was time to fix it and I did it! Here's how:

Bad fan clutch. Note the rusted bimetal sensory system.

The story starts with a 2004 Dodge Durango with a dead fan clutch. Actually not totally dead, but it wouldn't engage when the temperature was high enough, as it is supposed to do. It was running in "idle" all the time, which is fine for almost every day in San Diego weather. However, during the summer of 2009, weather got very hot and the fan clutch wouldn't engage so my car overheated a little bit, although it never got bad enough to turn the MIL light on, but it scared the hell out of me. At that time I didn't know much about car repairs, so the first thing I did, since it was the easiest to do, is to get a new thermostat in. I was obviously stumbling in the dark. Unfortunately, I got a defective thermostat from Autozone. This thermostat had a gasket that was not sealing properly and introduced a coolant leak. The leak made the cooling system unable to pressurize properly and that's why it kept overheating even more than that Summer 2009.

Close up of thermostat enclosure

So my car ended up being worse than it began, now we're facing a dead fan clutch and an open cooling system.

During these two years I never thought the thermostat could be the problem, as it was recently replaced, and I kept replacing stuff... replaced water pump, radiator hoses and clamps, changed coolant, flushed cooling system and even took out the radiator and had an expert clean it with rods. I also had my system checked for pressure by a couple of shops, and they weren't able to find anything wrong with my radiator or system. I even added a dye to my coolant that allowed for easy identification of leaks with a special UV light. But never had luck finding a leak.

New upper radiator hose and clamps

At this point, I haven't got the problem fixed, but I sure learned about car repairs, at least cooling system repairs.

This summer, when I was about to replace the radiator as a last resort, I thought I would try a pressure test myself. So I borrowed a radiator pressure tester from O'Reilly (by the way, great tool made by CTA Tools, highly recommended, very sturdy and well made) and voila!, as soon as I applied pressure above 20 PSI, I saw coolant dripping from the thermostat onto my garage's floor. It turns out the Autozone thermostat gasket was bad, but the leak was so small that it was not evident in any of the quick pressure tests they did to my car.

Replacing the thermostat

The cooling system was actually broken in an interesting way: it was working properly at low PSI pressures, no leaks, but when coolant was getting hotter and pressure rose around 20 PSI, the gasket couldn't hold the pressure and coolant started to leak. Note that I had no leaks in my garage floor whatsoever, which made it more difficult to diagnose.

But now I had found the leak and I assured myself I was going to get it fixed for good.

Fortunately I kept the original Chrysler thermostat - which by the way, tested ok when put in boiling water, and that allowed me to confirm the Autozone thermostat was bad. So if my original thermostat was good, what caused the initial overheating two years ago?

Fan removed for replacing the clutch

In retrospect, I figured out that the original problem had to do with the fan clutch, actually I never heard my fan "roar" and that's what made me look into it. I had a plan. I was going to replace:

• Fan clutch
• Coolant
• Thermostat
• Accessory belt - reaching End of Life at 100.000 miles

 

My car is getting all these

Once I had a written plan and the proper tools, it was very easy to get the job done. First I removed fan and fan clutch, accessory belt, drained the coolant, and got everything ready.

Replacing the accesory belt

Then I put the new thermostat in, put the new accessory belt and screwed the new fan clutch to the fan and got it installed.

Then I filled the cooling system with Zerex G-05 coolant and using the spill-free funnel by Lisle.

Filling the cooling system

The new thermostat showed no leaks and the new fan clutch engages when the temperature is high enough and makes a roaring noise, not convenient but keeps the engine cold. Hey it's a truck, after all.

The temperature of the engine is now a lot cooler than before, even when going uphill or in hot weather. I was getting used to seeing the engine temperature gauge touch the midpoint and even go above it. Now it stays way below the midpoint.

A look under the hood after work is finished

End of story.

Knipex pliers set from Europe

When my parents visited us during last Christmas, my dad brought me some presents in the form of European tools. One of these gifts was a set of Knipex pliers.

Knippex pliers

This is a great set of pliers, German made, of a very high quality. I have been using these pliers more and more for electric work, cutting cables, plumbing, automotive and more, to the point that my Craftsman set is starting to get dusty.

My dad told me he uses the cutting pliers (center in above picture) for cutting almost everything including nails and other metals. I can confirm these are strong enough for this type of heavy duty work although I am going to take care of them by not pushing them to the limit. Here is a closer look to the cutting pliers:

Cutting pliers

A few weeks after I got this gift, I saw this same kit selling at Lowe's so if you are interested in getting these you know where to get them from. Amazon also sells some good sets of Knipex tools.

Calcium deposits on bathroom faucet

We installed a new bathroom faucet a few months ago, and it's been showing lots of calcium deposits around the handles, you know how hard is San Diego water even with a water softener. We have tried some products to remove the calcium, but nothing can really clean it since the calcium is stuck and one can't scrub due to the limited access to the area so I decided it was time to remove the handles and see what was going on.

Calcium deposits on right handle

Removed the handles and realized the right one, which is cold water, had a lot of rust and calcium. The left one was ok, so I am starting to think it's possible this faucet is getting water that hasn't gone through the softener or the softener is not softening. I'll check that later.

Right handle with calcium

Anyway, I used a product to remove calcium and rust and let it sit for a few minutes and scrubbed until all calcium was removed.

Calcium has been removed

Calcium has been removed

Then I used some marine grade oil for stopping corrosion, this will create a layer of grease that will avoid rust in the valve area, so it can be removed easily if the valve needs to be replaced in the future. Not sure if the oil will have any effect on the calcium but just in case I have sprayed the handle and valve, it can't hurt.

Adding oil to stop corrosion

Time to replace the handles and try the faucet. It all works ok, and the handles are turning smoother now.

Faucet looks like new

And that's it for today.

Installing a gate spring

Our house has a gate on the right side of the house, and the gate has a tendency to open itself and bang all night. Time for installing a spring that keeps the gate closed.

I bought the gate spring at Home Depot and followed the instructions which are very straightforward. First I had to clean all the spider webs and kill some really big spiders, this is a gate we don't use so all the spiders in the neighborhood are squatting in here.

Once the area was clean, I marked the holes with a pencil using the spring as a template, then drilled four 7/64 holes. To finish the installation, I screwed the spring to both the jam and door, like this:

Screwing the gate spring

Once finished, one can adjust the tension by screwing the nut in the top of the spring:

Adjusting spring tension

Once adjusted, the door stays closed all the time. Nice improvement for $10.

Final look of spring from inside

The spring is on the inside so it does not compromise the house's curb appeal. Actually I might buy another one for the other gate on the left side.

Installing a new door knob or door lever

Finally, I got a chance to try my new Dewalt DC925. I also figured out about the transmission problem. According to some folks in different forums in which I have absolute confidence (like DEWALTOwnersGroup.Com), this is a known problem of these drills. The new DCD950 with a forward-reverse gear shift (opposed to a left-to-right) does not have that problem. Anyway, I can live with that as long as the drill performs well.

So back to the project, I decided I would try the drill by installing a new door lever. Our choice for all bedrooms in the house has been the Schlage Accent series in Oil-Rubbed Bronze.

The first step is to mark the location where the hole for striker will be drilled. I do this by looking at the striker plate on the door jam. Once the location of the hole is marked, I screw the Door Lock Installation Kit to the door with a couple of small screws.

Door Lock Installation Kit

I bought this kit from Harbor Freight, have used it for installing six doors so far and it has worked great every single time. Once again, thanks HFT!

Once the kit is installed, drilling is what comes next. First I use the big saw and drill a big hole for the lever mechanism. When finished I get the small saw and drill the hole for the strike.

Holes for door lever

While doing this, I like to use a bit of cutting oil otherwise the saws get real hot due to the friction, the drawback to this is the gooey paste that comes out when the oil mixes with the sawdust.
When I was in the middle of the drilling job, I realized the drill bit was wobbling so I took a closer look at it.

Drill Bit included in Door Lock Kit

I guess what happened is that after drilling into six doors, the bit loosened from its base. Fortunately there is an Allen screw that allows for tightening the drill bit, so I used the Allen wrench seen in the picture and let the drill bit perfectly tightened.

After the two holes are done, I remove the kit and clean the area with a cloth. Also notice the marks in the picture below.

Door ready for lever

Now the door is ready to install the door knob, door lever or whatever we want. This is what it looks like after installed:

Door lever installed

 The next step, which will be shown soon, is to paint the door.